26-1108p Transcript

(2:37) Well, good night. It is a good night. (2:41) Thank you, Mike, for reading that.

(2:44) So tonight’s sermon is entitled Cities of Refuge. (2:50) So we just heard in Numbers 35. (2:55) There’s another passage related to this.

It’s in Joshua 20. (3:00) It actually names the six cities of refuge. (3:05) And we’ll get there in a moment.

(3:08) But surprise, surprise, you know, you get what you ask for. (3:14) You ask an accountant to come up here and speak to you, and I’m reading from the book of Numbers. (3:20) So there you have it.

(3:24) So now, you heard from verse 6 on, and this is what I want to talk to you about. (3:35) I want to talk to you about the six cities of refuge. (3:39) See, I’ve kind of couched the subject, right? (3:44) So we’re at the point where the Israelites are about to cross into the [promised] land.

(3:50) Forty years, wandering around in the desert. (3:54) Following the flames [pillar of fire by] night and the cloud by day. (4:00) And God has taken them all over the place.

(4:04) And now, finally, it’s time to cross. (4:09) But wait. (4:11) Special instruction.

(4:14) Okay, listen up. (4:16) So each of the tribes of Israel are going to be given (4:22) a portion of land in the promised land. (4:27) And they are to each have a designated area, except for one group.

(4:36) The Levites. (4:37) See, the Levites have a special purpose. (4:40) They’re to serve at the temple and do many other things related to that.

(4:46) They’re not given a specific region. (4:49) Instead, they’re given, as we just heard, 48 different cities. (4:55) Places where the Canaanites live and occupy currently in that moment.

(5:03) And they’re going to be driven out. (5:06) And the Levites are being given those areas, those cities, to occupy for themselves. (5:13) Kind of sprinkled amongst the other regions of the promised land.

(5:19) So that’s where we’re at. (5:22) Okay. (5:23) So in verse 9 in chapter [35] of Numbers, it reads, (5:32) Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, (5:34) Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, (5:36) When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, (5:39) then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, (5:44) that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there.

(5:51) They shall be cities of refuge for you from the avenger, (5:56) that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment. (6:06) So this is not a situation where folks are taking law into their own hands. (6:13) The vigilante, you killed someone, and maybe there’s not a dispute over that.

(6:19) These things happen intentionally sometimes, but sometimes they happen accidentally. (6:25) That’s a true statement. (6:27) So before we get too carried away, there’s going to be a trial.

(6:31) That’s the setting. (6:34) Verse 13 goes on. (6:36) And of the cities which I give, you shall have six cities of refuge.

(6:42) You shall appoint three cities on this side of the Jordan, (6:46) and three cities you shall appoint in the land of Canaan, (6:51) which will be cities of refuge. (6:54) So, wait a minute. (6:57) They’re about to cross the promised land, I thought.

(7:00) They’re going to take on all these different areas, (7:03) drive out the Canaanites, (7:06) and we’re going to set up these six cities of refuge according to what God’s Word says. (7:11) Well, why do I have three on one side of the river and three on the other side of the river? (7:18) Well, see, the answer to that lies in Numbers 32. (7:25) In Numbers chapter 32, Reuben, Gad, and what is called the half-tribe of Manasseh, (7:35) they’ve already been promised land on the east side of the Jordan.

(7:45) It says in Numbers 32, verse 1, (7:49) Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock. (7:54) And when they saw the land of [Jazer] and the land of Gilead, (7:58) that indeed the region was a place for livestock, (8:01) the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses. (8:08) To Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, (8:15) I’ll drop down to verse 4, (8:17) The country which the Lord defeated before the congregation of Israel is a land for livestock.

(8:24) And your servants have livestock. (8:30) Therefore they said, (8:32) If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. (8:36) Do not take us over the Jordan.

(8:43) Oh. (8:45) Those guys don’t want to go. (8:48) The land here is good enough.

Come on. (8:51) Ugh. (8:53) So there’s some back and forth now.

