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. (Joshua 20:1-3 ESV)
Refuge
My favorite part of the television show, Dragnet, was the part at the end where the criminals received their sentence… their just desserts. That, I believed back then, is what SHOULD happen to all law-breakers.
Therefore, I used to mistrust these verses. Joshua, following God’s instructions, set up cities of refuge, where people could flee from justice, and I was skeptical. Why did God set up those places? Surely, myriads of guilty people would hide there, avoiding their just desserts. What would the cops of Dragnet have done??
But now I know differently. Those places of refuge were not intended for all those dastardly criminals. They were intended for me.
And I have a better refuge. I do not have to travel to a distant city to find safety from my guilt.
Because Christ Jesus is my refuge.
Those refuge-cities were nothing more than a hint of the real refuge that we ALL need. They were a hint of a savior. They were a hint of Christ Jesus.
We are peculiar, we who need refuge have it.