Book of Numbers #16

The Levites did not receive their own portion of the Land. They were God's priests and lay servants and Israel was commanded to provide for its priesthood. The command still stands in the Catholic Church today.

The prescription forbade Levites from owning farmland -- the major source of wealth in ancient Israel. The forty-eight cities set aside for them provide them with permanent residence and pasturage for their flock. To those who trust in his Name, God always provides what is necessary. In particular, God provided cities of refuge for those who have accidentally caused the death of a man. God knew the people's lust for blood and the imperative they lived under to avenge the death of their own, even when it was caused accidentally.

The Lord could have forced the Israelites to change their ways. He could have instituted laws against this type of egregious behavior but he knew that virtue alone compels men to obey a just law, and in regards to vengeance, honor, and blood, many a man, then and now, is still lacking the necessary restraint and humility to refrain from vengeance.

Thus, the Lord provided temporary relief, cities of refuge that an avenger could not enter. These cities became an exile at home -- another stark reminder that the Promised Land was still mostly an unfulfilled promise until the coming of the Messiah who would open the Gates of Heaven and invite us into his eternal dwelling, the everlasting Promised Land.