Study 15
Cities of Refuge
Introduction
I wonder did any of you ever get into a fight in your childhood days? Most kids have a skirmish or two when they are growing up and I have to say, growing up in Belfast, I was no exception. I remember one occasion when I was coming home from school after staying behind for games, it was near tea-time and most other kids of course had been home for a while and had changed out of their uniform and were hanging about the streets, and a couple of blocks away from where I lived I ran into a group of fellas from a rival neighbourhood gang/clique who went to a different school from me. As I walked along the footpath on the other side of the road from them they started to shout abuse at me and instead of ignoring them and walking on big mouth Robb of course had to give them some lip back, because I didn’t want them to think that I was afraid of them; although if the truth be told I was trembling inside because there was four or five of them and a couple of them were bigger than me. Well the two-way abuse continued as I walked along one side of the street and they walked along the other. Then the next thing I knew was I was hit with a stone which one of them had obviously thrown at me. Now the smart thing to do in such circumstances of course is to get offside as quick as possible, get the old guddies going and run for your life. The problem was that I wasn’t too smart in those days and wasn’t in the habit of stopping and giving rational consideration to such situations and on the basis of a reasoned and considered decision taking the best and most sensible course of action. Instead, in a fit of temper I picked up several stones of the ground, the biggest ones I could find, of which there were plenty around our neighbourhood in the early seventies and I started to fire these back at these guys at which stage they of course decided to wage an all out war and charged towards me. Now its one thing being brave when you are at the other side of the street maybe about 50 yards away from your rivals, but when four of them come charging at you and you are on your own common sense and I have to admit stomach churning fear start to send urgent messages to your brain ‘RUN LIKE MAD’ and being one who takes such messages quite seriously and realising that I was in big trouble if I didn’t do what my brain was telling me to do I was in big trouble, I started running for my life. Thankfully I was quite a fast runner in those days and although they gave hot pursuit and didn’t give up chasing me until I was home I managed to stay ahead of them. I can tell you it was some relief to turn the corner into my own street and even more of a relief to see my front door open so that I could run into the house screaming for help, at which stage of course my pursuers gave up the chase. They did of course shout abuse and threaten to get me when I came out, but of course I wasn’t for going out. I was safe in my house and there was no way I was leaving it. I can tell you I was glad to see 41 Imperial Street that day. It was my place of safety, my refuge from my pursuers.
Nice little anecdote from my childhood days but what has it got to do with our study of God’s Word this evening? Well our next study in the book of Joshua brings us to chapter 20 and chapter 20 is all about places of refuge, places to which people who were being pursued and whose lives were in danger, could flee for safety.
The Children of Israel have taken control of the land of Canaan and each tribe has been given its particular portion of land, its particular territory by Joshua. The Levites, that is those whose full time job it was to serve in the tabernacle and to minister to the spiritual needs of the people, they were not to have any inheritance land as such, instead they were to be appointed certain cities in which they were to live and it was up to the people of God as a whole to provide for the material needs of these servants of God. And you see from chapter 21/41 that there were 48 towns in all given to the Levites and these cities were located in every region in Canaan. Now out of these 48 cities six were to be designated as Cities of refuge. The purpose of these cities, who was entitled to the safety they provided, where the cities were located and so on are described for us in a somewhat condensed form in Joshua 20. More information on these cities can be found in Num 35 v9-34; Deut 4v41-43; and 19v1-13. And in our study of the cities of refuge this evening we will be drawing on the material that we find in all of these passages. Another passage of scripture that has a bearing on the cities of refuge is found in the N.T. in Hebrews 6v18 where the believer is spoken of as someone who “has fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before him”. And it is evident from the context that the apostle is speaking of the sinner fleeing to Christ for safety. So many expositors see in the language used by the apostle here in Hebrews 6 , especially in the light of the Jewish context of that epistle, a clear parallel being drawn between the cities of refuge and the safety they offered and Christ and the safety he offers. And whilst I do not think that the cities of refuge are a full blown O.T. Type of Christ, there is no doubt that in many points they are illustrative of the spiritual refuge the sinner finds in Christ.
Now as we turn to consider this subject this evening the first thing that I want us to consider is
1) The Danger To Which The Manslayer was Exposed
In order to understand something about the cities of refuge, one has to first of all familiarise oneself with the logistics of the civil law in Israel in relation to the specific issue to which these cities were related. And when we turn to Joshua 20 and the other related passages in Numbers and Deuteronomy we discover that the issue that is being addressed here is that of what happens when someone accidentally kills another person. We see mention being made of this in vs3,5, 9 – “v3 – anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.” (we will come back to that phrase ‘the avenger of blood in a moment) “v5 – if the avenger of blood pursues him they must not surrender the one accused, because he killed his neighbour unintentionally and without malice aforethought” v9 “any…who killed someone accidentally could flee to these cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.”
