turn with me in your Bibles to Numbers chapter 35. The scripture reading this evening is the whole chapter of Numbers 35. The text for the preaching is verses 9 through 34 and we will not reread that passage due to its length, but it will be profitable to keep our Bibles open to this portion of God's Word as we sit under the preaching together. Numbers 35, beginning at verse 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan, near Jericho, saying, Command the children of Israel that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in. And ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them. And the cities shall they have to dwell in and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle and for their goods and for all their beasts. And the suburbs of the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about. And ye shall measure from without the city, outside the city, on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits. And the city shall be in the midst. This shall be to them the suburbs of the cities. And among the cities which he shall give unto the Levites, there shall be six cities for refuge, which he shall appoint for the manslayer that he may flee thither. And to them ye shall add forty and two cities. So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities. Them shall ye give with their suburbs. And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel. From them that have many ye shall give many, but from them that have few ye shall give few. Every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth. And now the words of the text. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan, then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares, unintentionally. And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer die not until he stand before the congregation in judgment. And of these cities which ye shall give, six cities shall ye have for refuge. Ye shall give three cities on this side, Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan. on the other side of Jordan, which shall be cities of refuge. These six cities shall be a refuge both for the children of Israel and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that everyone that killeth any person unawares may flee thither. And if you smite him, And now these are some distinctions that are being made. And if you smite him with an instrument of iron so that he die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. And if you smite him with throwing a stone wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. Or if he smite him with a hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer. When he meeteth him, he shall slay him. But if ye thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of weight, that he die, or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die, he that smote him shall surely be put to death, for he is a murderer. The revenger of blood shall slay the murderer when he meeteth him. If he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him anything without laying of weight, or with any stone wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm. Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood, according to these judgments. And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood. And the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled. And he shall abide in it until the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil. But if the slayer shall at any time come without, outside the border of the city of his refuge, whether he was fled, and the revenger of blood find him without, outside the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer, he shall not be guilty of blood. because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer shall return into the land of his possession. So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses, but one witness shall not testify against any man to cause him to die. Moreover, ye shall take no satisfaction, no payment, no ransom for the life of a murderer which is guilty of death, but he shall be surely put to death. And ye shall take no satisfaction of him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land until the death of the priest. So you shall not pollute the land wherein ye are. For blood, it defileth the land. And the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell. For I, the Lord, dwell among the children of Israel. So far we read God's holy and infallible word. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, although we don't hear much about these cities of refuge from the Old Testament Bible stories that maybe we read when we grow up or that are taught to us when we grow up, the fact is these cities of refuge do have a prominent place among the laws that God gives his people Israel. There's actually four different places where these cities of refuge are spoken of and where instruction is given regarding them. First of all, very strikingly, at the very beginning of Israel's history as a nation, when Israel was still at Mount Sinai, And God gave them the very first laws. In those very first laws that God gave his people, you find a reference to these cities of refuge. In Exodus 21, verses 12 and 13, right away in the first laws that God gives his people, sometimes it's called the Book of the Covenant, in that first set of laws, God says, that if a man accidentally kills his neighbor, God will provide him a place to flee to, to find refuge. So already at Mount Sinai, God tells his people that he has this provision in mind for them when they get to the promised land. Second, we have this account in Numbers 35, which gives us the details of these cities of refuge in full. I read this passage tonight because this is the longest description in the Bible of these cities of refuge. And then third, we have another account in Deuteronomy 19, verses 1 through 13, which adds a few more details to what we read tonight. And then fourth, we have the account in Joshua chapter 20, where God commands Joshua to actually establish these cities of refuge after they have conquered