Psalm 99:8 - "O LORD our God, Thou didst answered them; Thou
wast a forgiving God to them, and yet an avenger of their evil deeds."
In Numbers 35, Deuteronomy 19 and Joshua 20 God tells Moses and Joshua to set aside cities of refuge in Israel. A city of refuge was a place to which someone could flee when they had killed someone accidentally. In those days if someone had killed someone else, even by accident, a relative of the person murdered could chase the killer and avenge the blood of his relative. So there were six cities designated as cities of refuge in order that the manslayer could flee there and as long as he remained in the city he was free from the avenger of blood. Deuteronomy 20:4-6 says - "Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: when he kills his friend unintentionally, not hating him previously-- as when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dies--he may flee to one of these cities and live; otherwise the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in the heat of his anger, and overtake him, because the way is long, and take his life, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated him previously."
So any person who killed another person unintentionally was free from the avenger of blood as long as he remained inside the city of refuge. But as soon as he ventured out he was in danger of losing his life. However, we're told in Joshua 20:6 that - "He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the manslayer shall return to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled." And in Numbers 35:26-28 we read - "But if the manslayer at any time goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he may flee, and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills the manslayer, he will not be guilty of blood because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return to the land of his possession. After the death of the high priest the manslayer is free to return to his own land and the avenger of blood can no longer take vengeance on him." There was no sacrifice that could be made on behalf of the manslayer. The only thing that could set him free was the death of the high priest.
In Psalm 99:8 God is referred to as "an avenger of their evil deeds". All humanity is guilty before God and deserving of His wrath. All sin, ultimately, is an act of rebellion against God. After David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and killed her husband Uriah he said in Psalm 51:4 - "Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned." So all humanity has sinned against God, and God has said "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." But just like the Old Testament Israelites, we have a refuge to which we can flee and escape the wrath of God. Hebrews 6:18-19 says - "In order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."
Jesus is our refuge. He has saved us from the wrath of God, and Romans 8:1 tells us - "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." All who have entered into Jesus as their city of refuge will not come into condemnation. But we must enter. All who remain outside will pay the penalty for their own sin. There is no sacrifice we could make to set ourselves free. Just as it was only by the death of the high priest that the manslayer could be free from the wrath of the avenger of blood, it is only by the death of our Great High Priest that we could be set free from the wrath of Almighty God. All of us who enter into Jesus as our refuge shall not come into judgment. And even though we may wander outside the border of the city from time to time, we will never be condemned. We can never lose our salvation because our Great High Priest has died. And "After the death of the high priest the manslayer is free to return to his own land and the avenger of blood can no longer take vengeance on him." This is such a complex picture. We are the manslayer, God is the avenger, the city of refuge and the high priest.
Hebrews 7:23-27 - "The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself."
To all those who are in Christ Jesus, He ceases to be the Avenger and He becomes both our City of Refuge and our Great High Priest.
In Numbers 35, Deuteronomy 19 and Joshua 20 God tells Moses and Joshua to set aside cities of refuge in Israel. A city of refuge was a place to which someone could flee when they had killed someone accidentally. In those days if someone had killed someone else, even by accident, a relative of the person murdered could chase the killer and avenge the blood of his relative. So there were six cities designated as cities of refuge in order that the manslayer could flee there and as long as he remained in the city he was free from the avenger of blood. Deuteronomy 20:4-6 says - "Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: when he kills his friend unintentionally, not hating him previously-- as when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dies--he may flee to one of these cities and live; otherwise the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in the heat of his anger, and overtake him, because the way is long, and take his life, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated him previously."
So any person who killed another person unintentionally was free from the avenger of blood as long as he remained inside the city of refuge. But as soon as he ventured out he was in danger of losing his life. However, we're told in Joshua 20:6 that - "He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the manslayer shall return to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled." And in Numbers 35:26-28 we read - "But if the manslayer at any time goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he may flee, and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills the manslayer, he will not be guilty of blood because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return to the land of his possession. After the death of the high priest the manslayer is free to return to his own land and the avenger of blood can no longer take vengeance on him." There was no sacrifice that could be made on behalf of the manslayer. The only thing that could set him free was the death of the high priest.
In Psalm 99:8 God is referred to as "an avenger of their evil deeds". All humanity is guilty before God and deserving of His wrath. All sin, ultimately, is an act of rebellion against God. After David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and killed her husband Uriah he said in Psalm 51:4 - "Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned." So all humanity has sinned against God, and God has said "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." But just like the Old Testament Israelites, we have a refuge to which we can flee and escape the wrath of God. Hebrews 6:18-19 says - "In order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."
Jesus is our refuge. He has saved us from the wrath of God, and Romans 8:1 tells us - "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." All who have entered into Jesus as their city of refuge will not come into condemnation. But we must enter. All who remain outside will pay the penalty for their own sin. There is no sacrifice we could make to set ourselves free. Just as it was only by the death of the high priest that the manslayer could be free from the wrath of the avenger of blood, it is only by the death of our Great High Priest that we could be set free from the wrath of Almighty God. All of us who enter into Jesus as our refuge shall not come into judgment. And even though we may wander outside the border of the city from time to time, we will never be condemned. We can never lose our salvation because our Great High Priest has died. And "After the death of the high priest the manslayer is free to return to his own land and the avenger of blood can no longer take vengeance on him." This is such a complex picture. We are the manslayer, God is the avenger, the city of refuge and the high priest.
Hebrews 7:23-27 - "The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself."
To all those who are in Christ Jesus, He ceases to be the Avenger and He becomes both our City of Refuge and our Great High Priest.
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