(8:56) And in the interest of time, I will just tell you. (9:00) There’s a deal is struck. (9:03) So Moses agrees to give them a portion that is on the east side of the Jordan River.

(9:12) However. (9:14) Part of the deal is you’re still going with us over the river. (9:19) After the Canaanites have been rooted out and removed, (9:24) you can come back.

(9:26) But you’re going with us. (9:30) This is Numbers 32 verse 33. (9:33) So Moses gave to the children of Gad, (9:37) to the children of Reuben, (9:39) and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, (9:43) the son of Joseph, (9:44) the kingdom of Sihon, (9:46) king of the Amorites, (9:48) and the kingdom of Og, (9:50) king of Bashan, (9:51) the land with its cities within its borders, (9:55) the cities of the surrounding country.

(10:00) So what do we have? (10:02) On one side of the Jordan, on the east side, (10:06) we have Reuben, Gad, the half-tribe of Manasseh. (10:11) This is Joseph’s portion. (10:14) On the west side, (10:17) we have the other tribes.

(10:20) Naphtali, Asher, Zebulun, Issachar, (10:25) the other half of Manasseh. (10:28) Ephraim, which is Joseph’s. (10:31) Dan, Benjamin, Judah, and Simeon.

(10:34) Those are the tribes that take land, (10:37) have possession on the east side. (10:41) I’m sorry, the west side. (10:45) I said that backwards.

(10:49) So now in Joshua 20 verses 7 and 8, (10:56) it lists the cities by name that are to be set up (11:02) within each of these regions. (11:05) Bezer, which is in the wilderness (11:08) from the tribe of Reuben. (11:11) That’s on the east side.

(11:13) Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad. (11:17) Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh. (11:22) That’s up north.

(11:23) You may have heard of the Golan Heights. (11:28) Even in our lifetime, we’ve heard of that, (11:31) the Golan Heights. (11:33) It’s called the Golan Heights (11:35) because the elevation is so high.

(11:38) It’s actually the highest occupied [UN Post] (11:42) on the planet. (11:44) There’s a place called the, I learned this, (11:47) the Hermon Hotel, (11:49) which is currently occupied by UN forces. (11:53) And it’s a buffer zone between the Israelis (11:58) and the…​ (12:03) Oh, it draws my mind.

(12:06) To the east, yeah. (12:09) It’s a, if you will, (12:11) it’s an area that you don’t want to be in (12:14) unless you’re armed. (12:18) So 9,232 feet above sea level.

(12:25) Incredible, at the highest point. (12:27) And I thought to myself, (12:30) well, gee, where’s the Dead Sea? (12:32) It’s fairly, in that region, (12:34) it’s fairly close. (12:36) The Dead Sea, as we know, (12:37) is below sea level.

(12:39) But it’s 1,143 feet below sea level [Current surface elevation is roughly 1,400–1,450 feet below sea level (and continuing to fall)]. (12:45) Well, gee, from the height to the bottom, (12:50) that’s over 10,000 feet difference. (12:54) Two miles, more or less.

(12:56) In a very short area. (12:59) Very small area. (13:02) And so…​ (13:05) Just point that out.

(13:08) And then there’s Kedesh (13:10) in the mountains of Naphtali, (13:13) near Galilee. (13:15) Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, (13:18) and Hebron in the mountains of Judah. (13:21) Those are the six cities named (13:23) in Joshua chapter 20, verses 7 and 8. (13:27) And notice, each one of those, (13:31) it’s not an area that you just walk up to, easy.

(13:35) Hard to get to. (13:36) In the mountains, up high. (13:39) In the wilderness.

(13:42) So it’s an area of refuge (13:46) for someone who’s being chased (13:48) by the avenger of blood. (13:50) And it’s not easy to get to, (13:52) but I’ll tell you what, (13:53) if someone’s chasing me, (13:54) trying to take my life, (13:55) it’s probably well worth the trip. (14:01) I’ll go back to Numbers, (14:06) verse 15 out of chapter 35.

