CITIES OF REFUGE

#1 · September 24, 2007, 10:34 am

Quote from Forum Archives on September 24, 2007, 10:34 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
CITIES OF REFUGE

September 23, 2007

Text: Numbers 35:6-15

I know that this comes as a surprise to you, but I did manage to find a Hawaiian Aloha shirt to wear in keeping with our Board of Christian Ed appreciation luau dinner. Also in keeping with the theme of the day, I one of the interesting historical sites in Hawaii came to mind. During a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, one of the tourist sites that Lois and I visited along the shore was a preserved ancient village. This village sticks with me because it was a village established for a special, unique purpose. For many, many years, the Island of Hawaii, the Big Island, was the center of political and religious culture for all of the Hawaiian island chain. It was the capital. Around the island were built some villages known as cities of refuge. The purpose of these cities of refuge was to provide sanctuary to anyone who was fleeing from anyone else. It could be a criminal fleeing from capture; it could be a soldier fleeing the field of battle; it could be someone escaping political capture; the reason did not matter. As long as the one fleeing made it into one a city of refuge, then that person was safe. Sort of like base in the game of tag. The priests of the local religion who lived in these villages declared the escapee exempt from prosecution, and the one receiving sanctuary would live out his or her life in service to the priests.

The point that intrigues me so much about visiting one of the cities of refuge in Hawaii is that I learned afterwards that cities of refuge are not limited to the religious beliefs of ancient Hawaiians. It turns out that other religions have similar concepts. As we have learned, the Old Testament makes reference to this very thing in Numbers 35:10-12: "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee.'"

What are we to make out of this provision from God? I think that the idea of cities of refuge is a natural part of how God expects His people to live. Further, it is natural that this concept extends into Christianity, as it did in the development of monasteries throughout the spread of Christianity in Europe. Those entering a monastery were always considered to be in a place of sanctuary. Unless a pursuer had absolutely no sense of Christian duty, a person entering a monastery was allowed to remain safely there. Even today, we give the room in which we gather to worship God the name "sanctuary."

The reason that I say that these references to sanctuary are natural is because it provides - in one small, tangible way - the reality of one of God's attributes. This is the way God is. This is who God is. The Psalms are filled with the declaration that God is our sanctuary. Read, for instance, Psalm 91:2-3: "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God; in whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the fowlers snare and from the deadly pestilence."

Ultimately, it is in God that we find our refuge. Cities of refuge are a good idea, but even they fall short. They are, after all, subject to the fallibilities and disobedience of humanity. They can be twisted into selfish use, or ignored altogether. They are dependent upon one's ability to make it into a particular geographical location ahead of pursuers, making it perhaps sort of a sport of pursuit. The priests serving in the cities may be more interested in serving political interests than in serving God; they may not give sanctuary to all they are supposed to. We could go on, I suppose; man's ability to twist God's purpose seems to be inexhaustible.

Above all of these things, however, soars God. He has made Himself known to us, and, just as importantly, has made Himself available to us. God is our true city of refuge; it is to Him we turn for refuge and deliverance. These are not trite meanderings of a small town preacher; these are promises from God Himself! How many times do they have to be proved before we take firm hold and believe His word? The psalmists knew to whom they must turn for refuge.

The refuge of God reminds me also of the testimonies written by William Dobbie in a book entitled A Very Present Help. Serving as governor of Malta in the 1940s, he and his people faced a most difficult challenge. From a military point of view their situation was bleak to hopeless. With 2,700 persons to the square mile, Malta was the most densely populated country in the world. Supplies had to be brought by ships through seas controlled by hostile forces. Every convoy that was destroyed brought the threat of starvation. Defending forces were hopelessly inadequate. There were only four out-of-date airplanes and sixteen antiaircraft guns. When the situation appeared the most hopeless, Governor Dobbie, a deeply religious man, issued a special order of the day which included these memorable words: "It may be that hard times lie ahead of us, but however hard they may be, I know that the courage and determination of all ranks will not falter, and that with God's help we will maintain the security of this fortress. I therefore call upon all officers and other ranks humbly to seek God's help, and then, in reliance upon Him, to do their duty unflinchingly." At one desperate moment the chief of the imperial staff in England sent Dobbie a telegram containing only a Biblical reference: "Deuteronomy, chapter 3, verse 22." When the defenders consulted their Bibles they read the words: "Ye shall not fear them: for the Lord your God he shall fight for you." When Dobbie published his story after the war, a quotation from Psalm 46 was appropriately on the title page: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (as told in The Interpreter's Bible, v. 4, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1955, pp. 495-496) No matter of what the condition of the city we live in, God is our refuge.

Testimonies from inside and outside the Bible do not lead to the conclusion that everything will work out for us as we envision it. From a human standpoint, not everything will appear to have a successful conclusion. Biblical authors were people who underwent crises in their lives - even crises of faith. Some saw family members taken away from them and led into captivity or killed by their enemy. The early Christians suffered waves of persecutions in the first three hundred years of existence. The citizens of the island of Malta suffered terribly during the dark days of World War II. Quite a few of those citizens did not survive. Even today, we know that Christians are suffering terribly in the Sudan and other lands. No, not everything will turn out as we want it.

