CITIES OF REFUGE

Cities of Refuge

“We . . . who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure
and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having be- come High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 6:18–20, NKJV).



Guaranteed Lifetime Protection
Chandler Riley, Laurel, Maryland, U.S.A.
Introduction
Numbers 35

Imagine what your life would be like if you were suddenly whisked off to a new city where you were given a new identity, a new job, and a new past. you could never speak of your real past again. you were even told you couldn’t contact your family or friends back home. This has been a reality for over 17,000 Americans.

“Do not contact anyone back home or go back—ever!”

The United States Marshals Service offers lifetime protection to witnesses whose lives become jeopardized by their willingness to testify in court against indicted criminals. Once accepted into the witness-protection program, pro- tected witnesses are moved in a random path and schedule to their new city of residence, where they are given a new identity, name, job, history, and documentation. It’s as though their past never existed; they are now actors in their own new lives.

The most important rule in the program is “Do not contact anyone back home or go back—ever!” It’s one thing to change your name, but to never see your friends or family again? what would Christmastime be like if you couldn’t have any contact with your old friends or family or go home? The U.S. Mar- shals Service web site states that “No program participant who follows security guidelines has ever been harmed while under the active protection of the Marshals Service.” Any loss they’ve had occurred because someone voluntarily left the safety of the Marshals Service protection.

This isn’t so different from the “cities of refuge” we read about in Num- bers 35. After accidently killing someone, a person could seek refuge in one of these predetermined cities until their trial. Once found innocent, they would be safely returned to this city, where they were guaranteed safety from anyone avenging the blood of the one accidently killed. They were to remain there until the death of the high priest, at which point they were free to return to their homes without fear of harm. However, if they ever wandered out before this time, the “avengers” of the victims could rightly take their lives. To stay in the city meant guaranteed safety; to leave was to walk out of that protection and put your life back in jeopardy.

Are you choosing to remain in the spiritual protection program God offers us? Are you choosing to follow the guidelines God has given us that protect us from one who waits for us outside our safe area? This week, we’ll take a look at God’s protection program for the Promised Land and its relevance for us today.



Set Aside, Just in Case
Baron Anthony Sovory, San Bernardino, California, U.S.A.
Logos
Numbers 33−36; Josh. 20:1–7; Ephesians 2

The children of Israel are on the verge of walking into the Promised Land. God is fulfilling His word. The command is given to set aside land as cities of refuge for people who take the life of a fellow human.

“This merciful provision was rendered necessary by the ancient custom of private vengeance, by which the punishment of the murderer devolved on the nearest relative or the next heir of the deceased. . . . The Lord did not see fit to abolish this custom at that time, but He made provision to ensure the safety of those who should take life unintentionally.”1

You had to make it to the safe zone without being tagged.

These cities were to be no more than a half day’s walk, and they were placed on either side of the Jordan for easy access.2 People sent to a city of refuge were guaranteed a trial. This was their only hope—six cities set aside, just close enough, just safe enough, just in case.

The Right for Blood (Num. 35:16−21)
whether it was intended or unintended, it was still a relative’s right to seek capital punishment on behalf of the deceased. God allowed this, and some per- haps acted upon their right, but it was also the wisdom and mercy of God that set aside a place of refuge for those who killed someone unintentionally.

If You Make It, You’re In (Num. 35:22−28)
Cities of refuge were designed to take in everyone from the citizen to the alien who lived in the land who had no papers to prove who he or she was. The only requirement was making it safely to the gates of refuge to plead your case. you did not have to prove who you were or where you came from. All that mattered was intent, and if at trial the congregation found unintentionality, your life was spared, and when the high priest died you could return to your property.
what a relief to those who had made a mistake. How gracious of God to say that the cities of refuge were open to those who were aliens among them. This is to say that they were just as valuable and in need of refuge as a Hebrew. retaliation was only a threat if you left the safe confines of the city and once again took your life into your hands. Make it in, and stay in—this was your only guarantee of life.

“The prisoner who at any time went outside the city of refuge was aban- doned to the avenger of blood. Thus the people were taught to adhere to the methods which infinite wisdom appointed for their security.”3

From the City of Refuge to Christ Our Refuge (Ephesians 2)
The cities of refuge are a microcosm of Christ, who is our refuge and Strength. Only in Him can we find security and safety both in this world and from this world. “The same merciful Saviour who appointed those temporal cities of refuge has by the shedding of His own blood provided for the transgressors of God’s law a sure retreat, into which they may flee for safety from the second death. No power can take out of His hands the souls that go to Him for pardon.”4
I remember playing tag out on the playground. The goal was to not get “caught” or tagged by the person who was “it.” There was always a “safe zone,” a place that if you made it there, the “it” person could not tag you. you had to be smart. you had to be fast. And you had to make it to the safe zone without being tagged. I was smart, and I was fast, but sometimes I made mistakes or was careless, and I found myself tagged as “it.” I hated not making it to the safe zone.
The “safe zones” set up for Israel weren’t part of a playground game. They were needed to protect people who unintentionally had committed a serious offense that required serious intervention. we need serious intervention today. “remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (eph. 2:12, 13, NrSV).

