Daily Reading: Joshua 18–20
Click here to listen to Alexander Scourby reading the King James Bible.
Text: Joshua 20:1–3
Joshua 20 isn’t just God dropping pins on a map; it’s the Lord preaching doctrine with geography. Six cities of refuge, spread out so a man who killed “unawares and unwittingly” could run for his life before the avenger of blood caught him (Joshua 20:3). It’s Old Testament law, yes—but you’d have to work hard not to see pictures of Jesus Christ all over it, and some pretty sharp lessons for a guilty sinner who needs to move his feet instead of his lips.
- Kedesh – “Holy” or “Sanctuary”
The first stop on the run is holiness. A manslayer didn’t run to a feelings seminar; he ran to a holy place set apart by God. That’s a good start for a sinner: your refuge isn’t your excuses, it’s God’s holiness against you and then for you in Jesus Christ. You don’t get saved by explaining you’re not that bad; you get saved by fleeing to the One who is absolutely holy and letting His righteousness cover your guilt. Kedesh says, “We’re going to talk about holiness first.” - Shechem – “Shoulder”
Shechem carries the idea of the shoulder—the place of burden and government (“the government shall be upon his shoulder”). A man running from the avenger wasn’t coming to help God carry something; he was coming to be carried. When you flee to Christ, you don’t “do your part”; you get on His shoulders like a lost sheep. The flesh wants to bargain: “Lord, I’ll take one handle, You take the other.” Shechem says, “Drop it. His shoulders or judgment, take your pick.” - Hebron – “Fellowship”
Hebron is linked with fellowship, communion, friendship. It’s where Abraham sojourned and built an altar. A manslayer in that city wasn’t just hiding in a corner; he was living inside a place of fellowship he didn’t deserve. That’s church life for a sinner saved by grace. You come in because judgment was hanging over your head; you stay because you’ve been brought into fellowship with God and with His people. It’s hard to stay proud when you remember you only got in the door because you were running from the avenger. - Bezer – “Fortress” or “Stronghold”
Bezer gives you the idea of a fortified place, a stronghold. Refuge isn’t a flimsy tent; it’s a God-built fortress. A man didn’t outrun the avenger because he was faster; he lived because the walls were stronger. We’re not preserved because we “hang on”; we’re kept by Someone stronger than the Law that was rightfully chasing us. Christ isn’t your hobby; He’s your walled city. - Ramoth – “Heights”
Ramoth carries the sense of heights, elevation, being lifted up. Refuge doesn’t just keep you from being killed; it changes your altitude. Spiritually, God “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” The manslayer goes from ground level panic to living on the Lord’s high ground. That’s a good check on the carnal believer: saved, yes, but still camped down in the lowlands with the Canaanites instead of living where God put you. Ramoth says, “Why are you crawling when your refuge is on the heights?” - Golan – “Circle” or “Enclosure”
Golan shows up with the idea of a circle or enclosure—being surrounded. Inside that city, the manslayer is completely enclosed by the boundaries God set. You’re not half in and half out; you’re in or you’re out. That’s eternal security in picture form: once you’re in Christ, you are inside God’s circle, not pacing the fence line trying to keep yourself from falling off the edge. It also hits the flesh squarely: you don’t get to redesign the walls to fit your hobbies. You accept God’s enclosure, or you stay outside with the avenger.
Doctrinally, those cities belong to Israel under the Law, with a clear distinction between manslaughter and murder, staying until the death of the high priest, and so on. Devotionally, you’d have to be blind not to see a sinner fleeing judgment and finding holiness in Kedesh, being carried on His shoulder to Shechem, brought into Hebron for fellowship, kept in the fortress of Bezer, lifted up to the heights at Ramoth, and safely enclosed within Golan’s circle he never built for himself. That’s not the church stealing Israel’s promises; that’s the church seeing Christ’s character in Israel’s pictures and running to the same God for refuge.
The sad part? In Joshua’s day, a man had to run; in our day, a sinner can’t be bothered to move his feet. The avenger of blood is on his heels, and and the guilty one is arguing about which “city” feels most authentic to his journey. God didn’t give six cities so a manslayer could compare options; He gave six so there would always be one close enough to reach if the man would just start running.
Keep reading because tomorrow we’re going to step into Joshua 21–23 and see how God settles the Levites, reminds Israel of His faithfulness, and warns them about drifting from the refuge He’s already given them.
Until tomorrow, stay in the Book. 📖
Brother Tony