Power Point - January 12, 2006

January 12, 2006

 

The Lord also spoke to Joshua, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. And when he flees to one of those cities, and stands at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declares his case in the hearing of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city as one of them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. --Joshua 20:1-4

 

The cities of refuge were appointed by God as a place of safety and security when someone would accidentally or unintentionally slay another. There was provision in the Jewish law to protect the killer from the slain person’s family members. In the prophetic, saving nature of these cities, we see the characteristics of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” There is powerful and personal significance in each of the names of the safe cities. In Joshua 20:7, Scripture says, “So they appointed Kedesh in Galilee, in the mountains of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and Kirjath Arba (which is Hebron) in the mountains of Judah.”

 

Kedesh means “place of holiness,” Shechem means “shoulder,” and Hebron means “fellowship.” These are only a few of the cities of refuge mentioned in God’s Word, but they show that you can find safety, holiness, strength, and fellowship with Jesus Christ if you are a believer. Only He can take our dirty, sinful lives and by His perfect sacrifice upon the cross offer to us forgiveness for every sin. Because all sin is covered by the blood of Jesus when we accept Him as our Savior, we can flee harm and run to that city of refuge, Christ our Savior.

 

Do you know Christ personally? Maybe you do, but you need to share Him with someone in your life who doesn’t know Him. It is assurance enough for me to lay my head on my pillow each night and know that Christ is there by my side. Or when I’m flying in an airplane, He is sitting with me. Or when I’m walking through the parking lot, He is walking next to me. He is your sovereign Savior, salvation, strength, satisfaction, security, and sanctification — share Him with others who want to flee their sin today.

 

JESUS CHRIST IS YOUR SAFE HAVEN — A CITY OF REFUGE.