Jesus was our city of refuge

JESUS WAS OUR CITY OF REFUGE
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Jesus our City of Refuge - Safetyfrom the avengerof blood
by I Gordon
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are
safe." (Proverbs 18:10)
Well, a whole new decade has begun and we're off to a bit of a doozy! There
has been tensionin the Middle East(ok, that's not new) with a key Iranian
military Generalkilled, a passengerplane shot down and over 20 missiles
fired at an American base. World War 3 was trending on twitter! This is part
of what the Bible calls 'Wars and rumours of wars'. As I write the numbers of
those infected with the 'corona-virus'is sky-rocketing. PooroldAustralia
have horrific and devastating fires. And when it hasn't been fires it's been hail
storms. And when it hasn't been hail storms it's been flooding. And when it
wasn't flooding it's been dust storms. The Bible calls these things 'birth pains'.

This messageis not howeverabout those things. It is about Jesus as our place
of refuge. With all that is happening people rightfully getconcernedand many
look for a place of safety. God, through His word, has shownwhere we are to
look to find safety, refuge, meaning and hope. And He tells all of mankind to
flee to that place and staythere. He has said this in many varied ways but one
way that I have been looking at recently is pictured in the Old Testament
conceptof the 'Cities of refuge'. No doubt you have heard of these but maybe,
just maybe, you may not have taken the time to think about what God is
trying to teachmankind through them. If that's you, well, how fortunate you
are because there are some important gems hidden within these cities!1 So
we'll look at:
Jesus our city of refuge outline
The historicalbackground(Joshua 20)
The spiritual picture before us
The position of those who will not flee
The role of those who help others flee
The safetyand hope for those who make the city!
Cities of refuge locationin IsraelThe historicalbackground(Joshua 20)
Let's first look at a passageofscripture that gives an overview of these cities
of refuge and discuss how they were used historically.
Jos 20:1-9 Then the LORD said to Joshua:(2) Tell the Israelites to designate
the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, (3)so that anyone who
kills a person accidentallyand unintentionally may flee there and find
protection from the avengerof blood. (4) When he flees to one of these cities,

he is to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state his case before the
elders of that city. Then they are to admit him into their city and give him a
place to live with them. (5) If the avengerof blood pursues him, they must not
surrender the one accused, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally and
without malice aforethought. (6) He is to stay in that city until he has stood
trial before the assemblyand until the death of the high priest who is serving
at that time. Then he may go back to his own home in the town from which he
fled." (7) So they setapart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali,
Shechemin the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in
the hill country of Judah. (8) On the eastside of the Jordan of Jericho they
designatedBezerin the deserton the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth
in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashanin the tribe of Manasseh.
(9) Any of the Israelites or any alien living among them who killed someone
accidentallycould flee to these designatedcities and not be killed by the
avengerof blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.
We see that God instructed Joshua, as he had Moses before him, to setup six
cities throughout the land of Israelthat would have a specialstatus as a 'city
of refuge'. So what does that mean? Well, in those days Israellived under the
law which incorporatedthe conceptof 'an eye for an eye'. If you murdered
someone, then you would be put to death... plain and simple. But even if you
killed someone accidentallythe closestrelative of the slain person could come
for your life. The 'closestrelative'in this case was known'as the avengerof
blood'. They would come for justice over the shed blood of their brother or
close relative.
So let's say I'm building a wall and I unintentionally dislodge some large
stones which come down, hitting a man and killing him instantly. What do I
do? Run. Fast. I need to get to a city of refuge where I canbe safe and have
my case heard. Or maybe I'm chopping down trees and, having not really
maintained my tools, my axe head flies off, striking a man and killing him. I
need to get to the city of refuge. They saya picture is worth a thousand words

so I have added a painting to the right.2 Here you can see one fleeing into the
gates ofthe city of refuge with the avengerof blood, drawn swordin hand, hot
on his heels. But the elder or priest of the city is there to meet the one fleeing
and say'not one step further' to the one in pursuit. Our accidentalman-slayer
has made it! He's safe!
Cities of Refuge - The spiritual picture
Now all of this is also a picture of the provision 'in Christ Jesus'for the sinner
who, whether they know it or not, needs a place of refuge. Eachcity of refuge
speaks ofChrist in some way. We will look at that but for now let's first look
at some generalpoints from the passagein Joshua.
Spiritual types / pictures in the city of refuge
Firstly we see that these places of refuge were from God. He initiated them.
He wanted them. Right from the first sin of Adam and Eve Godhas always
been the One who has sought to provide a place of shelter and security for the
sinner. Now whether they would take that place is anothermatter, but the
heart of God has always for the sinner to find safety and forgiveness.
God placedthem so you could make it. From the map on the right we can see
that God wasn'ttrying to make it hard to reachthese cities. You didn't have
to run the entire length of Israel. Yes, you had to make an effort, but it was
within reachfor those that saw the seriousnessoftheir need to flee. Some
cities were in the north; some in the south. Three cities were placedon each
side of the river Jordan. So if you were in Judah, you could flee to Hebron. If
you were in EastManassehyou could flee to Golan. There was a place that
was accessible 3. It's the same today. A man doesn't have to flee physically
today to find a spiritual place. But they do have to come, in humility and faith

in their hearts, to the King of Kings and ask for His refuge. And Christ is not
far from those that come in such a way!
Note also that it was for everyone. Young, old, male, female, slave, free,
Israelite, Gentile. Vs 9 says 'These were the appointed cities for all the sons of
Israeland for the strangerwho sojourns among them, that whoeverkills any
person unintentionally may flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger
of blood.' This is one of those 'whosoever'verses. The greatestis John 3:16
"ForGod so loved the world, that He gave His only begottenSon, that
whoeverbelieves in Him shall not perish, but have eternallife. (Joh 3:16)
Whosoever...rich, poor, Jew, Gentile, male, female, king or peasant. The
invitation is available to all and all should take advantage of it!
When the High Priestdied, the perpetrator of the crime could go free and had
no fear. 'The Talmud argues that the death of the high priest formed an
atonement.'4 The JewishRabbis of old arguedthat because ofthe
righteousness ofthe High Priest, his death could actlike an atonement that
causedthose who had fled into a city of refuge to go free. The High Priest's
death atoned for their mistake the said. And how correctthey were without
seeing what Godwas pointing to! They saw that but failed to see that the
ultimate High Priest, Jesus Christ, is the real One whose death would set us
free!
It is worth noting that in this passageallof it pictures Christ in some way
(apart from one person) - The innocent one killed is a picture of Jesus for he
did no wrong. The city of refuge that provides shelter and safetyfor the one
fleeing pictures Christ. The High Priestas previously mentioned pictures
Christ in that His death sets those in the city free! Even the avengerof blood is
a type of Christ for at the secondcoming Jesus comes with justice and in
righteousness He judges and wages war. He is the avengerof blood for those
that have not sought refuge.

There is only one in this picture that is not a type of Christ and that is the one
who has committed the crime and is fleeing. That is a picture of you.
Those who will not flee
So what of those who decide not to flee? They have unintentionally killed a
man but decide to just stay where they are. What becomes ofthem? In these
casesthere was no safety outside of these cities. If the nearestkinsman was
upset and out for blood then justice was coming. Would it be today?
Tomorrow? In a week? Nextyear? Who could tell? But the avengerof blood
was coming at some stage and the perpetrator was simply living on borrowed
time. What a horrible position to be in.
I remember when I first saw this for my own life. As I read the Bible for the
first time in my first year of University I saw that I was in trouble. Big
trouble. I saw the need to flee. Not 'flee' as in leave the city I was in (though as
a city it did give some strong reasons to do that as well!) But like Christian in
Pilgrims Progress Isaw I was living, spiritually speaking, in the City of
Destructionand if I stayedthere what would become of me? I might be ok for
a day, a week, a year... who knows. But I saw I was living on borrowed time
and that I neededto find a place of safetyand forgiveness in Christ if I was
ever to have rest. It took me 6 months of reading the Bible and agonizing over
what I need to do... but I got there. Some people never come to see this. Most
don't. They continue to live like they have forever. They live like the avenger
of blood won't ever come. When is he coming? Who cantell? But justice is
coming and no one knows how long they have got.

So what does the Bible say of those that have a place of safety but do not use
it? It calls them fools. There is an interesting example of this during the days
of King David. As a quick background, after the death of King Saul, David
was anointed King but the house of David and the house of Saul continued to
battle. David's generalwas Joaband Saul's was a man called Abner. Joab's
brother Asahel(who was saidto be as fleet footedas a wild gazelle)chased
Abner and wouldn't turn aside even though Abner told him to severaltimes.
In the end Abner, in self-defense, killedAsahel. Joabof course, wants revenge.
And so we read:
Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to
speak with him privately, and there stabbed him in the stomach, so that he
died for the blood of Asahelhis brother. (2Sa 3:27)
And the king sang a lament over Abner and said: "Should Abner die as a fool
dies? (2Sa 3:33)
David was sad for Abner's death but he saidthat he died as a fool. Why would
he say that? What was Abner's foolishness? Well, it is hidden within the text
in 2 Sam 3:27. The writer of the passagemakes note that Abner was in
Hebron. As we have seenabove, Hebron was a city of refuge. You couldn't
just go in there and kill someone. So Joabtricks Abner to come to the gate of
the city. Outside, Abner is not safe and there he dies at the hand of Joab.
Abner's foolishness was in knowing where the place of safety was but in not
staying there. He died as a fool as do many others who have heard of their
need to flee to Christ but choose notto.
Those who help others on their way to the city of refuge

It is also interesting to put yourself in the shoes of those who helped make the
way to the city of refuge as easyas possible. This was one of the roles of the
Levite priests. They would ensure that the roads were wellmarked, sign-
posted and all obstaclesthat might prevent someone from reaching the city of
refuge are removed. The Believers Bible Commentary says that according to
Jewishwritings:
Jewishinsight into the city of refuge
(a) the roads leading to the cities of refuge were always keptin thorough
repair, and required to be about 32 cubits (about 48 feet) broad;
(b) all obstructions were removed that might stay the flier's foot or hinder his
speed;
(c) no hillock was left, no river was allowedoverwhich there was not a bridge;
(d) at every turning there were posts erectedbearing the words 'Refuge,'to
guide the unhappy man in his flight;
(e) when once settledin such a city the man-slayer had a convenient habitation
assignedto him, and the citizens were to teachhim some trade that he might
support himself.
Roadto city of refugeHow does that speak to us today you ask? Believers
today are both those that have fled and found refuge, as well as the priests of
God who then assistothers to find that same safety. As priests we are the ones
that put up the signs saying 'this way', 'refuge here'. Unfortunately there are
many other signs saying 'find freedom in the New Age here.' 'Save the planet,
hug a tree and save your soul here'. The voices and signs are many and varied
but we have a need to point to the true city of refuge, Jesus Christ.