the land of Canaan, or actually just kind of made the beginning of conquering the land of Canaan. And if you know that history, and we read it in the scripture reading, there were six cities of refuge, three on the east side of the Jordan River, three on the west side of the Jordan River, two in the north, two in the middle, and two in the south on either side of the Jordan River. With so many references to these cities of refuge, it's clear that God sees these cities as important and significant for the lives of his people. And what we should especially appreciate is the spiritual significance of these cities. Obviously, these cities are important for regulating the physical lives of these people in Old Testament Israel. And there's definitely things for us to appreciate in that respect. We'll have to look at these things in the sermon tonight. A big chunk of the sermon has to do with that. There are things here that we have to learn about justice and about having good rules in society and what God is concerned with. But there's also something spiritual to be gleaned from these cities of refuge because Israel wasn't just any physical nation and the land of Canaan wasn't just any earthly land. But these were God's people. The land was the inheritance God was giving them. The land was really a picture of the spiritual inheritance that is in Jesus Christ. And so also these rules themselves in their own way contribute to that and point to Jesus Christ and the inheritance that we have in Jesus Christ. And that's what these cities of refuge are doing too and these laws. In their own way, these cities of refuge are pointing us ahead to Jesus. They are pointing us ahead to see Jesus as our own city of refuge, the one unto whom we are to flee when we see the guilt of our sins and when we see the horror of what our sins have done. When you see what should be coming to you because of the guilt of your sins, flee to Jesus Christ. He is the one whose name is a strong tower. He is the one whose name is a city of refuge. And those who run into him are safe. That's what we want to see in the preaching tonight. We take as our theme, the cities of refuge. We look at three things. First, we look at who they, or what they were. Second, we look at the principles that they teach. And third, we look at their application for us today. To really understand these cities of refuge, there's some background information that we should know because there's a context here and it's a context that we need to appreciate and understand. I have three things to mention by way of background information. And one of the first things that we need to appreciate to really understand these cities of refuge is this, the sacredness of human life. That's where we need to start. Human life is sacred. All human life is special. And what that means is this, whenever a human life is taken, whenever a person is killed, either intentionally or unintentionally, it is a matter of utmost seriousness. With these cities of refuge, the very first thing that God is impressing upon his people, the very first thing that God is reiterating, one of the first things that we should be picking up as we read this material is that to put an end to any man's life under any circumstances, is a serious thing. And why is that the case? It's the case because man was originally made in the image of God. It's the case because man is something higher than a mere animal. Man was originally created in the image of God. And because he was originally created in the image of God, there is inherent value in man. There is inherent worth in man. Man is special. The life of man is special. And this is something that God made clear not only on the sixth day of creation by the way that he formed man, forming him of the dust of the earth and breathing into his nostrils the breath of life, but this was something that God made clear and made a special point of emphasizing after the worldwide flood. Maybe you remember that. After God sends the worldwide flood so that all human life is destroyed except for Noah and his family, God specifically comes to Noah, and in Genesis 9, verses five and six, he emphasizes that the consequences for taking a human life is death. Evidently, the violence of man on the earth was so great before the flood that now, after the flood, God imposes a duty upon mankind to punish murderers with death. And so what we read in Genesis 9 verses 5 and 6 is this, God comes to Noah after the flood and says, And surely your blood of your lives will I require, at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man. At the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. And then he really explains that language, what God is saying there with these words, verse six. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed. For in the image of God made he man. That's an ordinance that God imposes upon the human race. That's the ordinance of capital punishment. And the idea is this, when a man commits murder, that man must be put to death by his fellow man. That's the ordinance that God gives to mankind. And by the way, that's an ordinance that has never been revoked. This is a law that man is still called to follow today. When a man rises up and kills another man, that man must be put to death. and civil governments are given exactly this responsibility and this power to exercise the sword power so that this ordinance of God is maintained on the earth. And this is part of their duty because this is an ordinance of God. And what's the reason for such an ordinance? Well, God gives it in Genesis 9 verse 6 when he says, For whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed. For, now this, in the image of God made he man. And that gets us back to where we started and what I said earlier. Man was originally made in the image of God. So the point is this, man is inherently different than the animals. And even now, after the fall into sin, after man has lost the image of God so that he no longer spiritually reflects God in his image, right? What's the image of God? Righteousness, holiness, and