Jesus, our Refuge, bore a guilty world upon His shoulder. The ancients
had a fabled Atlas, who was supposed to carry the earth on his
shoulders. Jesus Christ is the true ATLAS. "_Surely He hath borne our
griefs and carried our sorrows!_"[24] All the sins of all His people
Jesus bore for ever away. Think of that heavy load which bowed Him down
to the ground in the garden of Gethsemane, and caused drops of blood to
fall from His brow! No other one _but_ Jesus could have carried such an
awful load and burden as this. No angel or archangel could have done so.
Jesus, being God, was alone "able to save unto the uttermost."[25] He is
the only "sure foundation" that could sustain all the building.[26]
With any other, it would have fallen into a mass of ruins.
But I love not only to visit the old city of _Shechem_, and to think of
Jesus bearing the guilt of His people on His _shoulders_, but I like to
think of Him as the true SHECHEM _now_. He is our _Shechem_ at God's
right hand. "The government is upon His SHOULDER."[27] The Church and
the world are upheld by Him. Believers--the poorest, the weakest, the
humblest--are on the _shoulders_ of Jesus. He is bearing the weight of
them all; loving them all, attending to them all, interceding for them
all. All that befalls me, Jesus orders. Food and raiment, health and
strength, friends and home, are gifts from Him. Every tear I shed, He
knows it, He appoints it. If he sends me sorrow and trial, I will go and
enter the gates of this city SHECHEM, and remember, "_Jesus_ (Jesus, who
died for me) bears me on his _shoulder_!"
Moses speaks of God conducting the children of Israel through the
wilderness of old as a kind father carries on his shoulder his weak and
weary child. "_Thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a
man doth bear his son._"[28] And David says in an hour of trouble, "_I
am poor and needy, yet the Lord_ (lit) _carries_ me on his heart."[29]
I like to look at that New Testament picture--Jesus, the good Shepherd,
carrying a bleating sheep or lamb back on His shoulder to the fold. That
poor wanderer had gone astray on the dark mountains; but the great and
gracious Shepherd had gone after it "until He found it; and when He
_had_ found it, _He laid it on His SHOULDERS, rejoicing_."[30]
Young reader, what _perfect_ security and safety you have in Jesus, and
in His Gospel City! Far, far more so than the manslayer had of old in
his. I daresay, even although he was delivered from the Avenger, the
Hebrew refugee could not help at times dreading lest the other might
come upon him secretly. I daresay, at night, on his lonely couch, he
would sometimes dream of the Goel stealing beside his pillow, and he
would start from his unquiet sleep at the scaring vision. Not so in the
case of those who have fled to the "Gospel Refuge." They can say in
sweet confidence, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; because
thou, Lord, only makest me to dwell in safety."[31] He who is their
"_Keeper_" says of them, "_They shall never perish; neither shall any
pluck them out of my hand._"[32]
[Illustration: Hebron]
Third City--Hebron.
Hebron is the most ancient of all the cities of Canaan. It was as old,
if not older, than Damascus, and was built seven years before Zoar in
Egypt. After wandering about from place to place in the land of promise,
pitching their tents and altars, it was here the patriarchs had, for the
first time, a settled home. We need not wonder at their selection of the
old Canaanite city, on the peaceful slope of the southern hills,
nestling amid olive-groves and terebinths, and looking down on one of
the most fertile valleys in Palestine, with its orchards and
corn-fields. On its eastern height is the spot which gives it to this
day perhaps its most sacred interest--the cave of Machpelah, where the
dust of the patriarchs has reposed for four thousand years. It must have
been outside its walls that the angels appeared to Abraham, when he was
seated at his tent door. The adjoining height is pointed out as the
place from which the patriarch saw the smoke of burning Sodom rising
from its own deep valley. It was in Hebron David was anointed king over
Israel. It was amid its vineyards and mountain-slopes that John the
Baptist grew up as a little boy, before he appeared in the wilderness of
Judea, to tell of One mightier than he, "whose shoe-latchet" he was
"not worthy to unloose."[33]
What does the name HEBRON tell of Christ?
In Hebrew it means "_fellowship_," "_society_," "_friendship_." JESUS
has brought guilty man into fellowship with God. On account of sin we
had forfeited this fellowship. We had made God not our friend, but our
enemy. We were cut off from communion with all that is holy and happy.
