There were six cities in the land of Canaan which were set apart as
places of refuge, to which a man might flee if he had, either by
accident or design, killed another. These cities were easy of access.
Three were on the west side of the river Jordan, and three on the east
side. Every year the roads leading to them were examined, to see that
they were in good condition, and that there was nothing in the way to
stop the manslayer as he was running from his pursuer. At different
points there were the guide-boards, and on them were written, Refuge!
Refuge!
If any man by accident killed another, and reached one of these cities
before his pursuer, he was allowed to stay there until the death of
the high-priest who was then living. But if in anger a man had
purposely killed another, then, although he sought refuge in one of
these cities, he was given up to the avenger of blood to be slain. You
will find more about these cities and their names if you will read the
thirty-fifth chapter of Numbers, the nineteenth chapter of
Deuteronomy, and the twentieth chapter of Joshua.
But what interest can boys and girls and all older persons have in
these cities?
I will try to tell you. God has different ways of teaching. A great
many things about which we read in the Old Testament are what is
called types. A type, in scripture language, means a pattern or a
likeness to a person who is to come, or to an event which is to take
place. It is supposed to point forward to something more valuable than
itself. Thus, for example, the blood of the lamb which was slain on
the Jewish altar was a type, or a foreshowing, of the crucifixion of
Jesus Christ for our salvation. Hence John the Baptist pointing to the
Saviour, said to his disciples, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world." John 1:29. The paschal lamb, which was
slain to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from the bondage of
Egypt, and the lamb which was offered daily, both morning and evening,
in the service of the temple, were representations of the greater
sacrifice which Christ came from heaven to make for our salvation.
So the land of Canaan was a type of heaven. The lifting up of the
brazen serpent on a pole was a type of our Saviour's crucifixion; and
the cities of refuge were a beautiful type of Jesus Christ, who is the
sinner's refuge.
You know, my dear children, that we have all sinned, and that we all
need a place of safety. The avenger says, "Thou shalt surely die."
Escape for thy life. But that we may not die eternally, God has given
us the Bible as our guide-board; and the Bible is constantly pointing
to Jesus Christ as the sinner's refuge. He is our hiding-place. It is
to him Isaiah refers when he says, "And a man shall be as a
hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers
of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary
land."
The way to our city of refuge is plain. "I am the way," is the
Saviour's own direction. The gate is always open, and the assurance
is, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
I want you to remember, dear children, that it is a great deal easier
to run to this city of refuge when you are young, than it will be if
you put it off until you are older. The promise of the Saviour is,
"Those that seek me early shall find me." Will you not seek him when
he may be found? How sad it will be if you neglect to do so. You will
need a refuge when the tempest of God's judgments shall burst upon the
wicked. Oh, then how glad you will be if you can say, as David said of
his trust in God, "Thou art my hiding-place; thou shalt preserve me
from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance."