THE CITIES

OF REFUGE. 113

LXXIT.

y HE fPITIES OF FREFUGE.

yes C& |HE Israelites now all as-
IO sembled at Shiloh, and
2) there they set up the
=| tabernacle; for this was

the place God had ap-
pointed; and here the sacrifices
were to be offered.

There were six cities, among the
forty-eight belonging to the Levites,
called cities of refuge. They were
in different parts of Canaan, and
their names were Kedesh, Shechem,
Bezer, Hebron, Ramoth, and Golan.
These cities were appointed by com-
mand of God. Why?
the Sixth Commandment, “ Thou
shalt do no murder;” and God told
Moses that murderers must be pun-
ished with death. But sometimes
a man might kill another without
wishing to do it; without being
angry, or hating the person he
killed; he might kill him by acci-
dent; he might throw a stone when
he did not see any one, and the
stone might fall on the head of a
man, and kill him. Was the man
who threw the stone a murderer?
Must he be put to death? No, God
did not wish this; that man was
not like a cruel murderer who hates
his neighbors, and waits slily for
him, and at last kills him. God
made a way of escape for the man-
slayer. The manslayer was to run
directly to one of the cities of ref-

 
     

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killed; he was to run to the city,
and the Levites there would take
care of him: but he was not to go
out of the city till the High Priest
died, and then he might return
home. The roads to the cities of
refuge were broad and smooth: the
manslayer could run very quickly
along them; there were bridges over
the rivers and streams; and at the
cross roads, large stones, and the
words, “Refuge, Refuge,” written
upon them. So the manslayer had
no need to stay to ask his way, and
he could always escape to a city of
refuge, and be there safely before
night. But if he lingered on the
road, or staid to rest, the friends of
the dead man might overtake him
and kill him; and nothing could
save the manslayer then. He was
safe in the city of refuge, and there
alone.

Jesus Christ is our refuge. If we
run to Him, believe in Him, pray to
Him, ask Him to save us, we are safe,
as safe as the manslayer was in the
refuge city. But if we do not fly to
Christ, we can have none to save us;
and then we must perish. Let us
go to Him directly, without waiting
or lingering. He is always ready to
receive us: He says, He will not
cast out those who come to Him,
But, if we linger, we may perish
before we reach the place of safety,

uge; he was not to wait; if he were | and where shall we be then?

found on the road he might be