In Deuteronomy, the Lord commands His people to set aside 3 cities as "cities of refuge." These were places that people who had accidentally killed other people to could flee to, and thus save their own lives. "Otherwise," says Deuteronomy, "the avenger of blood might pursue him...overtake him...and kill him."
There are some interesting things that can be gleaned from these verses. The word "city" comes from the Hebrew word iyr, which means "a place of safety, one that is always guarded by a watch." That was why these cities were called "cities of refuge" - because they offered protection and safety from the consequences of one's mistakes.
But it gets even more interesting when you dig deeper. Iyr is taken from the root Hebrew word uwr, which means "to be aroused or awakened," or "to be triumphant." And so, cities of refuge become not only places where one can escape from one's sins; they become places where one can be victorious over one's sins. They become a place where you can break away from the lifeless bondage that sin has imprisoned you in, and become awake and alive once again.
Isn't that just a perfect picture of what Jesus has done for us? Although the Old Testamant never mentions Jesus Christ by name, it is full of analogies to Him, and this is one of my favorites. We've all messed up. We've all sinned, we've all made mistakes, we've all hurt people. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, we've all done things that we shouldn't, and according to God's justice, we all should have to pay the price.
But, praise the Lord, Jesus is our city of refuge. He is the place that we can run to to avoid the punishments of our actions. And, not only do we avoid punishment, but through Him, we can become victorious! When you find refuge in Jesus, you don't simply survive - you thrive. He doesn't simply take away the punishments of our sins; He gives us our lives back - full, rich, rewarding lives, that have no connection to our past mistakes. He wipes the slate clean.
Do you feel like you're drowning? Like the "avenger of blood" is hunting you down? There's no need to give in to your past. Run to the City of Refuge, and let Him give you a brand new start.
There are some interesting things that can be gleaned from these verses. The word "city" comes from the Hebrew word iyr, which means "a place of safety, one that is always guarded by a watch." That was why these cities were called "cities of refuge" - because they offered protection and safety from the consequences of one's mistakes.
But it gets even more interesting when you dig deeper. Iyr is taken from the root Hebrew word uwr, which means "to be aroused or awakened," or "to be triumphant." And so, cities of refuge become not only places where one can escape from one's sins; they become places where one can be victorious over one's sins. They become a place where you can break away from the lifeless bondage that sin has imprisoned you in, and become awake and alive once again.
Isn't that just a perfect picture of what Jesus has done for us? Although the Old Testamant never mentions Jesus Christ by name, it is full of analogies to Him, and this is one of my favorites. We've all messed up. We've all sinned, we've all made mistakes, we've all hurt people. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, we've all done things that we shouldn't, and according to God's justice, we all should have to pay the price.
But, praise the Lord, Jesus is our city of refuge. He is the place that we can run to to avoid the punishments of our actions. And, not only do we avoid punishment, but through Him, we can become victorious! When you find refuge in Jesus, you don't simply survive - you thrive. He doesn't simply take away the punishments of our sins; He gives us our lives back - full, rich, rewarding lives, that have no connection to our past mistakes. He wipes the slate clean.
Do you feel like you're drowning? Like the "avenger of blood" is hunting you down? There's no need to give in to your past. Run to the City of Refuge, and let Him give you a brand new start.
Deuteronomy 19:1-7
When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses, 2 then set aside for yourselves three cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 3 Determine the distances involved and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that a person who kills someone may flee for refuge to one of these cities.4 This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. 5 For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. 6 Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. 7 This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.
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