Tues’s Devo - Cities of Refuge

Read: Numbers 33:40-35:34; Luke 5:12-28; Psalm 65:1-13; Provers 11:23 God gave explicit instructions concerning what to do about the people that were living in Canaan. They were to drive them out and rid the land of all their images and shrines. If they didn’t drive them out they would be a constant harassment to them. Then they were to divide the land according to the size of the tribes. The larger portion was to go to the larger tribe, etc. God gave them the boundaries of their land. There were water masses at all their boundaries. The land west of the Jordan would be divided among the nine and a half remaining tribes since Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh had their land on the east side of the Jordan. The priest, Eleazar and Joshua were to divide the land with the help of a leader from each tribe. The land was chosen by a sacred lot. Every tribe was to give towns from their property to the Levites. They would also get the land that extended 1,500 feet in all directions of their towns for their flocks. The land past their land would be for the people for pastureland. It would extend another 1,500 feet. Six of the towns designated for the Levites would be cities of refuge. These were cities set up for the people to run to for refuge if they had been accused or had accidentally killed someone and had either no or one witness. To be acquitted of a murder you had to have at least two witnesses. If a murder took place, the closest relative of the murdered person must avenge his murder. He was to find the murderer and put him to death. Murder must be punished by death. The person accused could run to the city of refuge and present his case to the Levites at the gate. If they thought the person had a valid case, they would let him come into the city and the avenger of blood could not come in and kill him. The Levites would investigate the crime to make sure the man who they were harboring was innocent. If he was innocent then he would stay safely in the city of refuge until the death of the reigning high priest. Then he would be free to go home and the avenger could not legally kill him. This was such a beautiful picture of salvation. Jesus is our refuge. We have all sinned and are guilty of sin that is punishable by death. In the Old Testament, there was no atonement of sin except the blood of animals. It was not able to give them eternal life with God. When they died they went to a place called Sheol. For the righteous who believed in God and followed his law, they were put in a place under the earth like a city of refuge. They stayed there until the death of Christ - the High Priest. When Jesus died, he went to Sheol and preached captivity captive and set them free. They rose with Christ (read Matthew 27:50-53). Ephesians 4:8-10 says that when Jesus ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. He descended into Sheol first then he ascended above the heavens. The avenger of blood is God. He is the one who has to punish the sin of murder. If a person doesn’t go to a city of refuge (to Christ), then God has to punish that person with eternal death. Innocent blood must be either avenged or atoned for. God made it clear that no one could bribe the Levites to stay out of a city of refuge. God is still the same God and this still stands. Those who live by the sword will die by the sword. The only exception is if a person comes to Christ and repents. In Luke, Jesus healed a man of leprosy. This man was Jewish because he told him not to tell anyone until he had presented himself before the priests so they could have a public testimony of his healing. Instead the man told everyone and the crowds got bigger and bigger. Healing a Jewish leper was one of the litmus tests the priests had come up with that only the Messiah could do. This would show them that he was the Messiah, but the message never reached them. The truth is, most of their hearts were so hardened by their own laws that they couldn’t see the truth right in front of them. Another time, Jesus was preaching and the Pharisees that followed him everywhere were there observing. Men came with a paralyzed man and because they couldn’t get to Jesus, they went on the roof and pealed away the roof and lowered him right in front of Jesus. Jesus saw their faith and told the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven. Jesus knew by the Spirit that sin had paralyzed him. The Pharisees who were watching were appalled that Jesus thought he could forgive sins. To show them that he had power to forgive sins, he told the man to stand up and walk and he did. The people praised God; the Pharisees fumed. Later, Jesus saw Levi who was a tax collector sitting in his booth. He called him out of the life to follow him. He left everything and obeyed. Lord, thank you for being our city of refuge that saves us from the second death.