The Six Cities Of Refuge
The Six Cities Of Refuge
The Six Cities Of Refuge,The Sanctuary Of Sacrifice,
Author Guardian
Psalm 25-27,The City On a Hill,
Transitions and changes take place all the time in heaven and in spiritual places,
we see that the spiritual is far bigger and greater than the physical world
around us and most of the time we are unaware of the battles and warfares that
rage in spiritual places
Most of us have experienced times of change when things have taken us by surprise
and we can look back and think " I never thought I would be doing this "
This study message echoes and speaks of a turning point and as you read these
prophetic words try to hear Gods voice
Firstly lets turn to scripture and we look at Psalm 26 and 27
Psalm 26 (New Living Translation)
8 I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glorious presence dwells.
The life application study bible translates it as
He will hide me in His Sanctuary
Psalm 26 (King James Version)
8LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine
honour dwelleth.
And Psalm 27
I love the message translation or paraphrase that reads
Psalm 27:6 God holds me head and shoulders above all who try to pull me down.
I'm headed for his place to offer anthems that will raise the roof!
Already I'm singing God-songs; I'm making music to God.
7-9 Listen, God, I'm calling at the top of my lungs, "Be good to me! Answer me!"
When my heart whispered, "Seek God," my whole being replied,
"I'm seeking him!" Don't hide from me now!
9-10 You've always been right there for me; don't turn your back on me now.
Don't throw me out, don't abandon me; you've always kept the door open.
My father and mother walked out and left me, but God took me in.
Psalm 27 (King James Version)
4One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell
in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the
LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
5For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of
his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
And finally the Amplified translation ( Or expanded bible )
Psalm 27 (Amplified Bible)
1THE LORD is my Light and my Salvation--whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is
the Refuge and Stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?
2When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh,
they stumbled and fell.
3Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise
against me, [even then] in this will I be confident.
4One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and
[insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His
presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet
attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate,
consider, and inquire in His temple.(A)
5For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; in the secret
place of His tent will He hide me; He will set me high upon a rock.
and verse 8
8You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital
need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek,
inquire for, and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].
And so we come to Psalms 26 and 27
Lets Pray
Lord God in Jesus mighty name revealer and enlightener of our lifes, light up the
path ahead of us and reveal to us new things, give us hope where there is despair.
Justice where there is injustice, and shelter where there is a storm, and
refuge where the is pain , safety where there is danger and make for us those
cities of refuge where we can flee in times of calamity and danger,
in times of
trouble and despair , in times of injustice be the judge and bring sentence to
those oppressors of the truth , if they have not already been sentenced.
Lord let the words I type and the thoughts I receive now be of you and let your
Holy Spirit speak through me , that the Holy Spirit might speak deeply into hearts
and lifes and bring these things to remembrance when needed, not to debate and to
throw around as pearls before swine but to use in action in our lifes.
Let us be doers of the word in deed , thought and action Lord and let the nations
gather at the entrances to the city gates of the places of refuge,
where those
that have seen injustice or convicted by the world may flee to safety and find you
as their sanctuary and refuge in times of trouble and injustice.
In Jesus name amen
Now I have no idea where this came from and this was not pre planned but it seems
we are going to look at the cities of refuge.
The cities of refuge where setup as places to flee to ,for those who were
convicted or threatened or sentenced,
they were to be places of refuge sanctuaries, places of safety, fortresses,
Altogether there were 6 cities of refuge
We see these mentioned in Joshua 20:1-9 and Numbers 35:1-34
You see when you find or found injustice in your life you could and can and will
be able to flee to a city of refuge, you may be convicted by the world...
But you can run to a City Of Refuge, you can be set free !!
Once you are inside the City you could not leave that City for if you left that
City the avenger of the blood may kill you, you can read this in
Numbers 35:26-27.
You see if you run to one of the Cities of Refuge, you would be running for
your life literally, you may be falsely accused by an accuser who would seek to
take your life.
