We come in our study through the Book of Numbers to a passage in Numbers 35: 9 – 14; which explains how God told the people to form cities of refuge when they came into the Promised Land.
FORM CITIES OF REFUGE
Before anyone can totally understand why there would be a need for cities of refuge, one must first come to understand God’s purposes in forming Israel into a nation that will thrive in this particular place in the land.
Any Godly nation would need to be holy.
Anything unholy would need to be eliminated from the lands of a godly nation.
THE NEED FOR TURNING AND RENEWAL
God wanted to make this once pagan and evil land into a new place where the land would be pure of the shedding of innocent blood.
Instead of repeating the past and making a flood to destroy evil and an ark to house His people and carry them to a new place; this time God chose to create a nation that was pure and good and righteous and holy.
Just like before the flood when so much evil existed on the earth; once again the land would need to be cleansed and there would need to be a way to keep it cleansed and holy. Holiness didn’t have to cover the whole earth; Israel could be the seed that grew into a better place. The seed planted today would grow into a holy nation to lead other nations into holiness.
DUST TO DUST
God had created mankind from the dust of the earth; and because man was made from earth; the earth cried out to God whenever innocent blood was shed.
The land could never be pure unless it was purged of the guilt of shed blood.
But what if the murder that caused bloodshed actually sprung innocently from an accident instead of the deliberate taking of innocent blood?
Suppose that evil and murder were never the intention of the person who slayed someone?
Then what could be done?
UNINTENTIONAL SINS
This provision for the not-guilty-by-intent is the reason for establishing the cities of refuge.
Such cities would be safe places where accidental sins could eventually be cleansed by atonement.
There would be a waiting period involved, and the person would not be allowed to move freely about the nation until that atonement for the death had been applied.
Within these safely guarded walls of the city of refuge a person who had accidentally committed a crime could be isolated from those seeking revenge for an accidental death of a family member or close friend.
The unintentional sinner would be safe from those taking the law into their own hands until righteous judgement could be given.
UNTIL DEATH OF THE HIGH PRIEST
A person who was guilty of an accidental killing could stay safe in the cities of refuge until the death of the High Priest.
When the High Priest died; his righteous life’s blood was considered an exchange or substitute for the ones who were actually innocent of murder; but guilty of accidents. This confinement where the unintentional sinner was not allowed to wonder free within the rest of the nation until atoned helped the nation to preserve the thoughts and ideologies of the very sacredness of life.
THE SACREDNESS OF LIFE
Cities of refuge always speak to us of the sacredness of life.
The person seeking refuge because of an accident was not sentenced as “guilty” and he was not being punished or imprisoned; yet he had to live in the protection of the city of refuge in order to not have to face his revengeful accusers seeking their own form of justice from which he might suffer needlessly.
Those who accidentally committed murder could flee to these places of safety.
They could stay there until the death of their high priest; at which time the whole city’s sins were always officially declared to be atoned.
There were six appointed Cities of Refuge. Three were located within Canaan, and three were located across the Jordan. All were Israelite cities living under God’s commandments.
TRUE JUSTICE MATTERS
In places where God’s ways are upheld, respected and prevail; true justice can be practiced.
We will hear much more about these cities as we continue our next studies in the Book of Deuteronomy.
In the meantime; consider how God was setting up a nation.
He was making provision for places of safety for the guilty to flee to in a time of need. This was a place where they would stay until they were given an atoning covering from the death of their high priest.
GOD PLAYS THE GRACE CARD
We are talking about grace now.
Do any of these things sound familiar to you?
Is this not a picture of every sinner before he has a personal encounter with Jesus?
Today is a crucial time for Christians to know about the existence of God’s place of safety. It is time for all of us to take a closer look at God’s definition of grace.
This is a provision God has granted for everyone who seeks God’s saving grace; it is a place of refuge where God’s people can hide in times of trouble; until our High Priest (Jesus Christ) has officially shown us how He has laid down His life willingly; providing atonement for all of our unintentional sins.
JESUS IS THE HIDING PLACE
We wait until we meet Jesus on this road through life, and we rest inside God’s grace until we are set free again by repentance and divine mercy and totally undeserved forgiveness.
But is there a literal “place of safety” that happens at the end of time?
Jesus speaks of such a place of protection in Revelation 3:10: “Because you have kept my command to persevere I also will keep you from the hour of trail, which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.”
THE HOUR OF TRIAL
I suppose the “test” here is referring to a time that proves whether or not people will chose to follow God’s ways above all others.
There would be no need to test those who have already proven themselves. Those who keep God’s commandments and try to live out God’s will within their lives need not fear. They will always be protected. God’s grace will show them mercy and provide a way of safety.
These are very reassuring thoughts in this day and time we are living through.
Have you considered them?
Many prophetic scriptures speak of the Church as a woman fleeing to the wilderness where she is protected for a time, times and a half-time from Satan. We hear the word “wilderness” but we do not yet know the exact location.
The “wilderness” is usually a place where men do not like to go; but here we are told of God having his protection in this place of safety.
THE PEOPLE WERE IN THE AREA CALLED PETRA
Petra is located near Jordan, which is the very place that the people have come to in this scripture passage that we are studying today.
They are waiting in the wilderness near Jordan for God to tell them when and how to enter The Promised Land.
Israel is about to cross over into a new life.
Is it possible that we could be on the brink of doing the same?
Revelation 7 describes 144,000 people and then speaks of a great multitude which no one could number who will come out of the great tribulation.
A PLACE TO WAIT ON GOD
Many living on the earth right now have felt that they might be living through at least the beginnings of the great tribulation.
Some of us are giving a lot of thought to our own “place of safety” and in our hearts we know it will be a place where we will wait on God to come for us and take us to be with Him forever.
Then we read the words of Psalm 91:7, 9-10: “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. … Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.”
Did you catch the important words in those words?
Did you hear “because you have made the LORD your dwelling place?”
THE PLACE WHERE JESUS DWELLS
The ancient people of God had their cities of refuge.
Today we have Jesus.
Those of us who love Him make him our dwelling place.
In Him we are safe and protected from the ways of the world. He heals us and looks over us as we wait on God’s plan to unfold further. He protects us from the plague and does not let it come near our dwellings.
For us today the reading of Psalm 91:7-10 brings as much comfort as the day that a man running from his enemies must have known whenever he crossed through the gates of a city of refuge.
There really is a place where we can suffer no harm.
We all must seek until we find it.
Our nation must learn how to dwell there until God comes again to give us a new page and a better place to call home.