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Joshua Chapter
Twenty
Joshua 20
Chapter Contents
The law concerning the cities of refuge. (1-6) The cities
appointed as refuges. (7-9)
Commentary on Joshua 20:1-6
(Read Joshua 20:1-6)
When the Israelites were settled in their promised
inheritance
they were reminded to set apart the cities of refuge
whose use
and typical meaning have been explained
Numbers 35. God's spiritual Israel have
and
shall have in Christ and heaven
not only rest to repose in
but refuge to
secure themselves in. These cities were designed to typify the relief which the
gospel provides for penitent sinners
and their protection from the curse of
the law and the wrath of God
in our Lord Jesus
to whom believers flee for
refuge
Hebrews 6:18.
Commentary on Joshua 20:7-9
(Read Joshua 20:7-9)
These cities
as those also on the other side Jordan
stood so that a man might in half a day reach one of them from any part of the
country. God is ever a Refuge at hand. They were all Levites' cities. It was
kindness to the poor fugitive
that when he might not go up to the house of the
Lord
yet he had the servants of God with him
to instruct him
and pray for
him
and to help to make up the want of public ordinances. Some observe a
significance in the names of these cities with application to Christ our
Refuge. Kedesh signifies holy
and our Refuge is the holy Jesus. Shechem
a shoulder
and the government is upon his shoulder. Hebron
fellowship
and believers are
called into the fellowship of Christ Jesus our Lord. Bezer
a fortification
for he is a strong hold to all those that trust in him. Ramoth
high or
exalted
for Him hath God exalted with his own right hand. Golan
joy or
exultation
for in Him all the saints are justified
and shall glory.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Joshua》
Joshua 20
Verse 2
[2]
Speak to the children of Israel
saying
Appoint out for you cities of refuge
whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:
Appoint —
The possessions being now divided among you
reserve some of them for the use
which I have commanded.
Cities of refuge —
Designed to typify the relief which the gospel provides for poor
penitent
sinners
and their protection from the curse of the law and the wrath of God
in our Lord Jesus
to whom believers fly for refuge.
Verse 3
[3] That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee
thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
Unwittingly —
Heb. Through ignorance
or error
or mistake
and without knowledge. The same
thing twice repeated to cut off all the expectations that wilful murderers
might have of protection here; God having declared
that such should be taken
even from his altar
that they might be killed. It is strange that any
Christians should make their sanctuaries give protection to such persons whom
God hath so expressly excepted from it! Avenger - The nearest kinsman
who had
right or power to demand
or take vengeance of the slaughter.
Verse 4
[4] And
when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of
the gate of the city
and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of
that city
they shall take him into the city unto them
and give him a place
that he may dwell among them.
The gate —
Where the judges used to sit.
His cause —
Shall give them a true relation of the fact
and all its circumstances.
They shall take him — If
they are satisfied in the relation he makes
concerning the fact
otherwise it
had been a vain thing to examine.
Give a place —
Which they might well allow him
because God gave them the city with a
reservation for such persons.
Verse 6
[6] And
he shall dwell in that city
until he stand before the congregation for
judgment
and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days:
then shall the slayer return
and come unto his own city
and unto his own
house
unto the city from whence he fled.
Stand —
Which was the posture of the accused and accusers.
The congregation —
The council appointed to judge of these matters
not the council of the city of
refuge
for they had examined him before
verse 4
but of the city to which he belonged
or in
or nigh which the fact was committed
as appears from Numbers 35:25.
Verse 7
[7] And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali
and Shechem in
mount Ephraim
and Kirjatharba
which is Hebron
in the mountain of Judah.
And they appointed —
Concerning these cities note
1. That they were all upon mountains
that they
might be seen at a great distance
and so direct those who fled thither. 2.
That they were seated at convenient distance one from another
for the benefit
of the several tribes; for Kedesh was in the north
Hebron in the south
and
Shechem between them. 3. That they all belonged to the Levites; partly that
these causes might be more impartially examined
and justly determined by them
who are presumed best able to understand the law of God
and most obliged to
follow it and not to be biass'd by any affection or corrupt interest
and
partly
that their reputation with the people
and their good counsels
might
lay a restraint upon revengeful persons
who might be inclined to follow the
man-slayer thither
and endeavour to kill him there. It was likewise an
advantage to the poor refugee
that when he might not go up to the house of the
Lord
yet he had the servants of God's house with him
to instruct him
and
pray for him
and help to make up the want of public ordinances.
Verse 8
[8] And
on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward
they assigned Bezer in the
wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben
and Ramoth in Gilead out
of the tribe of Gad
and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
They assigned —
Or
had assigned or given; for they were given by Moses
Deuteronomy 4:41
etc. or
they applied them to
that use to which Moses designed them.
Verse 9
[9]
These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel
and for the
stranger that sojourneth among them
that whosoever killeth any person at
unawares might flee thither
and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood
until he stood before the congregation.
The stranger —
Not only proselytes
but others also; because this was a matter of common
right
that a distinction might be made between casual man-slayers
and wilful
murderers.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Joshua》
20 Chapter 20
Verses 1-9
Cities of refuge
The cities of refuge
1.
The
first thought that naturally occurs to us when we read of these cities concerns
the sanctity of human life; or
if we take the material symbol
the
preciousness of human blood. God wished to impress on His people that to put an
end to a man’s life under any circumstances was a serious thing. Man was
something higher than the beasts that perish. It is not a very pleasing feature
of the Hebrew economy that this regard to the sanctity of human life was
limited to members of the Hebrew nation. All outside the Hebrew circle were
treated as little better than the beasts that perish. For Canaanites there was
nothing but indiscriminate slaughter. Even in the We have here a point in which
even the Hebrew race were still far behind times of King David we find a
barbarity in the treatment of enemies that seems to shut out all the sense of
brotherhood
and to smother all claim to compassion. They had not come under
the influence of that blessed Teacher who taught us to love our enemies.
2. Even as apportioned to the Hebrew people
there was still an
uncivilised element in the arrangements connected with these cities of refuge.
This lay in the practice of making the go-el
or nearest of kin
the avenger of
blood. Had the law been perfect
it would have simply handed over the killer to
the magistrate
whose duty would have been calmly to investigate the case
and
either punish or acquit
according as he should find that the man had committed
a crime or had caused a misfortune. It was characteristic of the Hebrew
legislation that it adapted itself to the condition of things which it found
and not to an ideal perfection which the people were not capable of at once
realising. In the office of the go-el there was much that was of wholesome
tendency. The feeling was deeply rooted in the Hebrew mind that the nearest of
kin was the guardian of his brother’s life
and for this reason he was bound to
avenge his death; and instead of crossing this feeling
or seeking wholly to
uproot it
the object of Moses was to place it under salutary checks
which
should prevent it from inflicting gross injustice where no crime had really
been committed.
