10/24/17,
Eph 6:2-3, The 10 Commandments, Pt 19, The
6th Commandment, Pt. 2
Lesson # 17-114
Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard
Grace Fellowship Church
Before we
begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, (If You have - Trusted
in Him for Eternal Life), it is important to prepare yourself to: Take-in God’s
Word and/or Participate in a Communion Service, so take a moment to name, cite,
or acknowledge your sins privately, directly to God the Father. This will
assure that you are in fellowship with God the Father & the Holy Spirit’s
convicting ministry will then be able to teach you as the Holy Spirit is the
real teacher.
1 John 1:9 says— “If we confess [simply
name, cite, or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known sins], He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
[all unknown & forgotten sins].”
For those of you who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior, please see: The Salvation Message @ the
end of this document.
2 Pet 3:9, “The Lord is
not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward
you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
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The
Doctrine of the Ten Commandments Related to the Church Age, Part XIX.
The
6th Commandment.
Ex
20:13; Deut 5:17, “You shall not murder.”
Doctrine of the City of Refuge.
“City” is the Noun IR, עִיר
in the Hebrew, and “refuge,” is the
Noun MIQLAT, מִקְלָט that means, “refuge or asylum.” This word is only used for
the appointed Cities of Refuge.
In cases amounting to unintentional taking of human life, it led
to the appointment of six cities of refuge, Deut 4:42f, Joshua 20:1-9; 21:13, 21, 27, 32, 38; 1 Chron 6:57, 67, where the
RATSACH or manslayer could “flee” to, so that he might be preserved from
retributive assassination by the kinsman-redeemer, (“blood avenger”), or
nearest male relative of the deceased. The Hebrew Verb used in Numbers,
Deuteronomy, and Joshua for the flight of the manslayer to the City of Refuge
is NUS, נוּס that means, “to flee.”
Of the six cities, three were located on each side of the Jordan,
and were set apart and placed in the hands of the Levites. They served as
places of asylum for those that might shed blood unintentionally.
Here is a map of the six Cities of Refuge. They were arranged in
such a manner that a person could reach one of them in usually a half day’s
travel, but within a full day at most.
Grieving and angry relatives of the dead victim would tend to
assume deliberate intent on the part of the manslayer and want to take revenge,
even though the tragedy was completely accidental. Hence, Numbers 35, provides the measure of fairness and mercy by requiring
a court hearing at the city where the fugitive had taken refuge. To prevent
such a thing where possible, and to provide for a right administration of
justice, these cities were instituted, and open highways were to be maintained
leading to them, so that the manslayer would have an unobstructed course to the
city gate.
If the evidence presented before the elders indicated no malicious
intent, the would-be avenger was forbidden to touch him as long as he kept
living in his city of refuge until the death of the current high priest serving
at the Tabernacle (or Temple). This protected the refugee from assassination by
some member of the clan of the deceased who might not be content with the
finding of the trial court, and who might therefore take the law into his own
hands to inflict revenge. The provision regarding the death of the current high
priest has symbolic connection with the future death of the divine High Priest,
the Lord Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice atoned for all the sin of all mankind,
no matter how guilty they had been.
A similar right of refuge seems to have been recognized in Israel
when one would flee to the Tabernacle or temple and hold on to the horns of the
altar for refuge, 1 Kings 1:50; 2:28.
Although this was a civil institution designed to protect those not
guilty of death, as we have seen so many times when looking at the OT, we see
typology in regards to the spiritual implications for us today. When thinking
about the “Cities of Refuge,” we immediately think of taking refuge in Christ.
In fact, the OT is filled with passages that call Jesus Christ our refuge. There are well over 50 passages, many in
Psalms of David.
As David said in Psa 143:9, “Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; I take refuge in You.”
Here “refuge” is the Verb KASH that means, “to cover, conceal, or
hide.” Jesus Christ covers our sins regarding their just due payment. He
conceals them from public view, and hides them for all of eternity. They are
forgiven and forgotten.
In addition, 2 Sam 22:3, was
written by David when he was being hunted by King Saul who intended to take his
life.
2
Sam 22:3, “My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my
salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my savior, You save me from violence.”
