We all have grudges. Whether we like to admit it or not, there are people or situations that just stick in our craw. Time hasn’t healed them (yet), and so they just sit there, pecking away at us until we either stuff them deep inside or act on them.
And when we act on them, usually the mess we create is far worse than whatever the person or situation deserved. That’s the problem with anger: Unless it is controlled or held in check, wrath will destroy you and everyone else you come into contact with.
The cities of refuge provide a fair way to get rid of this hostility in more ways than one.
Think about the institution itself. If someone is killed, the “manslayer” has the opportunity to flee to a city that has been designated beforehand and stay there—under protection—until a fair trial has been conducted.
If he’s guilty of intentional murder, he’s delivered over for judgment. If he’s innocent, he stays in the city until the high priest dies. Emotions aside, that’s a win for everyone.
But think about the other way in which this setup is fair. Deuteronomy 19:6 is clear that the manslayer must flee to the city of refuge. Speed is heavily implied here, since the blood-avenger may “pursue the manslayer in the heat of his anger, and overtake him.”
This wasn’t what anyone wanted. If the blood-avenger gets to the manslayer before the manslayer gets to the city of refuge, he dies, regardless of whether he’s innocent or not. That’s not justice; it’s revenge.
Because of that, some might wonder why this clause is even included at all, but think about what would happen if there wasn’t urgency. If this condition is not put in place, there’s a high chance that the law would be ignored completely.
If the manslayer kills someone (accidentally or on purpose), and the blood-avenger is forced to wait until the trial, the manslayer may very well take their time getting to the city of refuge—if they get there at all.
In that case, because of a loophole, the blood of the victim may never be avenged at all.
That’s why this verse is so important—not necessarily because it gives the blood-avenger license to be angry, but because it provides the necessary speed to get a trial in motion. Once the manslayer arrives in the city of refuge, it’s up to the local magistrates to get the wheels of justice moving.