3. The course to be followed by the involuntary manslayer was very
minutely prescribed. He was to hurry with all speed to the nearest city of
refuge
and stand at the entering of the gate till the elders assembled
and
then to declare his cause in their ears. If he failed to establish his
innocence
he got no protection; but if he made out his case he was free from
the avenger of blood
so long as he remained within the city or its precincts.
If
however
he wandered out
he was at the mercy of the avenger. Further
he
was to remain in the city till the death of the high priest
it being probable
that by that time all keen feeling in reference to this deed would have
subsided
and no one would then think that justice had been defrauded when a
man with blood on his hands was allowed to go at large.
4. As it was
the involuntary manslayer had thus to undergo a
considerable penalty. Having to reside in the city of refuge
he could no
longer cultivate his farm or follow his ordinary avocations; he must have found
the means of living in some new employment as best he could. His friendships
his whole associations in life
were changed; perhaps he was even separated
from his family. To us all this appears a harder line than justice would have
prescribed. But
on the one hand
it was a necessary testimony to the strong
though somewhat unreasonable
feeling respecting the awfulness
through whatever
cause
of shedding innocent blood. Then
on the other hand
the fact that the
involuntary destruction of life was sure
even at the best
to be followed by
such consequences
was fitted to make men very careful. In turning an incident
like this to account
as bearing on our modern life
we are led to think how
much harm we are liable to do to others without intending harm
and how deeply
we ought to be affected by this consideration when we discover what we have
really done. And where is the man--parent
teacher
pastor
or friend--that
does not become conscious
at some time or other
of having influenced for harm
those committed to his care? We taught them
perhaps
to despise some good man
whose true worth we have afterwards been led to see. We repressed their zeal
when we thought it misdirected
with a force which chilled their enthusiasm and
carnalised their hearts. We failed to stimulate them to decision for Christ
and allowed the golden opportunity to pass which might have settled their
relation to God all the rest of their life. The great realities of the
spiritual life were not brought home to them with the earnestness
the
fidelity
the affection that was fitting. “Who can understand his errors?” Who
among us but
as he turns some new corner in the path of life
as he reaches
some new view-point
as he sees a new flash from heaven reflected on the
past--who among us but feels profoundly that all his life has been marred by
unsuspected flaws
and almost wishes that he had never been born? Is there no
city of refuge for us to fly to
and to escape the condemnation of our hearts?
It is here that the blessed Lord presents Himself to us in a most blessed
light. “Come unto Me
all ye that labour and are heavy laden
and I will give
you rest.” And let us learn a lesson of charity. Let us learn to be very
considerate of mischief done by others either unintentionally or in ignorance.
What more inexcusable than the excitement of parents over their children or of
masters over their servants when
most undesignedly and not through sheer
carelessness
an article of some value is broken or damaged? Let them have
their city of refuge for undesigned offences
and never again pursue them or
fall on them in the excited spirit of the avenger of blood! So also with regard
to opinions. Many who differ from us in religious opinion differ through
ignorance. They have inherited their opinions from their parents or their other
ancestors. If you are not called to provide for them a city of refuge
cover
them at least with the mantle of charity. Believe that their intentions are
better than their acts. (W. G. Blaikie
D. D.)
The cities of refuge
I. The right to
life. Alone among the nations stood Israel in the value set upon human life.
Its sacred book enjoined its worth. Philosophically
such a sacred value upon
life would be expected of the people of God. The value of life increases in
ratio with the belief in God and immortality. Deny immortality and you have
prepared the ground for suicide. They who say
“Let us eat and drink
for
to-morrow we die
” may voluntarily end the life before to-morrow comes. Greece
with all her learning was far behind. Aristotle and Plato both advised putting
to death the young and sickly among children. Plutarch records having seen many
youths whipped to death at the foot of the altar of Diana. Seneca advised the
drowning of disabled children--a course that Cicero commended. Heathenism gives
but a dark history. It is one of the last lessons learned that each human life
is its own master. No one can take it away except for a transcendent reason.
II. The surrender
of life to what is greater. It is a larger condition to be good than to live
wrongly. Better surrender life than do wrong. On the other hand
better be
murdered than be a murderer. Better suffer wrong than do wrong. Whether in this
late century the removal of capital punishment would increase crime we cannot
verify; but the old law of the avenger is not yet stricken from the statutes of
civilisation. No refuge in God’s sight for the hating heart. No palliation of
deliberate human deeds of wickedness. No city of refuge for a murderer.
III. The motive
marks the character. It is not the mere deed that reveals the man. Nor is it
the catastrophe that marks the deed. Every one’s motive is greater than all he
does. The man who hates his brother is a murderer as truly as he who kills. Not
always what one does
but what he would do
is the standard of his character.
Take away every outside restraint; leave one alone with himself; and his
unhindered wish and motive mark just what he is. The intentional taking away of
life makes murder; the unintentional relieves from all crime. Crime
therefore
does not find its way from the hand
but from the heart. Thus does God look on
the heart.
IV. The divine
forbearance with human blunderings. This is what the city of refuge expressly
declares. The stain of the deed of shedding blood rests in the fact that the
life was made in the Divine likeness. The greatness of the life was evident in
its kinship with God. Death by accident does not take away the terrible sorrow
that settles like a pall. The careless taker away of life may go insane in his
despair; but the awful agony of the blunderer does not make the loss any the
less heavy. It will call out pity even for the careless one; but it will not
counterbalance the loss.
V. The conditions
of refuge. Each unfortunate held the keeping of his life in his own hands. The
provided city did not alone save the delinquent from the avenger. Mansions in it
were provided for all who should enter by right. Handicraft was taught those
who found shelter within its walls. Food and raiment were furnished by kind
hands outside the gates in addition to what they themselves should gather or
earn for themselves. They had much provided; but the conditions they must
themselves fulfil. It was not enough to rest within sight of the city; they
must enter in. They must not venture forth; only as they remained could they be
safe. We have no cities of refuge now; but God is our refuge. He is the hope of
the careless who turn to Him. The conditions we cannot disregard. He gives the
opportunities
of which we must take advantage for ourselves. We cannot set
aside His condition.
VI. The
responsibility for life in the choices we make. In a certain sense the safety
of each unfortunate rested solely upon himself. It was no time for theories; it
was the time for action; and on that action depended his own life. He held his
temporal safety in his own care and keeping. In thousands of ways we are thus
making choices that will shape our life and conduct in all future time. We have
the power to save ourselves or to destroy. Peter had the opportunity to save
his Lord even when he denied Him. Judas could have shielded his Master instead
of betraying Him. Each one of us can choose whom to serve. The choice of evil
made Peter weep
and made Judas become a suicide. We cannot choose evil and
live. If we choose God for our refuge
we shall not die. He is our city. It
rests with us to choose what we shall be. (David O. Mears.)
