Joshua 20:1-9
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Cities of Refuge
20 The Lord also spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, 3 that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. 4 And when he flees to one of those cities, and stands at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declares his case in the hearing of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city as one of them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. 5 Then if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, but did not hate him beforehand. 6 And he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the slayer may return and come to his own city and his own house, to the city from which he fled.'"
7 So they appointed Kedesh in Galilee, in the mountains of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and Kirjath Arba (which is Hebron) in the mountains of Judah. 8 And on the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness on the plain, from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. 9 These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwelt among them, that whoever killed a person accidentally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation.
I was reading yesterday morning in Joshua, and came across the above verses. In thinking about how God set up the cities for the innocent, and his mercy He showed them, in the old testament, it became quite obvious how he does the same for us today.
God has an eternal city, a home for us, where we will arrive at the gate, and we will have trial, it is called Heaven. We will be held accountable for what we have done. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." —2nd Corinthians 5:10 None of us are innocent, we are all sinful, and we are responsible for our actions.
There is good news though, as our Father God is merciful to us in He has provided His son Jesus, to take our sin to the cross. "If we (you) confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in you heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9 We have access to the eternal home, through the Lord Jesus. Our sins will be forgiven.
It doesn't matter what sin, or how many sins, it matters upon our hearts and our faith in the Lord Jesus. Stop!! Don't put this off and think You can do this tomorrow. Today is the day!! "We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says: 'In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6: 1-2.
Don't turn off the computer, don't answer the phone, accept your home in eternity with the mercy of God. Accept the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior now. What are you waiting for?
If you don't know how, then pray with me:
Father God,
We thank You for Today!! Today is the day!! I come to You now, knowing I am a sinner. I am sorry for my sins, and know I need Your forgiveness. Father I believe in Your son Jesus! I know he took my sins to the cross, as he was blameless. I know he died for me, was buried, and three days later he arose. As Your Word reads in Romans 10:9, I confess with my mouth Jesus is Lord, and I believe in my heart, You raised Him from the dead. I turn from my sins, and I accept Jesus right now, as my Lord and Savior. Thank You Jesus for loving me, dying for me, and giving me an eternity home with You!
For it is in Jesus name I ask and claim these things, Amen!!
If you prayed this prayer, you need to let someone know. Find a Bible believing church, a pastor, or post here if you have no one else. Start reading God's Word from the Bible. As a public profession of your faith in God, you will want to follow through with believer's baptism.
Welcome my brother or sister. May God shine His Blessings upon You and Your household.
God Bless,
David B.
