We are at the end of the allotments of the land. The Israelites have come in. And they have succeeded over a period of about seven years of subduing all opposition and have been given their allotments all through the land of Israel. And the last of the tribes to receive their allotment is the tribe of Levi, who don’t get any land. Their inheritance, the Lord says, is Him. And while that is the greatest inheritance anyone could receive, they are still people who have practical daily needs to live. And so while they don’t have territory, there are specific cities that are given all throughout the land, through all of the tribes, to the Levites. We read about that specifically in chapter 21. But before we get to 21, there’s an interesting chapter that kind of almost seems wedged in there on what are called ‘Cities of Refuge’. This is in chapter 20; Cities of Refuge. And so today, as we study the text, and look primarily at chapter 20, though, it dovetails directly with chapter 21. And in light of the child dedication that we just had, today, by God’s grace, I hope that we all learn how to be households of refuge.
Now, a household in Greek is the word oikos, which is household. And what it means is your family. More broadly speaking, it’s really your sphere of influence. And so whether you have an actual home or not, whether you have a place where you feel like you can host a lot of people, that doesn’t matter. That’s not really what this is about. This is about being an influencer for Christ, to use the term. Being someone who is a place of refuge relationally for those who they know, for those who they come in contact with.
So if you have your Bibles, please open up to Joshua chapter 20. And we are going to read through verses one through six. I’m going to explain a little bit of what the Cities of Refuge were, how they worked. We’re going to talk a little bit about the Levitical cities. And then we have some application.
Joshua 20:1-6 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that 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. He 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. And 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. And 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.’”
Now, the idea here of a City of Refuge for a man and Slayer, someone who unintentionally unknowingly takes another’s life, with no premeditation, with no malice of forethought, to use some of the legal terms. This is something that the Lord first talked about all the way back in Exodus. If you are a note taker and like to do all the cross references in your margins, I would encourage you just write down by way of cross reference, Exodus 21:12-14, that’s the very first place that God references this design for justice. And then, in the book of Numbers, there is a far more robust description of how these cities work that is in Numbers 35:6-34. And so those two texts obviously appear before Joshua. But Joshua is now accomplishing and completing what the Lord told Moses needed to be done once they took the Promised Land. And so we see here that they are spaced all throughout the land, such that they are accessible by anyone, within one day’s travel. Anywhere, if within the Promised Land, you could get to one of the cities of refuge within one day’s travel. And that’s important because the way the system worked, if someone was killed, whether it was actual murder, which of course, Thou shalt not kill one of the 10 commandments, or whether someone was killed via manslaughter, they wouldn’t necessarily know all of the details right away. And even today, we certainly don’t know all of the details right away. There needs to be time for justice to be found, for the facts to be understood before a judgement is pronounced. So the whole idea, by the way, if you look at our jurisprudence, of innocent until proven guilty, actually goes all the way back to the Cities of Refuge. It was God’s idea. They took that, the Magna Carta, and then kind of went from there, all the way through to our jurisprudence to today.
So what they would do is they would have a the family of the deceased would appoint what is known as an avenger of blood. You heard that term in there. Also referred to elsewhere in Scripture as a kinsman redeemer. Now, kinsman redeemer has a much better connotation in other parts of the Word of God. But here the avenger of blood, it was their job, it was usually the closest male in relation to the one who died. It would be their responsibility to go and find that person and put them to death. That was their job. And so they had a day to flee to any of these cities, they would present their case to the elders, and the elders would then receive them in to the City of Refuge. Then there would be a trial, eventually, based off of the facts. There had to be at least two witnesses to attach to murder, as opposed to manslaughter. And if the person’s innocence was confirmed, they would continue to live in that City of Refuge, even after they were proclaimed innocent. Why did God do that? Well, because emotions can still be flaring, right? There needs to be space, there needs to be healing, there needs to be time. And that individual, that manslayer, would remain in that City of Refuge until the high priest of the time over the tabernacle, because this is before the temple, but then ultimately, with the temple. Until the high priests died, and once the high priest died, then they would be able to go and return to their home. Which is what we read here. All of that is, of course, described in part here in chapter 20. It’s described in further detail in Numbers 35.
