By Chuck Reber

I am one who likes to line up every teaching with the Word of God. To accurately interpret biblical texts we must understand them in their context. That means understanding the historical background, the type of literature we are reading (history, narrative, poetry, wisdom, prophetic), and how it fits into the whole counsel of God revealed in both the Old and New Testaments.

This article is a brief outline of my findings from the Bible on the topic of Cities of Refuge. There are a number of Christian leaders today, myself included, that believe that God is once again raising up cities of refuge.

If so, it raises lots of questions: What does that mean for today? What is their purpose? Where are they located? Will they be like the cities of refuge in the Old Testament? What does the New Testament have to say about cities of refuge?

A number of the teachings I’ve heard on this subject have taken this topic beyond its Scriptural boundaries and have not applied sound biblical exegesis. My concern is that we present a biblically accurate interpretation and application of cities of refuge so the builders of today can build on a solid foundation of truth.

Let me state my conclusion right here at the beginning and then I’ll lay out the evidence of how I came to this conclusion:

The city of refuge is a biblical symbol and a type of the Lord Jesus who is our Refuge and Mediator. I believe the city of refuge teaching is a prophetic concept for us today, but it is neither a model nor a blueprint for us to follow in building places of refuge.

The Old Testament Reference to the Cities of Refuge

1. A.Cities of Refuge: Six Levitical cities were designed [by the Lord] to shelter the person
   who had accidentally committed manslaughter, from the pursuit of the avenger of blood
   (Num 35:9-14; Ex 21:12-13). [Davis Dictionary of the Bible, p.148]
   

2. B.The names of the cities and their ancient tribal locations (Joshua 20) -
   

3. • On the west of Jordan were: 1) Kedish in Naphtali; 2) Shechem in Ephraim; 3) Hebron in Judah;
   

4. • On the east of Jordan were: 4) Bezer for Reuben; 5) Ramoth in Gilead for Gad; 6) Golan in Bashan for Manasseh.
   

5. C.The City of Refuge provided a safe harbor for an individual in legal trouble (for a capital offense). It was a place where the accused could get a fair trail before the high priest. It was not, however, designed to be a place of refuge for people in crisis.
   
   

Biblical Examples of Places of Refuge

We do have numerous examples where God used people to provide a safe refuge for others in times of crisis.

1. A.Joseph’s wisdom and strategy in handling Pharaoh’s prophetic dreams (one warning of a time of abundance and one warning of a time of famine) provides us with several truths that relate to both prophecy and practical preparations in coming crisis.
   

2. B.Likewise, Goshen, built by Joseph for the Israelites prior to the Exodus, is a model of a community that received divine protection during the judgments of the Lord on Egypt. In Goshen, God distinguished between His people and the Egyptians. Though we learn several principles related to refuge places, it is not a blueprint to follow in building a place of refuge.
   

3. C.Rahab hid the two Israelite spies in her home on the walls of Jericho. Her home was spared in God’s judgment on the city and preserved when the walls fell down.
   

4. D.David’s cave of Adullam was a refuge place for the “distressed…indebted…and discontented” during the reign of Saul (1 Sam 22:1-2). Eventually David’s family and 400 men gathered there with him. It became a small refuge community in the Judean wilderness.
   

5. E.Elijah’s flight from Ahab and Jezebel after prophesying a drought (1Kings 17) reveals God’s sovereignty and providential watch care over His servant.
   

6. •God supernaturally provides for Elijah at the brook Cherith, a God-appointed place of refuge. God commands the ravens to feed Elijah.
   

7. • God supernaturally provides for Elijah through a widow in Zarephath, another God-appointed place of refuge. As the widow opens her home to Elijah, she experiences God’s mercy towards herself and her son. Even in her reluctant obedience in sharing her food with Elijah, the Lord mercifully comes through with a miraculous multiplication of food.
   

