City of Refuge

Robby Pollard, Lead Pastor

‍

Take time to remember - and share - God’s victories in your life.

‍

Joshua 13:1

¹Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.

‍

Joshua 13:6

⁶all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians. I myself will drive them out from before the people of Israel. Only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you.

‍

‍

Joshua 20:1-9

¹Then the LORD said to Joshua, ²“Say to the people of Israel, ‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, ³that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood. ⁴He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them. ⁵And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past. ⁶And he shall remain in that city until he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.’” ⁷So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. ⁸And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation.

‍

Joshua 20:1-3

¹Then the LORD said to Joshua, ²“Say to the people of Israel, ‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, ³that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood.

‍

Exodus 21:23-25

²³But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, ²⁴eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

‍

Joshua 20:4-5

⁴He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them. ⁵And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past.

‍

Joshua 20:6

⁶And he shall remain in that city until he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.’”

‍

‍

Joshua 20:7-8

⁷So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. ⁸And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.

‍

Kedesh - righteousness, holiness

Shechem - a shoulder, support

Hebron - fellowship, friendship

Bezer - security, fortification

Ramoth - exalted, heights

Golan - separated

‍

Joshua 20:9

⁹These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation.

‍

“Some might ask, have you read all 4 gospels?”
“I’ve read all 66 of the gospels. They’re all about the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the hero of the Bible. Salvation is the theme of the Bible. Because Jesus is the hero and salvation is the theme, we find Jesus standing in the shadows in all of the Old Testament.” - Adrian Rogers

‍

Joshua 20:3

³that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood.

‍

Jesus saves the guilty by bringing them in.

‍

Romans 5:9

⁹Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

‍

Joshua 20:4-5

⁴He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them. ⁵And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past.

‍

Jesus brings us in and never lets us go.

‍

Joshua 20:6

⁶And he shall remain in that city until he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.’”

‍

Jesus is our great High Priest whose life and death gives us access to God’s mercy and grace.

‍

Hebrews 4:14-16

¹⁴Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

‍

Joshua 20:7-8

⁷So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. ⁸And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.

‍

Kedesh - righteousness, holiness

Shechem - a shoulder, support

Hebron - fellowship, friendship

Bezer - security, fortification

Ramoth - exalted, heights

Golan - separated

‍

Jesus - righteousness, holiness

Jesus - a shoulder, support

Jesus - fellowship, friendship

Jesus - security, fortification

Jesus - exalted, heights

Jesus - separated

‍

Hebrews 10:1

¹For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.

‍

Hebrews 10:4

⁴For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

‍

Hebrews 10:12

¹²But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

‍

Jesus is not just a city of refuge.

Jesus is the greater city of refuge.