Is that something you try to do with those around you? We are also the ones
who try to remove obstacles thatstop others from finding safety. As an
example, I had a letter come in to the website where the lady was hitting an
obstacle...One that seems relevantto what we are speaking of. You may have
noted above that the cities of refuge were for unintentional acts ONLY. For
premeditated, defiant serious sins the law demanded death. One lady,
reflecting on her background, wrote in really worried about this saying:
'I would like ask a question. I was savedat 36 years of age and prior to my
conversionI lived a very immoral lifestyle. Which included abortion, adultery
and a bisexual lifestyle. There is not a single commandment that I did not
break in thought or deed. It was brought to my attention that the sacrifices
offered in the OT were a shadow of what Christ would come to do, right? Ok.
Except... there are no sacrificesofferedfor the things that I did. Without
exceptionthey were simply punishable by immediate death, no redeeming
yourself with a sacrifice...I'm in a bit of a tailspin over it. So I guess my
question is if the old sacrificialsystem was a shadow and Christ is now our
perfect lamb how are certain sins coveredor forgiven if they were not before?
'
Now that is a fair enoughquestion and one that presenteda greatobstacle on
her path! It was a roadblock.
Thankfully I was able to share5 that the book of Hebrews tells us that
compared to the Mosaic covenant, believers in Jesus have a 'better covenant'
basedon 'better promises' and a 'better sacrifice'. One, as Paul spoke in the
book of Acts, that canfree everyone from everything!
Act 13:39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you
could not be justified from by the law of Moses.

Those that find their way to refuge
So what of those that make it to the city of refuge? What of those who find
safetyin Christ... What do they find? Goodquestion!
God chose the cities of refuge for they speak of what we have 'in Christ'. We
can gleanfrom what these cities mean. So let's look at eachin order from
north to south.
City and Meaning Spiritual Application
Kedesh 'Sanctuary' Kedesh is the sanctuary, the refuge and place of rest.
Rest, safe from fear, guilt, punishment, daily worry and the burden of
continually not measuring up. The Old Testamentspeaks ofGodas a refuge
and rest and this was offeredto us by the Lord in the New Testament:
He who dwells in the shelter of the MostHigh will restin the shadow of the
Almighty. I will sayof the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God,
in whom I trust." (Psa 91:1-2)
Come to me, all you who are wearyand burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easyand my
burden is light." (Mat 11:28-30)
Golan

'Rejoicing' In the city of Golanthere is joy. Who doesn't want joy? Often the
troubles of this life getus down. But we have joy in the Lord and should
always remember what is to come for it is joy overwhelming!
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your
right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psa 16:11)
Now to Him who is able to keepyou from stumbling, And to present you
faultless before the presence ofHis glory with exceeding joy, (Jud 1:24)
Ramoth
'Heights,
Uplifted' In Ramoth we find that those who were guilty and low, are raised
and lifted up in the Lord. Like Mephibosheth of old, even spiritual cripples
can be invited up to feed and dine with the King! He has lifted up to heights
unimagined (even if we don't see it!)
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a
rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psa 40:2)
And God raisedus up with Christ and seatedus with him in the heavenly
realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the
incomparable riches of his grace, expressedin his kindness to us in Christ
Jesus. (Eph 2:6-7)
Shechem
'Shoulder'
In Shechem we find the strength of the Lord and that He is able to carry a lot
on His shoulders! Both people and the whole world if needed. He is caring

enough to go out and find one lost sheepand put it on His shoulder and carry
it home. And strong enough to rule the entire world in the coming kingdom
where the whole government will be upon His shoulders.
And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.
Then he calls his friends and neighbors togetherand says, 'Rejoice withme; I
have found my lost sheep.'I tell you that in the same way there will be more
rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine
righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luk 15:5-7)
Forto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on
his shoulders. And he will be calledWonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.(Isa 9:6)
Bezer
'Fortress (defence)'
In Bezer we find that Christ is the strongestofall fortresses.No enemy can
thwart Him or ultimately defeat those that are His. Believers are hidden 'in
Christ' - they are in the most impenetrable fortress!It is the safestplace to be.
In fact, it is the only safe place to be.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in
whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my
stronghold. (Psa 18:2)
Hebron
'Communion, fellowship,

friendship'
In Hebron, the city of refuge, we find fellowship and even friendship... with
God! Crazy thought! And not only that, we find that there are a whole lot of
others dwelling in that city that have seentheir guilt and fled for forgiveness
and safetyas well. We find fellowship and friendship with them too!
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2Co 13:14)
They devoted themselves to the apostles'teaching and to the fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and to prayer. (Act 2:42)
Conclusion
Have you not fled to Jesus yet? Then see the precarious position of your life!
The avengerof blood is coming. God loves you but He is also a God of justice
and He cannot leave sin unpunished. Someone must take that punishment. If
you will not flee to Christ for refuge then you will pay for your own sin. Be
wise, not foolish, and flee to Christ!
Have you fled to Christ for refuge? Then rejoice in all that He is for you and
tell and help others! Have strong encouragementas the word says is proper
for those that have fled for refuge in Christ:
Heb 6:17-18 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of
the promise the unchangeable characterofhis purpose, he guaranteedit with

an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God
to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragementto hold
fast to the hope setbefore us.
Think also of your role, as a Priest before God, to help others find the way.
Remove obstacles where youcan. Point the right direction for those wanting
to flee. This is right and proper for those that know the way.
Jesus and the Cities of Refuge?
John Barnett
The Cities of Refuge (Numbers 35;Joshua 20;Deuteronomy 4, Deuteronomy
19) remind us of Christ Jesus our hiding place. God commanded that when
His people came into possessionofthe land six Cities of Refuge should be
appointed, to which if he who slew a man, through ignorance or
unintentionally, might flee from the avengerof blood who, according to
Easterncustom, would pursue and kill the man-slayer. Three on eachside of
the JordanRiver - which were provided for a man-slayer guilty of second-
degree murder.
Those cities of refuge portray how Christ shelters the sinner from death. It
was a very marvelous provision for a man who accidentallykilled someone.
Maybe the one whom he killed had a hotheadedbrother who wanted
vengeance. So the fugitive could escape to a city of refuge where he would be
protectedand his case tried. The elders of the city would investigate the case.
If he was acquitted of intentional killing he must remain within the city until
the death of the high priest.

We have fled to Jesus Christ, and He is our eternal refuge. As our High Priest,
He will never die (Hebrews 7:23-25); and we have eternal salvation. No
avengercan touch us, because He has already died and arisen from the dead.
These six cities of refuge are beautiful types of Christ, to whom we “have fled
for refuge to lay hold upon the hope setbefore us” (Hebrews 6:18).
What Were the Cities of Refuge in the Bible?
The Cities of Refuge were six cities allocatedto the Levite tribe in the Old
Testamentthat provided asylum for perpetrators of unintentional
manslaughter. Divinely appointed and subjectto Mosaic Law, the cities
offered offenders refuge and protection from retribution of the avenging
family until their case wentto trial.
Madeline Kalu
Crosswalk.comContributing Writer
What Were the Cities of Refuge in the Bible?
The Cities of Refuge were six cities allocatedto the Levite tribe in the Old
Testamentthat provided asylum for perpetrators of unintentional
manslaughter. Divinely appointed and subjectto Mosaic Law, the cities
offered offenders refuge and protection from retribution of the avenging
family until their case wentto trial.
What is the origin of the Cities of Refuge?

The establishmentof the Cities of Refuge originatedduring the territorial
distribution of the PromisedLand of Canaanamongstthe 12 tribes of Israel.
The Levites were the only tribe who had been appointed by God to serve Him
as His priests. They were also divinely assignedas the caretakersand
overseers ofthe tabernacle, its rites, and its furnishings (Numbers 18). As God
had declaredthese duties to be their inheritance, the Levites were not
allocatedterritories (Numbers 18:20), (Deuteronomy 18:1-2).
Nevertheless,the entire nation was responsible for the subsistence ofthe
Levites. This meant that the remaining 11 tribes were required to appropriate
a total of 48 cities and pasture lands for the Levites to use for dwelling and
living purposes (Numbers 35:1-5). Of these cities, six were designatedas the
Cities of Refuge (Joshua 20:7-8).
Not only did the Levites establishand maintain these cities, they also presided
as the judicial authorities over them. Thus, God also intended the Levites to
be teachers of His laws (Deuteronomy 33:10). As mediators betweenthe
Israelites and God, the Levities were gifted in their ability to parley between
the offender and the family of the victim in order to prevent further
bloodshed.
Names and tribal territories of the Cities of Refuge
The following are the names of the six Cities of Refuge as wellas the tribal
territories they were found in:
- Kadesh– in Naphtali

- Shechem– in WestManasseh
- Hebron- in Judah
- Golan– in EastManasseh
- Ramoth – Gileadin Gad
- Bezer– in Rueben
Where were the Cities of Refuge?
The six Cities of Refuge were distributed throughout the Kingdom of Israelin
the north and the Kingdom of Judah in the south, along both sides of the
Jordan River. Kadesh, Shechem, and Hebron were to the westof the Jordan
River; Golan, Ramoth-Gilead, and Bezerwere to the eastof the Jordan River.
The cities were strategicallyplaced, in order that they could be easilyreached
within one day of travel or less (Joshua 20:9). The Cities of Refuge also
offered asylum to foreigners.
The roads leading to the six cities were well maintained in order to ensure a
smooth passageforfugitives. Additionally, clearly markedsignposts were
found at crossroads whichread Miklatmeaning “Refuge.”