In Old Testament times it was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,
Matthew 5:38-48 , it was yours to avenge, if someone killed your brother even if
it was accidental, you would kill the killer
Again we read about this in Numbers 35:19 The avenger of blood shall put the
murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
The world would have you condenmed to death, we were all condenmed to death,
all of us walking in our own ways were enemies of God
Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life
But although we were on death row, although we were condemned, although we were
destined to the grave, Jesus Christ went outside the City to pay the price by His
blood, so that the accuser of the brethren could not make allegations against us
At the time of being saved YOU fled, YOU ran , YOU fled for your life to the
City of refuge
And if you do not know Christ, If you are outside of the City Of God, you too
can hear His voice calling you and flee to Him and you can be welcomed in, having
been set free from the accuser
A this time you can flee to a place of safety, one of the six cities of refuge
You see in that time it was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and things
were dealt with in that way,
If you were one of the people who stood at the city gate wanting justice , you
would be seen by the Elders of that City and if seen as innocent, you could
enter that city
Now we take this to our own lifes and we see that each one of us was guilty,
each one of us was sentenced to death, each one of us was a sinner, each one
of us had broken the law, I say again " EACH ONE OF US HAD BROKEN THE LAW "
We were all convicts put in prison, we were all sentenced to death
BUT we fleed to a place of safety, we fleed to one of the six cities of refuge
we stood at the City gates and we heard, "WHO IS THE KING OF GLORY"
And we replied , " THE LORD OF HEAVENS ARMIES, HE IS THE KING OF GLORY "
Now we may not have quite come to God like that but basically and simply we were
sentenced to death and we stood at the gates of life and we cried out to God
And in whatever words you may have used or use you asked Him into your Temple..
your heart...your life...
And He replied " COME ENTER IN " and we entered into that Holy Place, that " City
of refuge " that Sanctuary, that haven, that land flowing with milk and honey..
Do you see how this all ties in with previous messages ? I just realised lol
You see you were sentenced to death and Jesus by His blood made you not guilty,
as you passed through the gate of the city you were wiped clean and received robes
of a saint, you who were dirty inside.
little me who was sentenced and convicted,
us who were guilty and imprisoned , received a " not guilty " verdict and were
released into a new life , a new city, a new path, a new family.
You see everyone is or was sentenced to death, the whole of humanity was
sentenced to death, but Jesus paid the price for our release.
Why go to death and to sentence when you can flee to a city of safety ?
You see God is a merciful God and it was God who ordered these cities to be
established, not as religious centers where man has control and makes the rules,
but these cities were established by God and by Gods command, a place where God
has control, where Christ is King and where we live in His Kingship
Once you are in the City of refuge you are saved and you are safe, you stay in
the City, you would not go outside for that would mean death, you stay in your
City of refuge...
You see you can never flee from God wherever you might go He is always there
You cannot walk out of this relationship with God you know ?
You cannot walk outside of the City once you are in it !!
You may try to run away, but He is always there, you may not be able to go
outside of the City but you can still run away from God
You can be in a family but be separate from that family !!
You can be in a crowd of people and yet be lonely !!
You can have God in you and yet God can seem a million miles away !!
You can be inside that City ...in other words In Gods Kingdom and yet not be
a part of it !!
You can be a million miles away from God and yet still go through the Christian
rituals and appear to do the same as everyone else !!
He will always be at the city gate waiting for you, saying " Lets start again "
Now that is confusing for our minds is;nt it ?
David says in Psalm 26:8 I love the house where you live, O LORD,
the place where your glory dwells. 2 Samuel 6:17
David loved to worship God and David was a man after Gods own heart, this did
not mean that David was on a permanent high, it did not mean that David walked
around with a permanent grin on his face
In fact David had many times when he was down, many times when he was giving up,
many times when he cried out to God, many times when he was hunted by his
enemies and wrongly accused, many times when the accuser would chase after Him,
many times when he could not go on
But David always returned to God, to the God of His salvation, to His fortress,
because David was being saved as we are being saved
You see before I started preparing this message I had in mind about a paradox
or what seems to be a paradox or two conflicting things.
