Cities of refuge are appointed in the land of Canaan. Jesus is our city of refuge to run to. All the tribes are settled, the land is at peace and the promises of God are fulfilled.
Joshua 20: The Cities of Refuge
1 Then the LORD said to Joshua,
2 "Say to the people of Israel, 'Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,
3 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.
4 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.
5 And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbour unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past.
6 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.'"
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
8 And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.
9 These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation.
Joshua 21: Cities and Pasturelands Allotted to Levi
1 Then the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel.
2 And they said to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, "The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities to dwell in, along with their pasturelands for our livestock."
3 So by command of the LORD the people of Israel gave to the Levites the following cities and pasturelands out of their inheritance.
4 The lot came out for the clans of the Kohathites. So those Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, thirteen cities.
5 And the rest of the Kohathites received by lot from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, from the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh, ten cities.
6 The Gershonites received by lot from the clans of the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.
7 The Merarites according to their clans received from the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
8 These cities and their pasturelands the people of Israel gave by lot to the Levites, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
9 Out of the tribe of the people of Judah and the tribe of the people of Simeon they gave the following cities mentioned by name,
10 which went to the descendants of Aaron, one of the clans of the Kohathites who belonged to the people of Levi; since the lot fell to them first.
11 They gave them Kiriath-arba (Arba being the father of Anak), that is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with the pasturelands around it.
12 But the fields of the city and its villages had been given to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as his possession.
13 And to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasturelands, Libnah with its pasturelands,
14 Jattir with its pasturelands, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands,
15 Holon with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasturelands,
16 Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands---nine cities out of these two tribes;
17 then out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pasturelands, Geba with its pasturelands,
18 Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its pasturelands---four cities.
19 The cities of the descendants of Aaron, the priests, were in all thirteen cities with their pasturelands.
20 As to the rest of the Kohathites belonging to the Kohathite clans of the Levites, the cities allotted to them were out of the tribe of Ephraim.
21 To them were given Shechem, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands,
22 Kibzaim with its pasturelands, Beth-horon with its pasturelands---four cities;
23 and out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its pasturelands, Gibbethon with its pasturelands,
24 Aijalon with its pasturelands, Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands---four cities;
25 and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its pasturelands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands---two cities.
26 The cities of the clans of the rest of the Kohathites were ten in all with their pasturelands.
27 And to the Gershonites, one of the clans of the Levites, were given out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah with its pasturelands---two cities;
28 and out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands,
29 Jarmuth with its pasturelands, En-gannim with its pasturelands---four cities;
30 and out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands,
31 Helkath with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands---four cities;
32 and out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Hammoth-dor with its pasturelands, and Kartan with its pasturelands---three cities.
33 The cities of the several clans of the Gershonites were in all thirteen cities with their pasturelands.
34 And to the rest of the Levites, the Merarite clans, were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pasturelands, Kartah with its pasturelands,
35 Dimnah with its pasturelands, Nahalal with its pasturelands---four cities;
36 and out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its pasturelands, Jahaz with its pasturelands,
37 Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands---four cities;
38 and out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,
39 Heshbon with its pasturelands, Jazer with its pasturelands---four cities in all.
40 As for the cities of the several Merarite clans, that is, the remainder of the clans of the Levites, those allotted to them were in all twelve cities.
41 The cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the people of Israel were in all forty-eight cities with their pasturelands.
42 These cities each had its pasturelands around it. So it was with all these cities.
43 Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there.
44 And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands.
45 Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.
Things to think about…
The Cities of Refuge were for those who were guilty in body but innocent in heart, Josh 20. They were cities where those who had accidently killed someone could flee until the trial came up to prove their innocence, vs 9. Note that the man-slayer was only able to be released once he was either tried and proven innocent or when the High Priest died. The death of the High Priest would grant a releasing pardon. Here we see a type and shadow of the work of Jesus our great High Priest who sets us free from sin and death by His pardon given through His sacrifice on the cross.
Six cities were called to be cities of refuge, Josh 20:7,8. Three on the eastern side of the Jordan among the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh and three on the western side for the other nine tribes. They were all scattered across the land so as to be accessible to anyone. We have full and free access to Christ who is our City of Refuge.
The Levites were given cities and pasturelands among the other tribes rather than one specific area, Josh 21. This was to insure there was law and order among all the tribes of Israel. The Levites were the law keepers. As such they were also the ones who were to oversee the cities of refuge and pronounce judgement on the cases that came to them. The church has a role and responsibility in society to be salt and light in our community given the ‘Law’ of Christ which of course is one of “Grace and truth”. May we see Christ’s presence lifted in our city this year.
Note that the influence of the law – via the presence of the Levites was right through every tribe in Israel – Josh 21. In the same way the gospel needs to penetrate every area and aspect of our lives. There cannot be one corner that is hidden away from its influence. We can take the land, I.E become a Christian, but to keep the land we need the law of the gospel to maintain every part of our heartland.
It says the “LORD gave them rest on every side”, Josh 21:44 and that “Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass”, vs 45. Yet we know from previous chapters that the Canaanites still dwelled in the land and some still had control in the land. God’s promises are still faithful and true. We know that He is faithful even when we are faithless, 2Tim 2:13. Ultimately these promises have their perfect fulfilment in heaven – all the Lord’s promises will come to pass. Hallelujah!!
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Cell Groups on break over the Easter holidays.
Prayer Points
1. Good Friday and Easter Sunday messages.
2. Wedding and baptisms on the 18th April.
3. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
4. New families as they settle into church.
5. Church finances to meet our new staff and to put a roof over our café.
6. Getting drawings into council.
7. Sunday’s message – Pastor Jay.
Praise Points.
1. Good Friday and Easter Sunday services.
2. More visitors to church on Sunday.
3. We praise God for the rain but pray for those travelling over the Easter break.
4. Praise the Lord for the Kids@church ministry. Thankyou Maddison.
5. Praise and worship – pray for continued growth and blessing.
6. Unity, peace and grace at CBC.
Announcements
1. Wedding and baptisms coming up 18th April at Church and Colleges Crossing. See Jay if you haven’t been baptized, but would like to be.
2. Gel blaster morning – RSVP 18th April. 8-12pm Sat 24th April – Wacol reserve. Contact Tim Freeman for more details 0403 682 909.
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