Courteseyof: Free Bible Land Maps - New TestamentChristians.Com,
“Levitical Cities and Cities of Refuge.”
Why were the Cities of Refuge established?
Under Mosaic law, murder was punishable by death (Exodus 21:14). This was
a decree given by God since the time of Noah(Genesis 9:6) and was one of the
10 Commandments that Moseswas instructedto give to the Israelites (Exodus
20:1-17).
The Mosaic Law was establishedata time when the nation of Israelwas
transitioning from a nomadic folk adhering to tribal laws to a community
abiding by civil jurisdiction, which included trials and the ruling of judges.
In order to keepHis people safe from injustice, God required of Moses that
the Levites should keepsix cities out of the 48 they had been allocatedas
places of asylum for those who had been accusedofmanslaughter, that they
may be legally protectedfrom those wishing to avenge them until they could
come to trial (Numbers 35:22-25).
After Joshua crossedinto Canaanwith the Israelites, Godpassedon His
instructions to set up the Cities of Refuge to him (Joshua 20).
How did the Cities of Refuge protectpeople?

In Joshua 20, God gave Joshua specific instructions for the Israelites to follow
in how the Cities of Refuge should function.
When a situation arose where an individual unintentionally killed someone,
the perpetrator was to flee to one of the six Cities of Refuge. Once arrived,
they were to stand in front of the gate and plead their case to the elders of the
city, who were required to admit the fugitive inside their gates and offer them
asylum.
If an individual was to approach the gates of the city and demand blood
justice from an offender that was being protectedinside, the elders were not
allowedto surrender the person in question into the avenger’s hands.
The fugitive was required to live within the walls of the city until they came to
trial before the gatheredassembly. If the High Priestruled in favor of the
fugitive, he was allowedto continue living in the city until the death of the said
priest who had acquitted him, died. After that, the offender was free to return
to his own home.
If the offender left the protection of the city before the death of the High
Priest, then the one who sought vengeance hadthe right to kill him without
being guilty of murder (Numbers 35:26-27).
Is there a modern equivalent of the Cities of Refuge for us today?
The Cities of Refuge can be viewed as a foreshadow ofGod’s plan for our
salvationthrough Jesus Christ.

Through the shedding of His blood, Jesus offers us protectionfrom eternal
death and separationfrom God if we confess our sins and take refuge in Him
(Hebrews 6:18). He is our High Priestwho acquits us from the condemnation
of the law (Psalm 34:22).
What were the cities of refuge in the Old Testament?
cities of refugeaudio
Question:"What were the cities of refuge in the Old Testament?"
Answer: The cities of refuge were part of the distribution of the Promised
Land among the twelve tribes of Israel. Only one tribe, the Levites, was not
given land to develop. Instead, they were to be the priests of the Lord and the
overseers ofthe tabernacle and all its rites and furnishings. Only the Levites
could carry and set up the tabernacle (Numbers 2:5-13). As the Levites were
to have no territorial domain allocatedto them like the other tribes in the
conquestof Canaan, they were to be distributed throughout the land in
certain cities appropriated to their use. Part of their inheritance consistedof
forty-eight cities spreadthroughout the land (Numbers 35:6-7). Of these forty-
eight cities, six were designatedas cities of refuge. The cities were Kedesh,
Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan(Joshua 20:7-8).
The Mosaic Law statedthat anyone who committed a murder was to be put to
death (Exodus 21:14). But for unintentional deaths, Godset aside these cities
to which the murderer could flee for refuge (Exodus 21:13). He would be safe
from the avenger—the family member chargedwith avenging the victim’s
death (Numbers 35:19)—until the case couldgo to trial. The congregation
would judge to find if the attackeractedunintentionally. If he did, he would

return to the city of refuge and live there safely until the death of the high
priest who was in office at the time of the trial, at which point he could return
to his property. If the attackerleft the city of refuge before the death of the
high priest, however, the avengerwould have the right to kill him (Numbers
35:24-28).
The establishmentof those privileged sanctuaries among the cities of the
Levites is probably traceable to the idea that the Levites would be the most
suitable and impartial judges, that their presence and counsels might calm or
restrain the stormy passions of the blood avenger. By their consecrationas
priests, the Levites were mediators betweenthe Israelites and God. As such,
they would have been gifted to calmly mediate betweenthe attackerand the
victim’s family, ensuring that no further bloodshed would occur.
The cities of refuge are types of Christ, in whom sinners find a refuge from
the destroyerof our souls. Just as the guilty personsought refuge in the cities
setup for that purpose, we flee to Christ for refuge from sin (Hebrews 6:18).
We run to Christ to escape the danger we are in from the curse and
condemnation of the law, from of the wrath of God, and from an eternity in
hell. Only Christ provides refuge from these things, and it is to Him alone that
we must run. Just as the cities were open to all who fled to them for safety, it
is Christ who provides safetyto all who come to Him for refuge from sin and
its punishment
https://www.gotquestions.org/cities-of-refuge.html
THE CITIES OF REFUGE – A PICTURE OF JESUS PART 1
Postedon February 16, 2020 by David 28 comments

Submitted by Dr. GP
INTRODUCTION
NOTICE OF THE CITIES
NEARNESS OF THE CITIES
NEED OF THE CITIES
NAMES OF THE CITIES
NATURE OF THE CITIES
INTRODUCTION
God commanded Moses onthree different occasions to have Israelset up
cities of refuge when they came into the promised land in……
Exodus 21:12-14,
Numbers 35:9-34,

Deuteronomy 4:41-43, Deuteronomy19:1-13,
And in Joshua 20, we read of Joshua establishing the six cities of refuge.
In my view, the fact that the cities of refuge, which remind us of Christ Jesus
our hiding place, are describedin no fewerthan four Old Testamentbooks,
denotes their significance, anddemonstrates that the conceptof Christ our
Refuge is important to the mind of God.
The Cities of Refuge were six of the forty eight Levitical towns that were
appointed by God to which accidentalmanslayers could flee to claim the
right of asylum.
This new legalconceptwas unique to Israel’s judicial system and reveals the
fairness and justice of God.
It is noteworthy that there were cities in Israelthat were largerand more
prominent, than these cities of refuge, but none of them could shelter the
sinner, because they were not designatedfor this purpose.
Similarly there are many “religions” today, but there is only one designated
way of salvationas announcedin God’s Word—faith in Jesus Christ(Acts
4:12).
In our study today, we hope to show some of the many ways in which
allotment of these six cities of refuge illustrate the salvation we enjoy in the
Lord Jesus Christ.

These cities of refuge would not have been so often mentioned in the law of
Moses,if they were not designedto be a symbol of the refuge and relief
provided for penitent sinners in our Lord Jesus Christ, and a manifest type of
Christ as He is presented in the gospel.
The accountof the cities of refuge would not have been so often repeated, if
they were not designedto teachus about the protection from the curse of the
law and from the wrath of God that believers have in our Lord Jesus, to
whom believers flee for refuge (Heb. 6:18 ), and in whom they are found (Phil.
3:9 ) as in a sanctuary, where they are privileged from arrestby the “avenger
of blood”, and where there is now no condemnation to them (Romans 8:1), or
any separation(Romans 8:35-39)from Him.
Now we know that the Holy Spirit has purposefully shadowedforth the Lord
Jesus in the Old Testament, in type and figure, and it is indeed striking to
observe the fascinating similarities that can be drawn betweenthe cities of
refuge and Christ, our refuge, and how the believer’s redemption that he
procured was prefigured in this many sided type.
Even though no analogyor type is absolutelyperfect, it is clearthat the cities
of refuge are In many ways beautiful types of Christ, to whom we “have fled
for refuge to lay hold upon the hope setbefore us” (Heb 6:18), and they
demonstrate to us pictorially how Jesus (and the salvationHe provides us) is
our refuge from sin, death, hell, and the grave.
When we closelycompare the various things said of the cities of refuge to
what is said about the Savior in the NT, we must conclude that these four
Scripture passageswere Divinely designedto enlighten us about our CITY OF
REFUGE.

The Bible applies the picture of the cities of refuge to the believer finding
refuge in God on more than one occasion:e.g. Psalm46:1, says God is our
refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. More than 15 other times,
the Psalms speak ofGod as being our refuge.
Hebrews 6:18 points out “Thatby two immutable things, in which it is
impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for
refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us” clearlyspeaks ofChrist, in whom
sinners find a refuge from the destroyerof our souls.
Some points of similarity betweenthe cities of refuge and our refuge in Jesus.
Both Jesus and the cities of refuge are within easyreachof the needy person;
they were of no use unless someone couldget to the place of refuge.
Both Jesus and the cities of refuge are open to all, not just the Israelite; no one
needs to fearthat they would be turned away from their place of refuge in
their time of need.
Both Jesus and the cities of refuge became a place where the one in need
would live; you didn’t come to a city of refuge in time of need just to look
around.
Both Jesus and the cities of refuge are the only alternative for the one in need;
without this specific protection, they will be lost.

Both Jesus and the cities of refuge provide protection only within their
boundaries; to go outside means death.
With both Jesus and the cities of refuge, full freedom comes with the death of
the High Priest.
BUT THE CITIES OF REFUGE WERE SET UP FOR THE BENEFIT OF
THE INNOCENT-but JESUS OUR CITY OF REFUGE IS FOR THE
GUILTY
The safe shelterand security provided for us in Christ is because we are all
GUILTY!
As we proceed, let us remember that we must not seek to build doctrines on
types; rather we interpret types on the basis of doctrine.
Let us also remember also, that no type or analogyin the scripture is
absolutely perfector has every detail concerning it that fits in exactly with its
function as a type, and so we will find that there are some dissimilarities
betweenthe cities of refuge and the refuge that we as God’s people find in
Jesus Christ.
There are two particular points of contrastbetweenthe cities of refuge and
Jesus Christ our refuge that we must grasp.
The first particular points of contrastbetweenthe cities of refuge and Jesus
Christ our refuge that we must graspis that whereas persons who fled to the

