Text
Joshua 20 | Hebrews 6:16-20
Theme
There is only one refuge to which the repentant sinner must flee, and that refuge is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Introduction
Having divided the land among the tribes, Israel now came to the task of assigning cities to the tribe of Levi.
In Joshua chapter 20, six cities of refuge were selected from among the tribes of Israel. These became the first six cities assigned to the Levites.
In this chapter we will consider three main areas:
- The Purpose of the Cities
- The Location of the Cities
- The Picture in the Cities
The Purpose of the Cities
Joshua 20:1-6
The Cities of Refuge Were for the Benefit of Man
The cities of refuge were designated places where people could find safety in very specific circumstances.
Under the Levitical Law, if a man deliberately murdered another person, the nearest male relative of the deceased had the responsibility of carrying out justice by executing the murderer.
Numbers 35:19
“The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.”
The purpose of this law was not to encourage personal vengeance but to ensure that the crime of murder did not go unpunished.
A difficulty arose, however, when someone accidentally caused another person’s death.
The avenger of blood might not recognise that the death had been accidental and could still seek revenge.
For that reason, God established the cities of refuge to provide protection for those who had unintentionally killed another person.
Numbers 35:15
“These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.”
Rules Governing the Cities of Refuge
The cities of refuge were not open to everyone.
God established clear conditions governing their use.
They Were Not for Wilful Murderers
Anyone who intentionally murdered another person was not permitted to claim the protection of a city of refuge.
Numbers 35:16-19
“And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death… The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.”
It is important, in a day when evolution and atheism have sought to undermine the value of human life, that we remember God places immense value upon every human being.
The Bible continues to uphold capital punishment for wilful murder.
Of course, individuals are not to take these matters into their own hands, but civil government would do well to follow the biblical pattern of capital punishment for those who deliberately take innocent human life.
The Refugee Had to Await Judgment
The individual seeking refuge was required to remain within the city until his case had been heard before the congregation.
The city provided protection while justice was carefully administered.
The Refugee Had to Remain in the City
Even if acquitted, the refugee was required to remain within the city of refuge until the death of the current High Priest.
Leaving the city prematurely placed his life in danger.
Numbers 35:26-28
“But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge… the revenger of blood find him… and kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood: Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest…”
The city of refuge was not merely a place to visit.
It was a place in which the refugee had to remain.
The Cities of Refuge Were Commanded by God
Numbers 35:6-28
The cities of refuge were not Joshua’s idea.
They were God’s provision.
Long before Israel entered Canaan, God instructed Moses to appoint forty-eight cities for the Levites, six of which would serve as cities of refuge.
We serve a God of both justice and mercy.
He provided justice for the wilful murderer while also providing mercy for the one who had killed unintentionally.
God delights in justice.
God also delights in mercy.
The cities of refuge beautifully demonstrate that these two attributes of God’s character are never in conflict.
God’s Wise Provision
According to Jewish tradition:
“Clear, open roads were to be kept leading from all parts of the land to one or other of these cities, with definite signs indicating the nearest one, so that the man who had slain another in Israel without hating him in his heart or intending to kill him, might flee at once to the city of refuge and so be protected from the avenger of blood.”
Everything about God’s provision made refuge accessible.
The roads were maintained.
The route was clearly marked.
The place of safety was available to anyone who met God’s requirements.
This demonstrates the wisdom and mercy of God in providing a way of escape for the one who fled to the refuge He had appointed.
The Location of the Cities
Joshua 20:7-9
After establishing the purpose of the cities of refuge, Joshua records where these cities were located.
Their placement was not random.
God distributed them strategically throughout the land so they would be readily accessible to anyone who needed them.
The Cities West of the Jordan
Three cities of refuge were established west of the Jordan River.
Kedesh
Kedesh was located within the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali.
Naphtali occupied the extreme northern portion of Israel’s inheritance, making Kedesh accessible to those living in the northern regions of the land.
Shechem
Shechem was situated in the hill country of Ephraim.
Its central location effectively made it the heart of the land of Israel, ensuring that those living in the central districts were never far from a place of refuge.
Hebron
Hebron lay within the inheritance of Judah.
Located in the southern region of Canaan, it provided a refuge for those dwelling in the southern part of the Promised Land.
Together, Kedesh, Shechem, and Hebron formed a network of refuge stretching from north to south across western Israel.
The Cities East of the Jordan
Three additional cities were established east of the Jordan River.
Bezer
Bezer was located within the inheritance of Reuben, the southernmost of the tribes that settled east of the Jordan.
It was situated toward the north-eastern part of Reuben’s territory.
Ramoth-gilead
The city of refuge for the tribe of Gad was Ramoth-gilead.
Like Bezer, it was positioned toward the north-eastern part of the tribal inheritance, making it readily accessible to those living throughout Gad.
Golan
The final city of refuge was Golan, located within the inheritance of the half tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan.
It was situated near the centre of Manasseh’s territory.
