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Numbers 35 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
When we take a deeper look into the cities which were selected as places of refuge and we utilize the Hebrew text, we see obvious parallels to the refuge Jesus provides for His church.
The First City – Bezer
Bezer was the first city in the wilderness of the Reubenites (Deu 4:43). The city’s name, Bezer, literally means ‘stronghold’ in Hebrew. It was a fortified place that provided shelter for someone in trouble. We can observe the connection between Christ and His people when reading these passages in Zechariah and Nahum.
Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you.
Zechariah 9:12 NASB
The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.
Nahum 1:7 NASB
Using beautiful imagery and practical thoughts, we can conclude that Jesus is the stronghold we must turn to. He is a fortress and place of defense for His people. A useful analogy for this concept is a courtroom scene. We know that Satan relentlessly accuses us day and night before the throne of God (Rev 12:10). He has a lifetime of evidence built up against us, and if left to ourselves, we stand guilty as charged. However, Jesus steps in as our refuge. He not only acts as our defense team, but He also serves our sentence! What lawyer has ever done that?
The Second City – Ramoth
The second city of refuge was Ramoth-Gilead of the Gadites. The word literally means high and exalted. The picture we are drawn to is a place so elevated that it allows the fugitive to rise above their trouble and escape the danger below. There are some wonderful examples in Scripture of how Christ fills this same role.
Once You spoke in vision to Your godly ones, And said, “I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.
Psalms 89:19 NASB
“He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 5:31 NASB
The apostle Paul expresses how those who place their faith in Jesus are exalted and raised up with Him to heavenly places.
But God’s mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, [5] that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God’s grace that you have been saved. [6] In our union with Christ Jesus he raised us up with him to rule with him in the heavenly world. [7] He did this to demonstrate for all time to come the extraordinary greatness of his grace in the love he showed us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-7 GNB
I’ve only covered two cities, but they beautifully illustrate the amazing characteristics of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It should bring us great joy to know that He is our refuge and that in Him we are raised up as His children and heirs!