And so, there were six of these cities spread throughout the land. Three that were to the east of the Jordan. And these were named by Moses himself. Moses in Deuteronomy 4:41-43, he is the one who names Golan, Ramoth and Bezer. But they didn’t name the cities on the west side of the Jordan, the Promised Land itself. Those were determined right here in Joshua 20. And two of them should immediately jump out at you, if you have studied closely, the book of Joshua: Shechem, right in the middle is the city that is right between Mount Gerizim and Ebal, where they did the covenant renewal. And so it’s right in the center of the land, everyone who had already been there rededicating themselves to Yahweh. Rededicating themselves to all the blessings and curses of Yahweh. And Hebron, in the south, was the land that was given to Caleb and Judah. And so that is how this system worked.
Now, interestingly, if you keep reading into chapter 21, there were 48 Levitical cities that were given to the tribe of Levi. And I don’t expect you to read any of that stuff. However, the red circled ones are all cities of refuge. Every single one of the cities of refuge was also one of the cities given to the Levites. Coincidence? Absolutely not. When someone would flee the death that they had unintentionally committed, you can imagine that is an extremely traumatic and emotional and potentially debilitating event in someone’s life. Not only the lives of those who touch but the person who actually committed that mistake, a terrible accident.
And so, what does the Lord do? He sends them to entire cities filled with Levites. Who were the priests and there are, within Levi, three houses. There are three houses: the house that were the priests were the Kohathites (Kohath). And if you read through the Psalms, you’ll read, a Psalm of the Kohathites. These are the guys who become the priests. There are two other houses: Gershon and Merari. They are not priests, but they’re still Levites. And so what do you do if you’re a Levite, but you’re not a priest? You are an assistant to the priests. You help with the temple worship, but you don’t actually facilitate the ceremony, the rituals. But they were also teachers of the law, all throughout Israel. That’s what the Levites did. And they were judges, so they were part of dispensing justice, teaching the Word of God and justice always went hand in hand, always. And thirdly, they led the worship. They lead worship, they were, many of them musicians, not just teachers. But they lead the worship of the people to the Lord.
And so, it’s into this context that these people are told to flee. Now, it’s really interesting. There’s all kinds of fun stuff with the cities of refuge. They were every single one of the six, if you read through the text, is built on a hill. Not a single one is on flat ground or on a plane. They’re up high on a hill, so you can see them from a distance. If you go over to Israel. It’s pretty cool. You can be like, ‘Oh, City of Refuge’. They’re all up high, high places, God’s high places. Which if you know the history of Israel, there is a problem with demonic high places that the Lord’s had to tear down which no kings did except for Josiah and Hezekiah. So he put six of his high places in the hands of the Levites, in the hands of his priest for the dispensing of Justice, the teaching of the law, and his worship.
And every year, this is not in the Bible, this is history. So we know this from history, just to be clear, but every year, they would take a week or so, to make sure that all of the roads leading to the cities of refuge, were clear and clean, repaired, that there were clear signs pointing to the cities of refuge so that everyone would know how to get to them. There would be no way someone could get lost on the way to the City of Refuge. The gates were never closed, they were the only cities in all the Promised Land whose gates were opened at night. And so any time of day, you could approach a City of Refuge, and you would be received. I hope some of these details are perhaps percolating in your mind what a household of refuge looks like. So what does that look like?
Seven points of application
- Every single one of these cities was appointed by God.