true knowledge. That's what God looks like. And when man was made in the image of God, he was made to reflect that, made in righteousness and holiness and true knowledge. And after the fall, when man loses that, Image of God. Nevertheless, nevertheless, man still has unique value and still has unique worth and his life is still precious. God counts all human life as very, very precious. And what is the result? The result is this, that even when human life is taken away unintentionally, there are still consequences. Such is the preciousness of human life. Such is the costliness of destroying human life that when somebody kills somebody else, even if it is accidental, there are still consequences. There's still an offense. that has taken place in the eyes of God, there's still blood that has been shed. And as verse 33 puts it, blood pollutes the land. Blood defiles the land. There's a sense that when someone is killed by someone else, there's still a payment that needs to be made. And we'll see that later on in the sermon. This passage itself is teaching us these things. There's still some sense of burden that falls on the one who killed his neighbor accidentally. So that's the first thing that we need to appreciate. That's the first part of the background context. The second thing that we need to appreciate is this whole idea of the avenger of blood. In Numbers 35, reference is made to this avenger of blood or revenger of blood as if we know who this revenger of blood is and what the idea is behind the term. Maybe we do, maybe we don't. Who is this avenger of blood? The term is used in verse 12. They shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger. It's used in verse 19. The revenger of blood, it's used in verse 24. Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood, and it's used in verse 27. And the revenger of blood. Who is this revenger of blood? Well that term, revenger of blood, refers exactly to the one who was given the responsibility to pursue the murderer after the murderer has killed his brother or sister. To make sure that that murderer is given his or her just punishment and is put to death according to the demands of Genesis 9 verses five and six. He's the one who is called to pursue justice. for his slain brother. The avenger of blood was usually the nearest blood relative of the person who was murdered. It was his sacred duty to make sure that capital punishment was carried out in the case that pertained to the killing of his own family member. It's interesting because in the Hebrew, that word avenger or that word revenger, same word, is the Hebrew word goel. And maybe that word sounds familiar because that's the exact same word that is translated elsewhere in the Bible as the word kinsman redeemer. Think of the book of Ruth. And I think we all know about the idea of a kinsman redeemer. Remember, Boaz was a kinsman redeemer. And how was he the kinsman redeemer? Well, he was the one who was supposed to rise up and protect the legacy and the property and the family heritage of his brother, Elimelech, who had died. In fact, if you remember the history, he wasn't even the first in line. There was another nearer kinsman who was supposed to step up and take the place, but he wasn't willing to do it because it was too costly for him. And so Boaz, the godly man that he is, rises up and performs that function and that work. I think also of Abraham. Maybe you remember the story when the five kings of the north come down and attack the five kings of the south, and they destroy the five kings, and they take everything captive, and they take Lot back with them. And then Abraham hears of this news, and he gets all his men, and he chases after those four kings of the north until he conquers them and rescues Lot. Well, that word kinsman-redeemer isn't used in that passage, but that's essentially what Abraham was doing. He was acting the part of the kinsman-redeemer. the avenger of blood, same term. Here's another example from the scripture. If a family member got so poor that he had to sell himself and his family into slavery, it was the calling of the kinsman redeemer, the avenger, if possible, to buy back that man's freedom. And now we learn in Numbers 35 that in cases where a man is murdered, it fell to the responsibility of the kinsman redeemer to make sure that the murderer was brought to justice. That's who this avenger of blood was. He was the kinsman redeemer. Now when we read this passage, it sounds as if this avenger of blood has this unrestricted right to rise up and kill the murderer on his own terms. And no doubt that is what sometimes happened. But that's not how it was supposed to happen. God emphasized to his people in the Old Testament that vengeance belongs to God alone. His people were not to put a murderer to death out of revenge or hatred, but out of a sense of upholding God's justice. And so that's exactly where this idea of these cities of refuge come from. It was a place of refuge where a man could go and he could be protected from personal revenge until the community had an opportunity to determine the nature of the crime and determine how justice was to be administered. So that's the second thing, the avenger of blood. This leads us to the third thing that we need to appreciate, and that's this. This is very simple. Accidents happen. Tragedies take place also in Old Testament Israel. And it happens where a man accidentally kills another man. Numbers 35 gives us a few of those examples in verses 22 and 23. In Deuteronomy 19, the parallel passage, it gives the example of two men going out into the woods to chop down trees and the one man's axe head flies off the handle and strikes the other man so that he dies. That's a tragic accident. I can think of examples that have happened in my lifetime where a man accidentally kills another man. And then the question arises, well, what happens here? What happens next? Because right now, let's remember the background. On the one hand, human life is precious. And there is a sense in which this human life has to count for