Here we have two words for “refuge.” First we have, CHASAH, that
means, “to seek refuge, to take shelter, to trust.” Then we have, MANOS that
means, “refuge or place of escape.” This reminds us of Psa 32:7.
Psa 32:7, “You
are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs
of deliverance. Selah.”
Then in Isa 25:4, it
reads, “For You have been a defense for
the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge, (MACHASEH,
“refuge, shelter”), from the storm, a
shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rain storm
against a wall.” Cf. Isa 4:6; 32:2.
YHWH, “the Lord,” is a Refuge, (MACHASEH), for the righteous in a
number of senses.
1. Those who dwell in his protective shadow are safe from all the
enemies of the righteous, Psa 91:2.
2. There is no fear in the time of Divine wrath, Isa 4:6; Joel 3:16.
3. The oppressed seek his shelter and protection, Psa 14:6; Isa 25:4; Jer 17:17.
4. Anyone who builds a refuge on anything aside from YHWH is in
trouble, as in the case of the elite of the northern kingdom of Israel, who
built their refuge in lies, a shelter which YHWH would, in His righteous wrath,
utterly destroy, Isa 28:15ff.
5. In contrast, we are reminded, “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and his children
will have a refuge,” Prov 14:26.
Psa
34:22, was written by David after he had fled from King Saul to a
Philistine city, then faked madness to avoid being held accountable before the
Philistine king, whose advisors wanted David dead due to his victories against them
in the past.
Psa
34:22, “The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take
refuge, (CHASAH), in Him will be
condemned.”
Psa
62:7-8, “On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my
refuge, (MACHASEH), is in God. 8Trust
in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge
for us.” Cf. Psa 46:1.
Many times in the OT the imagery of wings is given when showing
the healing and protective nature of God. The Hebrew word for refuge is often
times used in the same phrases with the word for wings. Psa 36:7, is one example but there are many more.
Psa
36:7, “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take
refuge, (CHASAH), in the shadow of
Your wings.” Cf. Psa 17:8; 57:1.
In Ruth 2:12, we have
Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, (a type of Christ), talking to Ruth.
Ruth
2:12, “May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the
God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”
In a sense, we are all like the manslayer, because ours sins put
Jesus Christ on the Cross, unintentionally as that may be. Even though it is
the path Jesus chose, if there was no sin, there would be no need for the
Cross. Yet, Christ’s message is for us to run to Him without delay, to seek
refuge in the redemption He accomplished at the Cross.
As in the times of Israel, it was pure foolishness to delay your
journey to the nearest City of Refuge when the avenger of blood was seeking
your life. And, in the same way, people today need to avoid delays and excuses
in seeking Christ, especially due to guilt or a sense of spiritual inadequacy,
and just run to His presence.
In Heb 6:17-18,
believers, who have fled from the wrath due them because of their sins, have
seized upon the hope which God the Father has offered in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Since it is not yet fully realized, it is hope, (i.e., confident expectation).
Heb 6:17-18, “In the same way God, desiring even more to show to
the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with
an oath, So
that by two unchangeable things,
(God cannot lie and He fulfills His oaths / promises), in which it is impossible for God to lie,
we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the
hope set before us.”
“Refuge,”
is the Greek Verb KATAPHEUGO, καταφεύγω that means, “to flee, to take refuge. It comes from the
root word PHEUGO that means, “to flee or escape.” This word is used only here
and in Acts 14:6, where Paul and his
group fled for fear of their lives.
Just as the Cities of Refuge were a day’s journey or less away,
safety for the manslayer was never far away, and so also we know Christ is not
far off. Safety and peace of mind for us is as close as a prayer.
As Jesus said in Mat 28:20
“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” These cities were also
located in somewhat mountainous regions, on hilltops, so as to be easily seen
from a distance. These cities had to be easily seen from a distance and in bad
weather, fog, and darkness of night by the exhausted manslayer running for his
life. For us, so often the whirlwind of life and its complications cloud our
vision, yet Christ is still easily seen if we just look for Him.
Psa 43:3, “O
send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your
holy hill and to Your dwelling places.”
In the NT, Jesus is the light of the world, to lead men out of
darkness.
John 1:9, “There
was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”
John 8:12, “Then
Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who
follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of
life".”
