The Jesus Bible Reading Plan / Cities of Refuge

The Jesus Bible Reading Plan

Day 22 of 365 CITIES OF REFUGE As God's people made their final preparations to enter the promised land, God commanded Moses to establish six cities of refuge from the towns given to the tribe of Levi, where both Israelites and foreigners living among them who were accused of murder could seek sanctuary. The Old Testament Law allowed for the closest male relative of a person who was killed to seek vengeance for their deceased family member. But if the death was perhaps accidental, the "manslayer" could flee to a city of refuge where the accused would stand trial and, if found guilty of intentional murder by the judges, faced the death penalty. God refused to allow injustice to go unpunished because it would pollute both the people and their land; God's justice demanded that sin be punished. But the cities of refuge also pointed forward to Christ, an even better sanctuary and means of dealing with the sins of God's people. All are guilty of sin and, if forced to stand trial before God alone, would be condemned to eternal punishment; however, God's people can take hold of Christ as their refuge. He offers them forgiveness from their sins and escape from the death they all deserve (Jn 8:51). Jesus, I know you are purely good and completely just, so sin must be punished. Thank you for being my sanctuary, my city of refuge, so that I don't have to bear the punishment I deserve. Amen. Numbers 35:6-15 NASB 6 The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. 7 All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, together with their pasture lands. 8 As for the cities which you shall give from the possession of the sons of Israel, you shall take more from the larger and you shall take less from the smaller; each shall give some of his cities to the Levites in proportion to his possession which he inherits." 9 Then the L ord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there. 12 The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial. 13 The cities which you are to give shall be your six cities of refuge. 14 You shall give three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge. 15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel, and for the alien and for the sojourner among them; that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.