Sometimes believers sing with great joy:
Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.
God will take care of you,
Through every day,
O’er all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you. (Martin)
That confidence, that protection, is never more clearly illustrated than in the cities of refuge located in ancient Israel. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had said to Moses, “I will appoint thee a place whither he (the one guilty of involuntary manslaughter) shall flee” (Ex. 21:13) long before Israel had even left Sinai in their journey towards Canaan.
That would be expected from a God who could say, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord…” (Jer. 29:11-14).
So let’s consider the cities of refuge and look for some practical lessons from the Scriptures to encourage our hearts.
We learn from Numbers 35 that the Levites were to have 48 cities for their inheritance when the children of Israel took possession of the promised land. Six of those cities were to be designated as cities of refuge—three to the east of Jordan and three to the west. The cities were available to all men—“both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them” (v. 15). The principles by which the cities of refuge would function are clearly delineated in this chapter, though the cities were not named as yet.
Then in turning to Deuteronomy 4 we learn the names of the three cities east of the Jordan: “Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites” (v. 43). Keeping in mind Numbers 32 and the place of compromise chosen by the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, isn’t it an encouragement to our hearts to know that Jehovah was still making provision for His people in spite of their poor choices? Little wonder we sing, “Great is Thy faithfulness.” Again, in Deuteronomy 19, Moses reiterates the necessity of having cities of refuge and details how they should function.
Now as we turn our attention to Joshua 20, we will learn the names of the three cities to the west of the Jordan. We’ll also notice in both verses 2 and 7 that the Israelites were to appoint (meaning “assign” or “hallow” as Darby states, or “sanctify, to honor God” as Matthew Henry suggests) these cities. Since they belonged to the Levites, they not only were places of refuge, but of rest as well.
It is also striking to notice that the phrase “avenger of blood” mentioned in verses 3, 5 and 9, refers to one who is to “do the part of the kinsman”—the same concept that is mentioned in the little book of Ruth (the Kinsman-Redeemer). The avenger had the ability to show mercy or exact punishment at his discretion. One writer suggested, “we are pursued by the ‘avenging law’ which decrees judgment and death.” Thank God justice was served at Calvary!
F. B. Meyer writes, “The roads were kept in good repair; clearly written directions at the cross-ways indicated the route; and according to Jewish tradition, runners, learned in the law, were stationed at various stages to direct and help the fugitive.”
No Israelite was more than thirty miles (about a half day’s journey) from a city of refuge. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1).
H. A. Ironside says: “Christ is not only the Man slain and the city of refuge Himself, but He too is the High Priest, and as such He will never die again. His is an everlasting priesthood; so those who find refuge in Him are eternally saved.”
The cities of refuge were of no help to those who were declared guilty of premeditated murder. Some commentators portray the Jewish leaders at the cross as the guilty party, albeit unintentional murderers, for the Lord Jesus stated on Calvary’s cross “they know not what they do.” Peter repeats that charge in his second sermon, “that through ignorance ye did it” (Acts 3:17). Since that is the case, forgiveness (refuge) is available even to those who crucified the Saviour. The apostle Paul gratefully records: “I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Tim. 1:13).
The writer of the book of Hebrews gives us the only use of the word “refuge” in the New Testament. He speaks of those “who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (6:18). What a joy, what calm assurance is to be “found in Him” (Phil. 3:9) where the believer is seen as “perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:28). At least 40 times in the New Testament we find the phrase “in Christ Jesus.” “There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus…” (Rom. 8:1).
It is interesting to note that there is no recorded incident in Scripture of a man actually fleeing to a city of refuge, though some suggest that one of the reasons King David mourned over Abner (“Died Abner as a fool dieth?”) was that he was found in the gate of Hebron and not in the city—“almost, but lost!”
The significance of the names of the cities of refuge should not go unnoticed for they also remind us of our Refuge. There is some conjecture as to the specific meanings of some of the names, but generally scholars agree on the following possibilities: Kedesh—sanctuary or holiness; Shechem—shoulder or strength; Hebron—communion or fellowship; Bezer—fortress or uplifting; Ramoth—the heights or happiness; Golan—rejoicing or safety.
Apparently at least three of the cities were assigned to the descendants of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari—the three families responsible for the Old Testament tabernacle (Deut. 4:43; Josh. 21:34-36; 1 Chron. 6:54-56). Those three families labored long and hard to disassemble the tabernacle, pack it up, and move it to another location in Israel’s travels, then set it up for use in that new environment. Now it would seem God was rewarding them for their faithfulness and service by giving them cities of rest and a place of refuge for others. How the Church needs to demonstrate that provision for lost souls today.
William MacDonald notes several parallels between the temporal salvation found in the cities of refuge and the eternal salvation found in the Lord Jesus Christ:
1) The roads were clear and well marked—the Scriptures give us the plan of salvation pointing to the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ in such simple terms that even a little child can understand it.
2) The cities were spread throughout the land—the message of the gospel is available to all men—we have a universal salvation, i.e., Christ died for all.
3) Crisis drove people to the cities of refuge—and many have found Christ after some extenuating circumstance has brought them to an end of “self.”
4) There is no neutral ground for the guilty—either a man is in Christ or lost—there is no other position.
The word “refuge” is mentioned 46 times in the Old Testament—eighteen of the first nineteen occurrences have to do with the cities of refuge. It is also found in the book of Psalms eighteen times. For example: in Psalm 9, He is a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble; in Psalm 14, He is the refuge for the poor; in Psalm 46, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Later in that psalm it is the God of Jacob (the scheming supplanter) who is our refuge. In Psalm 48, God is known in the palaces of kings as a refuge; in Psalm 57, our refuge is in the shadow of His wings; while in Psalm 59, He is our refuge in the day of trouble. Psalm 62 reminds us that God is a refuge for us; while in Psalm 78, He is a strong refuge. Because the Lord is my refuge I can trust in Him according to Psalm 91. That refuge later in the same psalm becomes our habitation. Finally, in Psalm 94, we learn that God is the rock of my refuge.
“In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence, and His children shall have a place of refuge” (Prov. 14:26). To quote the title of a famous booklet, what “safety, certainty, and enjoyment” we find in the Lord Jesus Christ. Think of how many times this principle is mentioned in our hymnology. Examples are: “He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock”; “O Rock divine, O Refuge dear, a shelter in the time of storm”; “Thou the refuge of my soul, when life’s stormy billows roll”; “Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee”; “How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe, I have fled to my Refuge and breathed out my woe”; “A mighty fortress in our God, a bulwark never failing”; and “Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow.”
Be encouraged, Christian, even in an unsettled world! “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27).
Written by William Gustafson