Angels, in their errands of mercy through the universe, passed by our
world; they could hold no intercourse with those who had rebelled
against their Creator. Can none bridge this wide gulf which separates
between earth and heaven? Can no ladder be let down by which happy
angels can descend once more on their visits of love, and fallen man
once more be raised up to hold "fellowship" with God and holy creatures?
JESUS is the true HEBRON--the true ladder of Jacob let down from heaven
and reaching to earth. Jesus has "reconciled things on earth and things
in heaven,"[34] He hath "raised us up together, and made us sit together
in heavenly places."[35] We who were once "afar off" have been "brought
nigh by the blood of Christ."[36]
I trust many who read this will love often to visit in thought the old
city of the patriarchs, and to dwell on its name and meaning,
"_fellowship_." Think of what _you_ would have been without Jesus, your
Hebron-City of Refuge,--a poor outcast in creation, an alien from all
that is holy and happy. But by Jesus all is changed. God is your
Father--Christ is your elder Brother. In Him, God loves you,--angels
visit you,--the Holy Spirit teaches you,--heaven is open for you. You
are enrolled as a citizen of the great _Hebron_ above--"the city which
hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Christ has made you
to be members of the great heavenly family; so that the little child who
loves Jesus, is brother or sister to the archangel before the throne!
You may be deprived of human friendship and fellowship. The brother or
sister, the father or mother, or friend you once dearly loved, may be
laid in some earthly Machpelah--some silent grave. But rejoice! nothing
can separate you from a better friend and more lasting fellowship.
Though all earthly joys were to perish, you can always rush within the
gates of that mighty Hebron of refuge, and say, "_Truly our_
'FELLOWSHIP' _is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ_."
"Earthly friends may pain and grieve me,
One day kind, the next they leave me;
But this Friend can ne'er deceive me--
Oh, how He loves!"
[Illustration: Bezer]
Fourth City--Bezer.
BEZER was situated beyond the Jordan, in the tribe of Reuben. Although
its precise site has not been discovered, we may infer that it was
perched on one of the many rocky heights among the mountains of
_Abarim_,--perhaps a spur of the great mount Nebo, from whose summit
Moses was permitted, before death, to get a view of the Land of Promise.
The northern portion of the waters of the Dead Sea would be seen from
it, and the pastoral mountains of Judah in the distance. From its name,
as well as from its being a border town, and subject to attack from the
warlike tribe of Moab, Bezer would probably be strongly
fortified,--similar, perhaps, in this respect to the towns in the
neighbourhood, with which the Israelites were so struck on their first
approach to Canaan, with "their walls great and high, reaching to
heaven."
What does the name BEZER tell of Christ?
It literally means "_stronghold_," or Rock. Jesus is the believer's
BEZER. The sinner is in danger everywhere else, but in Jesus he is safe.
He is invited to "turn to the STRONGHOLD" as a "prisoner of hope," and
once within its gates, "though an host encamp against him," he need
"fear no evil."
What a mighty force _does_ encamp against him! There is _God's Holy
Law_, with all its terrible threatenings and curses. But sheltered in
the true BEZER he can triumphantly say, "It is God that justifieth: who
is he that condemneth?"[37]
There is _Satan_, with his artful wiles and countless temptations. He
was once a bright angel himself. He knows what holiness and happiness
are. But being now a wicked spirit, he would make others as wicked and
unhappy as himself. He is spoken of in the Bible as "a strong man
armed."[38] But Jesus is "stronger" than this strong man. If you have
fled for refuge to this great gospel _Bezer_, seated within its secure
bulwarks you can joyfully exclaim, "_I will say of the Lord, He is my
rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whose
I will put my trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my
high tower._"[39]
There is your own _Wicked Heart_, with its sinful thoughts, and vain
imaginations, and deep corruptions--for a man's worst foes are often
those of his own household. One of these heart-foes will tempt you to
tell a lie; another to swear; another to be dishonest; another to be
selfish; another to be passionate; another to be unkind. But He that is
_for_ you, is greater than they that are _against_ you. Safer than in
any earthly castle, you can take up your warrior-song, "_The name of the
Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is
safe._"[40]
There are the _Trials and Sorrows and Distresses of this world_,--those
things that cause sad hearts and tearful eyes. But that blessed
Saviour--your Rock and Stronghold--"knows your sorrows," for He felt
them. He marks your tears, for He shed the same himself. Fleeing to this
true BEZER in the time of affliction, you can dry your tears and sing,
"_God also will be a refuge for the distressed, a refuge in the time of
trouble; and they that know thy name shall put their trust in
thee._"[41]
And there is _Death_, the last enemy of all. But even over this King of
terrors and Terror of kings, you can shout in triumph from your Divine
shelter, "_O death, where is thy sting?... Thanks be to God, who giveth
me the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ._"[42]
And Jesus is a Stronghold for _all_. I have already spoken of the little
children of old rushing to its gates,--infants smiling fearless in the
Saviour's arms. He combines the majesty of Deity with the tenderness of
man. If He had been the great God alone, you might have been awed at the
thought of going to Him. But what says the prophet Isaiah of this true
BEZER?--"_A MAN shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest._"[43] He Himself says in another scripture, "_I will
turn mine hand upon the little ones._"[44]
In one of the great strongholds that were besieged in our last Indian
rebellion, the Christian mothers were wont to hush their infants asleep
by singing, "_God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble._" My young friends, "_as one whom his mother comforteth_," so
is God willing to "_comfort you_;" and here is His word of comfort:
"_The Lord is good, a STRONGHOLD in the day of trouble; and he knoweth
them that trust in him._"[45] In the old Cities of Refuge no weapons of
any kind were allowed to be made. Those who possessed them had to
surrender them. This is true in a nobler and better sense regarding the
Gospel Stronghold. There can be no deadly weapons forged there. Their
edge is blunted: "_There is now no condemnation to them that are in
Christ Jesus._"[46] Satan's armoury has been plundered; the "Stronger
than he" has "_taken from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and
divided the spoil_."[47]
I have said that the word BEZER means "_Rock_" as well as "stronghold."
"_Trust in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting
strength_," or, (marginal reading,) "THE ROCK OF AGES."[48] May you not
well say, with your eye on this glorious "Refuge"--
"Dear NAME, the ROCK on which I build,
My shield and _hiding-place_;
My never-failing treasury, fill'd
With boundless stores of grace!"
"ROCK of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee!"
[Illustration: Ramoth]
Fifth City--Ramoth.
RAMOTH was situated in Gilead, within the tribe of Gad, and somewhere
near the banks of the brook Jabbok, where, you know, Jacob wrestled in
prayer with the angel. It must have occupied a commanding position among
the beautifully-wooded glens of Gilead, and, like Bezer, been strongly
fortified. We infer this latter from the many sieges it had undergone.
Being not only, like the other, a border town of Palestine, but situated
in the direct route taken by the invading Syrian armies, it must have
been constantly exposed to hostile attacks.
You can think of Ramoth, then, among the hills and slopes on the other
side of the Jordan, with their forests of native oak, which the famous
"_bulls_ of Bashan" (herds of wild cattle) roamed at large; while more
peaceful flocks browsed on the meadows which fringed the
mountain-streams.
What does the name RAMOTH tell us regarding Christ?
_Ramoth_ literally means EXALTATION. Jesus is the true _Ramoth_; He is
"_exalted_ to be a Prince and a Saviour!" He was once lowly, despised,
rejected, crucified, slain. He compares Himself to a poor outcast and
exile amid these forests of Gilead: "_Many bulls have compassed me:
strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with
their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion._"[49] But having been
exalted on the cross as a _suffering_ Saviour, He is now exalted on the
throne as a _glorious_ King. "_God hath highly_ EXALTED
_Him_;"[50]--angels exalt Him--seraphs adore Him--saints praise Him--the
Church on earth magnifies Him--the Church redeemed in heaven will
magnify and exalt Him for ever and ever!
Young reader, delight often to walk around the walls of _Ramoth_, and
think of Jesus "exalted at God's right hand." He is there pleading your
cause. Though exalted, He has not forgotten the lowliest or humblest of
His people. He is the Greatest of all Beings, but He is the Kindest of
all too. The first time after His exaltation when He came down to earth
to speak to the aged apostle John, John wondered if the glories of
heaven had altered His love and tenderness. He remembered how often
before he used to lean on His bosom. When he looked, however, _now_,
upon the glorious Being that stood before him in His lustrous garment,
with "His eyes like a flame of fire," "he fell down at His feet like one
dead." But the same gentle hand touched him, the same gentle voice he
was wont to hear so often in past years, said to him, "Fear not!" How
sweet for us to think that we have _exalted_ on the highest throne of
the universe an unchanged and unchanging Saviour, an ever-living,
never-dying Friend.
"Though now ascended up on high,
He bends on earth a brother's eye."
