Title: Grace of the City of Refuge
Contents
grace of refuge
Deuteronomy 19:1-13
The story of the city of refuge in today's text is one of them.
In Exodus 21:13, God first revealed His will to build a city of refuge.
And in Numbers 35:9-28, God spoke more specifically about the city of refuge.
He was talking about the purpose of building the city of refuge and the basic principle of operating the city of refuge.
And when we come to today's text, God confirms this again and again through Moses. At this time, Moses had built three cities of refuge on the east side of the Jordan that had already been occupied (Deuteronomy 4:41-43).
And in Joshua 20, the story of the city of refuge is confirmed again and again.
This time, God speaks to the leader Joshua.
He told them to build three other cities of refuge in the land of Canaan, which he will occupy in the future.
And he spoke again of the principle for operating the city of refuge.
You are confirming what you have already said to Moses.
In the end, as God said, three cities of refuge were built on the east side of the Jordan during the time of Moses' spirit.
And during Joshua's reign, three other cities of refuge were built on the west side of the Jordan.
And according to the word of God, they operated the city of refuge.
Why did God allow the city of refuge to be built while repeating this confirmation?
What the hell is a castle of refuge, so why did you have to build it while repeating this check?
The city of refuge is a city specially established by God to protect those who have sinned by mistake.
At that time, the judicial system was not yet complete.
Unintentional and unintentional homicides can result in unlimited emotional retaliation.
In preparation for such a case, God made them escape to the city of refuge and had them go through a fair trial procedure.
Six cities of refuge were built, three on the east side of the Jordan River, namely Bezer, Ramoth Gilead, and Golan, and three on the west side of the Jordan River: Kedesh, Shechem, and Hebron.
If you had to escape to the city of refuge, you could reach anywhere in the land of Israel within one day.
Let's take a look at the city's operating rules.
When a person accused of murder comes to the castle of refuge, the castle leaders first hear the full story of the case.
And once it is protected, it can be tried.
If, through a fair trial, it is found that the person did not kill on purpose, they are sent to the city of refuge.
This system of cities of refuge teaches us what kind of grace God gives to His people.
This is a great blessing for us today.
Now, focusing on the Word, let's look at the grace of God that enables us to realize through the city of refuge system.
Grace that prepares the way of escape
It was in that wilderness of Sinai that God first mentioned the city of refuge.
It is the time when the Israelites left Egypt and are now settling in the Wilderness of Sinai (Exodus 21).
He spoke of the city of refuge in more detail when the Israelites were on a difficult journey in the wilderness to go to Canaan (Numbers 35).
And in today's text, he spoke again about the city of refuge when he was on the east side of the Jordan just before entering the land of Canaan.
Why did God command the Israelites to build a city of refuge when they had not yet entered the land of Canaan?
First of all, it was because he was well aware of the plight that the Israelites would face when they entered the land of Canaan.
Next, to prepare a way for the Israelites to escape the troubles they will face in the future.
That's right. God knows in advance the plight of His people.
He knows in advance the crises we will face in life. That's not all.
God has prepared a way for His people to escape their troubles.
He has prepared a way in advance for us to avoid the crises of life.
In 1 Samuel 23:19 and below, the urgent story of David's pursuit by King Saul is recorded. David hid in the forest fortress of Mount Hagilah, south of the Wilderness of Zib.
But the people of the Ziph reported this to King Saul.
King Saul carefully planned and pursued David.
When David heard the information about King Saul's pursuit, he fled to the wasteland of Maon.
But King Saul has pursued us all this way. And they besieged the place where David and his companions were hiding.
Now David had no way to escape.
But at that very moment, an urgent message arrived from a herald that the Philistines had invaded.
King Saul was forced to turn.
He had to leave David alone and turn around to fight the Philistines.
So David escaped the crisis of despair.
So he stopped King Saul from going out.
Dear all! God is preparing a way for us to escape.
The God who prepared for David also prepares a city of refuge for us.
The God who prepared a city of refuge for the people of Israel also prepared a city of refuge for us.
We must believe in this and move forward.
grace to protect
In today's text 19:3, it is recorded like this. ?쏬et all the murderers flee to that city??It means that God made all the murderers flee to this city once.
He was trying to protect the murderers from ruthless reprisals or emotional vengeance before they were put on trial.
In verse 6, we read, ?쏷he man is not worthy to kill him because he does not have a grudge against him. But I am afraid that those who avenge his blood will pursue a murderer with a burning desire for revenge. It speaks of God's warm consideration to protect those who killed people.
That's right. A castle of refuge was built to protect the murderers.
Even if he murdered, God protects him.
Even though he has sins and transgressions, God protects him.
Genesis 4:15 records this. ?쏛nd the LORD said to him, No, he who kills Cain will be punished sevenfold. And he gave Cain a mark, so that everyone he met would put him from death.??It was Cain who killed Abel. That is why Cain was cursed before God.
But God did not completely forsake him. He forbade Cain from being killed and gave him a specific mark. Although he sinned, God still protected Cain.
That's right. God also protected people like Cain who killed his brother.
Even a person like Cain, who was being punished by God's curse, protected his life.
How much more will God leave us saved in Jesus Christ? no.
He protects me and you like the pupil of the eye.
There is a movie called "Eraser" that was released in 1996. The muscular actor Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the main character, John Kruger. In this film, John Kruger is the US Federal Investigator. Specifically, investigators whose role is to protect witnesses who testify for justice from criminal groups. He is the expert in charge of the so-called Witness Protection Program.
In this film, the heroine named Lee Currin is thoroughly guarded. Kruger stays together and protects Curryn from attacks by criminal groups. And, to keep the criminal gangs from tracking them down, they erase the person named Currin from all records. So the title is ?쏣raser??(Eraser).
Indeed, in the United States, the state comes forward and protects those who testify with courage.
In recent years, this program has been introduced in our country as well, so that those who have courageously testified are protected by the national authorities.
God is running a special protection program to protect His people.
He protects us spiritually from the evil enemy the Devil.
He protects us from the harsh winds and winds of this world.
Many people of faith who had experienced this in their early life sang unanimously.
?쏽ou keep me like the pupil of the eye, and you hide me under the shadow of your wings??(Psalm 17:8) ?쏷he Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun by day will not harm you, nor the moon by night.??Dear all! The Lord protects us today. Believe in this and be bold.
grace to start over
How long must those who have been fleeing the city of refuge stay there?
In Numbers 35:25, it is written:
?쏛nd he will deliver the murderer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and return him to the city of refuge from which he escaped, and he will dwell there until the death of the holy anointed high priest.??He can return to the land that he owns.??If the high priest dies, amnesty will be issued to those who were fleeing the city of refuge.
From now on, the legal mechanism is in place so that the victim cannot retaliate against the murderer who had been victimized by the castle of refuge.
So those who had escaped from the city of refuge were able to return to their homes.
And I was able to start a new life again.
That's right. God does not leave those who have committed great sins, those who have made mistakes, and those who have tasted failure. He gives you the grace of starting over so that you can start anew.
There are times in life when you fail. Also, sometimes we make mistakes.
So, there are times when everything that has been built up will stand up.
There are times when you want to give up everything in despair.
But God does not leave His people in that place for long.
makes you stand up again makes you start again.
Dear all! Look to God who makes you start again.
God's grace to start over will come.
The city of refuge is a gift of God's special grace. This is a special gift prepared for those who have made mistakes in the world, those who have experienced great failure, and those who are desperate.
God has prepared a way for us to escape. Even if you make a mistake, he will protect you.
And you give me a chance to start over. I hope you enjoy this kind of grace of refuge.