cities of refuge had to prove their innocence to getthe protection of the cities, (
Joshua 20:6, Num. 35:12), we who have fled to Jesus forrefuge do not have to
go to trial to defend our innocence.
There is no trial or investigationof our sins for us, when we come to Christ
our Refuge as the elders of the city of refuge had to investigate the alleged
crime committed by the one who fled there, because we are all guilty before
God for breaking His law, and thus are deserving of death, and thus there is
no need for an investigation.
As sinners we were rightly condemned and sentenceddeservedlyto death.
BUT our sentence has alreadybeen executed because Christbore the penalty
for us on the Christ. BecauseHe died in our place, we are free, and have
been delivered from the penalty of sin. Never do we have to answerfor it
again. We are free now to go out and serve Him, because we now have a High
Priest, a resurrectedSavior, to whom we can go.
John 3:18 says “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does
not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of
the only begotten Sonof God.
Romans 8:1-4 reminds us that There is therefore now no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from
the law of sin and death.Forwhatthe law could not do, in that it was weak
through the flesh, God sending his ownSon in the likeness ofsinful flesh, and
for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:Thatthe righteousnessofthe law might be
fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The secondamazing difference that we must grasp, is that whereas a merciful
God appointed and setup these temporal cities of refuge to provide shelter
and security for the benefit of the innocent only – so that the innocent might
not suffer with the guilty, the eternal safe shelterand security provided for us
in Christ our Refuge is essentiallybecause we are all GUILTY!
The cities of refuge were only for the innocent – the elders of the cities of
refuge only protected and helped someone who was innocent of murder
because these cities were only for the man who killed by mistake.
Our innocence is, however, not in question, whenwe come to Jesus, because
we are all guilty before God and deserving of His just wrath.
Jesus our city of refuge is for the guilty. It is the guilty who come to Jesus
and find refuge. . It is the guilty who are invited to come to Jesus and confess
their sins (I John 1:9).
The city of refuge provided protection from the avengerof blood only for the
innocent manslayer. There was no reprieve for deliberate or presumptuous
murder.
The deliberate or guilty murderer was excludedto teachus that there is no
salvationin Christ for presumptuous sinners who still go on deliberately in
their trespasses. Thosewho persistin willful sin, and continue to defy and
trample upon God’s law, bar themselves from His mercy, and should be
aware of the warning of Hebrews10:28-29 whichemphatically states our need
to acceptChrist as our Refuge thus : “He that despisedMoses’law died
without mercy under two or three witnesses;of how much sorerpunishment,
suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son

of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, with which he was
sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
There is no shelterin a holy Christ for those who are in love with sin, but unto
those that flee to Him from their sins there is “plenteous redemption.” (Psalm
130:7)
In Christ the guilty, penitent and believing sinner is secure from the curse of
the brokenlaw and the wrath of God, for the Lord Jesus endured them in his
stead.
In Christ he is safe also from the fury of a raging Devil and is delivered from
the accusations ofa guilty conscience.
It is very important to realize that whereas the cities of refuge only helped the
innocent; the guilty can come to Jesus and find refuge.
Remember, Jesus said he that is not sick does not need a physician (Matt 9:12,
Mk 2:17, Lk 5:31) but that he came to seek andsave the lost.
BecauseChristdied for and receives guilty sinners, the guilty can come to
Jesus and find refuge- even the deliberate sinner.
How is it possible that the holy Godwould acceptthose that are guilty?

It is not by giving up His holiness, because He can not and does not devalue
that.
Rather, the reasonChrist is able to be our Redeemeris that He is a high priest
and the sacrifice He gave was His own death.
Another important thing we should point out in this introduction is that these
cities anticipated an urgent situation, and were provided aheadof time!
The Lord did not wait until an Israelite or a strangerhad accidentallyslain
one of his fellows, to then arrange for his deliverance from the sword of
justice, for the Lord is everbeforehand in supplying what we lack.
Just as these cities were available before they were made use of, in like
manner, God’s appointing of Christ to be the Saviorof sinners was no
afterthought to meet an unexpected emergencyfor in the Divine purpose and
plan, Christ was the Lamb “slainfrom the foundation of the world”
(Revelation13:8).
The surprising thing when we look through the scriptures is that we canfind
no actual example recordedof someone actuallyusing the cities of refuge, just
as we will find no example of a father bringing a rebellious son to the city gate
for the prescribed punishment according to the rules cited in Deuteronomy
21:18-21 & Leviticus 20:9 .
But God in His wisdomprovided both for our learning of the way of salvation.

Although no father is reported to bringing a rebellious son to the city gate for
the prescribedpunishment we know as we are told in Romans 8:32, that God,
the Father“sparednot his own Son, but delivered him up for us all”, even
though the Lord Jesus was innocent of all sin.
Though we have no example of anyone actually using the cities of refuge, we
must all appreciate God’s provision, and in the symbolic application of the
Cities of Refuge be wise and dwell in the provisions of our City of Refuge, as
outlined in the OT scriptures, and as enunciated in the provision of John 3:16,
and other related NT scriptures.
For it is only in Christ, our City of Refuge that we live in safetyboth now and
in the future.
Although we can not find any recordedexamples in the Bible of persons who
availed themselves of the provision of any of the cities of refuge, there is one
clearexample of a man who was killed because he did not enter such a city.
In 2 Samuel 2:18-24, we read about Abner, Saul’s Commander-in-chief, being
pursued by a man named Asahel. Abner tried to reasonwith Asahel, but
Asahel continued to pursue Abner, and Abner eventually killed Asahel.
Later, Joab, the older brother of Asahel and David’s Commander-in-chief.
caught Abner at the gate of the city of Hebron, which was one of the 6 cities
of refuge, and killed him, to avenge the death of Asahel, 2 Sam. 3:27.
What is most striking are the comments made by king David as he mourned
the death of Abner, 2 Sam. 3:32-34.

It is as if David were saying, “Abner, you died like a fool! You were right
there at the gates ofthe city of refuge. All you had to do was walk right in.
Nobody had you tied up! You could have been saved, but you died like a fool!”
Friend, don’t let that same thing happen to you! Nobody has you tied down
this morning. All you have to do is walk into the refuge that God has provided
and be saved. Our Refuge, Jesus, is waiting for you! Don’t die like a fool!
Just as God’s Word promised that there would be cities of refuge in Joshua
20:7–8, and they were duly established;so did the promise of salvationfirst
given in Genesis 3:15-19, became a reality through the death of Christ on the
cross.
God’s promise of salvationthrough Jesus is given to all who will come, (Rev.
22:17.)He has not promised what he cannot deliver, and he has promised not
to turn any away, (John 6:37)!
Let us now further considersome of the severaltruths concerning the cities of
refuge and observe the grand picture they present of the “so greatsalvation”
that can be found in Jesus Christ alone, and how they uniquely reflectthe
mercy of God towardus sinners.
NOTICE OF THE CITIES
INSTRUCTIONSFOR ESTABLISHING AND ADMINISTRATION OF
THE CITIES

Joshua 20
The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,
2Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge,
whereofI spake unto you by the hand of Moses:
3Thatthe slayerthat killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee
thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avengerof blood.
4And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering
of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of
that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place,
that he may dwell among them.
5And if the avengerof blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the
slayerup into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and
hated him not beforetime.
6And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregationfor
judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days:
then shall the slayerreturn, and come unto his owncity, and unto his own
house, unto the city from whence he fled.

7And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechemin
mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of
Judah.
8And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assignedBezerin the
wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead
out of the tribe of Gad, and Golanin Bashanout of the tribe of Manasseh.
9These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the
strangerthat sojourneth among them, that whosoeverkillethany person at
unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avengerof blood,
until he stood before the congregation.
In Joshua 20 we are essentiallygiven a shortened version of what was ordered
of Moses by God, when he was still alive, and told to Joshua in the plains of
Moabas the wilderness journey was nearing its end as recorded in Numbers
35.
Joshua 20 indicates that now that the tribes of Israelhad come into the land of
Canaanand had possessed, subdued, inhabited anddivided up the land, and
had all receivedtheir inheritance and things were starting to wind down as far
as the conquestof the land was concerned, the time had come for Joshua to
carrying out the commands and instructions that had been given previously in
in Exodus 21:12-14, Numbers 35:1-34 & Deuteronomy 19:1-13, about
appointing out of the 48 Levitical cities the six specialcities of asylum or
refuge for those who accidentallykill another.
The first thing we will note from the Biblicalaccounts of The Cities of Refuge
is that they were appointed by God Himself.

These cities and the Christ they picture were both gifts from the loving heart
of God, who “so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon” (John
3:16)
They were not of man’s devising. Just as the gospelis no human invention,
man did not come up with the idea for these cities.
Christianity and salvationthrough the shed blood of Jesus did not originate in
the heart of man either. This was a notion that was birthed in the heart and
mind of God from start to finish.
Moses did not choose the cities, to remind us that the Law cannot save anyone.
It was not an earthly priest who appointed them, to remind us that religion in
any form can’t save anyone.
When man creates a religion, he fixes it in such a way that he is in controlof
it. He sets it up as a systemof works and makes himself responsible for getting
himself to whateverHeaven he is striving for.
God, on the other hand, setup salvation in such a way that all man must do is
trust Jesus as his Savior by faith. And, even that faith is given to him by the
Lord, (Eph. 2:8-9).
Salvationis all God or it isn’t real at all! (Psalm3:8,Psalm62:1, Jonah2:9)

Next we note that the Cities of Refuge were provided by grace.
God could have allowedthe manslayerto die for his carelessness like any
other person who had taken a life.
However, in His grace He made a way that those folks who had accidentally
takenthe life of another might find refuge and help.
By the same token, God could have allowedsinners to all go to hell, since we
are guilty in His sight and we deserve nothing but damnation in the fires of
hell!
But God sentHis Son to take our sins upon Himself on the cross, (Isa. 53:6, I
John 3:16, I John 4:9, I Corinthians 15:3 etc) .
Jesus paid the price that sinners might live through Him!
The Word of God tells us that salvation is only through grace from start to
finish!
1. He initiated the process – John 6:44; Eph. 2:1.
2. He provided the means – Rom. 3:25; Acts 4:12

3. He saves those who believe – Acts 16:31
4. He keeps those He saves – 1 Pet. 1:5
They cities of refuge were an expressionof the Divine mercy, and an act of
grace, forall men are sinners and deserve to die.
These cities by their very natures spoke ofthe grace ofGod and of His love for
the needy. They were there because Godcares!
And how rich the grace is thus evidenced, for it provided not merely one, but
six of these cities!
This reminds us of Romans 5:20. Where sin did abound….grace did much
more abound!
The same is true about Jesus!He is there for our salvationsimply because
God cares aboutus! He did not want us to die and go to Hell, 2 Pet. 3:9.
BecauseHe wants so much that we be saved, He proved His love for us when
He allowedthe Lord Jesus, to suffer on the cross in our place.
Rom. 5:6 teaches that “whenwe were yet without strength, in due time Christ
died for the ungodly” and Rom. 5:8 asserts that “ God commendeth his love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus is our refuge and we canenter into the refuge he provides and find a
dwelling place, because he has promised a place for all who would believe by
grace through faith! Just as these cities were placedwhere a man could flee in
a time of desperate need, so Jesus is a place of safety this morning.
In order to be fair, in order to be just, God had Israelestablishsix cities of
refuge that he had allocated(three on either side of the Jordan River) for
those who had committed manslaughteraccidentallyagainstpersons to
whom they had no hatred or malice to flee and be safe from the avengerof
blood
In studying these instructions, I could not help thinking of Romans chapter3,
where we read about God’s plan for our need…….
SO THAT WE MIGHT BE TREATED JUSTLY!And SO THAT GOD
WOULD BE MORE THAN FAIR TO US!
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:
for by the law is the knowledge ofsin.
21Butnow the righteousness ofGod without the law is manifested, being
witnessedby the law and the prophets;
22Eventhe righteousness ofGod which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and
upon all them that believe:for there is no difference:
23Forall have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus:
25WhomGod hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness forthe remissionof sins that are past, through the
forbearance ofGod;
26To declare, Isay, at this time his righteousness:that he might be just, and
the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Here God is saying “I have been FAIR and JUST and I have allocatedand
provided an effective City of refuge for everyone!”
The intricacies of the prescribed laws in relation to the cities of refuge are
describedunder the NEED OF THE CITIES
A personwho was accusedofcommitting murder had to “flee” immediately
to one of the cities of refuge, where He would be safe from the avenger—the
family member chargedwith avenging the victim’s death (Numbers 35:19)—
until the case couldgo to trial.
Such a personcould not afford to delay! If he procrastinatedand waitedtoo
long to flee, he could be caught by the avengerand killed.

