THE CITY OF REFUGE IS AVAILABLE TO ALL

 

The City of Refuge

Toni Babcock

“Then the LORD spoke to Joshua, “Tell the Israelites: Select your cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood,”             (Joshua 20:1-3 CSB).

The cities of refuge the LORD instituted for the ancient Israelites is a beautiful picture of the refuge we have in Christ Jesus our Lord, who became “sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him,” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV). 

Take a moment to ponder it while considering this — through God’s undeserved kindness, Christ’s work is always redemptive; 

always building the ruined places in our lives, always restoring the years the locust has eaten; 

always reconciling sinners to Himself, always mending the broken shards of a broken past - (Ezekiel 36:36, Joel 2:25, Romans 5:10-11).

This is not the goal of an ordinary avenger who is “out for blood”, who wants to make the guilty pay and keep on paying. 

Have you encountered a vengeful person like that — one who tries to convince you there is no redress, no reparation, no forgiveness for being who you are, and no payment or absolution for what you or your ilk have done? 

Thank God, this is not who Jesus is (although He has every right to be, because He is God and people are not).

Yes, there will be a day when God will judge the living and the dead, a time when He will avenge the world for sin and unbelief. 

But today is the day of Salvation, and the City of Refuge is Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Have you entered His kingdom and found life and forgiveness in Him?

Toni M. Babcock is author of Reflections from the Heart. Contact