Devotion 172
DEVOTION 172: “The Tower of Refuge” coming out of Deu. 19
Many people sin when they didn’t mean to. They are remorseful for their sin. There is a tower built for such people.
Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 19:1-7 “When the LORD thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses; [2] Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. [3] Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither. [4] And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past; [5] As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: [6] Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. [7] Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.”
The requirement of the law was an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life. But when the person took another’s life accidentally, and didn’t mean to, then they are allowed to enter into a city of refuge, and are safe there.
First, the slayer could not come to the city of refuge without being remorseful. Secondly, they could not go in and out of the city of refuge.
Today, Jesus Christ is our city of refuge. We go in, and are safe.
First, we cannot come to this city of refuge and remain in our sin.
Secondly, we cannot go in and out of Jesus Christ and expect to be safe.
We remain in Him for safety from the avenger who is Satan.
Psalm 61:3 “For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.”
The Name of the Lord is this City of Refuge.
Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”
We abide there in Christ safely and secure. It’s the only place of security from the torments of life. We run into the Name of the Lord and are fortified there. The Name of the Lord is His Word. Eve was fortified behind the Word until she stepped outside the Word. Jesus Christ was fortified behind the Word against Satan for He was the Word.
“It is written” was the stance of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 4:4,7 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. [7] Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
Jesus Christ stayed on the Word. We must stand behind the shield of the Word and Satan has no chance.
We continue our reading:
Deuteronomy 19:8-12 “And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers; [9] If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three: [10] That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. [11] But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: [12] Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.”
We cannot come to Christ and remain sinners. We must come to Him in full confession, remorsefulness, and repentance. The sinner must repent of their sins and be baptized into Christ.
Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
This is the place of safety. We arrive there by the three witnesses; justification, sanctification, baptism with the Holy Spirit. This is the whole armor of God. This is the earthly destination of the believer.
We continue our reading:
Deuteronomy 19:13-14 “Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee. [14] Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.”
We should not be jealous of God’s inheritance to others. The gifts of God are personal. We should enjoy the gift of the Spirit in others, and be edified by them.
God is our inheritance, the Holy Spirit is our inheritance, Christ is our inheritance. We simply stay satisfied in our inheritance.
We continue our reading:
Deuteronomy 19:15 “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.”
It takes two or more witnesses to establish any worthy doctrine. God has given us three witnesses. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That is God above us, God with us, and God in us.
He has given us justification, sanctification, and the Holy Spirit baptism. This is God forgiving us, God cleansing us, and God becoming one with us.
He has given us His Spoken Word, Written Word, and the Living Word which is Christ.
We conclude our reading:
Deuteronomy 19:16-21 “If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; [17] Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; [18] And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; [19] Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. [20] And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. [21] And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
The law required a life for a life. Jesus Christ sacrificed His life for our life. God is bound by His Word and could not redeem our life with an angel or any substitute but a life.
He did not redeem us with just a life but His life.
Let the Word of God bring you into the City of refuge. BELIEVE, and confess Christ the Word as we’ve revealed Him from the First Adam. The Strong City, Tower of refuge, only in Christ!
Many people sin when they didn’t mean to. They are remorseful for their sin. There is a tower built for such people.
Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 19:1-7 “When the LORD thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses; [2] Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. [3] Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither. [4] And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past; [5] As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: [6] Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. [7] Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.”
The requirement of the law was an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life. But when the person took another’s life accidentally, and didn’t mean to, then they are allowed to enter into a city of refuge, and are safe there.
First, the slayer could not come to the city of refuge without being remorseful. Secondly, they could not go in and out of the city of refuge.
Today, Jesus Christ is our city of refuge. We go in, and are safe.
First, we cannot come to this city of refuge and remain in our sin.
Secondly, we cannot go in and out of Jesus Christ and expect to be safe.
We remain in Him for safety from the avenger who is Satan.
Psalm 61:3 “For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.”
The Name of the Lord is this City of Refuge.
Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”
We abide there in Christ safely and secure. It’s the only place of security from the torments of life. We run into the Name of the Lord and are fortified there. The Name of the Lord is His Word. Eve was fortified behind the Word until she stepped outside the Word. Jesus Christ was fortified behind the Word against Satan for He was the Word.
“It is written” was the stance of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 4:4,7 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. [7] Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
Jesus Christ stayed on the Word. We must stand behind the shield of the Word and Satan has no chance.
We continue our reading:
Deuteronomy 19:8-12 “And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers; [9] If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three: [10] That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. [11] But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: [12] Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.”
We cannot come to Christ and remain sinners. We must come to Him in full confession, remorsefulness, and repentance. The sinner must repent of their sins and be baptized into Christ.
Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
This is the place of safety. We arrive there by the three witnesses; justification, sanctification, baptism with the Holy Spirit. This is the whole armor of God. This is the earthly destination of the believer.
We continue our reading:
Deuteronomy 19:13-14 “Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee. [14] Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.”
We should not be jealous of God’s inheritance to others. The gifts of God are personal. We should enjoy the gift of the Spirit in others, and be edified by them.
God is our inheritance, the Holy Spirit is our inheritance, Christ is our inheritance. We simply stay satisfied in our inheritance.
We continue our reading:
Deuteronomy 19:15 “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.”
It takes two or more witnesses to establish any worthy doctrine. God has given us three witnesses. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That is God above us, God with us, and God in us.
He has given us justification, sanctification, and the Holy Spirit baptism. This is God forgiving us, God cleansing us, and God becoming one with us.
He has given us His Spoken Word, Written Word, and the Living Word which is Christ.
We conclude our reading:
Deuteronomy 19:16-21 “If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; [17] Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; [18] And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; [19] Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. [20] And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. [21] And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
The law required a life for a life. Jesus Christ sacrificed His life for our life. God is bound by His Word and could not redeem our life with an angel or any substitute but a life.
He did not redeem us with just a life but His life.
Let the Word of God bring you into the City of refuge. BELIEVE, and confess Christ the Word as we’ve revealed Him from the First Adam. The Strong City, Tower of refuge, only in Christ!
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