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. 35:32). 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. 21:1-9 that Pilate, who knew something of Jewish ordinances, washed his hands (Matt. 27). 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 3).
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!