“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses.”
(Joshua 20:2)

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The six cities of refuge which Joshua appointed in the land of Canaan were types of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even their names represent Him.

Kadesh means “Holy”. 

Christ is the Holy One, both as God and as man. Being the holy God-man, he is abundantly qualified to be our Mediator, Savior, and Redeemer. Christ is the Fountain of Holiness to his people. He is made of God unto us righteousness and holiness, justification and sanctification (Ps. 16:10; Heb. 7:26; I Cot. 1:30).

Shechem means “The Shoulder”

Christ is our broad-shouldered Redeemer. He carried the enormous load of our sin upon the cross, and put it away (Isa. 53:6). The government of the world in general and of his church in particular is upon his shoulder (Isa. 9:6). And in conversion, he finds his lost sheep, lays it upon his shoulder, and carries it home (Luke 15:4).

Hebron means “fellowship.”

“Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1st John 1:3). In Christ we have access to and fellowship with the eternal God, and shall have uninterrupted communion with him in heaven’s eternal glory (1st Corinthians 1:9; Ephesians 2:18; John 17:24).

Bezer means “A Fortified Place.”

“I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” (Psalm 91:2). “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10). Christ is the fortress and defence of his people, the stronghold in which the prisoners of hope are secured.

Ramoth means “Exalted”

Christ is our exalted Saviour. “God hath highly exalted him” (Philippians 2:9). Christ is the One by whom we have been exalted from our low estate to sit among princes and to inherit the throne of glory (Ephesians 2:4-7). And Christ is the One we exalt, honor, and magnify (Revelation 5:9-10).

Golan means “Revealed” or “Manifested”

Christ is God manifest in the flesh (1st Timothy 3:16). He is the One revealed to us, to whom We are called, and by whom we are saved (Galatians 1:15-16). In Christ the glory of God is revealed (2nd Corinthians 4:6). And that revelation of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is salvation.

Meditate upon Christ and use Him as the Refuge for your soul.

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D. Fortner