(14:10) These six cities shall be for refuge (14:13) for the children of Israel, (14:15) for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, (14:18) that anyone who kills a person accidentally (14:21) may flee there. (14:25) And now God gives us (14:26) some very specific instruction (14:27) in how he defines accidental. (14:33) Verse 16, (14:34) but if he strikes with an iron implement (14:36) so that he dies, he is a murderer.

(14:39) The murderer shall surely be put to death. (14:43) If he strikes him with a stone in the hand (14:46) by which one could die, (14:49) and he does die, he is a murderer. (14:52) The murderer shall surely be put to death.

(14:57) Verse 18, (14:58) or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon (15:01) by which one could die, (15:03) and he does die, he is a murderer. (15:06) The murderer shall surely be put to death. (15:12) The avenger of blood himself (15:15) shall put the murderer to death.

(15:18) When he meets him, (15:20) he shall put him to death. (15:24) So the avenger of blood, (15:27) well, who’s the avenger of blood? (15:29) In this case, you have maybe a family member (15:32) or you have someone who knows the deceased. (15:37) We’re not going to tolerate this.

(15:38) You killed this man. (15:41) I will avenge him. (15:44) But hold on.

(15:45) We have some means of mitigating (15:49) what might be an accidental situation. (15:54) Verse 20, (15:55) if he pushes him out of hatred (15:57) or while lying in wait hurls something at him (16:00) so that he dies, (16:02) or in enmity he strikes him with his hand (16:05) so that he dies, (16:06) the one who struck him (16:07) shall surely be put to death. (16:09) He is a murderer.

(16:12) The avenger of blood (16:14) shall put the murderer to death (16:16) when he meets him. (16:20) However, verse 22, (16:24) however, if he pushes him suddenly without enmity (16:27) or throws anything at him without lying in wait (16:30) or uses a stone by which a man could die, (16:34) throwing it at him without seeing him (16:37) so that he dies (16:40) while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm, (16:44) then the congregation shall judge (16:46) between the manslayer and the avenger of blood (16:50) according to these judgments. (16:55) So I ask, (16:58) can the sinner be cleansed? (17:02) Is there any chance of redemption for the guilty? (17:09) Yes.

(17:11) But how? (17:15) So now comes the refuge. (17:19) So in verse 25, (17:21) so the congregation shall deliver the manslayer (17:24) from the hand of the avenger of blood. (17:27) Hold on.

(17:27) Let’s separate the two. (17:31) And the congregation shall return him (17:33) to the city of refuge where he had fled, (17:37) and he shall remain there (17:42) until the death of the high priest (17:45) who was anointed with the holy oil. (17:50) This is where I suddenly caught myself (17:54) almost glossing over this small detail.

(17:58) How long is the person who has caused the death to stay? (18:05) And how is he redeemed? (18:06) How is he made safe? (18:09) Usually it’s a case where the accuser dies of natural causes (18:14) and the person who caused the earlier death (18:18) is just off the hook (18:19) because there’s nobody there to accuse you anymore. (18:24) Except in this case, it reads, (18:29) and he shall remain there (18:30) until the death of the high priest (18:32) who was anointed with the holy oil. (18:35) But wait a minute.

(18:39) You’re telling me until the judge dies? (18:44) That seems strange. (18:49) See, unintentional sin is still sin (18:52) and deserves death (18:54) because the wages of sin is death. (18:58) That’s what God’s word says.

(19:01) The killer in this case is still guilty. (19:04) There’s no mention of innocence (19:05) even in the case of the city of refuge. (19:08) The killer is not absolved of any wrongdoing, (19:11) but he’s kept safe from the consequences of sin (19:16) only while remaining inside (19:18) or under the protection of the city of refuge.

(19:25) Or until the death of the high priest (19:28) who was anointed with the holy oil. (19:32) Verse 26. (19:34) But if the manslayer at any time (19:36) goes outside the limits of the city of refuge (19:39) where he fled (19:41) and the avenger of blood (19:43) finds him outside the limits of the city of refuge (19:46) and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, (19:50) he shall not be guilty of blood.