John 12:46, “I
have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me
will not remain in darkness.” Cf. John 3:19; 9:5; 11:9
2 Cor 4:4, “In
whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so
that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is
the image of God.”
From non-biblical literature sources, it is said that the great
gates of these Refuge Cities were never locked, but always left open, not a common
practice for that era. How comforting it must have been for the fleeing
fugitive to know he would immediately gain access to the safety of the city and
not die at the hands of the avenger of blood, as he would, if stuck outside
beating on the door.
Jesus told us in John 6:37,
“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I
will certainly not cast out.”
As mentioned above, we are told from Jewish literature that the
roads to these cities were traveled and inspected by the elders once a year,
and carefully repaired every spring after the rains and bad weather of the
winter. Bridges were built or repaired where needed and every obstruction was
removed. At every crossroads and turn were posted special signs stating
“refuge” to guide the runner. We see by this, how easy the Lord intended the
road to be by which we come to Him. It is similar to the ease of deliverance
for the snake bitten Israelites, when they would simply turn towards the Brazen
Serpent, cf, John 3:14. Likewise,
the gracious promises given in the Gospels diligently remove the obstacles
before us.
Remember what Christ told us in Mat 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will
give you rest.”
Charles Spurgeon said about the roads to these cities and the road
to Christ, “It
is a road so hard that no self-righteous man can ever tread it, but so easy
that every sinner, who knows himself to be a sinner, may by it find his way to
heaven.”
Jewish tradition also tells us that runners educated in the Law of
God were stationed along these roads to guide the fugitives to safety.
Ecc
4:10, “For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe
to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.”
What a blessing to the weary fugitive who may have lost his sense
of direction or his desire to go on, to have someone who knows God’s ways
encourage them onward and guide them to the place of refuge.
All of us have had moments in our spiritual walk where we lost our
sense of direction or purpose, or just lacked the spirit to go onward, even
though deep down we knew that we should. But God provided for these moments
long before they came, and if you look back at them, I think you will realize
that there was always someone there to guide you back on the path that leads to
Christ.
It may have been your beloved spouse, a best friend, your mom or
dad, perhaps a brother or sister, or a compassionate individual in the church,
but whoever it was that ran with you in your spiritual walk and guided you back
onto the beaten path when you were falling away, be very grateful to them and
do not take them for granted. God was using them to preserve your spiritual
life as the runners of old preserved the life of the manslayers. That is why
we, as representatives of Christ, are called in Mat 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot
be hidden”
Remember, these cities were only a temporary place of safety. Once
the high priest died, they were free to return to their home cities where the
avenger of blood had no legal right to pursue them. But if the avenger harbored
a grudge, they might still be in danger for their lives. Yet, because of our
position in Christ, He is our High Priest forever, who is also resurrected; never
to die again. As such, experientially, we should never leave our place of
spiritual refuge in Him; we are eternally secure in our salvation despite the
daily battles within us with the sin nature.
City of Refuge Code:
Finally, when we look deeper into the Hebrew names of these six
cities, we see a direct correlation to the character and nature of Christ, and
what He accomplished for all of us “manslayers.” We get the order of these cities from Joshua 20:7-8.
1. First, we have the city of QEDESH, (Kedesh). It is from the
root Verb QADASH meaning, “to separate, set apart, to be holy, to consecrate,”
implying the consecration of a person or thing to the worship or service of
God. Hence it means to make or be holy, and therefore it implies holiness, the
full consecration of a person to God. And this city was in “Galilee (district) in the hills of Naphtali (might wrestling).” Therefore, “the holy
One comes from the place of wrestling.”
There are many passages in the OT that refer to Christ as, “The
Holy One of Israel.”
In the NT, we have John
6:69, “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of
God.”
2. Next, we have SHEKEM, (Shechem), that means, “shoulder.” It is
from the root word SHAAKAM, meaning, “to be ready, forward, and diligent,”
Hence Shechem means, “shoulder,” because of its readiness to bear burdens and
sustain. From this we derive its metaphorical meaning of “government.” This was
in the “hills of Ephraim,” that
means, “double fruit.”
