March 24 - Our City of Refuge

 Read today’s texts first: Joshua 18-20; 1 Corinthians 9

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Jesus is our only “city of refuge” and to be
outside His protection is sure death. 

The legal system in the old wild west was swift, but not always just - saloon brawls, gun fights in the streets, notorious gangs, and pistol-packing posses who seldom waited around for the circuit-riding judge to show up. But the revenge-driven justice system of the older east, especially the middle east, was far more wild and woolly than the west.

God’s law stood in stark contrast to the vicious “law of the land” typical of the Canaanite nations. To protect those who were unjustly charged with premeditated murder, God commanded Israel to set aside six of the Levitical settlements as Cities of Refuge, three on each side of the Jordan, evenly accessible to all. The practical purpose for that time was clear (20:1-6), but like so much of God’s laws for Israel, there was also a foreshadowing of the future Messiah. Jesus would eventually become our ultimate refuge (Ps. 46:1; Heb. 6:18).

Jesus is a place of refuge accessible and available to all, Jews and Gentiles alike (20:9). He is our only refuge, and to be outside His protection is sure death (20:5). The most incredible parallel is that total freedom comes only after the death of the High Priest (20:6). But unlike the Cities of Refuge, Jesus provides a haven for the truly guilty, which includes all of us. Beyond the mercy of God pictured by these cities, the grace of God is illustrated by Jesus, who died in our place.

“Lord, You are my refuge and my strength, an ever present help in time of trouble (Ps. 46:1). I will never leave the protection of Your presence.”