If we make it to the city of refuge safely, we have the hope of eventual freedom and forgiveness of our sin in the death of the high priest—Jesus Christ.

Christ fulfills the roles of both the blood avenger and the high priest. He is our Redeemer. Redemption involves the securing of release by the payment of a price.

The cities of refuge highlight the great importance God placed on the sanctity of life, especially in beings created in God's image.

Realizing that men are prone to mistakes, God commanded the Israelites to have six cities of refuge to protect those who accidentally committed manslaughter.

The sixth commandment, forbidding murder, is rare among the Ten Commandments in that a clear line can be drawn between its commission and its consequences.

God's called-out ones must curtail 'installment plan' serial sins which carry them to a fatal point of no return.

Our society is becoming increasingly violent. The sixth of the Ten Commandments covers crime, capital punishment, murder, hatred, revenge and war.

Jesus magnifies the Law in Matthew 5, moving beyond the behavior into the motivating thought behind the deed, warning that we do not retaliate in kind.

Jesus emphasized the spirit of the law, which places deterrents on the motive (anger, resentment, envy, revenge), preventing murder from ever taking place.

Sins committed presumptuously by people of high responsibility (leaders) are judged more rigorously than those sins committed by people in ignorance.

Gentile nations without God's revelation were held accountable for basic principles of humanity. God reserves the severest penalty for Judah and Israel.

With godly hope, we need to envision the successful accomplishment of God's purpose for us, realizing that God has bound that promise with an oath.

We must emulate the ways of God, demonstrating justice in our lives, thoughts, words, and deeds, preparing to judge in God's Kingdom. Not all sins are equal.

Saul tried to placate God by massacring Gibeonites. Later, David yielded to the Gibeonites' by hanging Saul's descendants to avenge the slaughter. God was not pleased.

Hope conveys the idea of absolute certainty of future good, and that is exactly what the Bible tells us we have upon our calling and acceptance of God's way.