City of Refuge

Beloved, I invite you just as I was invited by Him, to seek first the kingdom of God and know His city of refuge. With that invitation being personally extended to you, I now invite you into my HEART...

“A city of refuge is a place where the condemned, who are riddled with guilt and shame and are on a crash course heading towards imminent destruction, flee (in a hurry) to seek out sanctuary (not to be judged but to) from their sin-filled paths.” — The Holy Spirit

Joshua 20:1-4

The Lord also spoke to Joshua, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. And when he flees to one of those cities, and stands at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declares his case in the hearing of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city as one of them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.


Beloved in order to see this promise for what it is, let us grasp what the scripture truly illuminates in the holy texts above.

City of Refuge = The Kingdom of God

(a place of true freedom, praise, peace and joy from all pasts and persecutions)

Now what does the Holy texts say about the kingdom of God? Let us look to the illuminated description and inscription for daily blessings of refuge for our lives and eternity.

Matthew 6:33

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.”

Now at first glance it may be absolutely certain that putting God first causes us to live a blessed life. And anyone who understands and implements that into their life would be right, but let us take another look, a closer look.

Immediately we see two words that tend to be dismissed in the English language and in our culture in the 21st Century: but and seek.

• But is a word here that causes a pause and shift in direction.

• Seek is a word here that opens an invitation to leave the past behind and go on a journey towards our future.

Now we are seeing this scripture no longer in a dim perspective as it is being illuminated to us.

However the concrete word here, that ties it all together is a word that mysteriously seems to be misplaced: His. As the holy text says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).


We’re started off by being educated on seeking the kingdom of God out, and of course we would see it in the theater of our minds as a majestic building of some sort, but let us leave behind any preconceived notions of what the kingdom of God is, and grab a hold of the truth of God’s kingdom not being an it, but in its fullness being a Him.

Him is not only a word describing the kingdom of God, it also invites the seeker to know that the kingdom of God is a Him.

Whom is this Him?

To know this Him, we look to another illuminated scripture in John 14:6, where the Him is speaking of Himself as the very kingdom of God and as the city of refuge. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 emphasis added by me).


The last three words ‘except through me’ solidifies Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33, where He says, ‘but seek first.’


Now that the illuminated description for refuge has been made known to us, we can triumphantly seek first Jesus above all things, and let this be all things, that we would find refuge in the kingdom of God; the city of refuge, from our pasts that are filled with the sins that have brought upon us guilt, shame and condemnation to be judged.


Beloved, though the above paragraph seems bleak at best, let us once again not have any preconceived notions of Jesus, but let us rejoice in His words to us once again and bury them deep in our hearts, from the standpoint of the city of refuge and inside the city of refuge.

Standpoint of the city of refuge

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” 

(Matthew 11:28-30)

Inside the city of refuge

“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” 

(Revelation 21:3-7)

Beloved, in the city of refuge, Jesus, who is the very kingdom of God and has brought the very kingdom of God near to us to all who would look towards Him as refuge and flee away from their sin that is condemning and leads to death, will come to know that the shattered remains of their past like ashes will turn to beauty, and from mourning we who stand in the Lord Jesus Christ will now sing songs of joy and no longer have a spirit of despair but one of everlasting praise to the glory of His Holy and wonderful name. Amen!