Fleeing for refuge implied earnestness, andunwearied diligence The
manslayer dared not dawdle or saunter or loiter as he ran for his life until
shelter and safety were reached.
In the same way the scriptures tell us to be wise and take full advantage of
what is being offered to us and be savedtoday while we still have the
opportunity to be saved, for we will not always have opportunity. 2 Cor. 6:2
teaches that “todayis the day of salvation.”
If the manslayer did not flee to a city of refuge when soughtby the avengerof
blood who was determined to execute judgment upon him, there was no hope,
as there was no other alternative to these cities but death.
Similarly lost sinners today cannot afford to delay in fleeing to the only
refuge, Jesus Christ, as there is no help or hope for us, if we do not flee to the
refuge which God has given to us at such a great price.
Just as a city of refuge was the only place of safety for the manslayer in need;
without the specific protection of the Lord, our Refuge, all sinners would be
lost. Both Jesus and the cities of refuge were provided as a place where the
one in need could live in safety.
This reminds of Acts 4:12 which states “Neitheris there salvationin any
other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby
we must be saved”
Hebrews10:28-29emphaticallystates our need to acceptChrist as our Refuge
thus : “He that despised Moses’law died without mercy under two or three

witnesses;of how much sorerpunishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought
worthy, who hath trodden under footthe Son of God, and hath counted the
blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath
done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
We have heard the gospel;if in the Old Testamentignoring God’s law
brought death, what about us if we should despise the work of Christ and the
grace which He showers upon us? How shall we escape, ifwe neglectso great
salvation;which at the first beganto be spokenby the Lord, and was
confirmed unto us by them that heard him;(Hebrews 2:3)
Just as the persons soughtrefuge in the cities setup for that purpose, we flee
to Christ, the one appointed by God for refuge from sin (Hebrews 6:18).
We run to Christ to escape the danger we are in from the curse and
condemnation of the law, and from the wrath of God, and from an eternity in
hell.
Only Christ provides refuge from these things, and it is to Him alone that we
must run.
Just as the cities were open to all who fled to them for safety, Christ who
provides safetyto all who come to Him for refuge from sin and its
punishment.
The cities of refuge were completelyadequate for the needs of all the
endangeredones who fled to them, and they were sufficient for their need.

The cities of refuge did not only provide legalprotection, but were also
stocked with a supply of food, so that they were a completely sufficient
refuge, as they met all of a man’s needs once he was inside..
Even the suburbs or borders of the city were a sufficient security to the
offender, v. 26, 27, just as there is virtue even in the hem of Christ’s garment
for the healing and saving of poor sinners.
In like manner, Jesus Christis a completely sufficient refuge for the need of
any and every soul! Christ not only makes a Christian legallysafe through His
propitiatory death, but He supplies the believer with greatriches. Christ’s
death is completely adequate to meet our need for refuge from the true moral
guilt which we have.
Christ’s is work on the cross is completely adequate to meet our need for
refuge from any moral guilt which we have. It is a final and complete work
because ofwho He is.
Once the manslayerhad been receivedsafely into the city of refuge, the
avengerof blood was kept at bay and could not set-upon the killer again, and
act as his executioner. He could now act only as prosecutor(Numbers 35:19).
However, there are consequencesto every act!Even though the man was
protected, there still was a price to be paid for his actions. Once he had
claimed asylum, a perpetrator had to be put on trial, and his case was
determined by the rules God had specifiedconcerning the cities of refuge.

When the slayercame to one of the cities of refuge, upon arriving at the gate-
the place where the elders sat and administered justice – before he was
admitted, he receiveda preliminary hearing from the localcity elders, at
which he had to explain, to them what happened (Joshua 20:4) to see if he was
worthy of being protected.
This initial trial by the elders of the city prevented a personfrom taking
advantage of this provision for the innocent. The accused wasthen given a
place to live within the city until a fuller and more formal trial or
investigationof his case in a court of justice could be conducted (Numbers
35:12:Joshua 20:6).
Eventually, the accusedhad to “stand before the congregationin judgment” (
Joshua 20:6, Num. 35:12), where he was given a fair trial, at which full and
formal investigationwas made, so that the accusedhad every opportunity to
prove his innocence.
The elders of the city would call witnesses andthe congregationdetermined
from the evidence if the death was deliberate (first-degree murder) or if the
attackeractedunintentionally (manslaughter) (Numbers 35:24 et secq).
As pointed out earlierin slide 11, persons who fled to the cities of refuge had
to prove their innocence to get the protection of the cities, but we who have
fled to Jesus for refuge do not have to go to trial to defend our innocence.
Note that we are not here disavowing our appearance atthe “Bema” whichis
not really a trial per se, but more a tribunal to determine which of the five
heavenly crowns that believers can receive in Heaven, will be awardedto us?”

Those who killed, either accidentlyor with malice, were not allowedto pay a
ransom in the cities of refuge in order to avoid the consequencesoftheir
behavior (Numbers 35:31 – 32). Jesus is the only ransom.
Becausedeliberate killing is first-degree murder, but inadvertent killing is
manslaughter, God distinguished the two. God indicated that death causedby
a pre-meditated actis murder.
For deliberate,premeditatedmurder there was no escape orrefuge. Apre-
meditated actwas punishable by death. Deathhad to be pronounced and
executed.
If a person truly had committed a pre-meditated murder againstsomeone
else, then the person was to be killed and if necessaryhe was even to be
draggedfrom the very altar of God where he was seekingrefuge in order to
be put to death for the murder.
If the accusedwas convictedofmurder, i.ekilling someone in anger, malice, by
premeditation, the elders of the city of refuge were to turn the guilty one over
to the avengerof blood. The avengerwas then to carry out the death penalty
(Numbers 35:19, 21, Deuteronomy19:12).
It should be realized that the cities of refuge were not for the guilty, because
there was no sacrifice for high-handed, defiant, premeditated, or knownsin
(e.g., Ps. 51:17).
Deaths causedby accidentalacts, whichwe would today call ‘manslaugter’,
were not a cause forthe death penalty.

If in a particular city of refuge it was determined that the offense was
accidental, or second-degree murder, and that death had ensued where no
malicious attempt upon life had been made, but, instead, the injury had been
inflicted unintentionally or “unawares,” thenthe accusedwas foundnot
guilty of first-degree murder, and the death penalty was not visited upon him
In fleeing to the city of refuge, it was only the personwho had acted
unintentionally in committing the actthat resulted in the death of a person
who would be given refuge.
In the same way it is the repentant person who has inadvertently sinned as a
result of the weaknessofthe flesh, not one hardened in sin and unrepentant,
that is given salvationin coming to refuge in Christ by saving faith in Him
For unintentional deaths, or accidentalmanslaying where there was no malice
before thought, God setaside the six cities of refuge to which the murderer
could flee for refuge.
When one unintentionally killed a neighbor, there must usually have been in
such casesa culpable degree of carelessness, and though his life was spared,
his freedom was curtailed.
The legaland civil consequencesfor his acts, and for his safety, the manslayer
was wasseparatedfrom his own tribal allocationand required to leave his
home, his wife, his children, and family, and everything and flee to and take
up residence in the city of refuge, and there remain where he could live in
safetyprotected, from the “avengerof blood,” but only if he stayedin that
locationuntil the death of the High Priest(cf. Num. 35:25).

That is just what a man does when he resolves to be savedby grace:he must
leave everything he calls his own, renounces all the rights and privileges which
he thought he possessedby nature; and confesses to having lost his own
natural right to live, and he flees for life to the grace of Godin Christ Jesus.
The manslayerhad no right to live until he was in the city of refuge, no right
to anything except that he was God’s guestwithin those enclosing walls.
And so we too relinquish, heartily and thoroughly, once and forever, all ideas
arising out of our supposed merits; we hastenawayfrom selfthat Christ may
be all in all to us. Fleeing for refuge implies that a man flees from his sin,
confesses andrepents of it.
There has to be a complete break from the old self-pleasing life. Sin must be
made bitter before Christ will be sweet.
This symbolizes that in the salvation that Jesus procured for mankind on the
cross, a personhas to also be willing leave the influence of his family and
friends, and even his own life, and come to Jesus and abide in and follow Him.
We see this taught by Jesus in a few places in the gospels, including: John
15:1-6, Matt. 16:24-25, Luke 9:57-62 etc.
Just as it was his duty to flee into it, the manslayer who had fled to a city of
refuge, was obliged to remain within the city of refuge and could live there in
safetyuntil the death of the current high priest at which time he would be free

to leave the city and could return to his ownhome in safety, without fear of
retribution.
There is as much emphasis placed upon our abiding in Christ as there is upon
our coming to Him ( John 8:31; Colossians 1:23;Hebrews 3:6,14;1 John
2:28).
These verses point to the responsibility of the believer to abide in Christ not
only at the time of his conversion, but all through his life.
A personwas only safe from harm as long as he remained within the walls of
the city.
As long as the slayer remained in the city, he was safe, and he would be freed
and be exoneratedof his crime when the high priest died, and be allowedto
return to his own city and the manslayer would not be able to harm him.
The manslayercould only safelyreturn to their home after the death of the
High Priest(Joshua 20:6).
If he was foolishenough at any time to forsake the boundaries of that cityof
refuge, and try to return home before the high priest died, he forfeited legal
protection, and risked being killed by the avengerof blood, if the avenger
should then find him without its borders.
Under such circumstances the avengerhad the right to kill him outside of the
city of refuge, without penalty (Numbers 35:26 – 28).

