Place of Refuge

"Now tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed Moses. Anyone who kills another person accidentally and unintentionally can run to one of these cities; they will be places of refuge from relatives seeking revenge for the person who was killed. Upon reaching one of these cities, the one who caused the death will appear before the elders at the city gate and present his case. They must allow him to enter the city and give him a place to live among them. If the relatives of the victim come to avenge the killing, the leaders must not release the slayer to them, for he killed the other person unintentionally and without previous hostility. But the slayer must stay in that city and be tried by the local assembly, which will render a judgment. And he must continue to live in that city until the death of the high priest who was in office at the time of the accident. After that, he is free to return to his own home in the town from which he fled." Joshua 20:2-6

After many years of fighting and destroying the stronghold of inhabitants living in the land of promise, the tribes received their allotted land by the casting of sacred lot. Then the LORD reminded them to give the tribe of Levi their allotment among all the tribes in the land.

The Levites would receive no land, because the LORD was their inheritance (Numbers 18:20, Deuteronomy 10:9). However, they were to receive cities and the adjoining pasture lands to provide for them and the animals they raised for sacrifice. In this manner, the spiritual influence of the Levitical priests was spread throughout the nation.

Six of the cities were to be designated as "Cities of Refuge." Three would be on the east side of the Jordan (Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh) and three were on the west side. The Cities of Refuge were strategically placed in the northern third, middle third, and southern third of the land on both sides of the Jordan River. In this way, no one--Israelite or foreigner--who accidentally killed another person would be very far from a city of refuge. 

When someone died at the hand of another for any reason, the nearest relative was designated to mete out justice by taking the life of the person who had killed their family member. When the killing was accidental and unintentional, a place of mercy was readily available. The guilty party would head for the nearest refuge and be safe, as long as he remained within the boundaries of the city. Upon the death of the Levite who bore the seal of High Priest at the time of the infraction, the person could be free to return home. If he left the refuge before the high priest's death, he was fair game for the "kinsman avenger."

God knew the war-like nature of fallen man. In the Law, the LORD sets forth very exacting standards and penalties for those who treat life casually. He knew there needed to be a place of mercy.

Many times David referred to his need for mercy and a place of refuge. Read through the Psalms.

"The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble." Psalm 9:9

"God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble." Psalm 46:1

"The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." Psalm 46:7

"...You have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress." Psalm 59:16

"My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in Him at all times. Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:7-8

And my personal favorite:

"This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him." Psalm 91:2

We have a place of refuge when we commit murder. We haven't killed anyone, we protest. But God says:

"You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell." Matthew 5:21-22

God is concerned about the condition of our hearts, for it's from the heart that our actions spring forth. So, if our thoughts lead to words or actions that would hurt someone, it pains God's heart. Instead of reflecting well on Him (aka brings Him glory), our actions give cause for others to mock Him. 

Oh, how we need to flee to His place of mercy...and stay there. Jesus gave His life to buy mercy for us. He will never die again. Just as the murderer needed to remain in the City of Refuge as long as the High Priest lived, so we need to stay firmly in our Refuge, Jesus Christ.

"But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand. There He waits until His enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy. And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For He says, 'This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day,' says the LORD: 'I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their mind. Then He says, 'I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds." Hebrews 10:12-17

Oh, the mercy, grace, refuge, protection and hope we receive through our Savior. May we be "glued" to Him from this day forever.

by Marilyn Allison

 

Barefoot Before the LORD

"The commander of the LORD's army replied, 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.' And Joshua did as he was told."  Joshua 5:15

My friend’s eyes spied my daughter climbing through our side window, cradling a rabbit. 

Yup. Our children use windows like doors. 

Realizing this may not be the norm for most families, I let out a raw laugh. “Didn’t you know? We live like animals around here!”

Her face lit up, “Oh, we don’t have screens, either!” 

Ah, a kindred "momma" spirit.

“But, I did notice your kids don’t wear shoes very often…”

She listed various times and events when she’d witnessed my shoeless children. It was a completely non-judgmental, endearing encounter. We giggled as she collected her cuties.

I didn’t recall half of the times she mentioned. 

I kept saying, "Really?"

“Oh yes, last week when you picked up Micah, no one had shoes on then, either…”

"Really?"

Apparently, there’s a crack in my parenting I wasn’t aware of.

The door shut as she left. "Jesus help me. I am truly raising animals."

My head sunk back. The admission slipped out in a single breath, “Jesus, there are so many holes in my parenting”.

His spirit whipped back sharp and clear. "It’s Ok. I can make them Holy."

*****

God isn’t surprised I’m not a perfect mom. If my kids do miraculously grab a shoe…they can’t find the other one anyway. Still, I imagine He delights in watching their naked toes running through grass and tiptoeing through Target.  

He must’ve been pleased with his servant Moses, barefoot before the burning bush--and Joshua, a mighty warrior, barefoot before battle.

“Take off your sandals,” he commanded them, “for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5, Joshua 5:15)

Before both men were commissioned into their own form of battle, they were asked to remove their shoes. Well, my friend, parenting is a battlefield! 

