A Place Of Refuge
We’ve all had one of those days. You sleep through your alarm, spill your coffee, get caught in traffic and are late to work. When you arrive, you are inundated with stressful tasks and the whole day moves at a crawl. Finally, you clock out and head home. There’s tension in your shoulders at the thought of doing it all again, and it weighs on you like the world is pressing down on you. Finally, you make the last turn, and your home comes into view. You turn into the driveway and walk through the door. You let out a sigh, and just like that the tension leaves you and the day is all but forgotten. Why? Because you’re home.
It’s an interesting thought that on a planet with 7.6 billion people, you can have a place that is your own. A spot set apart from the chaos outside, the stress of work or school and the troubles of life, that you can return to and find refuge.
In the book of Joshua chapters 13 to 20, we find God speaking to Joshua. The leader of the nation of Israel. At this time, God had brought the Israelites across the Jordan River and had given them victory over Jericho, and the cities of other nations in the land He had promised to them. God was directing Joshua on how to organize the inheritance of the tribes, which cities would be theirs and where their borders would be. It’s in Joshua chapter 20 that we find God instructing Joshua on the appointment of cities of refuge.
Joshua 20:1-6
The Lord also spoke to Joshua, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. And when he flees to one of those cities and stands at the entrance of the gate of the city and declares his case in the hearing of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city as one of them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. Then if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbour unintentionally, but did not hate him beforehand. And he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the slayer may return and come to his city and his own house, to the city from which he fled.”
There were to be 6 such cities. 3 on each side of the river Jordan. Each a place where the innocent could seek refuge. Should a mistake be made, or an accident happen, a place where the innocent could flee just makes sense. However, this idea becomes even more relevant when you consider the law of the time. In the book of Leviticus God laid out the law that Israel was to be governed by, and in Leviticus 24:19-20 specifically, we find our relevant passage:
Leviticus 24:19-20
‘If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbour, as he has done, so shall it be done to him— fractures for fracture, eye for an eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him.
The law of the day was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. This was fair, but there was room for an innocent person who had made a mistake to be caught up in the wheels of justice. For this reason, God instructed Joshua to appoint cities of refuge; a safe place for the innocent to be free from retribution.
In 2010 my family spent 6 months in Jordan serving as missionaries. There are many experiences I have learnt from during that time, and many stories that I will never forget. One such story is that of the Old Testament laws still being followed there today. There was a man who made a living giving horse rides near the city of Houston. In a terrible accident, one of the horses bucked off a child, and sadly the child died. In response to this tragedy, the child’s father attempted to exact revenge on the man and came after him with a knife. The man fled and managed to escape, however, in the aftermath, the child’s father killed the man’s horses and took much of the man’s possessions as compensation, leaving the man and his family to live in a tent.
This is the law of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, being used incorrectly, and an innocent man paying the price. A perfect example of why God instructed Israel to appoint cities of refuge for the innocent to flee too. It was not God’s intention for the innocent to suffer. It was God’s intention from creation that there would be no suffering, and there was none until the fall of man in The Garden of Eden.
So why did God call for the law of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth? The simple answer is that God is just.
Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright are He.
If all God’s ways are justice, then for wrongdoings there must be a price paid, otherwise, He is unjust. This is a good thing, because there is more to His character than simply justice and punishment.
Lamentations 3:22-23
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
God is also merciful. It is for that reason that God had cities of refuge appointed, so the innocent could find refuge. That by itself is enough for God to be deserving of thanks and praise, however, this was not the end goal God had for mankind. God established the law for justice and the cities of refuge for mercy in the Old Testament. These things were good, and they served their purpose well, however, God had a better way in store: God brought justice and mercy together in Jesus Christ.
Under the law, justice was done through people paying the price for their wrongdoings, but Jesus came and paid the price for us. In the Old Testament mercy was found in a city of refuge. But when Jesus came and died, people no longer had to travel across Israel to find refuge. Now refuge was found in Jesus, and Jesus wasn’t bound to a city or specific place. Beyond that, Jesus made a way for the guilty to find refuge. The cities of refuge had been for the innocent to be spared of retribution. Now the guilty could find forgiveness in Jesus.
The cities of refuge were a place of safety; however, they had also been a prison. It wasn’t until the death of the high priest that an innocent man could return home (Joshua 20:6). So, he was to live in that city until that time came. However, when Jesus, who is our “High Priest” (Romans 8:34) died for us, He freed us from our sin, as well as allowing us to no longer be stuck in a city of refuge.
Perhaps you are familiar with the song, “Blessed be the Name of the Lord”. It’s a great song. Part of what makes it so great is that it is taken right out of scripture.
Proverbs 18:10
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.
Jesus took the place of cities of refuge, and Proverbs 18:10 tells us that we have a strong tower to find refuge in, a strong tower by the name of Jesus. No more fleeing to the city, because now we can run to the tower.
What’s your situation? Are you in need of a city of refuge? Do you need forgiveness? That last one is a trick question: We all do. Thankfully our mistakes are not the end for us. Thankfully we don’t need to trek across Israel pursued by our accusers. Thankfully we no longer need to pay the price for our wrongdoings. Our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus, and our refuge is found in Him.