Like two swords coming
from two directions at once, and I was considering how God is in us and yet how
when we draw near to Him He draws near to us....now thats a conflict
And now we see the same paradox in fact you can associate this with the prodigal
son and the Father waiting for Him
You could also associate this with King David in this Psalm as He marches into
The City of Jerusalem with the Ark of the Covenant or the Ark of the Testimony
Wowww what a testimony as you are convicted to death and sentenced and yet you flee
to a City of Refuge and the elders announce you " NOT GUILTY " you may enter the
City !! YOU ARE FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE LIKE AN EAGLETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
You see the Father was calling you to the City, He was calling you to His place
of safety where you could rest in His arms...
The six cities of refuge provided by God were to the East and to the west of
Jordan !!
Matthew 24:27
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
"LIFT UP YOUR HEADS YOU GATES OF BRONZE, BE LIFTED UP YOU ANCIENT DOORSSSSSS,
THAT THE KING OF GLORY MAY COME IN "
You say " what is the condition of entering a City of refuge ? "
He replies " YOU HAVE TO BE A SINNER "
HE CALLS YOU...HE CALLS AND SAVES...HE IS THE ONE WHO INITIATES THE RELATIONSHIP
Notice you would run to the City of rtefuge, you would flee for your life, you
would be exhausted and tired and frightened and at the end of yourself !!
Would you walk casually up to the City Gate and say " O ok I,ll give this a go"
Would'nt the Elders of that City ask you what your crime was ?
How would you reply ? " Well I haven't done anything wrong !! but I was convinced
by someone that maybe this was the place to be , to be honest I'd rather be with
my own family ?"
Do you think the Elders of that City of Refuge would let you in ?
No of course not, if you have not been called you will not go there, if you
are looking back why would you enter into the city ?
If you do not think you have
done anything wrong, why would you flee for you life ?, Jesus is for sinners not
for " good " people, Mark 2:15-17
Do you know that these Cities were mostly seated on top of mountains or hills ?
Did you know that because of the material the walls were made of, they gleamed
in the sunlight ? , the limestone reflected the sun you see !!
Almost like beacons !! like lamps !! Like torches !! on a hill ...
Like Lamps, they were not hidden, but they were there for all to see..
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill
cannot be hidden.
All you had to do at a time in your life when you were in trouble was to flee
to one of the Six Cities of Refuge shining out like beacon lights, either to the
East or to the West !! can you think of who will come like lightning from the
east and shining even to the west ?
We run into that pillar , that fortress, that sanctuary, that beacon light ..
We run like lightning to one of those cities shining out for all to
see...for safety, and on the way we see pathways that are always kept clear
with road signs directing us as we go saying "Miklat" which means ...."Refuge"
Jesus said and says even now to those He calls " COME FOLLOW ME " becasue He
is our "Miklat" He is our Haven.
He is our saviour who climbed the hill (mountain) who went outside of the City
Gates to be sentenced to death that we might be set free to enter the Holy City.
He payed the price so that the accuser of the brethren cannot enter the City and
put us to death, for Jesus died once and for all, that we could walk into the
City and find our " Miklat "
That we could run to the place of refuge and be found " Not guilty "
Because He was sentenced in our place and those who run after you find that they
are putting Jesus on the Cross, for you are free and He pays the price.
Lift Jesus higher , lift Jesus higher , lift Him up for the world to seeeeee
As Jesus is lifted higher on the Cross so you are free in the City of Refuge
You know there were six cities of refuge !! ok ?
Some to the East and some to the west ?
Do you know what God named these cities ?
One was called Kadesh which means Righteousness
Another was called Shechem meaning, Shoulder
Yet another was called Hebron meaning, Fellowship
Another Bezer meaning, Fortress
The fifth was Ramoth meaning , Heights ...
