Why Everyone Should Run to this Lord
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· 10 viewsLevitical inheritance, among which are the cities of refuge.
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Handout
[Cities of Refuge] - Joshua 20:1-21:45
Introduction:
Introduction:
When you do not have a complete picture or story, you can come to the wrong conclusions. For example, imagine if you are a young man who is heading home late from work. As you get to your car in the alley, you notice that there are four men walking towards you. These men are tall, big, and they appear to be carrying something in their hands. An incomplete analysis could lead you to have undue anxiety. Would it make a difference to your anxiety levels if you recognized that what they were carrying were gloves, bats, and ball bags? Would it make a difference to know that they had just finished a church league softball game and were on their way to a fellowship with food and post-game Bible study? When we don’t have a complete picture, we can come to the wrong conclusions.
Wrong conclusions can be made about God; but that is why I am especially thankful for passages like this Old Testament passage. This Old Testament passage is towards the conclusion of the children of Israel receiving their land. In particular, our passage is about the Levites receiving cities. Now, the Levites did not receive regions or areas like the rest of the tribes because the Lord was their inheritance. Joshua 18:7 & Joshua 14:4.
7 But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.
4 For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance.
The inheritance of the Levites was the work of the Lord, but they did receive cities within which their families could live. In total, they would receive 48 cities; but there is an interesting truth about 6 of those cities.
Cities of Refuge
Cities of Refuge
Six of the Levitical cities would be called “Cities of Refuge” or “Cities of Asylum.” These were places of “mercy” in essence. The Lord wanted to make sure that the nation of Israel had designated locations where the lives of sinners could be spared. These were places to which those who had sinned in a particular way could flee for their lives.
Kid’s Pause:
Kid’s Statement: The Cities of Refuge were specific locations in the nation of Israel where people who had sinned could go to have mercy from the penalty of their sin. [Base in “tag, you’re it”]
How would you describe this part of the story - the Levitical Cities of Refuge?
It is best to lest the author speak for himself. When you try to analyze what the writer is trying to do in the passage, it becomes abundantly clear when you read Joshua 21:45.
45 There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
God is Good
God is Good
The author clearly points out that the Lord has kept all of his good promises to the house of Israel - this includes the provision of Cities of Refuge. Simply put, God is good! This is why I so appreciate passages in the OT like this because they help to give a more complete picture of the LORD.
So, I would say to you this morning that if you are the skeptic who has heard that the OT God is unreasonable, unloving, unkind, or unjust then please know that those accusations are misrepresentations of the Lord. On the merit of stories like this one, I would urge you to run to this Lord.
The mercy that you need is found in one Source — the Lord of the Bible.
To the Christian who feels as though they have been wounded, maybe you tend to question the kindness and mercy of God; but to you a passage like this can be tremendously encouraging because it reminds you of the kind of God that you have. Christians, stories like these are glimpses of God’s mercy — glimpses which find revelation in God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ.
Some of you are resistant to come to this Lord, and others of you have forgotten about the nature of this Lord; but this passage provides us sufficient reason why we should run to this Lord, so let’s look at “why everyone should run to this Lord”.
Body:
Body:
(1) The Lord kept his good promises by providing Cities of Refuge (Joshua 20:1-21:42)
(1) The Lord kept his good promises by providing Cities of Refuge (Joshua 20:1-21:42)
The Cities of Refuge are places which show that:
(i) the Lord is keeping his word (Joshua 20:1)
(i) the Lord is keeping his word (Joshua 20:1)
The Lord had previously given instruction through Moses about places for those who unintentionally murdered someone. See Exodus 21:13, Numbers 35:11
13 And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.
11 Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.
The Cities of Refuge are places which show that:
(ii) the Lord recognizes the need of mankind
(ii) the Lord recognizes the need of mankind
(2 kinds: unintentional murderer’s need and avenger’s need for justice) (Joshua 20:2-3)
2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:
3 That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
Notice how both needs for justice are shown in another passage about the plan for the Cities of Refuge. Deuteronomy 19:2-6.
2 Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.
3 Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.
4 And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;
5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:
6 Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.
It is not only the individual who has unintentionally committed murder, but it is also the avenger who seeks justice. Notice the terminology that the writer uses to identify the heart of both individuals.
Kid’s Pause - FB Quote
Remember that sin, in the OT, was a matter of the heart as well.
Kid’s Pause from Children’s FB Page
The cities of refuge show the other side by revealing that those who inadvertently took a life without malice or forethought are not held guilty of murder and thus not liable to its consequence. The heart is the key. It does not remove the tragedy of the loss of human life but it does focus on the spiritual significance of God's law. The fact that those guilty of intentional murder receive no asylum teaches the same. Take this opportunity to apply this principle to all the Ten Commandments and remember that the heart, although unseen to man, is known by God. Motives matter.
