By and large, Canaan had now been
subdued and the different tribes of Israel had been given their inheritance.
But there was still much work to be done. Then the Lord reminded Joshua to
establish the cities of refuge as He had commanded Moses to do in Numbers 35.
He was to appoint six cities so that anyone who had killed someone
unintentionally could run to for refuge. These cities were known as cities of
refuge. They give us a picture of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the
safe refuge for all who would run to Him for safety.
The provision of these cities shows us
the grace of God. He was the one who had instructed that these places of refuge
be set up. The concept of the cities of refuge was not the idea of man. Only
the kind and magnanimous God could have thought of such a plan. Man’s
vindictive nature is entirely opposite to that of God. For any wrong,
purposeful or accidental, man would want to get even. God knows this perfectly
well. In the cities of refuge, He dealt with the vindictive nature of man and
provided avenues for an accidental killer to run to for a fair hearing. This
shows how reasonable our God truly is. People had often complained that it’s
unfair that mankind should be made sinners for the wrong of Adam. In sending
Jesus Christ to be our refuge, God has shown Himself to be more than
reasonable. He knew that we can never erase what Adam did by ourselves. So, in
Jesus, God came as the incarnate Son of God, to provide for us a place of
safety and to give us an avenue to undo the nature we have inherited from Adam.
Like the cities of refuge, Jesus has
the power to save. Through Him, God hears the plea of anyone who comes by faith
to Him. He is God’s more than sufficient provision. Everyone who comes to Jesus
will have a fair hearing. The strategically spread out locations of the refuge of
cities is an indication of the grace of God that is available to all. And
clearly, in Christ, the grace of salvation is made available to all. So, John
3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son so
that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” And like
the cities of refuge, Jesus is also accessible to all who are willing to come
to Him.
Finally, the different meanings of the
names of these cities also speak clearly of all the benefits for anyone who
comes to seek refuge in Christ. In Him, one can find righteousness pictured by
Kadesh. In Him, one can also find a shoulder, a Shechem to lean on. The word
Hebron means fellowship, so through Christ, one can find fellowship with God.
The name of Bezer means fortress. Christ is our fortress from the assault of
divine wrath. Ramoth means height. It shows us that in Christ a person who
believes in Him is raised to sit in heavenly places. And finally, in
Christ, those downcast who come to Christ can find joy, the meaning of Golan.
So here we see that in Christ the names of the six cities are encapsulated. So,
take heart and draw near. Hebrews 4:16 invites us to “…draw near with
confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace
to help in time of need.” And this we should do daily and earnestly!
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