Blood-guiltiness removed from the Lord’s host; or
the cities of
refuge
I. A beneficent
political institution. In ancient Greece and Rome there were asylums and
shrines where the supposed sanctity of the place sheltered the blood-stained
fugitive from righteous retribution; and it is probable that here
as in
innumerable other instances
the pagan institution was but an imitation of the
Divine. In our own country
too
there were
in former times
similar
sanctuaries. But how different the copy from the pattern--the one institution
how pernicious
the other how salutary! By the so-called sanctuaries all that
was unsanctified was promoted
for here wilful murderers were received
who
after a short period
were permitted to go forth to repeat a like violence with
a like impunity. Not thus was it with him who fled to the city of refuge. We
have heard of Indian savages who
when one of their people is killed by a
hostile tribe
will go out and kill the first member of that tribe whom they
may meet. We have heard
too
of those who for years would cherish
vindictiveness and deadly hate against some enemy. Quite opposite to any such
spirit of retaliation is that which was to stimulate the Goel in his pursuit.
The express command of God placed a sword in his hand which he dared not
sheathe. As one entrusted with a prisoner of war
so was it
as it were
said
to him
“Thy life for his if thou let him go.”
II. A type of
Christ. Each person concerned
each regulation for the direction of the various
parties
each circumstance of the case finds its counterpart in the gospel
antitype.
1. To begin with the unfortunate homicide himself--he represents the
sinner in his guilt and danger
under the wrath of God.
2. Does any one doubt the efficacy of God’s way of saving sinners?
Would any one fain flee to other refuges? Ah
they are but refuges of lies.
3. Money could procure no remission; nor will riches avail “in the
day of the Lord’s wrath.”
4. Mercy could not be shown unless the prescribed conditions were
observed.
5. Up
then
and flee
thou yet unsaved one! Wait not vainly till
others bear thee thither perforce. Complain not of thy God as an austere judge
because He saith
“The soul that sinneth
it shall die”; but bless Him for His
clemency in preparing thee a place of safety.
6. This terrible Goel--the avenger of blood--whose fatal purpose no
reward
no argument
no entreaty can turn aside
is but an impersonation of the
righteous anger of the Lord against the sinner.
7. That we may more fully perceive the appositeness of the
illustration which the cities of refuge furnish of the person and work of the
Redeemer
let us notice their position in the country--“in the midst
” not in
the borders
or in the corners of the land (Deuteronomy 19:2).
8. The very names of the six cities are
to say the least
in
keeping with the symbolism of the subject.
9. The cities of refuge were not open to native Israelites only
but
“the stranger” and “the sojourner”--in fact
“every one” among them was
accepted (Numbers 35:15). Thus none is accounted an
alien who
owning himself a sinner
flies to Christ.
10. There is a beautiful lesson in the fact that not only the city
itself
but the very suburbs
afforded safety.
11. The isolation
the restrictions
and the privations experienced
by him who was confined within the city of refuge may be compared to the
separation of the Christian from the world and the things of the world; but
what
after all
are temporary trials
if the precious life be spared?
12. We have spoken of the danger of delay in seeking the refuge. Let
us earnestly bear in mind the danger of the opposite kind
namely
of
afterwards quitting the safe retreat.
13. At the death of the high priest the manslayer was set free.
14. Before the homicide could be received as a permanent inmate of
the city of refuge
a trial was appointed. If he was acquitted
he was admitted
there; but if condemned as a designing murderer
he was given up to the avenger
for summary execution. This condemnation may be read in two ways.
It suggests--
1. A blessed contrast. We have been tried
and found guilty. Our
sins are of crimson dye. Yet the door of mercy stands still open; nay
more
it
is the full admission of our guilt
and not the profession of our innocence
that is the condition of our entrance thereat.
2. A solemn comparison. Though it be so
that for all sin there is a
pardon
yet the Scripture speaks of “a sin that is unto death.” The case of a
deliberate murderer
in contradistinction to an unwitting manslayer
illustrates that of one whose sins are not the sins of ignorance
but
presumptuous sins
namely
who has deliberately and persistently sinned against
light and knowledge. From this depth of wickedness
for which no city of refuge
is provided
and for which there is no forgiveness
either in this world or the
next
the Lord graciously preserve us! (G. W. Butler
M. A.)
The cities of refuge
I. The appointment
and use of these cities. It is very often said by thoughtless and ignorant
persons that the laws of the Old Testament were barbarous and cruel. To this
two answers might be made: First
that they were a great advance upon any other
legislation at the period when they were given
and were full of wise sanitary
provisions
and of tender care for human life and welfare; secondly
that the
objection urged does not lie against Moses
but against the human race at that
stage of its history. We are apt to forget that the laws of Moses were
adaptations to an existing and very low order of society
and were designed to
be a great training-school
leading children up into manhood. The cities of
refuge were a merciful provision in times of lawless vengeance
and the entire
legislation in regard to them was founded on an existing and very imperfect
condition of society
while it looked towards a perfect state
towards the
heavenly Jerusalem.
II. The reasons for
the appointment of these cities.
1. All men at that early day recognised the right to kill an
assassin; all exercised the right
or refrained from doing so
at their will;
but Jehovah gave a positive command to Israel
without alternative. It should
be blood for blood; and it certainly rests with the opposers of capital
punishment to-day to show when and how this original law was abrogated. How it
should be carried out was a matter of secondary consequence; that it should be
observed was the first thing. When the law was given
the blood-avenger did
what we to-day remand to courts of law. It was a step
surely
beyond an
utterly lawless vengeance to appoint one person to carry out the Divine will
that life should be forfeited for life.
2. But while this was the general rule
it was not a merciless and
blind one; for the law distinguished between voluntary and unintentional
homicide. It judged an act by its motives
and thus lifted tile whole question
of punishment out of the sphere of personal revenge and family spite. Here at
the very threshold of civilisation how clearly man is treated as a free moral
agent
responsible for his acts
and yet judged by his motives! The materialism
of to-day
which endeavours to sweep away this primitive morality
has human
nature against it.
3. Then
in a system intended to train a nation into habits of self
restraint and righteousness
it was necessary very early to bring in the
lessons of mercy. God had always declared Himself the real avenger of blood. “I
will require man’s blood
” He said
when He gave the law for the death of a
murderer; “vengeance is Mine: I will repay.” The unintentional act was not to
be treated like that of malice aforethought. The accidental homicide had
certain rights; and yet the mercy offered him was conditional. It was only a
chance. It was not left as a small thing for a human life to be taken
even
unintentionally: hence the limitations placed about the right of asylum in the
cities of refuge.