It is in Christ that we find our refuge. The reality is that someone had to pay, and it was Christ through the cross. He suffered. He died. And He shed His blood so that we might be safe in Him. Now we must stay within the arms (walls) of Christ, for we have an enemy who still lurks outside the gates. Take refuge in Him, who accepts all and protects all who have sought His forgiven.

REACT
1. In what ways can your church or Sabbath School class be a city of refuge?
2. How does the acceptance of aliens into the cities of refuge change how you see the world at large?
3. How has Christ been a refuge for you?
____________

1. Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 515. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid., p. 517. 4. Ibid., p. 516.




Refuge in Christ
L. J. Simms, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.
Testimony
Ephesians 2

Because Christ is our city of refuge, we must learn of Him. “we must know what He is to those He has ransomed. we must realize that through belief in Him it is our privilege to be partakers of the divine nature, and so escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. Then we are cleansed from all sin, all defects of character. we need not retain one sinful propensity. . . .

“The mind rests with peace and assurance in Jesus.”

“As we partake of the divine nature, hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong are cut away from the character, and we are made a living power for good. ever learning of the divine Teacher, daily partaking of His nature, we cooperate with God in overcoming Satan’s temptations. God works, and man works, that man may be one with Christ as Christ is one with God. Then we sit together with Christ in heavenly places. The mind rests with peace and as- surance in Jesus.”1
“we have access to God through the merits of the name of Christ, and God invites us to bring to Him our trials and temptations; for He understands them all. He would not have us pour out our woes to human ears. Through the blood of Christ we may come to the throne of grace, and find grace to help in time of need. we may come with assurance, saying, ‘My acceptance is in the Beloved.’ ‘For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.’ ‘In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.’ As an earthly parent encourages his child to come to him at all times, so the Lord encourages us to lay before Him our wants and perplexities, our gratitude and love. every promise is sure. Jesus is . . . our only hope; for through His merits alone we have pardon and peace. when the efficiency of the blood of Christ becomes a reality to the soul through faith in Christ, the believer will let his light shine forth in good works, in bringing forth fruits unto righteousness.”2

REACT
what trial are you facing now? Are you currently being tempted to commit a particular sin? what needs and perplexities are you dealing with? Pray about these now, remembering that you have access to God through Christ, our great refuge.
____________
1. ellen G. white Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 943. 2.
Ibid., vol. 6, p. 1116.



Where’s the GPS?
Jean Blackmer, Burtonsville, Maryland, U.S.A.
Evidence
Numbers 33:1

Growing up, I heard Bible stories all the time. I had a set of records that told all the fascinating stories Christian children grow up with—David and Goliath, esther, Joshua and the walls of Jericho, and the story of the Israelites leaving egypt, crossing the desert, and finally going into the Promised Land. I always pictured God leading His people through this endless desert in a straight line

The desert was . . . a necessary tool in their journey.

from egypt to Canaan. In my mind’s eye, this desert was so vast it was logi- cal that it took them years and years to cross it. This, however, is not the case. From where scholars believe the Israelites crossed the red Sea to the borders of Canaan was approximately 150 miles. If the Israelites had taken a direct route, they could have reached their destination in less than a month.* This informa- tion is startling when you read the book of Numbers and see God’s people wan- dering around in the desert for 40 years. why would God allow such a thing?
when I look at my life, and then around me at the world, it seems that I can see this same phenomenon taking place. why does God allow me to walk in circles and wander around seemingly aimlessly when He could simply direct me exactly where to go next?

The answer for the Israelites was that they were not ready for the Promised Land when they left egypt. In fact, it took them 40 years to get to the place where they had the relationship with and trust in God to adequately take over and then live in the land. The desert was not an obstacle that stood in their way, but a necessary tool in their journey.

This is, I’m sure, what God is doing in my life and in the lives of others. God has a destiny—a destination, if you will—for each person. No matter how important it is that a person reaches that place, often the journey is the most vital part.

REACT
where can you see God’s hand in seemingly unnecessary lulls and dead ends in your life?
____________
*Truth.net, “Biblical Archeology of the exodus,”
http://www.truthnet.org/biblicalarcheology/5/exodusarcheology.htm, retrieved November 6, 2008.



Cities of Refuge–Where Do I Go?
Kerri-Ann McKenzie, Kingston, Jamaica
How-to
Ps. 46:1

After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites were finally on the brink of claiming the promise God had given them. They had struggled both physically and spiritually along the way, overcoming sin and self, mountains and murmurings, nations and nature. Many had died along the way, including their beloved leader Moses, who lost out on Canaan because of disobedience, but had gained, after sincere repentance, a place in the eternal Land of Promise.

Would they forget, as we often do, who had led them in the past?