something. There is a sense in which we should speak up about the terribleness of what has happened. And then there's the question for the kinsman redeemer himself, the avenger, what's he supposed to do in this situation? He no doubt feels the responsibility to rise up and pursue justice for his family and pursue the death of this man who has killed his brother. And yet, on the other hand, the reality is also this, there has to be a distinction made between a man who killed another man intentionally and a man who killed another man unintentionally. It wouldn't be just to give the same punishment to both the man who killed someone intentionally and another man who killed someone unintentionally. And so what God does is provide these cities of refuge. And I think by now the idea is obvious. In a situation where a man has accidentally killed his brother, his neighbor, That man would be able to flee to a city of refuge and find safety from the Avenger until proper hearing could be given. So scattered in the land of Canaan were six cities. Three on this side of the Jordan, three on this side of the Jordan. And they were evenly spread apart so that if anyone had to run to these cities, to one of these cities, it would take him perhaps a day or at most two days to reach one of these cities. And in the parallel passage in Deuteronomy 19, it even says that the people were supposed to prepare the way. These roads that were to lead to these cities of refuge were supposed to be clearly marked out and kept, maintained. And then you can also learn from outside of scripture, from other history, that there evidently were supposed to be signs. A rule was made that there should be signs at every intersection that pointed people to where the cities of refuge were to be found so that when they were fleeing, they could look at the sign and keep running. And what's interesting about these cities is that these were also Levitical cities. We read that at the beginning of chapter 35. And what's interesting about that is that the Levites were the ones who knew the law. They were the ones who handled the law and taught the people, and they were scattered. throughout the land. And they would have been able to provide more learning, perhaps even more sobriety or seriousness to the situation to help ensure that a fair hearing was given. So what we read in the Bible is this, a person would run to one of these refuge cities, he would present his case before the elders of the city, and he would be granted asylum. Then when the Avenger of Blood arrived at the city, he would make his argument as well. And then a trial would be set up, perhaps outside the city walls. That's a little unclear, but verse 25 would seem to present the idea that the trial was held outside the city of refuge, and then after the trial, a decision was made. If the man was found guilty of murder, he would be handed over to the Avenger of Blood, and he would be put to death. But if the man was only found guilty of manslaughter, that is accidental killing, well then he would be brought back into the city of refuge, and he would be protected from the Avenger of Blood. However, if the man was found guilty only of manslaughter, only of accidental killing, and not of murder, that man, although he would be able to go back to the city of refuge, he would never be able to leave that city of refuge again, except on the occasion of the death of the high priest. If the man left that city before the death of the high priest, he wouldn't be protected from the avenger of blood. The avenger of blood could come after him and seize him and have him put to death. And so evidently, how it would work was like this. If that man had a family, well that man could take his family with him into that city of refuge, but from that moment on, his whole life, was now to be lived within the walls of that city of refuge. He couldn't go back to his own farm, tend to his own fields or his own crops. He would have to take up an entirely new life in a new community. Even if he had killed this man by pure accident, the axe head flying off the handle. He would have to receive these consequences as simply part of God's providential dealings and providential government over his life. That's how these cities of refuge worked. As we keep looking at this, I want to move forward and consider the principles that these cities of refuge are teaching. And I've picked out two broad principles that I think are important for us to consider. And the first principle, I'm going to spend some time on this. The first principle is this. Look at how concerned God is about justice here. God is always a God of perfect justice. And in Numbers 35, we see that in a few different ways. First of all, notice what God emphasizes in verse 30. Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses, but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. What God is emphasizing there is the need for two or more witnesses. You need witnesses, and it is simply not proper to put a person to death solely on the basis of one witness. God cares for justice. Second of all, what is emphasized in verses 16 through 23, and perhaps even more clearly in the parallel passages in Deuteronomy and in Joshua chapter 20, is the idea of motive. Motive has to be taken into account. Motive, in fact, is a huge factor here. Look at the heart. Where was the heart of the man when he killed his neighbor? But the third thing I would point out, and I would emphasize this, this is really going back to something that has already been brought up. Notice the concern in this whole event with the sanctity of human life. I think that's worth emphasizing again. And notice the concern for the sanctity of human life, not just for the man who accidentally killed his neighbor, but for the man who died by accident. Notice a few things. Notice how that even if the man who accidentally killed his neighbor is set free from the penalty of death, he still has consequences. Yes, he enjoys protection in that city of refuge, but there's also a penalty. He can't return to his hometown. He has to get