Today's Reading: Numbers 35

 

Jesus, Our City of Refuge

Among the settlements of Israel, there were to be six cities appointed as cities of refuge, or sanctuary cities.  Three on either side of the Jordan River placed strategically through the land so that...

no matter where you were living in the land you were never more than a half day's run from a city of refuge.

A part of the culture of that day was a practice known as “revenge killing.” If someone killed another person, then the dead person’s next-of-kin could avenge his/her murder by locating the killer and taking his/her life in return.  In fact, if a member of your family was killed by someone else, you were honor-bound to kill him.

In order to modify this deeply ingrained practice, God established the cities of refuge. The purpose of these cities of refuge was to provide a safe haven for anyone who had accidentally killed another person (manslaughter). So that if you should unintentionally kill someone you could flee to a city of refuge and if you could get within the city limits before the avenger caught up with you, you were safe. The avenger would not be allowed to enter the city to carry out his revenge. Once inside the city, the residents of that city would determine if the guilty person was a murderer or a manslayer.  A manslayer (i.e., an unintentional killer) could find refuge in one of these cities, but a murderer (one who premeditated his act) could not.

You, too, have a “city of refuge” to which you can run to escape the consequences of your sin. The comparisons and parallels between the cities of refuge and Christ are incredible! It is to Jesus that we can flee for protection from the consequences of wrongdoing, whether done intentionally or not.  He is our sanctuary city.  In his mercy, God grants us entrance into Christ where we are saved and protected. Once in Him, our avenger has no power over us.  But remember, you must be inside the city limits.  Both Jesus and the cities of refuge provide protection only within their boundaries; so make sure you have run to Jesus. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." (Proverbs 18:10)