The Civil Law which God gave to Israel addressed every area of daily life. And in relation to the whole area of the sanctity of human life God was careful to demonstrate the justness of his Law by drawing a distinction between the wilful, planned and deliberate taking of another persons life and the unplanned, non-malicious, accidental killing of another human being. In the case of the former, where someone deliberately murdered his fellow man God had commanded that such a person should be punished by forfeiting his own life, in other words by being executed. That principle of course whilst part of the civil law of the Jewish Theocratic state, that is the law of the nation that was directly governed by God, that principle was not to be thought of as being identified only with Israel’s theocracy. The principle had been clearly laid down by God long before He called Abraham and long before Israel became a nation under the government of God. We see that in Genesis 9v5,6. Speaking to Noah, God said “From each man I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellowman. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God, has God made man.”
Such is the sanctity of human life in the eyes of God that he has declared that anyone guilty of deliberate, wilful murder must be put to death for that sin. We find this clearly stated in Exodus 21/12,14. “anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death…if a man schemes and kills another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to death.’ You have the same thing stated in Lev 24/17 “if anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death.”
Now before going on with our exposition let me just take time out here to state that this principle has never been set aside or amended by God. God still requires that a person guilty of murder, of the premeditated, deliberate, wilful killing of another human being, that such a person should be put to death for his sin. In thus taking the life of someone else the murderer has forfeited his own right to life. Human life is precious to God. Every human being is an image bearer of God. It may not be a popular idea today but Capital punishment is Biblical. The modern day penal philosophy of incarceration in prison with a view to the reformation and rehabilitation of those who have been found guilty of murder is unbiblical.
But, returning to our subject, we see that whilst God clearly lays down that the murderer must himself die as a punishment for what he did, God is careful to draw a distinction between murder and what we today call manslaughter, the accidental killing of another human being. Turning again to Ex 21 in v13 we read “however if he does not do it intentionally (i.e. kill someone) but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate” And in Deut 19 God gives an example of the sort of thing he means by accidental killing. In v4ff we read “For instance a man may go into the forest with his neighbour to cut wood and as he swings his axe to fell a tree the head may fly off and hit his neighbour and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. Otherwise the avenger of blood may pursue him in a rage…and kill him…” So God says if the killing is accidental the person who has taken another persons life can flee to one of these cities of refuge. Now the question has to be asked - Who is he fleeing from? Well we are told here that he is fleeing from the ‘avenger of blood’. And who is this ‘avenger of blood’. Well you have to realise that Israel didn’t have a Police force as such and whenever someone was murdered it was the responsibility of the members of the family of the person who had been killed to appoint a close relative to execute justice on the person who had killed their loved one. Now the danger of course in a case where someone was killed accidentally, was that in the heat of the moment a relative of the dead person might execute what he thought was justice before the facts of the case came to light or he might be driven by vindictive vengeance to pursue his loved ones killer. Take the situation described above. John and jack go out to cut wood in the forest. John calls for Jack so the families concerned know that these to men are with each other. The time when they are expected home passes. No sign of either of them John’s wife tells her son to go and see what’s keeping him, the dinners ready. So Marcus goes into the forest and to his horror finds his dad lying on the ground dead with an axe head firmly embedded in his skull. What does he think? Jack has murdered my father. And so he sets off in pursuit of him to find him and kill him for this awful crime he has committed. So a person who had killed someone, albeit accidentally was nevertheless in great danger until they reached a city of refuge. All the while they were outside the city, there was the possibility that the avenger of blood would catch up with them and kill them.
The danger to which the manslayer was exposed.
And we can see in this something of an illustration of the spiritual condition of the sinner. It is one of extreme danger for the wages of sin is death. He is being pursued by the justice and judgement of God. And should that sinner be found outside the place of safety, well destruction is inevitable. What about you this evening. If you haven’t fled to Christ for safety then the avenger of blood is after you. You are out in the open fields of life, away from the place of refuge, being pursued by the justice and judgement of God against your sin and each day you live your pursuer is getting closer and who knows one day soon will place his hands upon you and execute justice against.
But then secondly we need to note
2) The Refuge to Which The Manslayer could Flee.
V2 “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.”
Now there are a number of things that I want to draw to your attention about these cities. First of all we should note that they were
(i) Divinely Appointed:
It was God who decreed that there should be a place of refuge to which the manslayer could run for safety from the avenger of blood. He took the initiative and told Moses initially, and now He tells Joshua to establish these places of refuge. The appointment of the cities of refuge were not the result of the combined wisdom of the elders of the people who thought that it would be a good idea to create these safe havens. Rather it was something that God himself graciously provided. So the refuge was a place of divine appointment. And it was only in the place of divine appointment that safety could be guaranteed. To run to some other city was foolish, because such a city could not offer any protection from the avenger of blood.
