The manslayer made two entries into the city of refuge -the first immediately on his committing the deed, the second after the congregation had decided that he had not shed the blood in enmity. Now these, his two residences in the same city, must have been with different feelings. During the first he may have had strong hope, from what he knew himself of the facts and of the witnesses he could produce, that the congregation would surely acquit him; but during the second all such thoughts, having more or less uneasiness in them, would have been totally dismissed; for he could read his title clear (the congregation having delivered in their verdict) to feel unqualified security. All he had to do then was to abide only in prospect, and not at all in retrospect, to be awaiting the death of the high priest, in order that he might go to his own city, and not to be calculating on the circumstances of his own conduct, and the chances, however great, that he had of full acquittal.
According to all this has been the dispensations of God. There have been two entries into the city of refuge. The first was under the first dispensation, before the great question of sin was settled, and the conscience fully satisfied; the second under the present dispensation, since the blood of Jesus has fully discharged the sinner; and a corresponding state was found under the two. There was the spirit of bondage and of fear during the first; there is the spirit of liberty now. Under the law the sinner might have had a good hope of what the end might be; he knew of many witnesses on his behalf-the day of atonement, the ashes of the heifer, and many ordinances would be forecasts of his security- but still the great question was not altogether over. But now the congregation has given in its judgment, all has been accomplished, the whole question is ended, and we are in our city, in full peace as to the past, and have only to look out in hope of the future—the spirit of liberty has been brought in instead of that of bondage and fear. The resurrection of Jesus has decided all for the sinner.
There is both the prisoner of faith and the prisoner of hope (Gal. 3). In the old dispensation, the elect were the prisoners of faith; they were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which was afterward to be revealed. Faith, or the object of faith, that is Christ, was not so revealed as to give entire liberty; but their faith kept them still in a spirit of bondage; they were rather faith's bondmen than freemen. But now the elect are no longer under a schoolmaster; Christ is revealed, and our faith brings us into liberty; we are no longer kept in fear through our faith, but are delivered by it, so as to be faith's freemen; but then we are hope's prisoners. The grace of Christ has opened the former prison, the glory of Christ will open the latter; nothing else can.
This is shadowed in the ordinance of the cities of refuge (Numb. 35:3232And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest. (Numbers 35:32)). No money whatever could release the prisoner from that place; he must await the death of the high priest; as now it is not in the power of any present advantage to antedate the Church's portion, and deliver the saints from being an expectant; even joy in the Holy Ghost cannot do this; Jesus must come Himself, and bring His reward with Him; but till then the prison house which hope keeps remains closed; the priest must die, the present age of Jesus being in the heavens must end, and He return out of it to meet the saints in the air, ere they will cease to be expectants.
I may just observe that verse 31 gives us another striking article in this ordinance, for we may refer it to the Lord. He was made sin for us; we had been guilty of blood. Abel's blood was staining our earth; we had willfully shed it, and blood must go for blood. The Son of God took the sinner's place; therefore "refuge failed Me," no city opened her gates for Him. Who witnessed for Him? Who declared His generation? Every voice was against Him, the enemy laid to His charge undenied facts; His own forsook, and fled, and disowned Him; God forsook Him, and the heavens for three hours testified against Him. The congregation thus gave judgment against Him, and blood went for blood; no satisfaction could be taken for His life; for He was as the murderer, the willful shedder of man's blood. But His blood having thus gone for Abel's blood-that is, His atonement having fully met our guilt-the city of refuge stands always open, and the revenger cannot enter. Faith enters unpursued.
The blood of Abel is the witness for man, for Cain represents the world (1 John 3); and of the world we are all part and parcel by nature (Eph. 2), so that the sin of Cain lies against us. In other words, the blood of Jesus, the true Abel, lies at our door. Cain was conscious that no city of refuge was open to him, for he was a murderer, a willful shedder of blood; he thought everyone that found him would slay him; but the Lord took his sin into His own hand, and secured him from the revenger of blood, in due season providing other blood to go for Abel's. Of course, I do not speak of Cain personally, but mystically, as representing the sinner; and to represent this grace of God more, I may say, we have only to look to the blood of Jesus. For in one aspect of it that blood was the blood of Abel; in another, it was the blood of God's Lamb that went for Abel's. As shed by man's wicked hand, it was Abel's blood, and thus was the sin of the world; as shed by God's redeeming grace, it was the Lamb's blood, and thus was the propitiation for the world.
Thus, in the same blood of Jesus, we read the whole mystery, our sin and our salvation. Our act in the shedding of it was our sin-God's purpose in the shedding of it was our salvation. Wondrous plan of grace and of wisdom! thus in the same object to tell out such a tale, humbling to us, while it blesses us and glorifies God. It was in reference to Deut. 21:1-91If one be found slain in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him: 2Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain: 3And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke; 4And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley: 5And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried: 6And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley: 7And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. 8Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them. 9So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 21:1‑9) that Pilate, who knew something of Jewish ordinances, washed his hands (Matt. 271When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: 2And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. 3Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. 6And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. 7And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. 8Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. 9Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; (Matthew 27:1‑9)). And after Pilate had so delivered himself, as he could, from the blood of Jesus, the nation deliberately took it on themselves, and thus have they been without a city of refuge until this day; for that blood was shed willfully. Accordingly, like Cain, they are vagabonds this day; they have no city of refuge. But grace preserves them aliens, as it did Cain, in order that as Cain's family revived, as it were, in Lamech this grace, so in the latter day Israel may trust in Jesus, and thus blood go for blood—the blood of Jesus pleaded answer for the blood of Jesus shed, and their land be thus cleansed from its present stain (Joel 31For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. 3And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. 4Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; 5Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things: 6The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border. 7Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head: 8And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the Lord hath spoken it. 9Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: (Joel 3:1‑9)).
The operation of faith, in separating the soul to communion with God, is seen also in this ordinance of the cities of refuge; for there the Nazarite was in solitude—home and kindred were in distant cities, and he was in the place of strangers, in communion with Him whose love and grace had provided that asylum for him against the hand of the avenger. There was he to dwell for a season, and his company was thoughts of Him who had so screened him.
Thoughts of His love—the root of every grace
Which finds in this poor heart a dwelling place;
The sunshine of my soul, than day more bright,
And my calm pillow of repose by night.
Thoughts of His glory—on the cross I gaze,
And there behold its sad, yet healing rays;
Beacon of hope, which, lifted up on high,
Illumes with heavenly light the tear-dimmed eye.
Thoughts of His coming-for that joyful day
In patient hope I watch, and wait, and pray;
The day draws nigh, the midnight shadows flee-
Oh, what a sunrise will that advent be!