OUR REFUGE – There’s one humongous storm coming, but our God has prepared for us a Hiding Place

Our Refuge

Copyright 2010  B. L. Schappell

 

 The Holy Scriptures are jam-packed with full-color word pictures and representations.  A study of the prophecies – in particular, those of Daniel and the Revelation – reveals a fantastic array of beasts and images in stunning H.D. And there’s so much more.  Are these images merely exciting cartoon figures – God’s video graphics?  Or do they possess a deeper meaning?

 

As a matter of fact, the entire Bible is filled with types and symbols that serve to more vividly illustrate the various aspects of God’s Plan of Redemption, and to more completely depict the many offices of the Messiah.

 

Jesus, when reasoning with the church leaders, spoke of searching the Scriptures, “… for they testify of Me”.  Now, the Scriptures to which He referred were what we know today as the Old Testament.  That was the entirety of the Scriptures, then.  The Old Testament is centered on Christ.

 

Beginning all the way back in Eden, immediately after the Fall, God delivered to our first parents the prophetic illustration of a future Savior Whose heel would be bruised, but Who was to ultimately crush the serpent’s head.  What an encouraging word-picture of assurance for us all, because we are Adam’s race.  We all are “Adam” – the extended generations of Adam’s life.

 

And throughout the Old Testament, God consistently presented living illustrations of the Messiah-to-come – clear representations in the furnishings, and built into the services of the Tabernacle; and also, in the significance of His Holy Days, and His Statutes and Judgments, which are recorded for us in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.  All depict the coming Savior.

 

Incidentally, the New Testament, apart from the Old Testament is like a one-legged man.  The two belong together – they are inseparable.  These are the “Two Witnesses” spoken of in prophecy.  They totally agree, support and complement each other.  The Old Testament clearly testifies of Jesus as the Creator, the Law-giver, the Rock in the wilderness, the Pillars of Fire and The Cloud; the yet-to-appear Promised Redeemer; and in clearly-detailed prophecies, the Crucified Savior.  All can be found in the Old Testament!

 

So, the Word of God, cover-to-cover, is bursting with figures, symbols, and object lessons that are designed by God to flesh-out a more complete understanding of the Messiah.  The Passover Lamb, introduced the night before the Israelites fled Egypt, was a direct representation of Jesus. And the Flood of Noah’s time was a figure of the final judgment, while the Ark was a symbol of Christ, in Whom we all may find refuge, in these perilous times today! 

 

My wife is a survivor of the bombing of Berlin, during World War II  – unquestionably, a frightening time for a mature adult;  but without doubt, an absolutely terrifying experience for a small child.

She told of once spending two weeks in an underground bunker, as the battle raged above and all around – the sounds, the smells, the concussion of the ordnance, the intense heat, the trembling of the entire bunker, and then the silence, and the apprehension.   She spoke, too, of finding comfort and confidence in the encouragement and support of fellow refugees in those tight quarters.

 

And, she says, stored within that sturdy shelter was an adequate supply of drinking water and some items of basic nutrition that would be essential to sustain them thru the duration of their stay.

 

The bunker provided my wife, her mother, and her siblings with more-than-adequate shelter, right there in the midst of the fire and exploding bombs, the toppling buildings and flying debris. They were protected and cared for – as they remained in that refuge – and their safety was assured, their needs were met.

 

Similarly, those refugees of God’s judgment on the antediluvian world found safety, security, and life-support within Noah’s Ark – which was, in reality, merely a bobbing speck on the surface a drowning planet.  But in the refuge of that vessel, they remained free from the judgment that had befallen the multitudes of unrepentant souls outside.  And all their needs were amply supplied.

 

It wasn’t enough just to know about the Ark.  It wasn’t enough to simply hang out near the bunker.  To receive the benefits of the refuge – to find safety from bodily harm and loss of life – to be sustained thru their time of judgment – they had to step down inside that bunker – they had to enter  the Ark; to commit wholly to the shelter; to place their trust in the refuge – no turning back – and remain inside, where they could know they would be kept thru the crisis.

 

It must have taken tremendous courage to enter the Ark, in the face of laughter, ridicule and rejection, because to that point in time, it had never rained – nobody had ever experienced flooding.  But those who chose to believe Noah’s nearly incredible warning, and accept God’s offer of mercy,   deemed the taunting and the mockery a small price to pay for their salvation from certain, total annihilation.

