Lesson 139 - Junior

Memory Verse

"In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge" (Proverbs 14:26).

Notes

Eye for an Eye

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, and "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed," (Genesis 9:6), was the law to the Israelites. If a man committed murder, a near relative of the murdered man was duty bound to kill the offender. No amount of money could right the wrong; blood must be shed.

Accidental death caused by another person was not considered murder, and no revenge was to be made. If two men were working together in the woods, and one man's axe-head flew off and killed the other man, no one would be held guilty for that, because it was an accident.

But what if the brother of the dead man became so angry with the manslayer that he would not consider whether it had been an accident or not? He might kill him without giving him a chance to explain. He might even have had a grievance against the man whose flying axe-head had taken a life, and would think that now was his chance to pay his grudge.

Refuge

God has made a provision for every circumstance. He realised that innocent men might sometimes suffer because of the law, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed," so he provided a place of safety. The altar at the Tabernacle was a temporary refuge; and after the Children of Israel arrived in Canaan, six cities were to be designated as a haven for the man who had innocently shed blood.

The Levites did not receive an inheritance of land in Canaan by which to earn their living, but were given forty-eight cities in which to live. Their support would come from the people's tithes. All their time was spent in ministering to the Israelites. The education of God's people centred in their religion, and it was the duty of the Levites to be the teachers.

Six of the forty-eight cities, three on the east side of Jordan and three on the west side, were the cities of refuge. The three in Canaan are often spoken of during the ministry of Christ. In the north, in what later be-came Galilee, was the city of Kedesh; in the south, Judah, was Hebron; and halfway between, in the possession of Ephraim, was Shechem. There cities were situated in such places that no one need travel more than about thirty miles from his home when running for safety.

A Cleared Highway

The highways leading to the cities of refuge were to be straight and kept clear. The man who was running for his life would not have time to be tried up in a traffic jam or to go on detours. Plain signs with the word Milat (meaning refuge) were to be placed at every crossroad, pointing to the city. Every-thing was to make it easy for the innocent slayer to be saved.

After he arrived within the city he was among friends. The levities served God and were the best of the people, and they would do what they could to help those who sought refuge among them. If the manslayer lost his life it would be his own fault, because everything was provided for his advantage.

However, he must stay in the city in order to be safe. If his pursuer should ever find him outside the walls, he would still have the right to kill him. Not until the death of the high priest was he free to go home in safety. It seems that the death of the high priest fulfilled the shedding of blood for the man who was killed.

Willful Murder

Sometimes people who had willfully committed murder would try to hide in the city of refuge. Or perhaps the innocence of a rightful resident might be questioned. In that case the man must be brought to trial. In the gate of the city sat the judge who decided for the congregation. At least two witnesses must come against the defendant, swearing to his guilt. Each witness must be questioned separately, so they could not hear what the other one said; and if the judge decided the man was guilty of murder, he was given to the avenger to be killed. But if the verdict was Not Guilty, he was free to remain in the city of refuge.

Rightful

Other cases might come before the judges, wherein there was a disagreement between two people. Each person who came to the judge with a complaint must bring at least two, perhaps three, witnesses. We remember that when the Jews were accusing Jesus they had to bring the two witnesses, and they finally secured two who swore falsely against Him and they did not agree ([MAK:14:59]). God wanted His people to judge righteous judgement, and the witnesses were supposed to speak the truth about the defendant. If the defendant was found innocent, the judgement the accuser had wanted to bring upon the accused was returned to himself. For this reason people would be quite sure their accused was guilty before bringing him to a judge for judgement which might come upon their own head.

Jesus Our Refuge

We can see in this city of refuge a picture of Christ. We have all sinned. We could not help it, because the nature of sin was born in us. Judgement is following us; and unless we run to Jesus, our Refuge, and hide in Him, we shall be doomed to everlasting punishment.

There is no need for anyone to be lost. The highway to Jesus is well marked. We have the Bible, which tells us to repent and forsake our sins that we might be saved. It is simple enough for anyone to understand. "Wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein" (Isaiah 35:8).

If we had seen one of those innocent manslayers refusing to run to the city of refuge, and uselessly losing his life, we would have considered him foolish indeed. But what about all the people who refuse to come to Jesus in repentance? They are outside the "city of refuge" and may be cut off at any moment to suffer eternal punishment. Everyone is welcome to come to Jesus. He said, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). If the sinner will run to Jesus, he will find rest and be save from the destroyer. Why does he not run?

Remaining in Jesus

The law said the manslayer must remain in the city of refuge. We must continue in Christ, keep our lives free from sin through the Blood of Jesus, if we want to remain safe. Jesus will never thrust out one who has fled to Him for refuge, but that person has power to walk out again if he chooses.

A man has been forgiven of his sins, and he is happy within the "walls" of Christ's refuge. But perhaps he forgets to pray, and he becomes too busy to read the Bible. Soon he becomes curious about what is going on outside the "city," and he goes to the gate just to look out. There he sees the vast "country-side" stretching out before him, and he begins to feel cramped in the "city." It is crowded, and he feels his rights are restricted by his being forced to remain there. So one day he walks out into the "free" countryside. He heaves a sigh of re-lief. There is no one to tell him what to do, and he rushes forth with exuberance, feeling that he is no longer bound by any Christian code.

But is he really free? He is on enemy territory. We would like to tell him to turn back quickly before he is captured by the enemy. Run back to the shelter of the city walls before it is too late! For your soul's sake, run quickly!

But the man refuses to go back. Now we see someone coming to meet him. It is Satan himself, and he has the right to destroy anyone he finds outside the city of refuge. In the end the escaped man will be committed to endless punishment. Throughout eternity he will think of the peace that was in the city of refuge; the love he felt among the people who lived there. And he will think about the heavenly Jerusalem where all the people have gone who remained in that city of refuge. They are enjoying eternal bliss while he is tormented. Oh, if he had only stayed in the city! Or if he had returned while the gate was still open for him, when everyone was calling, "Come back, come back." Now it is too late; and he will be outside forever.

May all who read these words flee to the city of refuge; and when safe within its walls, do not even peek to see what is going on outside. May we always pray that the Lord will keep us save under the Blood so we may inherit eternal life.

Questions

1. What was a city of refuge?

2. Why did God provide a city of refuge?

3. What is our refuge?

4. What happens to those who leave the city of refuge " in the natural in Israel's time, and in the spiritual in our time?

5. Explain how those who have left the city of refuge may still be saved.

6. What will happen to those who refuse to go back?