(19:53) He was under the protection of the God-designed, (20:01) you’re okay, you didn’t do this intentionally. (20:06) God’s giving an option or protection, (20:11) but it has to be under certain circumstances. (20:14) It has to be the way God designed it.

(20:20) He shall not be guilty of blood (20:22) because he should have remained in the city of refuge (20:25) until the death of the high priest. (20:27) But after the death of the high priest, (20:29) the manslayer may return to the land of his possession. (20:37) That’s where I got, (20:40) just scratching my head a little bit.

(20:43) Okay. (20:45) So now the high priest has died (20:51) and he’s now off the hook, so to speak. (20:57) He can go back to the land he used to live in.

(21:00) He used to do what he did before. (21:02) He might work there. (21:03) He might have a whole family there.

(21:05) He might have land and crops and all kinds of things (21:10) that he could go back to possibly. (21:15) And I thought, the accuser, the avenger of blood, (21:21) might not be happy with that. (21:25) But still, what needs to happen and how? (21:31) How does this happen? (21:34) So who needs to die before the consequences change for the guilty? (21:41) The avenger of blood? (21:43) No.

(21:46) He might still be alive. (21:49) No, it’s the high priest who is anointed with the holy oil. (21:57) Think of this.

(22:00) There’s something going on here, and I thought to myself, (22:03) wait a minute, I’ve read in the New Testament, (22:05) I’m going to read this in Matthew chapter 2, 19 and 20, (22:11) referring to Joseph. (22:13) It says, (22:17) Now when Herod was dead, (22:19) behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, (22:25) saying, Arise, take the young child and his mother (22:29) and go to the land of Israel, (22:31) for those who sought the young child’s life are dead. (22:37) Then he arose, took the young child and his mother, (22:41) and came into the land of Israel.

(22:44) I thought to myself, that’s the example I was kind of expecting. (22:50) So what is really going on here? (22:55) Well, the passage in Numbers is a type, (23:01) a type of salvation, (23:04) a type and anti-type. (23:06) For clarity, I know we’ve discussed this before, (23:11) but I’ll give the example, (23:12) I’ll give a definition of type and anti-type.

(23:15) A type is a symbolic foreshadowing of a future event or person, (23:21) while an anti-type is the fulfillment or realization of that type. (23:30) And I read this passage in Numbers and I said, (23:33) We have that. (23:36) We almost have a double type and anti-type.

(23:40) The accuser or avenger of blood is the evil one. (23:48) The high priest anointed with the holy oil, of course, is Jesus Christ. (23:56) When the high priest anointed with oil dies, (24:02) the offense is removed, (24:04) and the offender who was previously guilty of sin and worthy of death (24:09) can be made clean and free of condemnation.

(24:13) The accuser, who is the avenger of blood, (24:18) is no longer condemned for those that are in Christ. (24:26) So, of course, who is our high priest? (24:30) Jesus Christ. (24:32) He is our high priest anointed with oil.

(24:36) This event is recorded in all four Gospels. (24:40) It’s in Matthew 26, verses 6-13, and I’d like to read that to you. (24:48) It’s also found in Mark 14, verses 3-9, Luke 7, 36-50, (24:55) and John 12, the first eight verses.

(25:00) And it’s the anointing at Bethany. (25:05) So in [Matthew 26:6–13], (25:08) and when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, (25:12) a woman came to him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil. (25:21) She poured it on his head as he sat at a table.

(25:25) But when the disciples saw this, they were indignant, (25:31) saying, why this waste? (25:34) This fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor. (25:41) But when Jesus was aware of it, he said to them, (25:45) why do you trouble the woman? (25:47) For she has done a good work for me. (25:50) For you have the poor with you always, but me, you do not have always.

(25:56) For in pouring this fragrant oil on my body, she did it for my burial. (26:01) Now, assuredly I say to you, whenever this gospel is preached in the whole world, (26:09) what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her. (26:19) And I have the pleasure of standing here tonight, (26:23) offering a memorial to her by preaching those words.