Family Worship Bible Guide, Pages 144-145
Note:
These cities confirm that the Lord cares about life, and the Lord cares about justice; but it also shows that the Lord is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and provides asylum. Life flows from God and is precious, but God also provides mercy for those who are guilty of unintentional murder.
The sterile, cold legalism that some Christians portray does not rightly represent the God of the Old Testament.
Nor does the casual, lust-filled living of some professing Christians does not rightly portray the God of the New Testament.
The God of the OT and the Jesus of the New are One God though distinct Persons.
Consider the LORD from Exodus 34:6-7
6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Application:
Application:
So, if you have refused the Lord because you thought ill-thoughts of the God of the Bible, do not reject him any longer. God gave his Son to live righteously, die substitutionally, and rise from the dead.
You can have your sins completely forgiven, if you will believe on Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Repent today of your sins, and place faith in Jesus Alone.
You see, having a more complete picture makes all the difference in the world.
Have you ever been to a professional sports game?
Have you ever been to a professional sports game where there was going to be a famous player playing? Years ago, my wife’s family and I were going to watch the Reds play the Cubs. At that time, Sammy Sosa, the well known Home Run slugger was on the Cubs team. Our seats for the game were along the 1st base/Right Field line wall, and Sosa played right field. I was excited to see Sammy Sosa play up close and personal. When the game began, I realized that it was a game for him to rest and that he was not playing. While the experience was fun, it was not the same without the main player.
When we come to a story like this, Joshua is good, Eliezer is good, Aaron, the Levites, and all of the characters are good; but this is really a passage to show to us the main Person — the Lord who keeps all of his good promises; and He does not sit on the sidelines.
That is what this story is really all about. It is about the Lord who fulfills all of his good promises and the cities of refuge are part of these promises.
The Cities of Refuge are places which show:
(iii) that the LORD made a particular way to continually preserve the life of the guilty.
(iii) that the LORD made a particular way to continually preserve the life of the guilty.
This way included:
the Avenger of Blood
the Avenger of Blood
- kinsman redeemer (looking to restore balance) Joshua 20:5
5 And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.
Priestly peoples who congregate for judgment on the guilty individual (Joshua 20:6)
Priestly peoples who congregate for judgment on the guilty individual (Joshua 20:6)
6 And 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.
These cities were places where the elders would gather to hear the case of the one who had unintentionally committed the murder. They would then make a judgment either in favor or against the individual.
These cities are all part of the Tribe of Levi. The Tribe of Levi were responsible for the work of the Tabernacle, and Tribe of Levi was divided into three sub-families: Kohath, Gershon, Merari. You can see all three in Joshua 21:4,6-7.
4 And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron the priest, which were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.
6 And the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.
7 The children of Merari by their families had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
(Joshua 21:8-42) While Joshua 20 sets forth the Cities of Refuge, Joshua 21 tells us where the cities came from among the nation of Israel.
Kid’s Pause: Map of the Cities of Refuge
Kid’s Statement: The LORD wanted the Cities available to all his people
There were three cities on the west side of the Jordan River and three on the east side of the Jordan River — an indication that the Lord wanted these places to be accessible to all. This is a good reminder that the LORD wants his mercy accessible to all of his people. Notice each of the Cities not only mentioned in Joshua 20, but also in Joshua 21.
Joshua 20:7,21:11,21,32
7 And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
11 And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it.
21 For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Gezer with her suburbs,
32 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammoth-dor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three cities.
Joshua 20:8,21:36,38,27.
8 And 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.
36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahazah with her suburbs,
38 And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim with her suburbs,
27 And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the other half tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Beesh-terah with her suburbs; two cities.
The placement of these cities in such a spread out area should tell us that this LORD is one who shows mercy to his people.
The LORD has manifested his mercy and kindness and love in Jesus Christ.
When Paul is finishing up his letter to Titus, he says to him in Titus 3:3-5.
3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Application:
Application:
The LORD has manifested his mercy and kindness and love in Jesus Christ. He is not far from some of you today. Some of you are wondering if Jesus could ever really take in a person like you, but Jesus delights in sinners repenting and placing faith in Him.
The mercy you need is the mercy Jesus has provided.
Then, there are those of you are are Christians but you continually beat yourself up over personal failures. Run to Jesus again!
The One who delivered you from eternal death will surely delight to deliver you from your current anxiousness. Surely, you can experience rest in Him.
These Cities of Refuge were not only strategically placed, but there is something unique about how the murderer could go free. When the sinner arrived to the place — if he was given admittance — he had to remain there until the death of the High Priest....
a unique exchange between the life of the High Priest and the Guilty party (Joshua 20:6)
a unique exchange between the life of the High Priest and the Guilty party (Joshua 20:6)
6 And 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.
There is a little bit of tension between different commentators on exactly the reasoning behind all of this, but the conclusion is the same. You see, when the sinner arrived at this place, he had to remain in that city if he was to remain alive. If he stepped outside of the city, the avenger of blood could kill him. Though there is no real common concensus on why, the conclusion is that when the high priest died, the one who had inadvertently committed sin was able to go free and return back home. Freedom came at the expense of the life of the High Priest.
