Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. Numbers 35:11
We don’t need cities of refuge today, not like the ones described in today’s text. We have police forces, unbiased (usually) investigators, and a supposedly fair justice system, to handle cases of accidental deaths. But in ancient Israel, in the absence of those protections, the cities of refuge were available to those who were threatened by the avenger of blood. The eye-for-eye and tooth-for-tooth system allowed a victim’s relatives to take vengeance on the slayer. The slayer could flee to the nearest city of refuge, and plead his case before the city magistrates, who could offer him sanctuary from the avengers. The system worked for that period of time but would not work for today. But we do have a city of refugee today, and He is a Person, not a municipality.
Israel’s cities of refuge were located where those who sought them could easily reach them; three on each side of the Jordan River. This reminds us that the Lord Jesus, our city of refuge, is never far from those who seek Him for salvation and for shelter from the attacks of the world and the devil. Hebrews 6:18 reminds us that ‘we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us’.
The number seven in the Bible has a special significance; it speaks of God’s perfection and of God’s rest. In the account of creation, we read that God rested on the seventh day after the work of creation was complete (Genesis 2:2,3). But in ancient Israel, there were only six cities of refuge. That directs us to the seventh city, the Lord Jesus, Who is the fulfilment and embodiment of all of God’s provision and plans for us… the fulfilment of all that the cities of refuge were to represent.
Each of the cities of refuge were cities that belonged to the Levites, God’s special tribe whose presence throughout Israel provided spiritual guidance and instruction for the rest of the nation. Among the 48 Levitical cities, the six cities of refuge had the special distinction of offering the grace of God to those who needed it. There are Christians, and groups of Christians, throughout the world, and throughout our land too, who are like those Levitical cities, and their presence is a blessing to those around them. But among those Christians, and groups of Christians, are those whose Gospel testimony and outreach are such that they reflect the person of the Lord Jesus in His love and compassion for lost souls.
Are we cities of refuge? We can be, only if the Person of the Lord Jesus is displayed in our testimony for Him. – Jim MacIntosh