ScriptureJoshua 20:1-3, 6 Then the Lord said to Joshua: “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood…They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled.”ObservationAfter the land is disbursed by lot to all of the tribes of Israel, the Lord instructs Joshua to establish Cities of Refuge within which one who had accidentally killed another might find sanctuary from a family member of the deceased seeking revenge.
Understanding
These Cities of Refuge, in addition to being an important part of the civil and legal system of justice in the community of Israel, also stand as an OT type and symbol of the forgiveness that Jesus will provide believers under the New Covenant.
Psalm 9:9The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of troubleProverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
This is a timely reading in light of Pastor Gary’s current teaching on the Ten Commandments. Like the perception of those who interpret God’s commands as petty, controlling and restricting, so might someone on the outside of one of the cities of refuge consider those held within its enclosure as being confined, imprisoned and punished. Yet to the one who is within the walls because they have sought out the protection that the city offers, he receives relief, liberty and mercy. The one who seems “imprisoned” experiences freedom from the guilt, fear and penalty of sin that still hang over the head of the one on the outside. The one within the enclosure and the protection it provides - submitted to its regulations and boundaries - is freer than the one outside of those boundaries and restrictions will ever be.Life Application
The Word and commands of the Lord bring freedom and I can never know true freedom outside of obedience and submission to them. Within the boundaries they provide, I may freely roam and experience all that God intends for me. Safe within the limits meant to provide safety, security and protection from all that might befall me outside of their perimeter I enjoy true freedom and liberty.2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedomJohn 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
To check out the conversation or to join in, click
here.
- Gary Parker