4. But this was not all: the law demanded an expiation for the
wrong
even when it was done without intent. Still it was a wrong; blood had
been shed
and the Divine government never grants forgiveness without
atonement. God cannot be tender and forgiving without at the same time showing
His holiness and just claims upon the guilty. This principle found expression
in a singular way in the cities of refuge
in the provision that
whenever the
high priest died
the prisoners of hope should go freely back to their homes.
The priest was in some sort a sacrifice for the sins of the people
even in his
natural death. Here we find what we might call a constructive expiation
Thus
from age to age death was associated in the public mind with deliverance from
punishment
the death of successive high priests setting forth the death of
Christ on the Cross.
III. The cities of refuge
are a type of christ. Their very names have a typical meaning--Kedesh
“holy”;
Shechem
“shoulder”; Hebron
“fellowship”; Bezer
“refuge”; Ramoth
“high”; and
Golan
“joy.” (Sermons by the Monday Club.)
Christ our city of refuge
I. There is an
analogy between our situation and the situation of those for whom the city of
refuge was designed. It was not intended for the murderer. The law respecting
him was that he should immediately be put to death
however palliating might be
the circumstances connected with his crime
and however sacred the place to
which he might flee for protection. Even the law respecting the manslayer bore
in some points a resemblance to that which referred to the murderer. While
provision was made for his safety if he chose to avail himself of it
it was
also enjoined that should he be overtaken by the avenger of blood his life was
to be the forfeit of his negligence. He had shed the blood of a fellow-man; and
should he disregard the means of safety which were furnished to him
no guilt
would be incurred
although by him whom he had injured his blood also should be
shed. Now
all of us are chargeable with having transgressed the law of God. In
one important respect
indeed
the comparison between us and the manslayer does
not hold. He deprived his fellow of life without having meditated the deed
and
therefore he did not contract moral guilt; for although the motive does not in
every case sanctify the deed
it is to the motive that we must look in
determining the virtuous or vicious nature of an action. We
however
have
sinned against the Divine law voluntarily. We have done it in spite of
knowledge
conviction
and obligation. Involved
then
as we are
in this
universal charge of guilt
the justice of God is in pursuit of us
and is
crying aloud for vengeance. And the condition of those whom it overtakes is
utterly hopeless: death is the forfeit which they must pay. Let us guard
against the callousness of those who
though they readily enough admit that
they are sinners
seem to imagine that no danger is to be apprehended
and
soothe themselves with the vague expectation that
since God is good
they
shall somehow or other drop into heaven at last
and be taken beyond the reach
of all that is painful. Oh! is it not infatuation thus to remain listless and
secure
when God’s anger is provoked
and equity demands the execution of the
threatening? Would it have been folly in the manslayer to have deluded himself
into the notion of his safety
at the very time that his infuriated enemy was
in hot pursuit? and is it wise in the sinner
when Divine justice is about to
seize him
to remain insensible to the hazard of his situation? But let us not
despair. Our sin
it is true
has veiled Jehovah’s face in darkness; but
through that darkness a bright beam has broken forth
revealing to us peace and
reconciliation.
II. There is an
analogy between our prospects and the prospects of the manslayer under the law.
By Joshua six cities of refuge were appointed
three on either side of Jordan
that the distance might not be too great which the man-slayer required to
travel. Now
in Christ Jesus we have a city of refuge to which we are
encouraged to repair for protection from the justice which is in pursuit of us.
This refuge God Himself has provided; so that He whom we have injured has also
devised and revealed to us the method by which our salvation may be effected.
“Deliver
” He said
“from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom.” Nor is
this divinely-provided deliverance difficult of being reached. Christ is ever
near to the sinner
and no tiresome pilgrimage requires to be performed before
He can be found. All obstructions have been removed out of the way which leads
to His Cross
and everything has been done to facilitate our flight to its blessed
shelter.
The cities of refuge
I. The persons for
whom the cities of refuge were provided were in circumstances of imminent
danger.
1. The danger of man arises from sin and transgression against the
authority of that law which God revealed for the personal rule and obedience of
man
it being an essential arrangement in the Divine government that the
infraction of the law should expose to the infliction of punishment.
2. The peril of man which thus arises from sin affects and involves
his soul
which is pursued by justice as the avenger
and is exposed to the
infliction of a future state of torment
the nature and intensity of which it
is beyond the possibility of any finite mind to conceive
and the duration of
which is restricted by no limits
but is coeval with eternity itself.
3. The peril of man thus arising from transgression and affecting
and involving his soul applies not to a small portion
but extends to every
individual of the species.
II. The persons for
whom these cities of refuge were provided were furnished with ample directions
and facilities to reach them.
1. The clearness with which the offices of the Lord Jesus Christ
in
their adaptation to the condition of man
are revealed.
2. The nature of the method by which in their saving application and
benefit the Saviour’s offices are to be applied.
III. The persons for
whom cities of refuge were provided became on reaching them assured of
inviolable security.
1. The grounds of this security; it arises from sources which render
it unassailable and perfect. There is the faithfulness of the promise of the
Father
which God has repeatedly addressed to His people; there is the efficacy
of the mediation of the Son; and there is the pledge of the influences of the
Holy Spirit.
2. The blessings involved in this security. And here we have not so
much a comparison as a contrast. He who fled for refuge
after he had become a
homicide
to the appointed asylum in the cities of Israel
became by necessity
the subject of much privation. He was secure
but that was all
inasmuch
it is
evident
that he was deprived of home
of kindred
of freedom
and of all those
tender and endearing associations which are entwined around the heart of the
exile
and the memory of which causes him to pine away
and oftentimes to die.
But in obtaining
by the mediation and work of Christ
security from the perils
of the wrath to come
we find that the scene of our security is the scene of
privilege
of liberty
and of joy.
IV. If the persons
for whom the cities of refuge were provided removed or were found away from
them they were justly left to perish. There is a Saviour
but only one; an
atonement
but only one; a way to heaven
but only one; and when once we have
admitted the great fact with regard to the reason of the Saviour’s incarnation
and sacrifice on the Cross and His ascension into heaven
we are by necessity
brought to the conclusion and shut up to the confirmed belief of this truth
that “neither is there salvation in any other
for there-is none other name
”
&c. (James Parsons.)
Cities of refuge
I. Notice a few
points in which there is no correspondence between these cities provided for
the manslayer and the protection which the gospel provides for the sinner
1. The cities of refuge afforded only a temporary protection for the
body. The gospel
on the contrary
is a protection for the whole man
and for
the whole man forever.
