They decided to find refuge in Holland, even without the permission of the king—they wanted to freely worship the Lord! But no true refuge could be found there, either, as they continued to be persecuted. Yes, you guessed it—in 1620, they chartered two ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower, to take them to another refuge—the New World. Upon dropping anchor at Plymouth Rock, they fell on their knees, thanking God. In the years to come, they, and many others, as well, would come to find out that God alone is the only true refuge, a very present help in trouble. Even now in this country, as the courts bar the 10 Commandments and Nativity scenes, the focus is not on freedom of religion, but freedom from religion; not freedom in Christ, but freedom from Christ.
Edmund Waller, a 16th Century poet, in describing his England, wrote, "Whether this portion of the world were rent, By the rude ocean, from the continent, Or thus created, it was sure designed, To be the sacred refuge of mankind." Obviously, the Pilgrim Fathers failed to find their own England, as well as any other country, a "sacred refuge," and with good reason—the Lord Himself is the only "sacred refuge of mankind." In Deuteronomy 33:27, we read, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…" The Hebrew word for "refuge" speaks of a den, habitation, and dwelling place. It comes from a word that paints a picture of an abode, a tabernacle, or a place of retreat. Joel 3:16 uses the word in a different way—"The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel." A note in the margin gives us the added picture of a "harbor." But, obviously, it is not just a place of lazy resting, or a neglecting of responsibility. True refuge must never be seen as a flippant "Get out of jail" card for the game of life. No, it is so much more than that!
Perhaps we will find it quite helpful in considering what true refuge is by returning to something we have looked at before—Dr. A.T. Pierson's, "The Law of First Mention." In this, he says, the very first mention of something in Scripture usually contains the "seed" for how that concept is to be understood throughout. In the case of "refuge," we turn to Numbers 35. As the newly acquired Promised Land is subdivided, verse 6 reads, "And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge." They were to be places in which the religious leaders could care for and protect any who had killed another unwittingly or accidentally. You see, in the East, it was an age-old obligation of a kinsman to avenge any such travesty. While any cases of cold-blooded murder were to be met with severe punishment—the death penalty—these other situations must be handled with justice, as well.
This entire provision of the Lord for refuge is chock full of spiritual truths for us today. First of all, these asylums of safety were appointed by God—it was all His idea! At each crossroad, both east and west of the Jordan River, there was a sign declaring REFUGE—"Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge." (vs. 14) The "manslayer," as he is called, could run to the closest city and find protection from the "avenger." In the same way, the Lord is the only"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Don’t forget—ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (3:23) Through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the work of redemption and refuge is complete—the only thing left for us to do is to run to it, and actually experience His eternal safety.
protection any of us can have from that quintessential avenger, Satan. Only in God can we find refuge from the judgment of the law. Paul tells us in Romans 6:23,
Isaiah, speaking also of our own times, writes, "In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (26:1-3) Apparently, there were bigger and stronger cities to run to, but in them there was no guarantee of protection—true refuge is indeed God appointed. Furthermore, no "blood money" or bribes could be offered or exchanged, nor could a ransom of any type be paid—the "manslayer" must stay put in that place of refuge. This is the really crucial part to all of this—"But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled; and the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood." (Numbers 35: 26-27) In other words, if the "manslayer" leaves the place of refuge at any time and for any reason, the deal is off—he is fair game. The avenger had every legal right to hit his mark. The man being pursued must stay put!
And so must we! There are hundreds of places in the Scriptures that warn us to continue steadfastly in God's truth, or else! If we walk away from the grace which God alone gives, we have chosen to not be protected from the Enemy through that grace. True Christianity is not just a matter of making a commitment in the midst of an emotional moment, and then resting in the idea that it doesn’t matter about how the rest of life is lived. The grace of God isn't just a blanket to cover up all the things we don't like to look at—it is the power of God to cleanse us and free us from all sin—even to the very day we die. It is kind of like the marriage vows—"…Until death do us part." You see, the manslayer was to stay put for the rest of his life, OR until the death of another. And its not the avenger—there is another who is far more important than he. Yes, "…he shall abide in it (the city of refuge) unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with holy oil…but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession." (vss. 25b and 28b)
Praise God—the deal is off when the high priest dies! Who is our High Priest? Jesus Christ! When will He yet die? Nevermore! The Book of Hebrews declares that the priesthood of Jesus is like the priesthood of Melchisedec, who lived in the days of Abraham. He is described as "having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually." (7:3) Due to this endless authority, Abraham gave him a tenth of all that he had. And so is it with Jesus Christ! We must recognize His authority, knowing it also is without end, and cease all running to find refuge in all of the other authorities to which we have been bowing down. Seeking safety in ourselves or others or other things is just not going to hold up and make it through to the end. We are just playing games, and the only outcome is to lose!
There are true Christians all over this world who really do know that this is not a game or a plaything. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrillas have put out the order, "kill all pastors." As a result, in the past five years, over 300 pastors have been murdered, including Humberto Montoya, 63, and Joel Garcia, 25, both leaving behind wives and children. On July 5th, they were pulled from their homes by 25 Communist FARC soldiers, and shot execution-style in the head. In the wake of an "Anti-Conversion Law" in India, three young Christian sisters, Kusumam, 20, Kalpana, 18, and Poonam, 16, were threatened and assaulted for their faith in Christ by radical Hindus—and all this as their own parents consented. For years now, the Islamic law against blaspheming Mohammed has been used to maim and kill countless Christians, even if they didn't blaspheme anybody. Where do any of these people or their families turn for refuge? Should they expect to come here for it, considering that many liberals in Washington are poised to enact further "hate-crime laws" that will incarcerate pastors for preaching against any sin that is condemned in the Bible—including abortion and homosexuality? No, what good would that do? Pray, instead, for them and for all of us to stand on God's truth, and find refuge in the Lord alone! Praise God—the city of your refuge is God-appointed, and it is forever—it is Jesus Christ!
