Joshua 20:1-91The Lord also spake unto Joshua, saying, 2Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: 3That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of 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 avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbor unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime. 6And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled. 7And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah. 8And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. 9These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation. (Joshua 20:1‑9)
We have spoken of the meaning of the cities of refuge already in our “Talks” on Numbers 35, but since the Spirit of God has been pleased to mention them again here, we may be sure they have a special importance.
It is a good thing to bear in mind that. “the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.” 1 Samuel 2:33Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. (1 Samuel 2:3). He knew all about Israel and He knows all about us—our past, present, and future (Psalm 139). He knew that Israel would never enter into the fullness of their blessings—and indeed that they would never merit one of them through their own faithfulness. He therefore made provision beforehand for their failures. The cities of refuge show us in a figurative way what God is doing now. He is preserving His people Israel who killed their Messiah, and they, like the manslayer who fled to the city of refuge, will be brought into blessing in a future day. We notice in our chapter that it was only the one who had killed his neighbor “at unawares” who could find shelter in the cities of refuge; and so when the Lord Jesus was on the cross, put there by the nation of Israel who rejected Him, He said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:3434Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. (Luke 23:34). He called their awful act of crucifying Him a sin of ignorance — done “at unawares” — so that refuge and future blessing would be assured to them. What grace!
Now in the present day, all, whether Jew or Gentile, who own their guilt and accept the Lord Jesus as their Saviour are sheltered from the judgment that is coming upon the world. Christ is the true city of Refuge, and just as the avenger of blood could not harm the man who was hiding in the city of refuge, so those who are “in Christ” can say, “Death and judgment are behind us, Grace and glory are before.”
These six cities of refuge were conveniently located on both sides of the Jordan so that no one was too far away to reach one of them. So now, how precious is the word, “Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:66Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: (Isaiah 55:6). He is not far from the sinner, if he will but turn to Christ, owning his guilt and taking shelter in Him. Dear reader, have you done it? Why not “flee from the wrath to come” now?
In applying this beautiful type to the nation of Israel, it is instructive to notice that those who found shelter in the cities of refuge were to remain there until the death of the high priest. They could then return to their own city. Thus the Lord Jesus is now carrying on His priestly work for us in heaven, but when He comes back and calls us home to be with Himself, this priestly work will be ended, and then He will begin His dealings with Israel again. Israel therefore cannot get the right of possession to their city, Jerusalem now, nor will they until after the Church is called home to glory. Then through the awful judgments of the tribulation they will be brought to repentance for their guilt, and God will give them Jerusalem and their land in peaceful possession. These six cities of refuge were one short of seven (which typifies perfection), and would perhaps remind us that all the types fall short of the perfect One—the Lord Jesus Christ—the true city of Refuge. How blessed to know Him!
ML 06/07/1953