2. The cities afforded protection only to the unfortunate
whereas
the refuge of the gospel is for the guilty.
3. The protection which the cities afforded involved the sacrificing
of certain privileges; that of the gospel ensures every privilege.
4. Those who enjoyed the protection of the cities would desire to
return to their former scenes; not so with those who enjoy the protection of
the gospel.
II. Notice some of
the more illustrative features of resemblance.
1. The cities of refuge were of Divine appointment; so is the
protection offered in the gospel.
2. The cities of refuge were provisions against imminent danger; so
is the gospel.
3. The cities of refuge were arranged so as to be available for all
the manslayers in the country; so is the gospel provided for all sinners.
4. The cities of refuge were the exclusive asylums for such cases;
so is the gospel the only way of salvation.
5. The cities of refuge were only serviceable to those who by
suitable effort reached them.
The cities of refuge
I. Let us
then
look at the people who dwelt in them Who were they? They were not exclusively
rich people
nor were they exclusively poor. Poverty or wealth was no title to
a residence there. Nor were they even educated people
or illiterate people.
Some other plea than these must be urged in order to get an entrance there.
They were guilty people. Upon their hands must be the mark of their foul sin.
They must be avowed man-slayers
or else the gates were closed against them
and admission refused. I think I hear the Pharisee reply something like this:
“I am a religious man--a respectable man. This is a religious city established
by God
kept by His priests--the peculiar care of Jehovah. There is a certain
fitness between that city and myself. I mean to enter there
because I think it
is a good thing to dwell in such a place.” But they speak to him and say
“Sir
you have made a mistake. Let us ask you one question--Have you ever done any
harm?” He looks at them
amazed at the question. “Done any harm? No
sirs
mine
has been a blameless life. Taken the life of another? Why
I would not hurt a
fly.” “Then
sir
” they say to him
“this city cannot be your dwelling-place.
It
with all its privileges
is for the man-slayer.” Ah
sinner
now I know why
you are not saved. You are not guilty: you do not believe it. But let me point
out to you another mark of these people who dwelt in the cities. They were
something more than guilty: they were conscious of their danger. They had found
out that they had slain a man. They knew the penalty of the law: they believed
it. They did not dare to doubt it
and they fled for their very lives. Sinner
would to God that we could get you to flee for your life! Oh
sinner
to-night
you see it not
but there behind you is the keen
two-edged sword of that law
that you have broken--that law that you have defied. It is very near to you.
God says
“Fly
fly for thy life to the city of refuge.” And you--what are you
doing? Why
you do not even hear the voice of God. You have no consciousness of
your danger. One other word about these people: they were responsible
absolutely responsible
for their own safety. I think I see that man again. We
have watched him
and we have spoken to him; he left us and ran; but we say to
each other now
“What is the matter? Our friend has stopped running. Look! He
is sitting down by the road-side
and from that wallet behind his back
which
we did not see before
he has taken out some bread. He is eating it leisurely
quietly. He must have made a mistake. Surely
the avenger of blood cannot be
after him. Surely he cannot be guilty.” We go up to him and we say
“Friend
you told us just now that you were flying from the avenger of blood. How is it
that you are taking your ease?” “Well
” he says
“the fact is I have been
thinking over the matter
and I have changed my mind. Quite true
I have done
wrong; quite true
I have taken a life; quite true
the avenger of blood is
after me. But look here
sir. The logic of the matter is this: if I am to be
saved I shall be
saved.” “What folly! You may be saved if you flee; but
as God liveth
unless
you get within its walls you never will be saved.”
II. Look to some
remarkable points about the cities of refuge themselves. Well
the point that
strikes us
and which shows forth Jesus Christ and His willingness and power to
save
is this: these cities were all easy of access. God took all the
difficulties out of the way.
1. They were all upon the level plain. If you read chapter 20.
and take the map
as I have done
and look at the land
you will be struck with this
that not
one of them was built upon a mountain. What does it mean? Why
it means that an
anxious and fleeing man--fleeing for his life--must have no weary mountain to
travel up. There
upon the level plain
is the city whose welcome walls invite
him for refuge. You have no hill of experience or of works or deeds to climb
up. And then observe another fact about them
proving the ease of access which
God had arranged for them.
2. If you were to look at the land of Palestine you would observe
that it is divided nearly longitudinally--that is
from north to south--by a
river at times broad and wide and deep
and with a mighty current--the river
Jordan
Now
we will suppose that God had put the cities of refuge
we will
say
on the other side. Here comes a poor man-slayer; he is flying for his
life
and he reaches Jordan. There is no bridge; he has no boat; he cannot
swim; and yet there within sight of him is the welcome city. “Oh
” he says in
his bitter despair
“God’s promise has brought me so far only to mock me.” But
no
God arranges otherwise. God said
“Let there be six cities
three on each
side of the river; one north
one in the middle
one in the south
on one side;
one in the south
one in the middle
one on the north on the other side.” What
does it mean? Why
it means this
that wherever there could be a poor
guilty
man-slayer there was a city of refuge. Oh
“The Word is nigh thee
” &c.
3. May I add
too
that the gates were always open. Eighteen hundred
years have the gates been open. Man’s infidelity and opposition have never
closed the gates.
4. Observe
too
about these cities
that they were all well known.
That was of the very greatest importance. God ordained that there should be
six. Their names were given. I think the mothers of Israel must have taught
their little children those six names by heart. It would never do that by and
by their child should be in danger
and know not where to escape. We are told
by Josephus that where cross-roads met there were always finger-posts
established
having these words
“To the city of refuge.” And I often think
that persons like myself
or even the most distinguished ministers of Christ
cannot save a soul
but they may be fingerposts pointing clearly to Jesus
and
saying in life and ministry and deed
“To the city of refuge.” Let me point out
to you another fact of great importance about these cities--the most important
fact of all
without which all other facts would be useless. Within these walls
was perfect safety. God had said it: Jehovah’s word was staked to it. Perfect
safety. God’s honour was at stake. Every man who fled inside that city should
be saved. (J. T. Barnardo.)
Refuge
Life is full of alleviations
shelters
ways of deliverance. So
that however gloomy things look at times
the worst never comes to the worst.
At the moment when all seems lost the gate of the city of refuge opens before
us
and friendly hands are held out to draw us within its sanctuary.