God is asking us to take off our shoes, too. 

In ancient culture, removing one’s shoes had great significance. It could signify many things, reverence, submission, redemption of property, transfer of power, showing the legality of a purchase. It was also symbolic of giving up one’s rights.  

Yes, God can make the holes in my parenting holy. However, I need to give up my parental rights to the perfect Father.

There are areas I can’t reach in the hearts of my children; no matter how hard I strain to touch them.

The tears I don’t see... 

The pain they don’t share... 

The lies they believe... 

The innocence I can’t protect…

These places are holy ground. They must be set apart for the Lord. 

Because--let’s be honest--we’ll never know the whole story of what happened at school that day. It isn’t possible to intercept every cruel word and relationship thrown at them. Sometimes, things slip between the cracks. 

No matter how hard we try, there will be days our kids aren’t wearing shoes at Costco. 

Sometimes this happens, because ALL the time, we are just human parents. Human parents, stomping around in our big ‘ole boots, thinking we've got this parenting thing all figured out.

We think we love our kids more than God does. Mamma Bears, you know this is true. This lie violently twists and tightens around our sandals, making it feel impossible to ever take them off in submission. 

I’d lay down my life for my children in a heartbeat!  But...

their Father in heaven already did when He sent His Son to the cross.. 

 I can’t beat that. I can’t love them like God does. 

When we yank those sandals off, the rocky terrain of faith may bruise and bloody our sensitive soles.

Praise God, we have a Savior who kneels down and cradles those steadfast Momma feet. He gently washes and restores. Tenderly fitting them with readiness and peace, He prepares us to follow Him into battle.

"For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News (Gospel) so that you will be fully prepared."  Ephesians 6:15

He will even help us find that other stinkin’ shoe! 

God’s ways are better for our children, because His love is bigger.

No parenting class, yoga pose, discipline strategy, special smoothie or supplement will help us to fill in the tender areas at which we fail as parents.  I want us to be a generation of parents bowing before the great I AM, taking off our shoes and declaring, “Only through His strength, can we battle for the lives of our children!”  

He is the only Father who can comfort their silent whimpers, mend their broken spirits, heal their bruised hearts, and whisper directly to their souls, You are loved, you are seen…when we cannot. We must intentionally dedicate them to the Father who never fails.

Parenting is holy ground. 

I want to be barefoot before the Lord.

A Marked Life.

Next time you see bare feet, ask God to continually fill in the spaces you can’t reach. 

Take off your own shoes as an offering

We can trust His ways are better, because His love is bigger.

by Jenna Masters

Claim Your Inheritance

"A delegation from the tribe of Judah led by Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb said to Joshua, 'Remember what the LORD said to Moses, the man of God, about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea. I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the LORD, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave an honest report, but my brothers who went with me frightened the people from entering the Promised Land. For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God. So that day Moses solemnly promised me, 'The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendants forever, because you wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God." Joshua 14:6-9

In Joshua 14 the time had come for nine and a half tribes to receive their inheritance. Two and a half tribes had already received their inheritance, designated through Moses, on the eastern side of the Jordan. Caleb came to Joshua to request his promised inheritance, the land he had been assigned to survey forty five years earlier. It had been promised him because he had wholeheartedly, or fully, followed the LORD.

As believers, we have an inheritance, too. We've been adopted into the family of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. 

"Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan...He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, God's guarantee that He will give you the inheritance He promised." Ephesians 1:4-5, 11, 13-14a

Believers, Gentile and Jew alike, are heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. Through the adoption process of His blood shed on the cross for us, we partake of His Holy nature. 

"By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires." 2 Peter 1:3-4

"...Share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires."The Greek word for "share" is koinonos--partner with, partake, fellowship with. We have the nature of Jesus within us; we have His Holy Spirit dwelling in us to help us partake of Jesus. We make the choice. Do we put on Jesus and walk in righteousness, or do we keep wearing our old sin-desiring natures?

It's when we choose Jesus that the Holy Spirit gives us the power to follow through on our choice.

When we "put on Jesus," we are choosing to walk in the righteousness of God. We choose to put aside thoughts, attitudes and behavior only the world finds appealing. In their place:

"...clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." Colossians 3:12-13a

When we put on Jesus, we are clothing ourselves to please our bridegroom. I think about the preparations every bride goes to in planning her wedding day. Her choice in what she will wear is something she's probably dreamed about at some time or another from her early years. She dreams and decides. Will it be a ball gown? An A-line or mermaid silhouette? What neckline? Sleeves? Lace? Ruffles? Will there be beading? Will it be plain or fancy? 

She finally enters the bridal shop and begins to try on beautiful white gowns. She floats in one gossamer creation after another, but something is always lacking. Finally, she puts on a style she hadn't considered earlier. She looks in the mirror and she just knows. This is her. Every style she tried was pretty, but she wouldn't settle. She pursued finding the one that completed her "look," and, she was willing to pay the price of purchase.