8. F. Obadiah hid 100 prophets, by 50’s in two caves, and cared for them with bread and water during the drought (1 Kings 18). He provided a place of refuge for Yahweh’s prophets in a time of national judgment and religious persecution.
   

Note: I can find no account in the Old Testament where the Israelites fled to the designated “cities of refuge” during a crisis or a military invasion. Villagers many times would flee to the nearby walled cities during a military invasion, for protection and provision. However, when the enemy surrounded the city and put it under siege, the walled city became a very difficult and dangerous place to reside. For example:

1. A.Elisha was trapped inside Samaria during an extended military siege that caused a horrendous famine in the city. Women began to eat their own children due to the severity of the famine brought on by the siege. Elisha prophesied that the famine would come to an abrupt end “tomorrow” (2 Kings 6:20 – 7:1,2,16-17). It did, according to the Word of the Lord.
   

2. B.It must be noted that Elisha never encouraged the people of Samaria to flee to one of the six designated cities of refuge when the Syrians besieged the city.
   

New Testament Examples of Places of Refuge

1. A. The believers living in Jerusalem during the Roman siege in 70 A.D. fled the city when they saw the city surrounded by armies, just as Jesus had warned them to do (Luke 21:20-24). Historians record that they fled to Pella; a city located north and east of Jerusalem and were integrated into that community.
   

2. B. The church in Antioch recognized a prophecy given through the prophet Agabus as being given by the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:27-30). They received the prophetic word and crafted a response that invited the whole church to participate through proportional giving. Their plan involved supporting a group of “the brethren” in Jerusalem. However, they didn’t lead a disaster relief outreach to Jerusalem when the famine struck. Instead, they sent an offering to the church in Jerusalem ahead of the famine, enabling the Jerusalem church to purchase resources and prepare the infrastructure to care for one another.
   

3. C. Throughout the book of Acts we see the believers practicing hospitality as part of their Christian walk. By offering refuge to Paul and his apostolic team meant that believers would risk persecution by being identified with Paul and the gospel.
   

Still, many opened their homes to these persecuted brothers as the Lord opened their hearts to the gospel. In the epistles we read the admonitions of the apostles to practice hospitality to strangers and especially to believers. God calls His people to the compassionate care of others. (Acts 16:15; 32-34,40; 1 Cor 16:15-18)

Concluding Thoughts

From these accounts, both Old and New Testaments, I conclude that the “cities of refuge” teaching does not give us a biblical pattern to follow in building refuge places today. Nor do I see them as an Old Testament type or shadow to be fulfilled in the New Testament. I do believe the term is being used prophetically to describe a concept that is illustrated in many of the Bible passages above.

If, however, we want to establish a biblical foundation for this concept, I believe we will find our most solid ground in the biblical practice of hospitality. Our homes, and sometimes our local churches, become little Goshen’s, or as Mike Bickle calls them, pockets of mercy in times of crisis.

The Grace of Hospitality

To open one’s home to fellow believers or to strangers, is to open one’s life to them. It involves denying self, the sacrifice of one’s time, patience, kindness and great generosity. Bottom line, it’s the second commandment, the royal law, as James called it, being fleshed out.

Not only that, but by keeping the focus on our homes it becomes more than a “ministry vision” with a catchy mission statement. It’s not something I do, or go to like a job. It is the sharing of life, the “breaking of bread and the sharing of wine” at my table.

Hospitality is personal and real. It’s the look-them-in-the-eyes-and-listen-to-their-hearts kind of stuff. It’s not the kind of faith that says, “go in peace, be warmed and fed” (James 2:15), but the kind of faith that works through love, by sharing our goods in our homes with those in crisis.

In this hour of history, as God shakes everything that can be shaken, He is once again calling believers across the nations to prepare places of refuge to provide compassionate care for people in crisis. What can we do to prepare a place of refuge?

Learn the biblical truths of hospitality and practice them regularly. Open your home and invite others over to break bread around your table. Invite the Lord into the conversation. Open your home and open your heart to others and you’ll be building the foundation for being a place of refuge.

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