 

It must have required much courage, that final evening in Egypt prior to the Exodus, to dare to paint the doorposts of one’s home with the blood of the Passover Lamb.  The Israelites were already greatly despised by the Egyptians – because God had dispatched wave after wave of judgments on the land and on the Egyptian people, because of the unrelenting Pharaoh’s refusal to let Israel go.

 

But they trusted the Lord.  They stood on His promise of release from their bondage, and of refuge and a new beginning in Canaan.  So Israel obeyed.  And the blood on the doorposts transformed their humble dwellings in  “bunkers” – their refuge from the judgment that visited each and every unprotected household that night.

 

God’s dazzling display of 3-D symbols illustrating the Refuge of the coming Savior continues thru 40 years in the desert wilderness: that massive Cloud, providing cooling shade for perhaps as many as five- to six-million people. Then, the spectacular, nightly Pillar of Fire that warmed and illuminated the camp – and frightened their enemies speechless.  And 40 years of daily Manna – the Bread of Heaven – supplied from above – testifying of Christ!

         

Recorded in Exodus 33:18-24, Moses, on the mountain, requested of God, “Show me Your glory”.  God tucked Moses into a cleft in the Rock as He passed before the patriarch, declaring His goodness and His majesty.  Scripture says: to sinful human flesh, “Our God is a Consuming Fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24).   So The Almighty provided for Moses a most-critical Refuge, symbolically introducing Himself as The Rock of Our Salvation, in which the Savior Jesus is, for us, the Cleft, the Hiding Place, our Refuge.

 

But the single illustration that most thoroughly depicts the many facets of the Almighty can be found in the Statutes that establish the Cities of Refuge: 

 

Numbers 35:10 “When you come over Jordan into the Land of Canaan, then you shall appoint cities of refuge, that the man-slayer may flee thither …”

 

As the Israelites prepared to cross over into the Promised Land, Joshua was instructed to establish six Cities of Refuge, three on each side of the Jordan River. These Cities of Refuge were to be strategically situated throughout the land so that, from any location within the territory, a City of Refuge would be not more than a half-day’s journey away.  Oh, God’s mercy!

 

Let’s examine carefully the names of these Cities of Refuge, and observe how their meanings so aptly describe the anticipated Holy One of Israel:  East of the Jordan, there was Golan (“to reveal, or discover”); Ramoth (“exalted, lifted up”); and Bezer (”to be fortified, to make inaccessible”).  Then, west of the river was Kadesh (“to be holy, to sanctify, consecrate”); Shechem (“shoulder, as to bear a burden”); and Hebron (“to unite, join, bind together”).  Isn’t that interestingly neat?

 

The Cities of Refuge were under the stewardship of the Levites, and were set up for the purpose of providing a safe place where one who had taken a life could seek asylum – could find shelter from “the avenger of the blood”, and could obtain daily sustenance until his case could be heard and judged fairly.  Our God is a God of justice and grace, and these were the days of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life”.   The mercy of God!

 

It was clearly stipulated in the Statutes that if the slaying was intentional, or had been committed with malice, the offender was to be put to death.  By the way, “the avenger of the blood”, who was the victim’s next-of-kin, was by Law required to carry out that execution himself.

 

Now, if the slaying was not judged to be deliberate or intentional, the offender was returned to the City of Refuge, where he could safely abide until the death of the High Priest.  Can you see where this is going?

 

The Cities of Refuge provided shelter for the one who had committed a capital offense.  Is mankind under condemnation?  Are we not on eternity’s death row?  God’s Word says … Ezek 18:20: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die”.  And Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death”.   Might our own personal situations require an all-sufficient Refuge such as this?

 

So, if the slaying was not committed in enmity, the offender was permitted to dwell in the City of Refuge until the death of the high priest.

 

Who is our High Priest?  That’s Jesus!  Our High Priest is Jesus!  You really want to study the first three chapters of Hebrews.  What a powerful and compelling case is presented there:

 

Chapter one states that it was absolutely essential that the Savior be wholly and totally God in order to completely reconcile fallen mankind to oneness with the Father.  And chapter two says that He had to be fully human, in substance and in nature, in order to qualify as our Mediator.  Then in chapter three, we’re told that He is now our ultimate High Priest and Intercessor – a priesthood far superior to the Levitical priesthood.   The entire book of Hebrews makes an excellent study!

 

So, the Cities of Refuge were established to portray in living detail the coming Savior.  And altho all are guilty as charged – condemned by the Law – we may safely abide in Christ … He is our Refuge … He is our Hiding Place … from the condemnation of The Law … from the natural consequence of transgressing God’s Law.