Secondly it was a place that was
(ii) Easily Accessible:
And really you need to get out your Bible map to appreciate this fact. The six cities of refuge, Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron, Golan Ramoth-Gilead and Bezer, were strategically located so that from any given point in the land of Canaan one of those cities was always easy to get to. Three of them were located on the West side of the Jordan to serve the 2 ½ tribes who had settled there and three were located on the East of the Jordan to serve the rest of the people. And in each case, both on the east and on the West, there was a city of refuge in the north of the country, one in the south and one in the middle. Hence if someone found themselves in need of the safety that the city of refuge afforded, they never had too far to go to find it. There was a refuge close by. As well as that we learn from Deut 19/3 that roads were to be built leading to these cities thus making it as easy as possible for a person to get to them. From extra Biblical Jewish sources we learn that these roads were carefully maintained with repairs being made to them each Spring-time after the rains and bad weather of the winter season which often left some of them in a bad state. Then too looking at the geographical location of the cities we discover that each of them was built on a hill. In other words the city was elevated and thus anyone running towards it could see it from a distance and be encouraged that safety was in sight.
The refuge then was a place of divine appointment. It was a place that was easily accessible. Thirdly it was a place that was
(iii) Open to All
In v9 we read “Any of the Israelites or any alien living among you who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities…”
And in Numbers 35v15 God says “these six towns will be a place of refuge for Israelites, aliens and any other people living among them so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.”
The place of refuge was open not only to Israelites but to others as well, those designated, aliens and sojourners. There was a wideness in God’s merciful provision. None who could claim refuge were turned away if they sought it.
There are a couple of other informative and suggestive things that we learn from Jewish sources about the cities of refuge. We know for example that they were
(iv) Clearly Sign-posted
At every crossroads along the way special signs were set up upon which the word MIKLAC (REFUGE) was written in huge letters and once a year, at the same time that the roads were being repaired, the signs were checked to ensure that they were pointing in the right direction and that they were clearly legible.
Then too we know that the gates of the cities of refuge
(v) Were always open
Unlike most other cities where for security reasons the gates were kept firmly shut with huge bars, the gates of the six cities of refuge always remained unbarred. This of course was to ensure that no-one fleeing to them would find himself locked out and being caught by the avenger of blood while trying to gain entry into the place of safety. The last thing they wanted was someone running for his life with maybe the avenger of blood hot on his heels and reaching the place of safety only to find that he couldn’t gain access because the gates were locked.
And in all of these facts relating to the cities of refuge we see the grace and the mercy of God being exhibited. Not only did God graciously provide such a refuge for those who needed it but he had ordered things in such a way that nothing was put in the way of or hindered them from availing themselves of that provision. The manslayer didn’t have to ask how do I get there. The cities were well known, clearly signposted and easily seen from a distance. Nor did a man have to run too far in order to find the place of safety the Lord had provided. And when he did arrive there he could be sure the gates would be open for him and he would not be turned away.
And isn’t this a beautiful O.T. illustration of the refuge that the sinner can find in Christ. One writer says “When we bear in mind how much the Holy Spirit delighted in shadowing forth the Lord Jesus under the OT, in type and in figue, and when we observe how closely and strikingly the various things said of the cities of refuge point to the saviour, we must conclude that they are divinely designed to foreshadow him.”
Like the city of refuge, the place of safety for the sinner is a place that has been provided by and appointed by God. Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ Paul in Romans 3/25 says “whom God hath set forth (marjin = foreordained) to be a propitiation through faith in his blood…” God has set Jesus apart to be the means of escape from the wrath of God’s justice against sin. In Hebrews 6 we read of the sinner fleeing “For refuge to lay hold of the hope that is set before him” And just as the cities of refuge were the only place of safety for the person fleeing from the avenger of blood, so too The Lord Jesus is the only place of refuge to which sinners can run for safety from the wrath of God against sin. “There is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved. “I am the way the truth and the life” And just as the place of refuge was easily accessible, always within reach, so too Christ is easily accessible to all who are genuinely seeking him. Clear directions have been given in the gospel pointing the way to safety – believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Whoever believes on him will not perish but have everlasting life. The city of refuge was open to all, Jew and gentile alike, so to with Christ who calls all men to flee to him assuring them that whosoever comes to him he will never drive away.
However whilst it is true that the cities of refuge were open to all ethnically speaking it was also true that they were not open to all morally speaking because those cities afforded no refuge for those guilty of murder. In a sense they were for the protection of the innocent, those who were not guilty of murder. And in this sense there is a stark contrast between the cities of refuge and Christ because Christ is a refuge not for the innocent but for the guilty. No matter what sin a man has committed he might still flee to Christ and find safety.
Let me ask you this evening friends. Have you fled to Christ for safety? Are you sheltering by faith within that refuge which God has so graciously provided? If the judgement of God finds you outside of Christ you will perish, but if it finds you in Christ, sheltering in the security of his redeeming work, you will not be harmed.
Oh May God grant that every one of us might be found in Him having fled to Christ from the wrath which is to come.