God’s Wisdom in Their Distribution
When these six cities are viewed together, it becomes apparent that God spread them throughout the land.
Whether someone lived north or south, east or west, a city of refuge could be reached without unreasonable delay.
God’s provision was never intended to make refuge difficult to obtain.
His design ensured that refuge was always within reach.
The Priestly Owners of the Cities
Joshua 21
In the following chapter we discover that every city of refuge belonged to the tribe of Levi.
This was no accident.
The Levites had been entrusted with teaching Israel the Law of God.
As those most familiar with God’s commandments, they were well suited to administer justice according to His statutes.
This demonstrates the wisdom of God.
The responsibility for dealing with matters of justice was entrusted to those who possessed the greatest understanding of His Law.
The further a nation moves away from the Word of God, the more likely injustice becomes among those responsible for administering its laws.
A Picture of Christ’s Priesthood
The tribe of Levi was closely connected with the Aaronic priesthood.
Their ministry of sacrifice and intercession continually pointed forward to the coming Messiah.
Ultimately, every sacrifice, every priest, and every city of refuge directed attention to the Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest.
The Picture in the Cities
Hebrews 6:16-20
The cities of refuge were far more than an interesting feature of Israel’s civil law.
They also provide a beautiful picture of the salvation God has provided through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The writer of Hebrews draws attention to this truth by speaking of those who have “fled for refuge” to lay hold upon the hope set before them.
The Sinner’s Need of Refuge
The person fleeing to a city of refuge recognised that danger was real.
Likewise, every sinner stands guilty before a holy God.
Although the manslayer in Joshua fled because he had unintentionally caused another person’s death, every one of us has willingly sinned against God.
John 3:19
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
The Bible leaves no room for exceptions.
Romans 3:10
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Every person stands guilty before God because every person has sinned.
The Certainty of Judgment
Because we have all chosen to sin against God, judgment is certain unless God provides a means of escape.
The penalty for sin must be paid.
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 14:12
“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
The question naturally follows:
If our sin has left us with a debt we cannot pay, where can the guilty sinner find refuge?
That question brings us to the heart of the Gospel.
The Refuge in the Saviour
Hebrews 6:16-20
The refuge offered to the guilty sinner is the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death on our behalf.
The writer of Hebrews draws a direct parallel between the one fleeing to a city of refuge and the sinner fleeing to God’s appointed provision of salvation.
God Has Provided the Refuge
The refuge offered to sinners is not something we have devised.
It is God’s provision.
God Himself has provided a place of safety through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:6-9
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
The Lord Jesus Christ has become our refuge through His sacrificial death upon the cross.
God’s justice against sin was fully satisfied in Christ, while God’s mercy was extended freely to guilty sinners who come to Him by faith.
Our Great High Priest
One remarkable feature of the cities of refuge was that the refugee remained within the city until the death of the High Priest.
Only then was he free to return to his inheritance.
This points us beautifully to the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is through the death of our Great High Priest that we have been delivered from the penalty and judgment of our sin.
H. A. Ironside writes:
“The reference is to those who, though conscious of their own sinfulness, have availed themselves of the salvation procured for them by our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross. All who find a refuge in Him are safe forever from the judgment of a Holy God.”
Unlike the cities of refuge in Israel, our refuge in Christ is eternal.
Those who flee to Him are safe forever.
Those Outside the Refuge
The counterpart to this glorious truth is equally solemn.
Those who refuse to seek refuge in Christ will one day stand before God to answer for their own sin.
The sinner who rejects God’s offer of mercy must bear God’s judgment personally.
John 3:18
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Choosing not to receive the Lord Jesus Christ is, in effect, choosing to bear the punishment of sin yourself.
Again, H. A. Ironside writes:
“What fools men are who now deliberately refuse the security that God offers in Christ Himself, and so by spurning Him become guilty before God of the murder of His Son.”
Justice and Mercy Meet Together
The cities of refuge remind us that God’s justice and mercy are perfectly balanced.
Justice demands that sin be punished.
Mercy provides a substitute.
In Israel, the man who refused to flee to the city of refuge had no defence if the avenger of blood overtook him.
Likewise, the sinner who refuses God’s appointed refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ will stand before the judgment seat of God without any defence, having rejected God’s gracious offer of salvation.
God has made the way of escape abundantly clear.
The responsibility now rests with each individual to respond.
Conclusion
The cities of refuge provide one of the clearest Old Testament pictures of the Gospel.
Just as God appointed six cities where the guilty could find safety from judgment, He has appointed one refuge for guilty sinners today—the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Him, God’s justice is fully satisfied.
In Him, God’s mercy is freely offered.
Every sinner must make a choice.
Will you flee to the refuge God has provided, or will you face His judgment alone?
If you are here today and have never trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, accepting Him as your refuge from the wrath of God, then I urge you to make that decision today.
If you are not completely certain that your sins have been forgiven and that heaven is your eternal home, do not delay.
God has provided a refuge.
Flee to Christ today.