up and run to that city, and he can't go back to clean up his business back home and resume normal life. He must stay within the bounds of that city of refuge until the death of the high priest. And if he does leave the bounds of that city, he is, so to speak, fair game for the slain man's relative. And the point is, such is the costliness of destroying human life, that even when that life is taken unintentionally, the consequences of the wrong must still be carried by the man. And then notice a few more things. First, notice verse 27. To really make everything that I just said a little bit clearer, notice how verse 27 puts it. And the revenger of blood, if the revenger of blood find him outside the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer, he shall not be guilty of blood. That's striking. The underlying sentiment of that verse is this. When somebody sheds blood, there's still a demand that his blood also be shed, even if he killed the person accidentally. If he decides to leave that city of refuge, he exposes himself to the threat of being put to death, and the man who would put him to death would not be punished. Then notice verse 31. Moreover, you shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death, but he shall be surely put to death. And the word satisfaction, as I said earlier, really means payment, or the New King James puts it, ransom. You shall take no ransom. The point is, you cannot accept a monetary payment for the death of a man. No, when a man's blood is shed, what satisfies is not monetary payment, but the shedding of blood. That's the only price that matches up to the life of the man who was killed. You can't put a price on a person's life. And then if you read verse 32, you see that that applies also to the man who kills his neighbor by accident. Verse 32, and you shall take no satisfaction, no payment for him that went to the city of refuge, right, so that he pays a certain amount and then he can leave that city and dwell again in the land. No, he has to wait until the death of the high priest. So even with the man who kills his brother by accident, he can't get out of that city of refuge simply by paying a sum of money. Human life is worth more than what money can buy. It still requires death. But now in this case, it's interesting because it's not the death of the man himself, but it's the death of the high priest. And the idea is really this. that in a certain sense the death of the high priest has a toning value. The death of the high priest in a kind of symbolic way was acceptable payment for the accidental killing of a man. But the point is, there's still the burden of someone needing to die. Still that idea of shedding of blood, someone needing to die to cover this tragedy of killing someone. And if you read verse 33, you get a little bit of an explanation. So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are, for blood, it defileth the land. And the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. And the whole point is this, this is the consequence for killing. Death. There is no other option. Only death satisfies the justice of God in this regard. That's the first principle that I wanted to look at. And then second, more briefly, very briefly, the principle is this, the second principle. Notice how the man who accidentally killed his neighbor had to flee. He had to flee to the city of refuge without delay. And then when he got in the city, he had to stay in the city and could not venture outside the city again. Outside the city, he was exposed to death. But inside the city, he was safe. Well, when we look at all of this, and we remember now what we said in the introduction, that all of this is pointing us to Christ. which it is, even as it's very practical for their life as a nation, right? These are civil laws that God is giving them to help them live as a nation and as a society. We remember that all of this is pointing us to Christ. Then the question comes, what's the application for us? What's the application for us? And there's a few things to point out. I've got five things to point out. First, as we look at all of this, what we need to see is that we all have the same need for a city of refuge as these saints in the Old Testament had. We all have crimes that we've committed. They're called sins. And with our sins, the reality is this. We not only fit the description of the man who accidentally killed his neighbor, but our situation is even worse. Because not only do we have sins that we've committed unintentionally, what the Bible sometimes refers to as secret sins, sins we're not even aware of, sins we commit ignorantly, for which we still bear the guilt and the responsibility, but in addition, we also have sins that we've committed intentionally. And even when it comes to the sixth commandment, when it comes to this sin of killing our neighbor, we still fit that description. Remember what Jesus taught us in Matthew chapter five, verses 21 and 22. Jesus says, you've heard it said of them of old time, thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, is danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raka, shall be in danger of the council. But whosoever shall say thou fool shall be in danger of hellfire. And the Heidelberg Catechism reminds us that when it comes to this sixth commandment, our calling is to love our neighbor as ourselves, to show patience and peace and meekness and mercy and all kindness towards him and prevent his hurt as much as in us lies and that we do good even to our enemies. And surely when we hear that, we can find situations in our own lives whereby our actions we've exposed ourselves to the condemning word of the law. Point is, we all have the same need for a city of refuge as these saints in the Old Testament did. Second, what we need to see is that we also all have an avenger of blood who will make sure that justice is maintained in the land. And to put it stronger, as we stand in our sins, we have an avenger of blood who is bearing down on us, chasing us down, as it were. And who is that avenger of