Remember that the High Priest was the one office that God had given to his people to be the Mediator between God and the nation of Israel. It was a sacred, anointed, sanctified office. He, in essence, was the Person on earth through whom God and man were able to meet.
And so, any Christian can see the “Jesus Christ connection”, but let me use a biblical illustration to make the point. The New Testament does not hide the fact that Jesus Christ is our High Priest. The book of Hebrews makes the statement so clear in Hebrews 3:1.
1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
But what is interesting about Jesus Christ, our High Priest, is that though he was perfect, he was put on trial during his earthly life. One of the members of the jury on the night that Jesus was tried was the sitting High priest Annas. After this trial was concluded, Jesus was sent to Pilate, where an interesting ultimatum was given to the people by Pilate. Matthew 27:17.
17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
Barabbas was a known murderer, and the irony of this New Testament story is that Jesus, who is the True High Priest is retained, tortured, and crucified while a murderer goes free at his expense. Acts 3:14
14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
So the stipulation in the Old Testament Cities of Refuge where a murderer would go free when the High Priest died is ultimately what happened with our Great High Priest Jesus Christ, though with Jesus we are all the guilty. We are the sinners. We are the murders who are guilty of rebellion against the LORD. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and yet, it is the death of Jesus Christ which atones in such a way that we are set free. The death of Jesus Christ, our High Priest, is the cost of freedom for the guilty.
You should run to this Lord today!
Christian, do not think that this is no longer meaningful for you though because, even after you have become a Christian, the blood of Christ continues to speak for you. Notice how I John 1:7 says it:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Christian, when overwhelmed by the lusts with which you daily battle, when under the guilt of sin, when you feel as though the temptation or trial is too great --- run to this Lord, where his mercies are new in Christ every morning and his blood continually speaks for you.
We are set free by the death of our High Priest. You should run to this Lord because he is so good in keeping his word having provided the LORD Jesus Christ as our asylum, our haven, our refuge.
So, this passage makes us aware that the Lord has kept his good promises by providing Cities of Refuge as places where mercy could be extended....
(2) The Lord kept his good promises by providing rest in the land (Joshua 21:43-45)
(2) The Lord kept his good promises by providing rest in the land (Joshua 21:43-45)
43 And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
44 And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.
45 There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
This is such a beautiful and poetic conclusion in several ways. First, notice how there are glimpses of original creation: (i) God gives them the land just like he had done by placing Adam/Eve in the Garden of Eden. Israel has a place (v. 43) (ii) God gives them rest (v. 44) much like God entering into his rest on the 7th Day of Creation. (iii) God’s work is good (v. 45) much like God saying that all he had done in original creation was “very good”.
Since the Fall into sin, we see several glimpses of this storyline repeating itself in the Old Testament. This is one of those times. Much later, under the reign of the wise King Solomon is another time. I Chronicles 22:9.
9 Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.
The Incomplete Nature of OT Rest
The Incomplete Nature of OT Rest
But what becomes apparent is that both under Joshua and later under Solomon, there really was not complete rest; but that these glimpses of God’s creational intention really happen over and over again in the Old Testament in a very incomplete way. Why?
They happen in these incomplete ways because they are pointing ahead to the time when Jesus Christ would come and begin the true New Creation, where he would become the Second Adam and the true and better Solomon.
The reality of what Jesus did in his life, the victory which he acquired through His resurrection, assures us that there is a future complete rest that is coming. You should run to this Lord because He is good in providing true rest — rest from self-dependence, rest from sin which never truly satisfies.
Yes! there is a future complete rest to come! This world and this life is not all there is. Jesus, through his Resurrection has begun a process of renewal that will all be completed as his second coming.
Are you prepared? It would be better for you to run to this Lord now before He returns and you have an inevitable meeting with Him.
Conclusion:
When I read the story of the Cities of Refuge, the story encourages my heart by letting me see more deeply into the nature of God. This story causes me to hear the words of Jesus Christ a little more clearly, Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Kid’s Pause:
Kid’s Statement: The Cities of Refuge are places that point us to the mercy of God that we find in Jesus Christ alone.
You should run to this Lord now!
What Lord are you turning to?
The Lord of trying to be the perfect parent is an unforgiving slave master. The Lord of trying to make more money is an unfulfilling lord. The lord of retirement ease leaves you feeling a vanity that you can never really get away from.
What is your motive today?
If you are an unbeliever, why won’t you come to Jesus Christ today? All of your sins may be forgiven.
If you are a Christian, do you see the goodness of and the good promises of this Lord fulfilled in Jesus Christ?