It was not a mistake. It was not an accident. God had a plan for these cities, he ordained it. Church, every single one of us are appointed by God for a work. And by His grace, we have the opportunity to either engage with it vigorously, boldly, confidently in his power and his strength, rooted in his truth, or to shy away from it. If we are going to be a City of Refuge, we understand that God has put us here for a reason, he has appointed us to a work, and it is a privilege and a responsibility. These families are just dedicated kids, they are a privilege and a responsibility. Those moms and dads are appointed for that task for those kids. In your lives, there are men and women in your workplace, in your neighborhood, in your families, who you are appointed to be reflections of God’s love to. To be a place of safety, of hope, of truth, of justice, of refuge to.
- It is critical in the operation of a City of Refuge, that we act with wisdom and discernment.
There’s a reason why the Lord tells us to ask him, James 1 for wisdom and discernment. Why he tells us all throughout the Word of God and in Proverbs, in particular, of the benefits of wisdom. Wisdom is not just knowing truth, it is the right application of truth. When someone came to a City of Refuge, they were not just immediately let in. While the gate was open, they would arrive and the first thing they needed to do was to present their case to the elders at the gate. Wisdom was exercised, discernment was exercised. There needed to be an evaluation of what they could see and understand what the Lord would show them in that situation. Because there are plenty of examples historically, not in Scripture, but historically of people trying to pull one over. So by God’s grace as folks who are called to be purveyors of refuge, households of refuge, we cannot be enablers. We cannot be fostering a demand of entitlement.
But we wisely and discerningly come alongside folks, and we help them by God’s grace, to walk in truth, to walk in the Spirit to know God’s love, to walk in His justice, in whatever way that looks, in that moment, in that situation. We have to walk in wisdom. There needs to be clear boundaries. There was a trial, there was a judgment. Our kids need to know that there are consequences for failure, for sin. But there is also love and grace and mercy alongside that. One without the other does not work, they need to be together. And wisdom is what allows for the proper operation of love and justice to work together. As we pursue God’s holiness and His example, through Christ and through the power of His Spirit.
- Always be accessible.
I know, and you know, that sometimes you just don’t want to deal with it. You’re tired, you’re hungry, you’re cranky. This is the seventh time really? Again? Those gates never closed. They were always open. And guess who never gets tired of listening to you? Your wife because she’s amazing. All right. The Lord, right? The Lord. Ultimately, these cities of refuge are just an example of what the Lord does with us on the daily. And so as people come to us, as we have opportunity, we listen, we discern, we exercise long suffering, sometimes. What’s the very first thing in the list of 1 Corinthians 13, describing what love is. Love is what? Patient. Love is accessible. Love can be found when it is sought after. Now, love doesn’t always just tell you what you want to hear. And that goes back to the wisdom point. But love is accessible, love can be approached.
No topics should be off limits. And parents as you’re raising your kids, please don’t fall into the trap of awkward topics. Talk to them about sex, talk to them about emotional struggles. Talk to them about different situations that I guarantee you they are facing as they get older and older. Make it accessible for them to come and talk to you about whatever they want to talk about. And if your parents weren’t that way with you, that’s okay. That’s okay. Ask God to help you to have the wisdom to engage in those conversations. And talk to other folks about how to engage in this type of conversation. And guess what? It’s okay not to have answers. It’s okay to say, I don’t really know. But I want to find that out with you. So we can grow together. That’s all right. But the last thing we should ever do is put up a wall to a conversation. That is a relationship killer with your kids. And let’s broaden it now, to folks who are hurting. This world is full of hurting people. We cannot make topics off limit to our conversation. Now engage in them wisely. And discerningly. Don’t get baited into a trap. But engage with truth and grace.
And you know, it’s very interesting. These Cities of Refuge were specifically referenced in just about every place, not just for the manslayer, but also to the sojourner and stranger. The Sojourner and stranger. Because how many of you know that when someone is outside of their comfort zone, outside of their territory, outside of their people, it’s hard. It’s scary. It’s uncomfortable. You don’t know where to go, what to do, who to talk to, who you can trust, everything is different. Someone who is running a household of refuge is going to be especially mindful and especially accessible to folks on the margins. So think to yourself, when I see someone’s sitting by themselves in the corner do I go and talk to the folks who I see every week? Or do I go try to engage with the margin? Always be accessible. That’s what the Lord did. Thank God that’s what the Lord did. Praise You Lord Jesus for going after the marginalized.