This is why we can never justify placing our ultimate trust reserved for God alone in human institutions. From God's vantage point, and His alone, are we assured of a resting place under His wings. Because of humanity's stubborn refusal to allow God's rightful place in our lives and institutions, the world is full of sin. Sure, Satan tempts us and places snares around us, but we don't have to let him rule us! We are free from his bondage! Nevertheless, we suffer from the effects of sin. From nations at war to families killing other family members, we are never far removed from sin's impact. Yet, if we but believe and live as if we believe, we can "abide under the shadow of the Almighty."

The protection of which we speak with utmost confidence is that which comes through the reinforcement of spiritual resources. Our souls commune with God's spirit. This is where we find our true city of refuge. Sure, men and women of God have been treated horribly while doing the will of God, but that has never kept them from dwelling in the secret place and receiving the Lord's protection. People like the apostles; the believers who were thrown into the coliseum; William Carey and Adoniram Judson; Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Alexander Solzhenitsyn. All of these believers have experienced the terrors of humanity. Some did not live through them. But they, and many more believers, have all experienced the covering of God's wings.

I know that I speak of one of the strange paradoxes of Scripture. How do we find peace when we are being given no peace; how can we find comfort when we are being given no comfort? Yet, mysteriously, it comes if we but believe. No one has said it better than Jesus himself: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

You see, in spite of the evil that runs amuck, God's will is firmly in place and cannot be overcome. Many times it is easy for us to see good twisted for evil purposes. Liberty and freedom give way to selfish anarchy and license. Gifts to charities - even ministries - get waylaid for personal use. We see or experience these evils and grow cautious and withdrawn and cynical. But let us not lose sight of the other side. God is love, and God is justice, and His will overcomes these pitiful attempts to overcome Him. His will turns even evil into good and tragedy into triumph.

When Jesus, nailed to the cross, said, "It is finished," the enemies of God - in both flesh and spirit - rejoiced. They had won! The threat, the nuisance, the Lord, had been done away with, moved aside, polished off. Could they read God's mind? Could they perceive the miracle that God had planned? Could they see beyond their own meager, little finite ends into the vast eternity which God alone rules? No, no, and again, no! They had not defeated God. To the contrary, they gave God the very opportunity in which the greatest display of divine love could become real. God's will - not Satan's will and certainly not man's will - is our secret place; our fortress; our city of refuge. To Him alone be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

170 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

www.bhfirstbaptist.com
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

CITIES OF REFUGE

September 23, 2007

Text: Numbers 35:6-15

I know that this comes as a surprise to you, but I did manage to find a Hawaiian Aloha shirt to wear in keeping with our Board of Christian Ed appreciation luau dinner. Also in keeping with the theme of the day, I one of the interesting historical sites in Hawaii came to mind. During a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, one of the tourist sites that Lois and I visited along the shore was a preserved ancient village. This village sticks with me because it was a village established for a special, unique purpose. For many, many years, the Island of Hawaii, the Big Island, was the center of political and religious culture for all of the Hawaiian island chain. It was the capital. Around the island were built some villages known as cities of refuge. The purpose of these cities of refuge was to provide sanctuary to anyone who was fleeing from anyone else. It could be a criminal fleeing from capture; it could be a soldier fleeing the field of battle; it could be someone escaping political capture; the reason did not matter. As long as the one fleeing made it into one a city of refuge, then that person was safe. Sort of like base in the game of tag. The priests of the local religion who lived in these villages declared the escapee exempt from prosecution, and the one receiving sanctuary would live out his or her life in service to the priests.

The point that intrigues me so much about visiting one of the cities of refuge in Hawaii is that I learned afterwards that cities of refuge are not limited to the religious beliefs of ancient Hawaiians. It turns out that other religions have similar concepts. As we have learned, the Old Testament makes reference to this very thing in Numbers 35:10-12: "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee.'"

What are we to make out of this provision from God? I think that the idea of cities of refuge is a natural part of how God expects His people to live. Further, it is natural that this concept extends into Christianity, as it did in the development of monasteries throughout the spread of Christianity in Europe. Those entering a monastery were always considered to be in a place of sanctuary. Unless a pursuer had absolutely no sense of Christian duty, a person entering a monastery was allowed to remain safely there. Even today, we give the room in which we gather to worship God the name "sanctuary."

The reason that I say that these references to sanctuary are natural is because it provides - in one small, tangible way - the reality of one of God's attributes. This is the way God is. This is who God is. The Psalms are filled with the declaration that God is our sanctuary. Read, for instance, Psalm 91:2-3: "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God; in whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the fowlers snare and from the deadly pestilence."