Similarly, as long as we abide in Christ, we are safe.
Jesus said, in John 15:4,6, “If any man abides not in Me, he is cut off, the
branches withered. Men gather them and castthem into the fire.”
So the importance of abiding in Jesus Christ, our refuge is paramount.
Though the true Christian cannever perish, by failing to “abide in Christ” he
or she opens the door to spiritual and physical dangers.
Both Jesus and the cities of refuge provide protection only within their
boundaries
All the days that the high priest lived and the manslayer abode within the city,
no condemnation could come upon him.
In like manner, since our High PriestChrist is “alive for evermore,” we are
eternally secure;because He lives, we live also.
So though we are legally guilty before God, when we castourselves upon Him
we are free forever.
It was only upon the death of the high priest who was in office at the time of
the trial, that the manslayerwas exoneratedof the crime and free to leave the

city without fear, and return to his own city and home and reside there
unmolested (verse 28) for the death of the high priest formed an atonement.
The manslayerwas allowedto leave the city of refuge and return to his own
town and home, upon the death of the high priest because the high priest’s
death symbolically terminates the guilt incurred.
When the high priest died, all of those who were taking refuge in all of the
cities of refuge were exoneratedfrom committing any acts of manslaughter
and thus free to go home safely, being free from fear of attack or reprisal
from the manslayer.
The avengerof blood could no longerhunt down or harm the manslayeronce
the high priest had died, because the high priest’s death serves as payment, a
form of substitute, for the offended party.
For the Christian, this picture is a depiction of Christ, whose death
andsacrifice took awaythe guilt of our sin. Becauseofthe death of Jesus, our
high priest, we Christians no longer need to fear the death which comes about
because ofsin, for He died in our place.
Only the death of the high priest securedfull and final deliverance for the
manslayer ( Joshua 20:6).Similarly, it is only through the death of our High
Priest, the Lord Jesus Christthat our victory over sin and death is secured!
We owe our emancipation to the death of Christ.

Just as full freedom came with the death of the High Priest so too did our
freedom come with the death of Jesus.
This speaks beautifully of our salvation—fornot only do we have refuge in
Christ, but we’re also free because ourHigh Priest died for us on the Cross of
Calvary.
It is noteworthy therefore that not only were the cities of refuge symbolic of
Christ, but that the high priest himself was also symbolic of Christ.
The double figure of the city (safety) and the high priest’s death (propitiation)
was necessaryto set forth both aspects, as were the two goats ofLeviticus
16:7,8.
There may also be a designed dispensationalhint here: saints were savedof
old, but not until the death of Christ was the full liberty of son-ship enjoyed (
Galatians 4:1-7).
NEARNESS OF THE CITIES
V. 7-9 THE POSITION OF THESE CITIES
If you look at a map of the Holy Land, you find that the six cities of refuge
were well spacedthroughout the country, and all strategically and
conveniently situated in the land, so that no matter where you were in Israel,
you were not very far from a city of refuge.

This was because ofexpress instructions given by God as to the precise
situations of those cities. The land was to be divided into three parts, one city
of refuge in eachso that the cities were to be “in the midst of the land”
(Deuteronomy 19:2,3), and not in remote corners which were difficult to
approach.
Those cities were so situated that when anyone living in Israel, including
strangers (Joshua 20:9), had need of such, one of them was near at hand,and
could be reachedwithin a single day’s journey, from any corner of the
country no matter where the manslayer resided.
No tribe was too far from the place of safety, as they were distributed in
central places onboth sides of the Jordan roughly equidistantly so that each
one could be reasonablyaccessedto the manslayer from any part of Israel;
they were of no use unless someone couldget to the place of refuge
QUICKLY.
The cities of refuge were chosenso that they were never more than a half
day’s run from one of these cities, always easyto reachfrom any place in the
country, and easilyaccessible atshort notice in any particular sectionof the
country, to those who might have need of them.
Three cities on eachside of the Jordan River- were provided for a man-slayer
guilty of second-degree murder.
Three of the cities of refuge were locatedon the westside of the Jordan River
and three were eastof it.

One in the middle of the country, one in the northern part, one in the southern
part.
This was intended so that a person could pick out the city that was closestto
them, and getthere in a hurry.
To be of any use, a city of refuge had to be accessible,and so, they were close
to everyone no matter where they were or who they were!
Whether the manslayerwas a son or a stranger, there was a city of refuge
near to him.
The application is obvious.
These facts teachus that just like the cities of refuge, Jesus is always very
near, and accessible to all and within easyreach of the needy personwhether
Jew or Gentile
Christ is BetterThan Any of the Cities of Refuge becauseHe is nearerthan
any city of refuge, and we may castourselves upon Christ at any time, in any
place ( I Peter5:8) because the Saviourhas placed Himself within the reachof
all.
A runner could fall and not be able to getto a refuge in time to shelter him
within the walls of safety, but a man who looks to Christ can never fall. This
conceptis clearly taught in scriptures such as Phil 1: 6; Jude 24; I Peter5: 10
etc

“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart” ( Psalm 34:18).
Unto such He says, “Myrighteousness is near” ( Isaiah51:5).
The way to Christ is straight, and short: it is but a simple renunciation of self
and a laying hold of Him to be our all in all.
Certainly in the Gospel, Godhas fully and plainly made knownthe way of
salvation, so that “wayfaring men , though fools, shall not err therein”(Isaiah
35:8). See also Romans 10:6-8.
The Bible makes a specific promise: “Him that comethto me I will in no wise
castout” (John 6:37).
In fact, Jesus Himself seeksus.He says in Rev 3:20 , “I stand at the door and
knock.”.
So Christ is easyto reach, His arms are open to all, His entrance is never
locked, He is a completely sufficient refuge, and He is the only hope.
Just as the cities were near to all—so is JESUS, our REFUGE NEAR TO
ALL, AT ALL TIMES

THE NAMES OF THE CITIES
V. V. 7-8 THE PICTURE IN THESE CITIES
A. There Is A Picture In Their Names – These sixcities paint a wonderful
picture of the provisions of God which are our’s through the Lord Jesus
Christ.
1. Kadesh – Righteousness – Isa. 64:4; 2 Cor. 5:21 (Ill. A refuge for the
unclean!)
2. Shechem– Shoulder – Luke 15:3-7 (Ill. A refuge for that one lostin the
wilderness of sin.)
3. Hebron – Fellowship– 1 John 1:7 (Il. A refuge for the lonely sinner!)
4. Bezer– Fortress – Heb. 18:2 (Ill. A refuge for the helpless sinner.)
5. Ramoth – Heights – Eph. 2:6 (Ill. A refuge for the wretchedsinner!)
6. Golan– Joy – 1 Peter1:8 (Ill. A refuge for the downcast.)
7 So they setapart Kedeshin Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and
Shechemin the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in
the hill country of Judah.
8Beyondthe Jordan eastof Jericho, they designatedBezerin the wilderness
on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gileadfrom the tribe of
Gad, and Golan in Bashanfrom the tribe of Manasseh. 9Thesewere the
appointed cities for all the sons of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns
among them, that whoeverkills any person unintentionally may flee there,
and not die by the hand of the avengerof blood until he stands before the
congregation.

As we considerthe depths and heights of Christ’s richness toward us, let us
first remember that Hebrew names are also words that have a distinct
meaning.
And so it is with the NAMES OF THE CITIES which speak of what the
believer has in Christ.
Individually eachname shows forth some particular feature of the character
of Christ.
When taken as a whole, they illustrate the sufficiencyof Christ as a Refuge to
meet all of our need, and the need of all.
KEDESH means “Holy” , a “holy place” or “righteousness,”
Jesus is “The Holy One” of God, who is made unto the believer sanctification
as well as righteousness ( 1 Corinthians 1:30), so KEDESH suggests thatin the
Redeemerwe have a sanctuary of holiness.
He is the refuge for the unclean/unholy because the holiness of the Lord Jesus
Christ is the only hope of the sinful.
Not one stain of sin polluted His holy human nature. Jesus nevercould have
savedus—unless He had been “glorious in holiness.”
If He had had one sin in Him—you and I would be lost forever!
KEDESH reminds us that when we come to Christ, He gives us His
righteousness andforgives all our sins (2 Cor 5:21, Col. 2:13).
KEDESH reminds us that the unrighteous can only find refuge in the
righteousness ofGod.
KEDESH reminds us that the finished work on the accursedtree affords a
holy hiding-place, for only there are the unclean made holy, and only He who
is cleancan cleanse.

Angels in heaven, as they casttheir crowns at His feet, cry, “Holy! holy! holy!”
(Isaiah 6:3)
Devils on earth were compelled to exclaim, “We know you who you are—the
HOLY ONE of God!” (Mark 1:24)
Jewishpriests, as they spoke of Him of old by types, took “a lamb without
blemish.” (Ex. 12:5)
Jewishprophets, as they spoke ofHim in their predictions, calledHim “The
Righteous (or HOLY) Branch.” (Jer. 23:5)
Apostles, as they wrote about Him, said “He was HOLY, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners.” (Hebrews 7:26)
When He was Himself on earth, He could challenge His bitterest foes, “Who
among you can convict Me of sin?” (John 8:46)
And when He came down, soonafter His ascension, from His throne in the
skies, we find Him proclaiming as His name, “The HOLY One, the True
One!” (Revelation3:7)
Let us, then, think of our “City of Refuge“, “The HOLY Child Jesus.”(Acts
4:27)
SHECHEM means “shoulder,” which is ‘the place of strength (Isaiah 9:7) and
of safety (Luke 15:5)
It suggests thatunder the government of Christ the believer finds security,
and that we find in Christ a resting place, a friend on whom we can lay our
burdens.
Jesus is the refuge for the weary. (Matt. 11:28; Luke 15:5)
SHECHEM reminds us of the New Testamentpicture of Jesus, the good
Shepherd, carrying a sick sheepor young lamb on His shoulder, back to the
fold. That poor wandering sheep had gone astray on the dark mountains; but

the greatand gracious Shepherd had gone after it “until He found it; and
when He had found it, He laid it on His SHOULDERS, rejoicing. (Luke 15:5)
Just as a tired sheepfinds refuge on the shoulder of the goodShepherd, the
Lord Jesus is the strong Savior, who has borne our burden upon His shoulder,
even as the lostsheep found both safety and rest upon the shepherd’s
shoulders.
Jesus, our Refuge, bore a guilty world upon His shoulder. “Surely He has
borne our griefs and carried our sorrows!” (Isaiah53:4)
All the sins of all His people—Jesusbore forever away!Jesus, alone could
have carried such an awful load and burden as this.
Jesus, alone was “able to save unto the uttermost.” (Hebrews 7:25)
No other one but Jesus is our only “sure foundation”. (Isaiah 28:16)
When we considerthe old city of Shechem, not only should we think of Jesus
bearing the guilt of His people on His shoulders, in the past on the cross, but
we think of Him as the true SHECHEM now at God’s right hand.
“The government is upon His SHOULDER.” (Isaiah9:6) The whole world is
upheld by Him! All Christians are continually upheld by Him! Believers—the
poorest, the weakest, the humblest—are on the shoulders of Jesus.
He is bearing the weight of us all; loving us all, attending to us all, interceding
for us all. He provides all our food and clothing, health and strength, friends
and home—allare gifts from Him!
Every tear I shed, every sorrow and trial, He knows aboutit, as He bears me
on his shoulder!“
As David says in an hour of trouble, “I am poor and needy, yet the Lord
carries me on his heart!” (Psalm40:17)
What perfect security and safetywe have in Jesus

