We sometimes think of cities as dangerous places. (I don’t think that’s nearly as true as some claim.) Still, the City of Refuge in ancient Israel was a notable place of safety. God has provided a refuge for us today in Christ.
There is much we can learn – most of it negative – from one of the oddest characters, in one of the oddest stories in the Bible.
During the wilderness wandering, the Israelites fall into severe discontentment, becoming critical of both Moses and God. Their complaining and rebellion lead to deep lessons about sin, its consequences and the cross.
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” – G.K. Chesterton, in What’s Wrong with the World
The problem is not new. People begin in the faith but don’t finish. Today’s passage gives us the classic example.
Numbers 13-14.pdf
Our radical dedication to holiness should be an attractive option in a hopeless world – and a source of severe conviction to a compromised or hypocritical church.