I. I want to give
some illustrations of this
and
first of all
from what we may call the
ordinary arrangements of the providence of God--the means of refuge which this
God-made world provides within itself against the commoner ills. The daily round seems so
trivial
our cares are so petty
the things that we are working for so utterly
unworthy of beings laying any claim to greatness
that we should be tempted to
forego our claim and settle down in mechanical acceptance of the humdrum and
the commonplace if we did not avail ourselves of means of escape into a higher
realm of thought and feeling. To some of us the culture of music affords a city
of refuge from the drearier side of life. The transformation of Scott’s
“wandering harper
scorned and poor
” under the potent spell of his own music
is repeated a thousand times a day.
“In
varying cadence
soft or strong
He
swept the sounding chords along
The
present scene
the future lot
His
toils
his wants were all forgot.
Cold
diffidence and age’s frost
In
the full tide of song were lost.”
Others
find their city in the contemplation of great pictures. A man
crusted over
with the sordidness of his daily task
will get away into a picture gallery. He
will sit down tired and uninterested before some great masterpiece
and after a
while it will begin to take hold of him. As he sits there
passively yielding
to its influence
just letting it lay itself against his spirit
there will
gradually steal over him a great restfulness and calm. Presently a deeper life
will wake up. He will pass from the passive to the active state. Imagination
will become alive; thought will stir; a new world will grow into realness
around him--a larger
higher
finer world
not less real
but more real; not
foreign to him
but more truly native to him than the world whose dust he has
just shaken from his feet. And a greater number
perhaps
find their way of
escape by the door of good books than by either music or pictures
or both
together. And it is more than a merely temporary refuge. If books are really
great
if the art is really elevating
we get something more than a short
respite from an unfriendly world. When we go back to it the world is changed.
The avenger of blood is no longer there. But there are tenser forms of evil to
be saved from than the dull pain of a prosaic and uninspiring existence. There
are sharp strokes of misfortune
the sudden loss of health
an overwhelming
catastrophe in business
or bereavement. It is marvellous how at such a time
people find themselves ringed round with friends. The story of Naomi is the
story of the destitute in every age. What could have been more hopeless than
the outlook for her? Yet she got through. She found friends among the
foreigners; and when after the long years of exile she returned to Bethlehem
she found herself taken to people’s hearts. And Ruth the Moabitess was
befriended also. There are many who could say with old John Brown of
Haddington
“There might be put upon my coffin
‘Here lies one of the cares of
Providence
who early wanted both father and mother
and yet never missed
them!’” So true is this that of late years we have begun to hear in tones of
complaint and foreboding of “the survival of the unfit.” The world
it seems
is too kind. There is too much providence. That complaint need not distress us.
But it is a confirmation of the Christian view of the world under God’s
fatherly administration from a somewhat unexpected quarter; and it is none the
less valuable for the source from which it comes. God is love
and He will be
yet more fully known in the world’s palaces of science as a refuge. But we
cannot think long on the subject without being sorrowfully conscious that there
are other foes of the soul against which the ordinary providence of God offers
no defence; and our sorrow is only turned into joy when we recognise that in
these cases a still better refuge is provided. “God Himself is our refuge
a
very present help in time of trouble.”
1. For example
there is sin. It is possible for men to go through
life without any distinct perception of sin as an enemy of their happiness
But
whenever the conscience is truly awakened
from that moment sin stands forth as
the saddest fact in life. It is the one foe that peace cannot dwell with. Other
evils we may escape
leaving them still in possession of the outer suburbs
while we retreat into the inner citadel of the soul. But not with sin. For the
awfulness of that is that its very seat is in our inmost soul
so that the more
deeply we live the more vivid is the fatal consciousness of its presence. And
whether you count the burning shame of it
the self-contempt it breeds
the
vague but awful terrors which of necessity dwell with it
or the feeling of
helplessness which grows upon us as we realise how impossible it is to escape
unaided from its power
as soon as its burden presses upon a man it is felt as
the heaviest burden of life
different
not only in degree but in kind
from
every other
intolerable
and yet never to be shaken off by any human strength.
Here is an avenger for which earth provides no city of refuge. Great books
great pictures give no relief now; they aggravate. Mother Nature with her
healing ministries has no balm for this wound. Thank God there is deliverance.
The troubled conscience comes to peace in Jesus Christ.
2. Another case in which God alone in His own person can be a refuge
for us
is when we are oppressed by the sense of finiteness that comes to us
some time or other in our experience of all things earthly. There are times
when we seem to see round everything. We have reached the limit of our friends’
capacity to satisfy us; music is nothing more to us than a combination
more or
less faulty
of sounds that jar upon the nerves. “Vanity of vanities
all is vanity
and vexation of spirit.” And all human goodness is as the morning cloud. “All
men are liars
” you say in your haste. And if not that
then at least
“I have
seen an end of all perfection.” Blessed is the man who in that hour knows the
way to God. The secret of the Lord is with him
and the water that he drinks of
shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life.
3. Death and deliverance. And then there is death. There are those
who through fear of death are all their life-time subject to bondage. Well
God
delivers us from that spectre. When we walk through the valley of that shadow
we fear no evil for He is with us. We who have fled for refuge to the hope set
before us find ourselves holding by an anchor that enters into that within the
veil.
II. Now
it will be
a great help to us if we recognise in every lightening of the burdens of life
the sign that god has been going before us preparing deliverance. Do not let us
shut God out of the alleviations that spring up out of the earth as we pass
along. There were six cities of refuge appointed for the Hebrews
and now one
and now another of these cities would offer a practicable way of escape from
the avenger. And God fulfils Himself in many ways. The doors of hope that seem
entirely earth-fashioned and of human provision are equally of God’s
appointment with that heavenly door by which alone we can find deliverance from
the deeper sorrows. Your God-given way of escape is not always along the path
of extreme religious fervour. A week of rest at the seaside will do you more
spiritual good sometimes than a week of revival services. A hearty shake of the
hand from a genial unbeliever will give you a mightier lift than a lecture from
a saint. And you are to use the means of escape that lies nearest you
and is
most suitable--and see God’s gracious provision in it whatever it is that gives
you effectual relief. I don’t mean that all ministries are of the same order
or intrinsically of equal worth. But then all troubles are not of the same order
either. Paul is equally the minister of God when to the gaoler crying
“What
must I do to be saved?” he says
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou
shalt be saved”; and to the sailors worn out with long battling with the storm
he recommends
not prayer
but to take food.