 

Now, it gets even better.  The transgressor was permitted to abide safely in the City of Refuge until the death of the High Priest, at which time he was to be set free.

 

The illustration here comes full-circle, because it is the death of Our High Priest – the death of Jesus at the Cross – FOR you and me … AS you and me … the death of Jesus, Our High Priest, that ultimately sets us free from the condemnation of The Law.

 

Now, listen!  If the man-slayer were foolish enough to neglect to seek asylum in the nearest City of Refuge, then he was “fair game” for the avenger of the blood of his victim to execute the slayer, right on the spot, if he were caught.

 

Why would a person who had committed a capital offense – punishable by death – neglect to avail himself of the refuge of a safe-house – a legal hiding place, provided for him by God’s Law?  No doubt, it occurred back then, and it’s still being done to this day.  We’re living in the Day of Atonement.

 

Hebrews 2:3 “How shall we escape if we neglect such great salvation?”

 

Listen to Jesus’ own words: “If the Son of Man makes you free, you shall be free indeed”.

 

And the testimony of the Apostle Paul – with my very favorite Bible passage: Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”

 

Also John 5:24.  NEB: “In very truth, anyone who gives heed to what I say and puts his trust in Him Who sent me has hold of eternal life, and does not come up for judgment, but has already passed from death to life.”

Most interestingly, please take note of Numbers 35, verse 15: “These six Cities shall be a refuge, both for the Children of Israel, and for the stranger and the sojourner …”

 

Does God cover all the bases here?  Is He making salvation and justice accessible to everyone?   Not just for ”the club”, not just for “members only”.  Grace and mercy were, back then, – AND STILL ARE – available to all.  HE IS an Equal-opportunity Refuge!  That’s mighty good news, because we are all transgressors, all offenders, guilty as charged.

 

Have you read Romans 3:10?  “All are guilty – there is none righteous, not one.”

Isaiah 53:3  (The Message) “We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.  We’ve all done our own thing – gone our own way.”

Romans 3:23  “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard”

Romans 6:23  “The wages of sin is death …”

Exodus 34:7 “God will by no means clear the guilty”

 

Are we in trouble?  On our own?  Deep trouble!  We’re “dead meat”!  And we need to flee to God’s City of Refuge!

 

The Scriptures confirm that there is one humongous, mother-of-a-storm coming, the likes of which have never been seen before.  But we have a Bunker – an Ark prepared in the Person of the Lord Jesus.  A Refuge, far greater than any bunker ever devised by man!

 

As Martin Luther expressed it, “A Mighty Fortress is our God, a Bulwark never failing” and Deuteronomy 33:27 says: “The Eternal God is thy Refuge, and underneath are the Everlasting Arms.”       

 

You really want to make note of these passages for your own personal study, to reinforce your confidence – and also to share as you encourage others:

The Lord, Our Refuge, provides -

Daily sustenance – He’ll supply your need – Matthew 6:33, Ephesians 3:20

Rest for the burdened and weary – Matt 11:28 

Freedom from fear – Psalms 34:4   Proverbs 3:24

Are you seeking deliverance from trial & temptation?    Rev 3:10    Heb 2:18

II Peter 2:9    I Corinthians 10:13    God will be your Refuge!

Psalm 91:9 says the Lord is “… thy Habitation  (Abiding Place) …”

NEB “For you, the Lord is a safe Retreat; you have made The Most High your Refuge.”

2 Sam 22:3 NEB “The Lord is my Stronghold, my Fortress and my Champion, my God, my Rock where I find safety; my Shield, my Mountain Fastness, my Strong Tower, my Refuge, my Deliverer Who saves me from violence.”

 

It’s not enough to simplyknow about the Savior.  It isn’t enough to hang out near the Refuge.  It’s not enough just to attend church or to participate in religious activities.  To be sheltered and sustained thru the time of trouble    requires our total commitment to the One Who is able to deliver  everything that may be required to see us thru.

 

We need to secure ourselves inside the Fortress … to accept our position in Christ … to take up our place deep within the Ark that’s able to withstand the Final Conflict … and know that our bread will be sure and be assured that all will be well.

 

“How shall we escape if we neglect such great salvation?”  Hebrews 2:3

 

Listen with your heart to God’s all-encompassing invitation, found at the very end of the final chapter of the very last book of the Bible:

 

Rev 22:17  The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!”  And let him that heareth say, “Come!”

And let him that  is  athirst come.   And whosoever will, let him take freely of the Water of Life!