Isa
9:6, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the
government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
3. Thirdly, we have KIRATH (city of), ARABA known later as Hebron.
Hebron is CHEBROWN that means, “a community or alliance.” It is from the root
CHAABAR meaning. “to associate, join, conjoin, unite as friends.” Therefore,
Hebron means, “fellowship or friendly association.” This was in the “hills of Judah,” which means “praised.”
John
15:15, “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his
master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have
heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
Then crossing the Jordan, YARDEN, “the watering place,” into
Jericho, YERICHO, “the place of fragrance,” we have the next three Cities of
Refuge.
4. Fourth, we have Bezer, BETSER that means, “ore of gold or
silver.” It is from the root BAATSAR meaning, “to restrain, enclose, shut up,
or encompass within a wall.” Therefore, Bezer means, “the goods or treasures
secured within the wall, a fortified place, fortress or stronghold.” This was
from the, “tribe of Reuben” that
means, “Behold a son!”
Psa
18:2, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock,
in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
5. Fifth, we have Ramoth, RA’MOTH that means, “heights.” It comes
from the root RA’AM meaning, “to be raised, made high or exalted.” Therefore,
Ramoth means, “high places or eminences.” This was in Gilead, “the hill of
testimony,” as Jesus was crucified on the hill of Golgatha, the hill of skulls.
This was the place of the, “tribe of Gad,”
that means, “fortune come.”
Heb
7:26, “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent,
undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens.”
Phil
2:8-10, “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9For this
reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is
above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee will
bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”
Luke 1:69, “And
has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant.”
John
3:14, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son
of Man be lifted up.”
Luke 9:22, “The
Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief
priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”
6. Finally, we have Golan, GOWLAN that means, “captive or exile.”
It comes from the root GOLA meaning the same plus “to remove or removing,” This
was in the, “tribe of Manasseh,”
that means, “who makes forget.” Combined it means make the “captives forget,”
or to free the captives.
This reminds us of the victory at the Cross, where Jesus
subsequently led the triumphant procession to heaven. As He will also do for
the Church Age believer, at the Rapture or Resurrection of the Church.
Eph 4:8, “Therefore it says, "When He ascended on high, He
led captive a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men".”
It is awesome to see the entire gospel message contained in the
meaning of these six Hebrew cities, given to Israel almost 1500 years before
the NT was written. Although they focus on the character and nature of the
person of Christ, there is a direct meaning in what Christ is saying to us
through them as well.
1. QEDESH: To be made holy.
2. SH’KEM: To bear a burden, sustain.
3. CHEBROWN: to join and unite as friends.
4. BETSER: to encompass within a wall.
5. RA’MOTH: to be raised up and exalted.
6. GOWLAN: remove the exiles, set the captives free.
Christ is saying to each of us, “If you run to me and seek my
presence, I will consecrate you and make you holy. I will bear your burdens,
sustain you in all your trials, and call you to my side as an intimate friend.
When you are attacked by Satan and the evils of this world, I will shield you
behind an impenetrable wall. I will raise you up in glory at the right hand of
my throne, as I have freed you from the slave market of sin.”
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A
PERSONAL NOTE FOR YOU
John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.”
Notice again
what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have;” it says,
“has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of
everlasting life, you have it, and it can never be lost or taken away from you [John 10:28-29]. Furthermore, the gift
of everlasting life [also called eternal life in Scripture] is available to
every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.
John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but
he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in
the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Eph 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any
man should boast.”
If
you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I am here to tell
you that Jesus loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you.
God the Father also loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His only Son
for you by sending Him to the Cross. At the Cross Jesus died in your place.
Taking upon Himself all of your sins and all of my sins. He was judged for our
sins and paid the price for our sins. Therefore, our sins will never be held
against us.
Right
where you are, you now have the opportunity to make the greatest decision in
your life. To accept the free gift of salvation and eternal life by truly
believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day
as the proof of the promise of eternal life. So right now, you can pause and
reflect on what Christ has done for you and say to the Father:
"Yes
Father, I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ,
died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins."
If you have done that, I Welcome You to the Eternal
Family of God !!!
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Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher: James H. Rickard
23 Messenger Street, Unit 3
Plainville, MA 02762
Copyright © 2001 - 2017.
Property of: James H Rickard Bible Ministries
All Rights Reserved.
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