blood? Well, it might sound a little strange to say it, but this is the reality. That avenger of blood is none other than Jesus Christ himself. Jesus is the great judge who pursues justice. Jesus is the one through whom God sees to it that his justice be satisfied. And the reality is this, beloved, if we're not standing within the city of refuge, we stand exposed to the condemnation of the judge. And we stand exposed to the wrath of the judge, the avenger of blood, Jesus Christ. And that's the reality for everyone, because everyone has sins. Everyone is a lawbreaker. Everyone is a murderer. But third, what we need to see is that God has provided for us a city of refuge. And just like with the Old Testament cities of refuge, this city of refuge is not far from us. He's even closer than a day's journey, or even closer than a two-day journey. He's right here. He's found right in the pages of Scripture. He is the one, in fact, in whom we live and move and have our very being. And His name is Jesus the Christ. And He is that city of refuge, ultimately, because He is the one who can shield us from the punishment of the law. Because He is the one who perfectly satisfied the justice of God for sinners on their behalf. And how did he satisfy that justice of God? Was it through the payment of money? No, because that doesn't cut it. That won't satisfy for the gravity of the sins that have been committed. Just like money wouldn't satisfy in this passage we've looked at today. It won't take away the pollution and the defilement of sin. No, the wages of sin is death. Death is required. And so instead of redeeming us with gold and silver, what did Jesus do? He took upon himself our flesh and he shed his own blood. The blood of the one who's very God and also very man, so that his blood is of infinite value and abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world. And his blood is what is able to cleanse away the defilement and pollution of sin. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but blood, nothing but the blood of Jesus. And the glorious truth of the gospel is this, all who run into Jesus, all who come unto him in true faith find a shelter and find a refuge from the judgment of the avenger of blood. In Jesus Christ, there is safety and protection from the condemning word of the judge. Jesus is that city of refuge that God has provided for needy sinners. But what's the principle that we just finished considering? We must flee. We must flee to that city of refuge. And that act of fleeing is the act of faith. That act of fleeing is the act of putting our hope and our confidence and our trust in Jesus Christ, confessing him to be who he says he is, and seeking our redemption through him and him alone. And the word that comes to us is this. Whatever your circumstances, wherever you find yourself tonight, The word is this, dear listener, flee to Jesus. Escape the wrath of the avenger of blood. You don't have to die for your sins. There is a city of refuge that God has provided. Put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Flee to him and look to him alone as your refuge from the guilt of your sin. And I can even put it this way. Beloved, the gates of the city are open. Now is the day of salvation while it is still today. Flee to Jesus. All who will come, all who will fly to Jesus, he will in no wise cast out. He is the city of refuge for weary and needy sinners such as you are and such as I am. Fly to Jesus. And then also this. Continue to abide in Jesus. If you know him, if you've run to him already and you know him as your refuge, never leave him beloved. Never even think for a moment that you could be secure outside of Jesus Christ. Just like outside the walls of that city of refuge, so outside of Jesus Christ there is condemnation and sorrow and death. We must abide in Jesus. And if there's one more thing that I can carry over from the passage tonight, let me point this out. The death of the high priest has already taken place. And just as in the Old Testament, that death of the high priest meant that the man who accidentally killed his neighbor was able to leave the city. So the reality for us as the children of God, for those who flee to Christ for refuge, the reality is this. Jesus as our high priest has also died. And what that means is this. For those who hide themselves in Jesus Christ, there's not just refuge from the guilt of sin, but there's also the freedom to live now as a newborn child of God. There's freedom from the curse of the law, from the chasing down of the law. There's the freedom to not live in fear anymore of the avenger of blood. But we're called now to live according to the perfect law of liberty. You're still abiding in Jesus. But even as you abide in Jesus, you also enjoy the freedom that is found in Jesus. The freedom to live in all good works, loving your neighbor as you would want to be loved. The high priest has died. Your sins have been atoned for. You're clean in the blood of Jesus Christ. Rejoice. Enjoy him as your city of refuge. Enjoy him as your perfect high priest. Enjoy him as your compassionate savior. Enjoy him as your all in all. And give him the glory. And just as from an earthly perspective, these children of God who went through this experience must have tasted and seen how good God is and the provision he makes so fleeing to Jesus, may we also taste and see how good God is and the full and perfect provision he provides for all those who fly unto him. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, you are a just God. We see that in the text. but we also see that you've provided a refuge in your son, Jesus Christ. And through him, you have given us an eternal asylum rooted in perfect justice. We pray, Father, give us to enjoy that peace that comes from his finished labors and his death and resurrection, and give us to see even hereto how all scripture testifies of thy great love in and through Jesus Christ. Bless us preaching then to our hearts and to our lives. Shape us by it, to the glory of thy name. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.