III. Let me direct
your minds to a duty which god laid upon the Israelites in relation to their
cities of refuge. “Thou shalt prepare thee a way and divide the coasts of thy
land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit
into three parts
that
every slayer may flee thither.” That is
there shall not only be a city of
refuge
but there shall be a road to it. And these roads were to be kept in
order. And it came afterwards to be a law that finger-posts should be placed
wherever other roads crossed the road to the city of refuge
so that a man in
search of it might the more easily find his way. Now the meaning of this in the
larger bearing which we are giving it all
is that we should make ourselves
familiar beforehand with the means of access to the doors of deliverance which
God has provided. We are bidden to have resources. We must know the use of
pictures and of great books; we must know the way to Nature’s treasure-house
or be able
like Boethius
to solace ourselves amid the disorders of the world
by contemplating the Divine order of the stars. In the day of comparative
prosperity we are to prepare for adversity. And this is a counsel of tremendous
significance when we think of the supreme needs of the soul
those needs which
nothing short of God can meet. “Thou shalt prepare thee a way.” One of the most
pathetic stories in the Old Testament is that which relates how King Saul
who
had gone his own timeserving
politician-like way all his life
came at last in
his extremity to feel his need of God
and did not know how to come to Him.
“Acquaint thyself with Him.” “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy
youth”--in the springtime of life
when all is bright and hope-inspiring. Now
is the time to make a path for yourself to Him. (C. S. Pedley
M. A.)
The Christian’s cities of refuge
I. Our first city
of refuge is prayer. Whatever trouble comes to us
we can run to prayer for
help
as the man of old ran to the city of refuge.
II. Our second city
of refuge is the bible. When Jesus was tempted three times by the devil in the
wilderness to do wrong
every time His heart ran to the Bible as a city of
refuge and quoted some precious promise.
III. A third city of
refuge is sacred song. If our hearts and voices are full of sweet and pure
songs about God
and heaven
and doing good
they will keep away a great many
wicked thoughts and evil words.
IV. The fourth city
of refuge is trust in God as our father. A child was asked the question
“What
is faith?” She answered
” God has spoken
and I believe it.” That is a part of
what it means to trust in God.
V. Our fifth city
of refuge is the holy spirit as our guide.
VI. The sixth city
of refuge
the last one and the most precious
is Jesus as our saviour. (Christian
Age.)
The number of the cities of refuge
These were doubtless sufficient to answer the exigencies that
might arise; but why six were appointed
and not seven
the perfect number
we
may conceive was the reference they all had to one other
the only perfection
of types
the Lord Jesus
and in whom alone security can be found. The
perfection of the covenant and of every covenant blessing is found in Him. In
whatever trouble
whether in first convictions or after-trials
the Christian
as the prophet
with thoughts raised to Christ
may exclaim
“O Lord
my
strength and my fortress
and my refuge in the day of affliction.” (W.
Seaton.)
The situation of the cities of refuge
In the division of land east and west of Jordan which was nearly
equal the Lord made equal provision for both
that it might be no disadvantage
on which side soever any dwelt who were within the extent of the inheritance.
Christ is for general benefit
wherever men live
within the sound of His
gospel; so that it matters not where that is
in what part or quarter of the world.
How great a mercy to be stationed near this refuge! and how great a sin to
neglect or despise its security! (W. Seaton.)
The cities of refuge illustrative of Christ’s redeeming work
How illustrative of the way of life
the facilities grace has
given to sensible and alarmed sinners to flee from the wrath to come!
I. In the gospel
of Christ is found nothing to impede or discourage an immediate application for
salvation
but the way is set before men under directions so plain and obvious
that hardly any one can err
except through wilful ignorance and determined
rebellion. Faithful ministers are designed to answer the end of
directing-posts; they are to stand in byways and corners
to distinguish the
right way from the wrong
and thereby
if possible
to prevent any from
proceeding to their own destruction. Mercy has placed them on the road to life
purposely to remind sinners of their danger
to direct the perplexed
and to
admonish the careless. How important is simplicity in a matter that involves in
it the concerns of life and death! What if the line of inscription
“To the
City of Refuge
” had been in any other language than the one generally
understood? and what if gospel ministers express themselves in a way that few
only can reap the benefit of their instructions? They ruin more than they save
and cannot avoid a fearful charge in the day when every work will be brought
into judgment.
II. Next
consider
the requirements made of the man who had occasion to avail himself of the
provision appointed; and as if having witnessed the act of slaughter
follow
him to the gates of the city. His first and obvious duty
and that to which
necessity compelled
was to leave the dead and run for his life
to rise from
his bleeding neighbour and betake himself
with all possible haste
to the
nearest refuge. This was to be voluntary
for no one could compel him. Another
requirement was that he who had set out should make all possible haste till he
had got within the walls of the city; for security was not in the way
but at the end;
not while escaping
but when refuged. And what shall be said of them who
professing to flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before them in
Christ
think neither of danger nor security
but are taken up
as their chief
concern
with the pleasure and pursuits of the world?
III. The internal
constitution of these cities
like the way to them
and the requisitions made
of those for whose benefit they were instituted
instructs us in the knowledge
of many evangelical truths. Let us enter for examination
or rather consider
ourselves as needing the security they give. Refuge was not allowed till after
judicial investigation. They were no asylum for murderers
but for those guilty
of manslaughter only. In this the legal refuge came short of that the gospel
sets before us: it was wisely and necessarily so; for no typical institutions
could be ordained contrary to public justice and security
or that would have
perpetually endangered the life and peace of society. Herein the pre-eminence
of the gospel appears
and the infinite merit of Christ’s blood
which has
efficacy to atone for the worst of crimes. The government under which these
cities were placed must not be forgotten; they were given to the Levites
and
though distinct from those they were to inhabit
yet they were numbered among
them. This denoted an appointment of mercy
namely
that all the privileges
peculiar to them
the security
residence
and provision there afforded
were
all the fruit of priestly merits
and under the regulation of sacerdotal
dominion. The streams of mercy from Christ flow to sinners through the
prevalence of His atoning sacrifice and the exercise of His availing
intercession. Again
safety was nowhere but within the city--not only was the
manslayer required to flee to it
but to remain there the life of the high
priest. Expressive appointment! Who out of Christ can be safe? One cannot but
remark the deficiency of the type
as to the liberty as well as security which
every believer obtains through Christ. As long as the high priest lived the
slayer of blood was deprived of liberty beyond the bounds of the city. With all
the mercy there provided
it must have been no little inconvenience to have
been compelled so suddenly to give up connections
occupations
inheritance
and family for so uncertain a period
Nevertheless we are left to admire the
wisdom of the Divine procedure
in that regard to the ends of public justice
and social right
ever observed in even those institutions which were
principally designed to set forth the unbounded grace of Christ. While the life
of the high priest typified the security of Christ
the death of the high
priest was to express the redemption of the forfeited possession. “After the
death of the high priest
the slayer shall return to the land of his
possession.” His life was a blessing that protected the slayer from the
avenger
but his death unmistakably greater
for that secured liberty with
life. The death of Christ has not only availed to deliver us from all the
penalties of a broken covenant
burro interest us in all the positive blessings
of the new; not only to save from all the sorrows of guilt
but to restore to us all
the joys of innocence. (W. Seaton.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》
20 Chapter 20
INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 20
The
contents of this chapter are the renewal of the order to appoint cities of
refuge for such that commit manslaughter ignorantly
to flee unto
and have
shelter in from the avenger of blood
Joshua 20:1; and
the execution of this order
Joshua 20:7.