- Own your mistakes.
Remember, they said that the way to the city was repaired every single year. They never wanted disrepair to be a stumbling block for folks to come to the City of Refuge. There are times, how many of you know, when we need to say, ‘You know what? I messed up. I’m sorry.’
Right? There are times when we need to say not just I’m sorry, but I sinned. Son, forgive me. Daughter, that was my pride. I was wrong. Forgive me. We have to be able to say those words with sincerity and meaning and true hearts. Otherwise, our kids will not grow up knowing what true repentance looks like. And then they will just see someone mess up and think “Oh, self-righteous. Oh, hypocrite. Oh, nope. They don’t actually realize what they’ve done.” We have to repair the roads. We have to make sure that if we have ever wronged someone, or we have done something wrong, that might have broader impact than we think. Own it. Own it, church. Households of refuge own their sin. Why can we own our sin because we know that we have been forgiven and set free, praise God. Through faith in Jesus, His blood has covered us in washes, he has paid the penalty, eternally, praise God. But there are still earthly consequences. And that’s what we need to own and engage with and seek to repair by God’s grace.
- Disciple your kids.
This is ultimately the Cities of Refuge were about discipleship. The manslayer, the stranger, the sojourner. They didn’t just go and spend a week at the City of Refuge. They lived there. They left their entire life behind. And they were fully immersed in Levitical culture. The culture of the priesthood and of Temple worship and of and of praising God. And Levites invited those folks in without issue. Didn’t bat an eye okay, you’re living with us now? Yep, I got a room for you right here. Come on in. Stay with me. We’ll do life. A household of refuge is willing and desirous of engaging. Of actually pouring in and discipling someone, not just making a convert. But seeing someone grow as a follower of Jesus as a disciple of Christ.
And the two chief things within discipleship:
- Teach your kids truth and teach them how to worship.
Because the world is full of lies. Satan is the father of lies, he’s the Great Deceiver, it’s what he does. So they need to know truth, they need to know the Word of God. They need to know the power of God, right? Mark 12; The reason why the Sadducees got things wrong is because they knew neither the Word of God nor the power of God, right. So we need to disciple them in truth.
And number two, we need to teach them how to worship. Teach them how to worship. Certainly, singing and praising God with a thankful heart. But worship is not just that, it’s a lifestyle of service. It is a desire to live humbly before our King. Wherever He guides us and directs us. Disciple, focus on discipleship, build relationship, even if it’s just one person. Parents, you got kids, they’re trapped. They got no choice for however many years, disciple them. Don’t think of them as your children, as weird as that may be, see them as a responsibility to steward well with truth and worship for the Lord. Because they’re not yours. They’re the Lord’s.
- Always point to Christ.
Final point. These cities of refuge, if you’ve heard all the allusions through this, they are absolutely one of the most Christotelic things in the Old Testament. Christotelic in Greek, Christ as the end (télos), and they point directly to Jesus. Right to Jesus because He is our refuge. He is the one to whom we run and are safe.
Psalm 91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you
Christ is our refuge. He is the one to whom we find salvation, the only one through whom we may be saved. And church, as households of refuge we are called to reflect Christ in all we do. That’s where the name Christian came from: little Christ. Unfortunately, that name has been so sullied. Everyone’s a Christian now, right? Okay, well, you do you submit to Jesus has the only way to heaven. No, that’s so exclusive. Right, that term, unfortunately, has lost its weight. So however you refer to it church, be someone who points in all ways to Jesus, and is a reflection of his love, of his safety, of his righteousness, of His justice, of His Holiness, of His truth, of His mercy, of His grace. That’s who our God is. And through the Spirit working in us, that’s who we can be. As households of refuge. Amen.