Wed.’s Devo - Cities of Refuge

Read: Joshua 19:1-20:9; Luke 19:28-48; Psalm 88:1-18; Proverbs 13:12-14
Yesterday, we read where there were seven tribes who had not received their inheritance so they surveyed the land, divided it and chose lots. The first fell to Benjamin. Today we read about the other six: Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan.
Each tribe was to designate cities of refuge for the person who accidentally killed someone and had no witness or adversary. The Levites were to rule and live in these cities. If a person accidentally killed someone they were to flee to this city and present their case to the Levites sitting at the gate. If the priests believed the man’s story they would allow him to live in the city and be protected against the avenger of blood until the death of the officiating high priest. The avenger of blood was the dead person’s family member who was designated to avenge his kinsman’s blood.
These cities represented so many things. They were a picture of salvation and refuge to the sinner. But even more, they represented specific places under the earth where the righteous who died went to rest in Sheol until Jesus rose from the dead and set them free to rise with him to heaven. Jesus is the High Priest who had to die before they could be set free. All the patriarchs were buried in cities of refuge.
In Luke, Jesus was coming to Jerusalem to die. I can see the angels arranging the props. They put the donkey in the right place so the disciples could find it. They put it on the hearts of the owners to let them have it. They flew to the ears of the people and told them to praise Jesus when he came down it. This was the path of the pascal lamb which would die for the whole nation at the end of the passover sacrifices.
“Hosanna” means “save now”. The people were quoting from Psalm 118:25-26 which beseeches God to save them now. By saying this over Jesus they were proclaiming him to be the Messiah. When the Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke his disciples, Jesus told them that if they didn’t praise him the rocks would cry out. Jesus was being literal and spiritual when he said this. Rocks scientifically hold memory and record sound. They were the same rocks that were there when God said, “Let there by light”. Jesus was there when they were created so they knew him. They could hear the crescendo in the heavenlies and knew who Jesus was. Romans 8 says that the whole creation groans waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God. Psalm 19 says that the heavens are declaring the glory of God; the day speaks of God and the night reveals Him. Nature responds to what God is doing. Nature is one of God’s voices on the earth; it is a window to God’s heart.
Next, Jesus prophesied the fall of Jerusalem because they did not recognize the time of his coming. That will be the same fate for those who don’t recognize his second coming.