Ultimately, it is in God that we find our refuge. Cities of refuge are a good idea, but even they fall short. They are, after all, subject to the fallibilities and disobedience of humanity. They can be twisted into selfish use, or ignored altogether. They are dependent upon one's ability to make it into a particular geographical location ahead of pursuers, making it perhaps sort of a sport of pursuit. The priests serving in the cities may be more interested in serving political interests than in serving God; they may not give sanctuary to all they are supposed to. We could go on, I suppose; man's ability to twist God's purpose seems to be inexhaustible.

Above all of these things, however, soars God. He has made Himself known to us, and, just as importantly, has made Himself available to us. God is our true city of refuge; it is to Him we turn for refuge and deliverance. These are not trite meanderings of a small town preacher; these are promises from God Himself! How many times do they have to be proved before we take firm hold and believe His word? The psalmists knew to whom they must turn for refuge.

The refuge of God reminds me also of the testimonies written by William Dobbie in a book entitled A Very Present Help. Serving as governor of Malta in the 1940s, he and his people faced a most difficult challenge. From a military point of view their situation was bleak to hopeless. With 2,700 persons to the square mile, Malta was the most densely populated country in the world. Supplies had to be brought by ships through seas controlled by hostile forces. Every convoy that was destroyed brought the threat of starvation. Defending forces were hopelessly inadequate. There were only four out-of-date airplanes and sixteen antiaircraft guns. When the situation appeared the most hopeless, Governor Dobbie, a deeply religious man, issued a special order of the day which included these memorable words: "It may be that hard times lie ahead of us, but however hard they may be, I know that the courage and determination of all ranks will not falter, and that with God's help we will maintain the security of this fortress. I therefore call upon all officers and other ranks humbly to seek God's help, and then, in reliance upon Him, to do their duty unflinchingly." At one desperate moment the chief of the imperial staff in England sent Dobbie a telegram containing only a Biblical reference: "Deuteronomy, chapter 3, verse 22." When the defenders consulted their Bibles they read the words: "Ye shall not fear them: for the Lord your God he shall fight for you." When Dobbie published his story after the war, a quotation from Psalm 46 was appropriately on the title page: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (as told in The Interpreter's Bible, v. 4, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1955, pp. 495-496) No matter of what the condition of the city we live in, God is our refuge.

Testimonies from inside and outside the Bible do not lead to the conclusion that everything will work out for us as we envision it. From a human standpoint, not everything will appear to have a successful conclusion. Biblical authors were people who underwent crises in their lives - even crises of faith. Some saw family members taken away from them and led into captivity or killed by their enemy. The early Christians suffered waves of persecutions in the first three hundred years of existence. The citizens of the island of Malta suffered terribly during the dark days of World War II. Quite a few of those citizens did not survive. Even today, we know that Christians are suffering terribly in the Sudan and other lands. No, not everything will turn out as we want it.

This is why we can never justify placing our ultimate trust reserved for God alone in human institutions. From God's vantage point, and His alone, are we assured of a resting place under His wings. Because of humanity's stubborn refusal to allow God's rightful place in our lives and institutions, the world is full of sin. Sure, Satan tempts us and places snares around us, but we don't have to let him rule us! We are free from his bondage! Nevertheless, we suffer from the effects of sin. From nations at war to families killing other family members, we are never far removed from sin's impact. Yet, if we but believe and live as if we believe, we can "abide under the shadow of the Almighty."

The protection of which we speak with utmost confidence is that which comes through the reinforcement of spiritual resources. Our souls commune with God's spirit. This is where we find our true city of refuge. Sure, men and women of God have been treated horribly while doing the will of God, but that has never kept them from dwelling in the secret place and receiving the Lord's protection. People like the apostles; the believers who were thrown into the coliseum; William Carey and Adoniram Judson; Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Alexander Solzhenitsyn. All of these believers have experienced the terrors of humanity. Some did not live through them. But they, and many more believers, have all experienced the covering of God's wings.

I know that I speak of one of the strange paradoxes of Scripture. How do we find peace when we are being given no peace; how can we find comfort when we are being given no comfort? Yet, mysteriously, it comes if we but believe. No one has said it better than Jesus himself: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

You see, in spite of the evil that runs amuck, God's will is firmly in place and cannot be overcome. Many times it is easy for us to see good twisted for evil purposes. Liberty and freedom give way to selfish anarchy and license. Gifts to charities - even ministries - get waylaid for personal use. We see or experience these evils and grow cautious and withdrawn and cynical. But let us not lose sight of the other side. God is love, and God is justice, and His will overcomes these pitiful attempts to overcome Him. His will turns even evil into good and tragedy into triumph.

When Jesus, nailed to the cross, said, "It is finished," the enemies of God - in both flesh and spirit - rejoiced. They had won! The threat, the nuisance, the Lord, had been done away with, moved aside, polished off. Could they read God's mind? Could they perceive the miracle that God had planned? Could they see beyond their own meager, little finite ends into the vast eternity which God alone rules? No, no, and again, no! They had not defeated God. To the contrary, they gave God the very opportunity in which the greatest display of divine love could become real. God's will - not Satan's will and certainly not man's will - is our secret place; our fortress; our city of refuge. To Him alone be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

170 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

http://www.bhfirstbaptist.com

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org