Forus who have fled to our SHECHEM, we cansay in sweetconfidence, “I
will lie down in peace and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keepme safe,”
(Psalm 4:8) because He who is our “Keeper” says ofus , “I give them eternal
life, and they will never perish—ever!No one will snatch them out of My
hand!” (John 10:28)
HEBRON means “fellowship” or “friendship,” suggesting ourfellowship with
God in Christ, and also our fellowshipwith other believers.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only real Hebron for the soul. There is no
fellowship with the Father exceptthrough Him, …truly our fellowship is with
the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (I John 1:3)
Christ has made us to be members of the great heavenly family, and nothing
can separate us from a lasting fellowshipwith him, and we can say“Truly our
FELLOWSHIP is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ!”
He is the refuge for the homeless and through Him His people are brought
into communion with the Father and with the holy angels.
JESUS has brought guilty man into fellowship with God.
Becauseofour sin—we had forfeited this fellowship, and had not made God
our friend—but our enemy! James
We were cut off from fellowshipwith all that is holy and happy and God could
hold not fellowshipwith us due to our rebellion againstour Creator. But Jesus
bridged the wide gulf which separatedmen from God
He is the ladder that was let down to sinful people from heaven so that fallen
man could be raisedup to hold “fellowship” with God?
JESUS is the true HEBRON because he has “reconciledthings on earth and
things in heaven,” (Col. 1:20) He has “raisedus up together, and made us sit
togetherin heavenly places.”(Ephesians 2:6) We who were once “afaroff”
have been “brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13)

Bezermeans “a fortified place” or “stronghold,” orROCK. Jesus is the
believer’s BEZER.
We can“Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock!”
(Isaiah 26:4)
He is the true ROCK OF AGES. The sinner is in danger everywhere else—but
in Jesus he is safe. He is invited to “turn to the STRONGHOLD”and once
within its gates, “thoughan army encamps againsthim,” he need “fear no
evil“ because “The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble” ( Nahum
1:7); therefore “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my
God; in Him will I trust” ( Psalm 91:2).
Jesus is a Stronghold for all who truly flee to Him. He combines the majesty of
Deity—with the tenderness of man. If He had been the greatGod alone, you
might have been overawedat the thought of going to Him. But what does the
prophet Isaiahsay of this true BEZER? “A MAN shall be as a hiding place
from the wind, and a covert from the tempest.” (Isaiah 32:2)
If you have fled for refuge to our Bezer, seatedwithin its secure bulwarks you
can joyfully exclaim, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;my
God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my
salvation, and my stronghold!” (Psalm18:2)
Jesus, our Strongholdis for us, and strongerthan any earthly castle, so we can
sing , “The name of the Lord is a strong tower! The righteous runs into it—
and is safe!” (Proverbs 18:10)
We canflee to our true BEZER in the time of affliction, and dry our tears and
sing, “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
Those who know Your name trust in You because You have not abandoned
those who seek You, Lord!” (Psalm 9:9, 10)
Jesus is a Stronghold againstDeath, the King of terrors and Terror of kings,
but we can shout in triumph from our Divine shelter, “O death, where is your

sting? Thanks be to God, who gives me the victory through the Lord Jesus
Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:55)
RAMOTH means “height” or “exaltation” and reminds us that believers are
elevatedabove the world, and made to sit in heavenly places ( Ephesians 2:4-
10).
This is all because the once lowly, despised, rejected, crucifiedand brutally
slain Jesus is now “exaltedto be a Prince and a Savior!”
Having been exalted on the cross as a suffering Savior, He is now exalted on
the throne as a glorious King! “Godhas highly EXALTED Him” (Phil. 2:9;)
JESUS is exalted in heaven—andexalted by all the glorious family of heaven.
Now Angels exalt Him—seraphs adore Him—saints praise Him—the Church
on earth magnifies Him—and the Church redeemed in heaven will magnify
and exalt Him foreverand ever!
How sweetfor us to think that we have exalted on the highestthrone of the
universe—an unchangedand unchanging Savior, an ever-living, never-dying
Friend!
The Lord Jesus is our hope, exaltedat the Father’s right hand, with a name
which is above every name, high and lifted up.
When you are downcast, and feeling yourself hopeless in this world, look up.
See that He is enthroned in your heart, as Lord of all..
Exalt Him in everything: in your thoughts, in your words, in your deeds
Sin always leads a person down, but Christ lifts us up; and one day we shall be
caught up togetherin the clouds to meet the Lord in the air! Only those who
were lifted up by the ark were saved. Jesus Christ is the Ark of our hope and
eternal security.

Golanmeans “exultation” or “joy,” and “we also joy in Godthrough our
Lord Jesus Christ” ( Romans 5:11).
Jesus is truly the GOLAN of His people; we may have many other joys—but
He is our “chief joy” because we wouldhave not one true joy had it not been
for Him.
The world would be to us a “valleyof Baca,” (weeping,)hadnot Jesus died for
our sins, and savedour souls.
Well did the angelsay, when he came to the plains of Bethlehem to announce
the Savior’s birth, “Behold, I bring you goodtidings of GREAT JOY!“
The joy which Jesus gives—is like a greatriver—deep, calm, ever-flowing,
overflowing —full, and clear, and refreshing all the year long!
Our greatCity of Refuge, has said “These things have I spokenunto you, that
my JOY might remain in you, and that your JOY might be full.” (John 15:11)
If we love, serve and follow Him now, we will come at last to the true Golan, in
His glorious presence above, and “REJOICEevermore!”
There is not one step the Christian takes—butJesus is GOLAN to him— his
“joy.”
He was straying, as a lost sheepon the dark mountains, in searchof peace—
Jesus found him, and said, “Your sins are all forgiven!” —and he is joyful at
that.
He is wandering a prodigal, far from his Father’s house—Jesusbrings him to
his losthome, and calls him His own child—and he is joyful at that.
He has to travel a long and dreary journey before he reaches his true home in
heaven—Jesusgives him His arm to leanupon; and he “goeson his way
rejoicing.“

He has many fiery trials—Jesus tells him not to think these “strange,” but
rather to “rejoice,” inasmuchas He is “partakerwith Him in his sufferings.”
(1 Peter4:12, 13)
He has, at last, to walk through the dark Valley of death—Jesus meets him
there, and supports him there. He sees “the King in His beauty,” and the land
that is yet “afar off;” and, believing, “he rejoices with joy unspeakable and
full of glory.” (1 Peter1:8)
When Jesus beholds him from His throne in judgment, His blessedwords of
welcome will be “Enter into the JOY of your Lord!” (Matt. 25:21) And when,
as a ransomed one, he enters the bliss of eternalglory, he will shout, “In Your
presence, O Savior God, is fullness of JOY!”
KEDESH means a “holy place” or “righteousness”.
He is the refuge for the unclean/unholy
SHECHEM means “shoulder”.
Jesus is the refuge for the weary
HEBRON means “fellowship”.
He is the refuge for the homeless
BEZER means a “stronghold” or “fortress”
RAMOTH means “exalted” or “heights”
our Lord is the refuge for the hopeless.
GOLAN means “separated.”
Now listen to how eachof those city names portray Christ’s refuge offered for
us to lay hold of every day, every hour, and every moment of our lives.

JESUS ~ OUR CITY OF REFUGE
07/06/2011· by Brent L Bolin · in ARTICLES & POSTS, BRENT'S -Biblical
Doctrine, BRENT'S -Biblical Insights of Israel · 4 Comments
City of refuge
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge,
whereofI spake unto you by the hand of Moses:That the slayerthat killeth
any personunawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your
refuge from the avengerof blood.” (Joshua 20:2-3)
In this passagewe have the LORD commanding Joshua to fulfill that which
He spoke to Moses – to establishthe “Cities ofRefuge.”
The purpose of the cities of “refuge“ (Hebrew:miqlat, meaning “to contract”
or “receive”)was to provide a shelterfor any who “killeth any person
unawares and unwittingly,” which we would referred to as involuntary
manslaughter.
City of Refuge 2
The Old Testamentmakes a cleardistinction betweenmurder, premeditated
murder and unintentional manslaughter (Numbers 35:16-18;Deuteronomy
19:5).

Cities_of_refuge
When a premeditated murder was committed, the penalty must be paid –
death. The family “RevengerofBlood” (“Revenger” inthe Hebrew is: gaalor
goelhadam) was a literal term and function, the person who held this position
was the next of kin, or the head of the family in many instances.
The Hebrew word “Revenger”literally means “redeemer”, he who brought
back the honor of the family by slaying the murderer (Deut 19:12).
He had two main functions; he could redeem a family member in debt, such as
Ruth (Ruth 3:12-13);or he was the “Revengerof Blood,” seeking justice when
a family member was murdered (Numbers 35:18-19).
City of Refuge - map
He who took the life of another accidentally, would present himself at the gate
of one of the six cities of refuge (The gate to a city was where all legalbusiness
was transacted, And where the city Council and Local leaders presided to
hear casesand make determinations – Ruth 4:1; 2 Samuel 15:2) and plead his
cause to the elders of the city and thus would find shelter in the city.
Later, he had to stand trial before the congregationofthe town nearestthe
scene ofthe slaying. If found innocent, he was returned to the shelterof the
city of refuge until the death of the current high priest (presumably enough
time for the wrath of the family of the slain to be abated).

