Cities of Refuge

If we make it to the city of refuge safely, we have the hope of eventual freedom and forgiveness of our sin in the death of the high priest—Jesus Christ.

The author of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 6:17-18: "Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things ..."

Martin Collins, focusing on the designation of six cities of refuge in Exodus 21:12-13, finds a spiritual parallel outlined in God's annual Holy days, beginning with Christ as a refuge for us in the Passover and our making a refuge for others during the Fe. . .

Martin Collins, in the second part of his second part of his sermon Refufe! Refuge! , reiterates that Christ is our refuge (Passover) and that we need to make the Feast of Tabernacles a refuge for others. Realizing that human nature is prone to mistakes an. . .

The sixth commandment, forbidding murder, is rare among the Ten Commandments in that a clear line can be drawn between its commission and its consequences.

Our society is becoming increasingly violent. The sixth of the Ten Commandments covers crime, capital punishment, murder, hatred, revenge and war.

Jesus magnifies the Law in Matthew 5, moving beyond the behavior into the motivating thought behind the deed, warning that we do not retaliate in kind.

Jesus emphasized the spirit of the law, which places deterrents on the motive (anger, resentment, envy, revenge), preventing murder from ever taking place.

John Ritenbaugh reiterates that the Gentile nations without God's revelation were held accountable for basic principles of humanity. Amon's barbarity, Tyre's faithlessness, and Moab's propensity for sustained anger (exemplified by burning the bones of Edom. . .

Saul tried to placate God by massacring Gibeonites. Later, David yielded to the Gibeonites' by hanging Saul's descendants to avenge the slaughter. God was not pleased.

John Ritenbaugh emphasizes the importance of exercising faith and hope, patiently plodding along day-by-day toward our spiritual goal. Many of the pillars of faith had to wait many years (Abraham, for example, waited over 25 years before he saw the beginni. . .

We must emulate the ways of God, demonstrating justice in our lives, thoughts, words, and deeds, preparing to judge in God's Kingdom. Not all sins are equal.

Hope conveys the idea of absolute certainty of future good, and that is exactly what the Bible tells us we have upon our calling and acceptance of God's way. John Ritenbaugh shows that, because the Father and Son are alive and active in their creation, our. . .