(26:31) So I thought, first of all, what’s meant by very costly? (26:38) Well, in Mark 14, it describes what very costly was. (26:46) Apparently, it was an alabaster jar, and the perfume inside of it, (26:55) the oil inside of it, was called spikenard oil or nard. (27:04) Alabaster, I know, because I have here in my hand (27:09) what is referred to as an alabaster egg.

(27:13) Alabaster is a type of stone. (27:17) This one’s cut in the shape of a chicken egg. (27:22) I don’t know why, but it was.

(27:26) And then it was polished really pretty. (27:30) And I actually have two of them. (27:31) One is pink and one is this bluish green color.

(27:37) Apparently, they’re valuable to some degree, (27:41) although I saw them on eBay. (27:44) You could buy a few of them for 20, 30 bucks. (27:52) So alabaster was the container in which the oil was kept.

(27:59) And the spikenard oil, it says in ancient times, I read this, (28:04) spikenard was regarded as one of the most precious oils. (28:08) It’s been used as a perfume, a medicine, (28:13) and in religious contexts across a wide territory from India to Europe. (28:20) Why is this stuff so expensive, a bottle of it? (28:24) I mean, I know perfume.

(28:25) You could buy perfume, cologne. (28:27) They’ll sell it in one-ounce containers, half-ounce, even quarter-ounce. (28:32) Even quarter-ounce is expensive.

(28:35) Okay. (28:36) Well, what makes this stuff so expensive? (28:40) Well, it comes from a flowering plant kind of like in a honeysuckle family, (28:52) and it grows in the Himalayas of Nepal, China, and India. (28:58) Well, this is not Nepal, China, or India that we’re talking about.

(29:03) It’s got to be processed, grown, processed, containerized, shipped in safely. (29:12) All that costs money. (29:16) And it says this oil has been used over centuries as a perfume (29:20) and a traditional medicine.

(29:24) Oh, here’s an interesting observation. (29:29) And see, this is how you do it. (29:30) You read these passages, and sometimes you read it more than once or twice (29:36) or three times even, and all of a sudden a little, hey, I didn’t catch this before.

(29:43) So, spikenard is an antifungal. (29:46) It promotes skin health and helps heal ailments caused by fungal infections. (29:54) Okay.

(29:57) Well, let’s rewind a little bit. (30:00) Whose house were we in? (30:02) Whose house was this taking place when Jesus was anointed with oil? (30:08) Simon the leper’s. (30:14) Oh, what’s leprosy? (30:18) An ailment of the skin.

(30:22) And I thought to myself, there’s the leper. (30:26) He probably has little or no opportunity to work, be productive. (30:31) No one wants to be around him.

(30:33) Unclean, unclean. (30:34) I can hear the words as he approaches someone. (30:38) He has to say that because no one wants to be infected with this horrible disease (30:43) called leprosy.

(30:46) Oh, we have a huge bottle here of this stuff to help you. (30:54) In his house. (30:56) This woman brings it to the house.

(30:58) And what does she do with it? (31:01) She puts it on Jesus' head and his feet. (31:06) I imagine he might have thought something about that when the words, (31:12) this waste, were uttered. (31:17) It’s just an observation.

(31:25) So we have our high priest anointed with oil. (31:31) And at his death, we can be made clean through his death. (31:41) But I will remind you of something, and that’s in Acts 17.

(31:45) It’s two verses, Acts 17, verses 30 and 31, which reads, (31:55) Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked. (31:59) Referring to the sins of men. (32:04) Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked.

(32:07) But now commands all men everywhere to repent. (32:15) Because he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness (32:20) by the man, of course that’s Jesus Christ, (32:23) by the man whom he has ordained. (32:27) He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead.

(32:39) So when that day comes, I pray that all those who can hear the gospel, (32:47) who have a heart willing to accept the truth and follow what it says, will do that. (32:54) So when that day comes, I pray that those won’t be, if you will, (33:02) off the reservation outside of Christ. (33:06) Because as the truth is, the consequences are final and eternal.

(33:11) And that’s the sermon. (33:13) May God’s word pierce our hearts as they need to be. (33:19) Amen. (33:20)