Verse 1
The Lord also spake unto Joshua
.... Out of the
tabernacle
at the door of which he with the high priest and princes were; the
Lord had spoken to him before concerning dividing the land among the tribes
Joshua 13:1; and
this being done he speaks to him again:
saying:
as
follows.
Verse 2
Speak to the children of Israel
saying
.... Whom the
affair concerned the Lord spake to Joshua about
they having now the whole land
divided among them:
appoint out for you cities of refuge; of the name
nature
use
and number of these cities; see Gill on Numbers 35:6
whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: Numbers 35:1.
Verse 3
That the slayer that killeth any person unawares
and
unwittingly
may flee thither
.... Who through mere accident
and without
design
killed a person
friend or foe
one of his own kindred
or a stranger
without any malice against him
or intention to take away his life:
and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood; from any of
the relations of the deceased
who might be stirred up to avenge the blood of his
kinsman on the slayer; see Numbers 35:12.
Verse 4
And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities
.... Any one
of them
that was nearest to him:
shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city; for he might
not rush in without leave:
and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city; lay before
them the whole matter
how that he had killed a person unawares
by what means
it came about
and that it was merely through error
without any malicious
design
and was a mere accident:
they shall take him into the city unto them; directly
lest the avenger of blood should come and seize on him
and kill him; and they
were to take him into the city
not only to prevent that
but to examine him
still more closely about the matter
and get further satisfaction; and being
satisfied
were to continue him in it:
and give him a place
that he might dwell among them; until his
death
or the death of the high priest
if that was first. Kimchi observes from
their Rabbins
the he was not to hire a house all the time of his dwelling
there
but was to have one freely
because it is said
"and give
him"
&c.
Verse 5
And if the avenger of blood pursue after him
.... To the
city of refuge
whither he is fled
and demand him:
then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hands; to be slain
by him
but shall protect him:
because he smote his neighbour unwittingly
and hated him not
beforetime; See Gill on Numbers 35:22; see
Gill on Numbers 35:23
and
See Gill on Deuteronomy 19:6.
Verse 6
And he shall dwell in that city until he shall stand before the
congregation for judgment
.... That is
until his cause was heard in
the court of judicature in his own city
or in any other to which the avenger
of blood should appeal: see Numbers 35:24; who
if they found him guilty of death
they put him to death; but if only guilty of
accidental manslaughter
then they delivered him up to his city of refuge for
safety
where he was to abide
until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days; see Numbers 35:25
then shall the slayer return
and come unto his own city
and unto
his own house
unto the city from whence he fled; and live with his family
in the enjoyment of his possessions and estates
honours
and privileges
belonging to him
as before; see Numbers 35:28.
Verse 7
And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in Mount Naphtali
.... Of which
see Joshua 19:37; the
appointment of this and the two cities following was made by the children of
Israel at this time:
and Shechem in Mount Ephraim; called Sichem
Genesis 12:6; and
Shechem from a prince of that name that possessed it
Genesis 34:2; it
fell to the lot of the tribe of Ephraim; its name in the New Testament is
Sychar
John 4:5; and it is
now called Neapolis
or Naplouse:
and Kirjatharba
which is Hebron
in the mountain of Judah; it stood in
the hill country of Judea
Luke 1:39; of which
see Joshua 14:15. There
seems to be a difficulty here
since this city was before given to Caleb
Joshua 14:13; and
yet afterwards given to the Levites
and appointed a city of refuge. The Jews
reconcile this by observing
that the city and suburbs were given to the
Levites
and fixed for a city of refuge; but the villages and fields
and
country around it
and belonging to it
were given to Caleb
Joshua 21:12; and
Abarbinel makes no doubt that the children of Judah gave something else to
Caleb in lieu of it. As these cities of refuge were typical of Christ
as has
been observed on Numbers 35:29;
their names are applicable to him. "Kedesh" signifies
"holy" or "holiness"; Christ is holy in both his natures
divine and human; and so abundantly qualified to be the Mediator
Saviour
and
Redeemer; and is the fountain of holiness to his people
and is made
sanctification to them
Psalm 16:10 1 Corinthians 1:30;
and "Shechem" signifies the "shoulder"; and not only the
government of the church and people of God is on the shoulder of Christ
but
all their sins have been laid upon him
and bore by him; and every particular
soul in conversion
every lost sheep
is looked up by him
and taken up and
brought home on his shoulder
Isaiah 9:6 Luke 15:4.
"Hebron" signifies "fellowship"; in the effectual calling
the saints are called into fellowship with Christ
and their fellowship is with
the Father
and his Son Jesus Christ; through him they have access to God
and
communion with him now
and shall have uninterrupted communion with him to all
eternity
1 Corinthians 1:9 John 17:24.
Verse 8
And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward
.... In the
country possessed by the tribes of Reuben and Gad
and the half tribe of
Manasseh:
they assigned Bezer in the wilderness
upon the plain
out of the
tribe of Reuben
and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad
and Golan in
Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh; of these places
and the
signification of their names
and of the application of them to Christ
the
antitype of the cities of refuge; see Gill on Deuteronomy 4:43.
These last cities were not appointed now
they were appointed in the times of
Moses
and severed by him
Deuteronomy 4:41;
nor are they here said to be appointed
but to be assigned or "given"F3נתנו "dederunt"
Pagninus
Montanus
Junius &
Tremellius
Piscator. ; they were now delivered up into the hands of the
Levites for cities of refuge
for they were before severed for that use; they
were not
according to the JewsF4Misn. Maccot
c. 2. sect. 4.
Maimon. Hilchot Rotzeach
c. 8. sect. 2
3.
made use of as such
until the
other three were appointed.
Verse 9
These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel
.... For the
common use of them all
and not for that tribe only in which they stood:
and for the stranger that sojourneth among them; not only for
the proselytes of righteousness
but for the proselytes of the gate also
as
well as for the natives of Israel; Christ is a refuge for Jews and Gentiles
for all sinners that flee to him:
that whosoever killeth any person unawares might flee thither; and find
shelter and safety:
and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood; getting
thither before he could overtake him:
until he stood before the congregation: either before
the congregation
the elders of the city
or court of judicature in the city of
refuge
or before the court of his own city
from whence he fled
if summoned
thither.
──《John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible》