Jesus Our Refuge Joshua 20:1-9 Centuries ago in Medieval England, the law of that day provided a way for criminals to find refuge. Anyone who broke the law could travel to the Durham Cathedral in the north of England and plead for asylum. When the offender arrived, they would bang on the door of the cathedral and wait for a priest to answer. Upon entering the church, they were required to confess their crime to the priest and surrender any weapon they had. The priest, in turn, would toll the church bell to alert the citizens of Durham that someone was seeking asylum. Once inside the cathedral, the offender was protected from anyone wanting revenge. They had 37 days to decide whether to stand trial or to leave the country. If an offender chose to leave - the law afforded them nine days to exit the borders of England. Those who decided to leave the realm were required to wear a white robe and carry a wooden cross for the duration of their journey. Amazingly, this law of asylum remained in place for several centuries. Throughout the years, the principle remained the same: If you committed a crime, you could run to the church for protection. It’s hard for us to imagine having such a law here in America today. We’re guided by the belief that if lawbreakers are set free with impunity, respect for the law disappears. For very different reasons, do you have a safe place where you like to go when life becomes overwhelming? Do you like to go to the beach or to the mountains – somewhere to get away from the difficulties of life? Some people don’t have the luxury of doing that. Instead, they listen to music or watch a movie on television or they call a friend. Others engage in some form of physical activity like running, walking or cycling to offload stress. I’d like to talk with you today about finding refuge in God. Psalm 46:1 says that: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Our study in the book of Joshua brings us to chapter 20. After the tribes of Israel were established in the land of promise, God instructed Joshua to designate six cities of refuge where people could run to in a time of crisis. These cities belonged to the Levites. The Levites were the priests of Israel. Three of these cities were located on the west side of the Jordan River and three on the east side of the Jordan. Wherever someone might be in the land of promise, they were never more than 30 miles away from a city of refuge. 2 Why did God command Joshua to establish these cities? Let’s put this into context. When God gave His law to Moses, it was stipulated that if someone murdered a person - the closest relative of the victim was to exact punishment on the killer. This is commonly referred to as the law of retribution - or the lex talionis. Retribution was one of the cornerstones of Israel’s penal code. This is clearly spelled out in the 24th chapter of Leviticus. Retribution was not only lawful – it was considered to be a religious duty. The cities of refuge were established for a person who accidentally took the life of someone. The person who did that could flee to one of those cities and find protection from those who sought revenge. God established the cities of refuge as a safeguard against blood feuds and the miscarriage of justice. A person fleeing to one of the cities was afforded the opportunity to have their case heard by the elders of the city. Upon hearing the evidence - the elders would then determine that person’s guilt or innocence. If a person was found innocent, they could live in that city and be safe from their avenger. If they were found guilty, they would be expelled from the city. Effectively, they became fair game to those who wanted to settle the score. There was a very interesting provision to living in a city of refuge. To remain safe, the person who fled there had to remain in the city until the Chief Priest died. When the Chief Priest died, that person could no longer be pursued and killed. In a strange way, the death of the Chief Priest served as a payment for the life you took. Reflect on that for a moment. Let’s consider some foundational lessons found in this 20th chapter of Joshua. Early on in Scripture, God established a very important principle: 1. Human life is sacred and valuable. Murder was not only an offence against society - it was an offence against the God who created that person in His image. When God made a covenant with Noah in chapter 9 of Genesis, He said: Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. All of us know that capital punishment is the focus of a furious debate in our culture today. Many of us wonder: Does the Bible sanction capital punishment? It’s undeniably clear that God established capital punishment 3 in the Mosaic law. But did God set aside capital punishment after the time of Jesus? In other words, does the teaching of Jesus and others who wrote the New Testament supersede what’s taught in the Old Testament? It comes as no surprise that believers are on both side of this debate. Christians who are against capital punishment hold the position that Christ's death on the cross ended the requirement for blood recompense. They hold the position that because Jesus died for the sins of humanity, justice should be tempered with mercy. Christians who are for capital punishment say that the New Testament acknowledges the existence of the death penalty. Paul, in Romans chapter 13, acknowledges the fact that the state (not a private citizen) has the authority to exact capital punishment. Paul said that God has established government to restrain evil and to preserve society. His main point in Romans 13 is that Christians should abide by the laws of the land. Let’s consider another dimension of this. The sanctity of life is the reason hot button issues like abortion on demand, doctor assisted suicide and medical cloning are opposed by many believers. Those who hold a high view of the sanctity of life contend that any time any life is treated with callous disregard - all of life is devalued. The question of when does life begin isn’t the only hot button issue in our culture today – people are debating a question at the other end of spectrum: When does life end? Does life end when a person stops breathing naturally and they have no brain waves? Is it right to keep a person alive artificially when there’s no hope of resuscitation? Clearly, the Bible has a high view of the sanctity of life. There’s a second reason why God established cities of refuge: 2. Cities of refuge established a system of justice. Those who fled to a city of refuge were given shelter until the all the evidence of a case was weighed by the elders – who served as judges. In the end, a person would either be acquitted if they were found to be innocent – or they were expelled from the city if they were found to be guilty. If they were innocent, they would be granted protection and allowed to live in that city of refuge. If they were guilty, this effectively meant turning them over to their avenger. Now, there’s another application of this passage that I’d like us to consider today. As we look in the New Testament, the writer of the book of Hebrews 4 touches on this concept of refuge. We read these words in chapter 6 of Hebrews: Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. The imagery of this passage reflects a story found in the Old Testament book of 1 Kings chapters 1-2. I’ll briefly summarize. David’s son Adonijah wanted to be king instead of his brother Solomon. Adonijah had a plan to take the throne, but David made Solomon King before Adonijah’s plan could be carried out. Adonijah was afraid that his brother Solomon would have him killed for treason - so he fled to the tabernacle and hid out. Adonijah believed the tabernacle was a place where he would be safe from harm. It’s not terribly uncommon these days to hear of someone seeking refuge or sanctuary inside a church. Usually, that person wants the church to protect them from deportation. The author of Hebrews tells believers that Jesus is our refuge. Jesus is our protector. In Jesus, we find refuge from the curse of sin and the punishment of eternal condemnation. There are some ways that the cities of refuge typify our relationship with Jesus. Let me touch on three of these: a. The cities of refuge were appointed by God. In the same way, God is the One who has provided the way of salvation through His Son. The book of Hebrews tells us that God is the author and finisher of our faith. b. The cities of refuge were accessible to everyone – including Gentiles. As I said a few moments ago, wherever a person was in Israel, they were never more than 30 miles away from a city of refuge.