“To each was given according to his faith. The unbelieving had seen their fears fulfilled. Notwithstanding God’s promise, they had declared that it was impossible to inherit Canaan, and they did not possess it. But those who trusted in God, looking not so much to the difficulties to be encountered as to the strength of their Almighty Helper, entered the goodly land.”*

The story of the Israelites is not unique, and the more we study their experiences, the more we see the similarity in our lives. The stage was set. They could see the land afar. However, the Israelites faced again the big challenge of faith. would they forget, as we often do, who had led them in the past? But God would yet again pull them through. The battle would not be won instantaneously, but tribe by tribe, miraculous victory by miraculous victory, Canaan would eventu- ally be theirs. even then God still had to establish cities of refuge in and around Canaan, places of safety where sinners condemned by Jewish laws could be safe. Psalm 46:1 reminds us that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (NKJV). Here are some concepts we must remember as we claim this promise: (1) Battles will come, some of which we will fail. The devil will try valiantly, even to the end, to gain the victory. The struggle is a daily process with new challenges every day. (2) God establishes cities of refuge along the way so that we might remember His willingness to save us by His grace. (3) The battle is not ours, but the Lord’s. (4) The victory is assured. The Promised Land is there. It is for us to trust God’s promises and claim them!

REACT
How can you apply lessons from the Israelites’ journey to your walk with the Lord? In what modern “cities of refuge” do you take shelter?
____________
*Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 513.



With or Without You, He’ll Come Through
Marcia Na’ Tricia Smith, Nassau, Bahamas
Opinion
Heb. 6:17–19

We must hold on to God’s hand. He is looking for faithful people to bear wit- ness to His goodness, such as Job, who remained faithful despite great hardship. It is vital that we exemplify Christ’s character, so we can be a light to others.

God’s promises are true, and His word will stand forever. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. As His people, we need to seek His face to under- stand His will. Some Christians do not see God working in their lives because they are not obedient to His will.

We need to know where we are going and how to get there.

Israel should have known better, because they had seen God work time and time again. They experienced firsthand His power to provide food, water, and victory over their enemies. yet instead of trusting, they complained. It is so ironic how the people born after the exodus complained that they wanted to go back to Egypt when they hadn’t even experienced it. rather, they heard about egypt from their complaining parents. We often tend to lose sight of God’s promises. we need to remain faithful and patient because the testing of our faith works patience.

We talk about how people are on the move. But as people of God, we need to know where we are going and how to get there. More important, what do we do on our way there? The Bible has given us clear directives to these questions. As God’s people, we need to be ready to move when He directs us to. Abram moved when God told him to leave the land of Ur. He did not question God. we need to follow Abra- ham’s example and remember that God knows what He’s doing. when He asks us to do something, He also gives us the power to do it. The book of Numbers serves as a reminder for us to trust God, to let Him lead us wherever He asks us to go.

This week, we studied about the cities of refuge. we are to find refuge, rest in Christ’s arms, so that we don’t make the same mistakes the Hebrews made while they traveled to Canaan. Focus on Him, as one of His redeemed children, so that you can enjoy life everlasting in the earth made new.

REACT
1. How can we remain faithful when our world is falling apart?
2. when we complain, what are we really telling people about our relation- ship with God?



Safe at Home!
Steve Chavez, Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A.
Exploration
Num. 35:9–13
CONCLUDE

Every game has some kind of “free zone” or “goal line” in which a player can no longer be pursued. In Israelite society, God established fairly strict rules for those who harmed others intentionally: the famous “eye for eye” rule (exod. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21). But God also allowed that someone might be harmed by accident. So He established “cities of refuge”—free zones where people who unintentionally hurt someone could go to escape family members or friends of the injured who were bent on revenge. Here in these cities they would be safe.

CONSIDER

•Identifying on a map in the back of your Bible, or in a Bible atlas, the cities of refuge (Josh. 20:7, 8). After identifying the sites, record how far apart they were from each other; the farthest someone would have to travel to be safe; and how long it would take on average for someone to reach one of the cities of refuge on foot.

•Setting up a role-playing situation in which a defendant has to appear be- fore a judge and explain how some harm he or she caused was accidental, and why he or she should not be punished. Have someone else play the part of the plaintiff, who demands justice.

•Assuming the identity of someone who accidentally injured someone. write three days’ worth of diary entries that include (1) what you did, and how it made you feel; (2) who you met as you traveled to one of the cities of refuge, and what you talked about; and (3) how you felt when you reached the city, and who welcomed you.

•Chairing the committee that welcomes those who have fled to your city of refuge. what do you have to provide them? what can they expect? who provides those resources? How do you provide not only for their physical needs, but for their emotional and spiritual needs as well?

•Writing a psalm of praise for the places of refuge God has provided in your life. Be sure to admit your mistakes, recall the hardships you endure, and thank God for the people and places that make you feel safe and secure.

CONNECT
Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 515–517.
Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, “City of refuge.”
“Cities of refuge,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities_of_refuge.


http://cqbiblestudy.org/article.php?id=3