3 Elders Judging (Church Discipline)
For the sinner, to be found in the city of refuge was to be found in the only
place of salvation, which is a pictorial of what Jesus did for us.
Jesus and CalveryThe similarity betweenthese cities of refuge, and the LORD
Jesus is striking.
Living objectLessons ~ Types and Shadows ~ Examples for Our Learning
This is one of the hundreds of prophetic examples wherein Jesus is found on
every page of the Bible through object lessons;rather allegory, similes,
metaphor, symbols, Figures of Speech(Please seeLINK), types or shadows, as
indicated in the following Scriptures (The term for all of these examples is
“ExpositionalConstancy” ~ Please seeEndnote #1).
1 Corinthians 10:1-6 ~
“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our
fathers were under the cloud, and all passedthrough the sea;and were all
baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;and did all eatthe same
spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of
that spiritual Rock that followedthem: and that Rock was Christ. But with
many of them God was not well pleased:for they were overthrown in the
wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not
lust after evil things, as they also lusted.”
Colossians 2:16-17 ~

“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respectof an
holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of
things to come;but the body is of Christ.”
Hebrews 8:5 ~
“Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moseswas
admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle:for, See, saith
he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewedto thee in the
mount.”
Hebrews 10:1 ~
“Forthe law having a shadow of goodthings to come, and not the very image
of the things, can never with those sacrifices whichthey offeredyear by year
continually make the comers thereunto perfect.”
Jesus & City
Jesus Our City of Refuge
Jesus is the only escape forthe punishment of sin wherein all of us are guilty
and deserve death and damnation When seenin the light of God’s perfection
which is reflectedin his law.

His law which was meant to be a schoolmasterto teachus the true depths of
our sin wherein we all deserve to be separatedfrom God, to be imprisoned
where God had createdhell and damnation for the Angels that chose to rebel
because oftheir lack of faith.
It is when we come to the end of our selfand the understanding of our
wickedness, whereinwe choose to repent; to change our mind in such a
formidable way that it changes are behaviors.
Wherein we forsake ourown way and follow Jesus, turning 180° from
ourselves;to Him who died for us.
Hebrews 6:18, tells us that
“…it was impossible for God to lie, we have a strong consolation, who have
fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as
an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that
within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an
high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec“
The sinner can flee to Christ and find eternal refuge and safety. Jesus calls to
all and says in Matthew 11:28:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest.”
John 3:16 says,

“ForGod so loved the world, that he gave his only begottenSon, that
whosoeverbelievethin him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
“Forgive them for they know not what they do”
One of the passagesthat baffled me for years was Luke 23:34, which states:
“Then saidJesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And
they parted his raiment, and castlots.”
The reasonthis baffled me is that the people understood what they were
doing, they were crying for an innocent man to be crucified.
A man that did miracles, and only that which was good.
Yet, what we must understand is that this is a technicalscientific statement of
fact, a statement which IF untrue would never allow us to be redeemed.
You see despite the factthat there were those that understood that Jesus was
claiming to be God, in factmost people understood that.
Look at every situation where Jesus does or says something wherein
afterwards the religious leaders and Pharisees pick up stones to stone Him,
these are situations where he claims deity. The punishment for blasphemy by
claiming to be God is stoning.

Jesus claimedto be Divine (See Endnote # 2).
Yet in spite of his assertions andthe belief by many that he is the son of God,
as a nation; they did not recognize their Messiah.
Two Comings – Two Roles
God in His greatwisdom presents Old Testamentprophecies concerning the
Messiahwhereinthe Messiahcomesto earth twice in totally different roles.
The Jews receivedthose passages concerning the Messiahona white horse to
kill the enemies of Israel, which we Christians recognize to be the Second
Coming of Jesus.
Yet the Jew, not knowing how to handling the Suffering Servant passages
found largely within the book of Isaiah, with many references in the major
and minor prophets, the typology setwithin the Torah; simply ignore these
passages.
In fact, many tore Isaiahchapter 53 out of their manuscripts.
But then the DeadSea Scrolls, that were much older than their manuscripts
were found to containthis chapter which presented the Messiahas a suffering
servant who would be slain by His people, who would be ridiculed and killed.
Not Guilty of Murder

The point is that Jesus’statements from the cross (“…Forgive them for they
know not what they do…“) was making a statement that the people were not
guilty of murder, that of knowing killing the Son of God, but that they had
committed manslaughter – because they did not understand what they did.
Why the Angels Could Notbe Forgiven
Now we know that there is no forgiveness to the Angels.
It is because they fully understood what they did by not trusting in God and
therefore rebelling againstHim.
They were in God’s very presence and could see Him, they interacted with
God and saw His greatness;they saw Godwith their own eyes and yet still
chose not to believe in Him – they those because oftheir disbelief to disobey.
This is why they are not given forgiveness through grace, they had knowledge
– which would be the same as if we (As representedby the Jews)had
knowledge – it would have been as if we crucified Christ knowing who He was
– it would have been murder, not manslaughter.
The point is, that Jesus is man’s city of refuge – where man who has the blood
of Christ on His hands because ofHis own sin, can go to Jesus “the City of
Refuge” becausewhatthey did they did in ignorance.
This is but one of the ways that God teaches us about the Messiah – this is one
of the objectlessons forus to learn.

The Sanhedrin – The Representatives ofIsrael
The Sanhedrin definitely planned to have Jesus crucified; however, at the
same time, God had planned this by His pre-determinant council(Acts 2:23 ~
“Him being delivered by the determinate counseland foreknowledge ofGod,
ye have taken, and by wickedhands have crucified and slain:”), yet did they
do it in knowledge,did they mean to execute the Son of God
No, they did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, therefore the Law
says, if a man claimedto be God, He committed blasphemy and deserved
death.
You and I as well, what are we guilty of?
Did not Jesus go to that cross for you and for me, because ofour sins?
Did you and I not drive those nails into His hands as pertaining to our sin (See
Endnote #5, “)?
I certainly plead guilty to manslaughter, as I think we all must.
You and Me
As our precious, loving, and forgiving Lord, our High Priest, said at the cross
(Luke 23:34),
“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Then does Jesus words pertaining to us as well, are we as they, guilty of
manslaughter, and if so; we can ran to Jesus;our city of refuge, where we are
securedfrom the Avenger of Bloodas long as we are abiding in Jesus as our
City of Refuge.
Jesus, our High Priestin whom we are completelysecure, died at the cross for
you and for me; therefore, the Avenger of Bloodcannot touch us!
Brent
Christ Typified by the Cities of Refuge
J. Burns, D. D.
Hebrews 6:17-20
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show to the heirs of promise the
immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:…
I. EVERY SINNER IS JUSTLY EXPOSED TO DEATH. Pursued by the
righteous avengerof blood, who will castthe wickedinto hell, with all the
nations that forgetGod.
II. GOD HATH APPOINTED JESUSAS THE REFUGE FOR
CONDEMNED SINNERS. He came that men might not perish, but have

everlasting life. He came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them. Now in
this He was strikingly typified by the cities of refuge.
1. In their number we are reminded of the sufficiency of Christ. There were
six of these cities. Doubtless amply sufficient for the caseswhichmight require
them. Jesus is the sufficient Saviour of all men. In Him is room for the whole
world. Merit, mercy, and willingness for every child of man.
2. In their diversified localities we see the accessibility of Christ. These cities
were placed in various parts of the land, so as to be near to every quarter, and
accessible to the inhabitants throughout. Here we see at once pointed out to us
the nearness ofChrist to every portion of the family of Adam.
3. In the spacious well-directedroads to the cities of refuge, we are reminded
of the free, full, and plain declarations of the gospelof Christ.
4. In the significationof the names of the cities we also perceive the glorious
excellencyof Christ. One of these cities was called"Kadesh," which signifies
"Holy." Jesus is the Holy One of God. He redeems and saves men to holiness.
Another was called"Shechem," whichsignifies "Shoulder," representing
Christ as bearing the sins and burdens of the sinner. Another was called
"Hebron," signifying "Fellowship." Thus Christ is the medium and ground of
fellowship betweenGod and men, and betweenthe whole body of believers. In
Christ we become the sons of God and members one of another. Another was
called"Bezer," whichsignifies a "Stronghold." Christ is often thus described.
He is our refuge, our fortress, and a stronghold in the day of trouble. In Him
we are more secure than if surrounded by a munition of rocks. Another of the
cities was called"Ramoth," which signifies "Exaltation." Jesus is the exalted
Son of God. The Prince of life. The Lord of glory. The name of the last city of
refuge was "Golan," which signifies "Exultation," or "Joy." Christ is the joy

and rejoicing of His people. His gospelis the messageofjoy. His kingdom is
not only righteousnessand peace, but joy in the Holy Ghost.
5. In the deliverance of the man-slayer we see typified the salvationwhich is in
Christ Jesus. Within the city he was safe. Now, by believing repentance, the
sinner flees to Christ, and becomes interestedin His all-extensive merit and
saving benefits. But he must be in Christ. And he must abide in Him (John
15:1-7). Thus he shall be delivered from presentcondemnation, and from
eternal death. In Christ is ample provision for his comfort, safer), and well-
being.
Application:
1. We see the awful misery and peril of the carelesssinner.
2. The absolute necessityof repentance towards God and faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ. And how necessarythat this should be prompt and immediate.
3. How urgently should ministers make known the terrors of the Lord and
persuade men.
4. How happy are those who are delivered from the power of Satan, and have
been brought to enjoy the forgiving love of God. Within the city of refuge all
their interests are secure both for time and eternity.
(J. Burns, D. D.)

Jesus, Our City Of Refuge! Series
Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 23, 2014
(rate this sermon) | 14,783views
Scripture: Joshua 20:1-7
Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational
Summary: The Cities of Refuge in the Book ofJoshua are not only a portrait
of Christ, but they are also a picture of the Church, the Body of Christ. We
have a refuge in Christ to give to all who are in need of a Savior.
1 2 3 … 6 7
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JESUS, OUR CITY OF REFUGE!
Dr. Larry Petton
GreatChapters of the Bible #7
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