And the sixth was Golan meaning Joy
See God makes us right, (Kadesh) we are righteous, made righteous (Kadesh)
by the blood of the Lamb
His yoke is easy and His burdon is light and we can rest upon His shoulders,
(Shechem) for the goverment is upon His shoulders (Shechem) and we can have
fellowship (Hebron) within the walls of the City Of Refuge knowing that He is
our fortress and strong tower (Bezer) and our pillar of strength (Bezer),
Blessed is the Name of the Lord, blessed is the Name of the Lord,...the name of
the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous RUN into it and they are
saveddddddddddddd.
He is our Pillar of strength, our Horn of salvation (Bezer), our Pillar (Bezer) ,
Our strength (Bezer) , for He is seated at the right hand of God and we are
seated with Him
Luke 1:67-79 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and
has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the
house of his servant David
2 Samuel 22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the
horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest
me from violence.
Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my
strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and
my high tower.
He takes us to new heights (Ramoth) were we can soar like eagles, He raises us
up (Ramoth) were our feet can be like hinds feet and we like the deer can conquer
the heights (Ramoth),
He fills us with a joy (Golan)that we cannot hold in....as David was so full of
joy (Golan) he could not hold the joy (Golan) in....
I had'nt actually contemplated typing any of the above, so now we shall move
onto Psalm 25,26 and 27 as planned and look to David
And we learn that David wrote Psalm 24 as He moved the Ark from Obed Edom's house
to Jerusalem and now in Psalm 25,26 and 27, we read as David marches into
Jerusalem and he dances before God, before Father,Before Jesus,He dances before
the God maker and creator of the universe, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
He dances before the Maker of Jerusalem, the builder, the architect, the
foundation, Rock, Chief Cornerstone, the High Priest, The One who tabernacles,
The dweller of The Temple...Our "Miklat"
David dances before Him who was and is and is to come
He just could'nt hold his joy (Golan) in, as he marches into Jerusalem
What a Testimony of The Ark, what a testimony as we walk in to that City...
(Bezer)
As we walk as David walked into the City Of God and we are freed from our accuser,
we are protected by God, we are saved from our enemies, we who were bound and
destined for death, we who were accused and convicted, we who were guilty.
We who were sinners, see the City gates fling wide and God is with us..
We go into that City through the gate and we learnt before that Jesus is the Gate
He is the Shepherd and He is the protector in Psalm 23
No wonder David danced for Joy (Golan), no wonder as we enter into a new life ,
in a new Kingdom, ...
Let me ask this question...did David know salvation ? did David know Joy ?
Did David know the fruits and the gifts ?
Well the Psalms he was inspired to write through the Holy Spirit certainly
displayed the gifts as in Isaiah 53 and all through the Psalms
I wonder what happened to those who went before Jesus died on the Cross ?
Have you ever wondered as David says " Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation?"
You see we are set free as we walk through the Gate and into the City that is
our refuge "Miklat"
But what of Davids accuser ?
David had many enemies and was constantly saved by God, but we read of one of
scorned and ridiculed King David as He marched into the City
In 2 Samuel 6:16 we read about David entering the City and the daughter of Saul
named Michal despised David in her heart
2 Samuel 6:16-23 (New Living Translation)
“How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing
himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”
Now read on and note this
23 So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire
life.
Now read Galatians 4:22-31
You see in the City of God and in His Kingdom God looks at the heart, and you may
be in the City but away from God, but the ones who hear the message and do what
it says have a vast harvest
They have many children ...
Outside the City it is barren, inside the City is God and in Him you find refuge
"Miklat"
Remain in the vine..without the Vine you will not bear fruit
Are you running and fleeing to that City of refuge ?
Or are you in the City but as one who is barren ?
Or are you in the City and enjoying its plenty ?
If you do not know Jesus the Son of God then pray these words
Lord God King and High Priest I want to walk into your Kingdom and know your
Kingdom life and Kingship, you have paid the price and I walk in a free man.
Lord Jesus I ask you into my life now as I enter into your Kingdom in Jesus name
Amen
If you know the Father and you have known the joy of His salvation through
Jesus but have lost your first love pray this prayer
Lord Jesus lover of my soul I ask for my first love to fill my heart again with
freshness, restore to me the joy of your salvation and renew a right Spirit
within me , in Jesus name amen
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