I think of pursuing Jesus with the same single-minded purpose, adding to our gowns (lives) the adornment of love, kindness, forgiveness, compassion, purity...all the attributes our bridegroom finds pleasing and which He gave His life to make available to us.

Just as Caleb received his inheritance because he fully followed the LORD, we are to wholeheartedly follow Him, too. Just as God gave Caleb strength to defeat his enemies, God will give us strength, by His Holy Spirit, to face our battles and win. Trials refine the intricate design on our bridal gowns.

The more we choose to exercise our faith, the more the Holy Spirit makes us able to stand firm.

The more we choose to put on Jesus, the more like Him we will become.

We will have peace within. We will be ready when He comes for us. Our Bridegroom will present us--clothed in dazzling, pure raiment--to Abba Father, and we will share in His glory.

"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory." Colossians 3:1-4

by Marilyn Allison

 

Living Water

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." Psalm 1:3

A few years ago my husband after eating an apple, took the seeds, put them in water and when they grew roots he put them in dirt. As time has gone by a little tree has grown. The size of the pot isn’t very big--only about five feet high--but it does produce little tiny apples.

Anthony and I were studying Psalm 1 and he told me he sometimes feels like our little tree. Just like the tree whose growth has been stunted because the roots have no place to grow, when he doubts or is anxious he feels like his roots aren’t deep and has little fruit. I’ve thought about what he shared with me. I reminded him the tree is still alive and the life giving water keeps it that way. Even though it doesn't bear full sized apples it’s still fruit. 

On any given day we could be like that tree--desperately drinking in every little drop of water-- going on to produce fragrant buds and then fruit. Not all of us could be big Redwoods like Billy Graham.

Throughout our lives we change. There are times when we are like a Eucalyptus or Willow tree-- our roots sinking deep into the water--drinking it in--growing in beauty and grace.  At other times we can be like cactus; full of our own juices and prickly.

Are you feeling dry? Are you actively seeking Living Water? Or are you a cactus plant--self-sufficient--trying to make it through each day under your own juice?

"JESUS answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  
John 4:10

Come to the well and drink. Let the roots of your faith be nurtured by the life giving Word of God. Drink in the Living Water that can flow through the desert places of your heart and mind, giving you life.

"Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.  John 4:13 & 14

by Eve Montano

J

Our High Priest

"The remaininng tribes of Israel received land in Canaan as allowed by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the tribal leaders."  Joshua 14:1

From the beginning, those called by God to be priests were to consecrate themselves before they came near to Him, lest He break out against them.

"Even the priests who regularly come near to the LORD must purify themselves so that the LORD does not break out and destroy them." Exodus 19:22

It was their responsibility to be sure they were right with Him, and had observed His ordinances according to His directions rather than present their own efforts to serve Him. Remember Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, who tried to use fire for the altar that hadn't come from God? The flames exploded from God's presence and consumed them (Leviticus 10).

The priests had to be clean--consecrated--before they could approach God on behalf of the people. They couldn't expect to learn the will of God if they came any other way than on God's terms and in the place He chose to dwell.

One of the ways God made His will known to them was through the Urim and the Thummim. These were the sacred lots borne on the ephod the priest wore. The manner in which they appeared after being cast signified God's will to the people.

"When direction from the LORD is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will use the Urim--one of the sacred lots cast before the LORD--to determine His will. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will determine everything they should do." Exodus 27:21

The priests' job was full. Their duties included replenishing the oil in the lamp stand, providing the showbread for the tabernacle, maintaining the fire on the altar, offering morning and evening sacrifices and prayers three times a day. In other words, they were constantly busy. They weren't sitting in a camp chair outside their tents waiting for the next sacrifice, 

The High Priest had the additional duty of offering sacrifice to mediate for the nation. If there was anything out of line with the sacrifice or his fulfillment of his duties, the penalty was death. God is serious about the respect due His name and He is to be approached the right way.

Today, we have a High Priest who intercedes for us non-stop. He doesn't slumber or sleep. He is constantly speaking for us. He, who knows us so intimately that He can tell each of us how many strands of hair we have on our heads, is continually talking with Father God about His plans for us and what our needs are. He loves us exactly how we need to be loved. Jesus is actively guiding what's going on here on earth, as well as preparing our dwelling place in Heaven with Him. 

He doesn't need to cast lots to know the will of God. He is the perfect sacrifice, accepted by God and in unceasing communion with Him. He is the Word of God.

"We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the LORD and not by human hands. And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. ... Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for He is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises." Hebrews 8:1-3, 6

The old covenant provided a way to cover sin temporarily. The new covenant, Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross, took away our sins. "It is finished," He said. Done Deal.

What about you? Have you acknowledged His sacrifice is for you? Is He mediating in Heaven for you? It doesn't take specific words. All it takes is a simple agreement from your heart. Believe. An act of your heart. 

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." Romans 10:9-10

If you have followed this action, please go find someone to tell so they can rejoice with you.

by Marilyn Allison