“When the Lord your God has cut off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, 2you shall separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 3You shall prepare roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, that any manslayer may flee there.” (vv.1-3)
Here in chapter 19 Moses is instructing the children of Israel upon entering the promise land to, establish three cities as a refuge for the person who committed second-degree (accidental) murder. These cities were designed as a place of protection against the avenger of blood who would seek to take innocent life.
Similarly Jesus Christ is a refuge to all who, by faith, flee to Him from their sins by protecting them from death in their sin. However, just as there was no protection in the cities of refuge for premeditated murder, there is no protection in Jesus from presumptuous sin.
Does that mean we need to live sinless lives? No, absolutely not. We all struggle with sin, but there is a difference between a person who struggles with sin or even succumbs to sin, and one who practices sin. One may backslide, become convicted, repent and find refuge in Jesus. But, one who practices sin, continues in it and does not turn from it, he will eventually be lost to it.
The Truth: For Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10)