JESUS is exalted in heaven, and exalted by all the glorious family of
heaven. But, alas! there is one place where He is often _not_ exalted,
but rather cast down, and that is the human heart. That heart has been
too truly compared to the inn of Bethlehem, where there was room for
every guest but the Lord of glory! Ye of tender years, whom Christ loved
so much on earth--whom He fondled in His arms of mercy; see that it is
not so with you. "My son," He says, "give me thine heart." See that He
is enthroned there as Lord of all. Exalt Him in everything: in your
thoughts, in your words, in your deeds. Welcome Him, as the children of
the temple welcomed Him to Jerusalem of old. Take up their song, and
sing, "_Hosannah to the Son of David! hosannah in the highest!_"
"When, His salvation bringing,
To Zion Jesus came,
The children follow'd singing
Hosanna to His name.
Nor was the Lord offended
That children joined the throng;
But smiled that they attended,
And loved to hear their song.
"And since the Lord retaineth
His love for children still,
Though now as King He reigneth
On Zion's heavenly hill;
We'll humbly come before Him
To celebrate His praise,
And while His saints adore Him,
Our youthful voices raise."
[Illustration: Golan]
Sixth City--Golan.
GOLAN was situated in Bashan, in the tribe of Manasseh, among the
pastoral hills north of the lake of Gennesaret. It formed the most
northerly Refuge-Sanctuary on the east side of Jordan, as Kedesh did on
the west; but there are no particular events connected with it in Bible
story.
What does the name of this last City of Refuge tell us regarding
_Jesus_?
_Golan_ literally signifies _Joy_. Jesus is truly the _Golan_ of His
people; they may have many others, but He is their "chief joy!" Well may
they call Him GOLAN; for not one joy could have ever visited them had
it not been for _Him_. The world would have been to them, from first to
last, a "valley of Baca," (weeping,) had not Jesus died for their sins,
and saved their souls. Well might the angel say, when he came to the
plains of Bethlehem to announce the Saviour's birth, "_Behold, I bring
you good tidings of_ GREAT JOY!"
There is not one step the Christian takes but Jesus is GOLAN to
him--"joy." He is straying, a lost sheep on the dark mountains, in
search of peace: Jesus meets him, and says, "_Your sins are all forgiven
you_;"--he is joyful at _that_. He is wandering a prodigal from his
Father's house: Jesus brings him to his lost home, and calls him His
own child; and he is joyful at _that_. He has to travel a long and
dreary journey ere he reaches his true home in heaven: Jesus gives him
His arm to lean upon; and he "goes on his way _rejoicing_." He has many
fiery trials to try him: Jesus tells him not to think these "strange,"
but rather to "_rejoice_," inasmuch as He is "partaker with him in his
sufferings."[51] He has, at last, to walk through the dark Valley: Jesus
meets him there, and supports him there. He sees "the King in His
beauty," and the land that is yet "afar off;" and, believing, "_he
rejoices with joy unspeakable and full of glory_."[52] When Jesus
beholds him from His throne in judgment, what are to be His blessed
words of welcome? "_Enter ye into the_ JOY _of your Lord_."[53] And
when, as a ransomed one, he enters the streets of the New Jerusalem, at
whose feet is it that he is to cast, through all eternity, his crown?
"In thy presence," O Saviour God, is "fullness of JOY!"
Young reader, love often to gaze on the walls of this City of Refuge.
The sacred writer, in giving the list of these six cities, seems to have
kept it to the last because it is a happy word, and speaks of the happy
prospects of all those that love the Lord Jesus. Believe me, there is no
true _joy_ but in God. The joy of the wicked is like that of a noisy
stream--noisy because it is shallow. The joy, on the other hand, which
Jesus gives, is like a great river,--deep, calm, ever-flowing,
overflowing;--not full in winter and dry in summer, but full, and clear,
and refreshing all the year long. It may be always truly said of Jesus,
the great Gospel Refuge, and of those who have fled to Him, what was
said of old about Samaria, "There was great JOY in that CITY."[54] It
was the object of all that Christ did and said on earth to give you this
joy. "_These things have I spoken unto you_," says He, "_that my_ JOY
_might remain in you, and that your_ JOY _might be full_."[55] Love Him
now, and serve Him now and follow Him now, that you may come at last to
the true Golan, in His glorious presence above, and "REJOICE
_evermore_!"
"Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I'll sing Thy power to save,
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave.
"Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared,
Unworthy though I be,
For me a blood-bought, free reward,
A golden harp for me!
"'Tis strung, and tuned, for endless years,
And form'd, by power divine,
To sound in God the Father's ears
No other NAME but Thine!"