Restoration Has Finally Come
Notes
Transcript
1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.
2 Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.
1. A Refuge
1. A Refuge
Psalm 31 is one of those ancient songs with lyrics as up-to-date as this morning’s headlines.
David is the composer, but he obviously got his inspiration from God. The man has run out of crutches to lean on. He’s in trouble. He needs some shelter. Since there’s nobody on the horizon to help, David looks up.
1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.
2 Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.
Refuge (mā·ʿôz): a safe place, a place of protection and secrecy
Soldiers in David’s day would seek a place on a hillside that gave them a place to hide from the enemy. When they were wounded or surrounded by adverse forces or in need of security, they looked for huge boulders to hide behind, often those high up on the mountainside.
But why did David seek a place of shelter? For the same reasons we would. He mentions at least three:
Distress
Sin
Adversaries
A. Because We Are in Distress…Sorrow Accompanies Us
A. Because We Are in Distress…Sorrow Accompanies Us
9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body!
10 For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away.
Vivid, honest words - an unguarded admission.
A grown man admits to crying!
He admits that his life is “spent in sorrow”.
Things were dark, days were drab, the hope of tomorrow being any different was doubtful.
Shelter is hard to come by.
B. Because We are Sinful… Guilt Accuses Us
B. Because We are Sinful… Guilt Accuses Us
10 For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away.
Shame, embarrassment....
“My strength has failed because of my iniquity...”
David’s words drip with guilt.
It’s bad enough that he feels terrible, but knowing that much of it is his own fault, added insult to injury.
In addition to distress and guilt, David mentions a third reason for shelter - Adversaries.
C. Because We Are Surrounded by Adversaries.... Misunderstanding Assaults Us
C. Because We Are Surrounded by Adversaries.... Misunderstanding Assaults Us
11 I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me.
12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life.
Notice how the hurting are treated:
“I have become a reproach… to my neighbors” (Ridicule)
“…an object of dread to my acquaintances” - Criticism
“Those who see me outside flee from me… forgotten … like a broken vessel...” - (Rejection)
“I hear the slander of many” - (Gossip)
“They scheme to take away my life” - (Threat)
David was talking misery!
Punched, kicked, tortured by words, and terrified with fear, the man was hanging by his fingernails.
Maybe you are too.
It’s bad enough that you struggle with sorrow and live with guilt. But the final straw is the condemnation of others.
Worse yet, the silence, - the absence of reassuring phone calls and hugs of affirmation.
How we need a refuge!
2. Refuge: How the Hebrews Handled It
2. Refuge: How the Hebrews Handled It
After Israel comes out of finally moves into the promised land, God did not ignore those in need. He instructed the leaders to set apart “cities of refuge,” actual cities preserved for protection and relief.
These cities are a an OT type of Jesus and of His church
The Cities of Refuge were:
A. Divinely Appointed (Commanded by God)
A. Divinely Appointed (Commanded by God)
1 The Lord also spoke to Joshua, saying,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,
3 that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
The Cities of Refuge were:
B. For the Guilty
B. For the Guilty
People don’t like the pastor to preach against SIN. But, I would be guilty of pastoral malpractice if I neglect it.
Like the apostle Paul:
16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!
The Cities of Refuge were:
C. Accessible to All -
C. Accessible to All -
Six Cities, evenly spread out, with three on each side of the Jordan.
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Locations
No place in the land was more than 30 miles—the distance travelers could typically cover in one day—from the nearest city of refuge. Three cities of refuge were established on each side of the Jordan River (Josh 20; Arnold, Encountering, 176).
Six is number of limited man.
Jesus is accessible to all
Murderer
Religious
Idolater
Blasphemer
The meaning of the names of the 6 cities:
Kadesh (sanctuary),
Shechem (shoulder),
Hebron (fellowship),
Bezer (fortress),
Ramoth (exaltation),
Golan (joy).
All the names of Jesus reveal all He does for
According to the rabbins, in order to aid the fugitive it was the business of the Sanhedrin to keep the roads leading to the cities of refuge in the best possible repair. No hills were left, every river was bridged, and the road itself was to be at least 32 cubits broad (about 48 feet). At every turn were guide posts bearing the word Refuge; and two students of the law were appointed to accompany the fleeing man, to pacify, if possible, the avenger, should he overtake the fugitive. - Ungers Bible Dictionary
The point is this, every effort was made to assist, not harass, the fugitive!
These were not superficial tokens of concern, but well-kept and carefully maintained areas of protection.
There were procedures for entrance (Josh 20:4)
There was protection from avengers (Josh 20:5)
this was not for premeditated murder…and such...
It was for manslaughter without malice or premeditation...
Numbers 35 spelled out the difference between intentional and unintentional murder.
Involvement of the Assembly
Involvement of the Assembly
24 then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments.
25 So the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where he had fled, and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
“The congregation shall judge...”
“The congregation shall deliver...”
“The congregation shall restore...”
The congregation was an assembly of the Levites
Judge: Decided cases of controversy. Much like a jury… weighing the evidence, Careful deliberations....
Deliver: Having carefully heard him out, and being convinced of his innocence, they actively pursued his recovery, his survival.
Restore: They were directly involved in the project. They assisted him in his restoration of personal worth and dignity.
Providing Shelter Today: What is Required?
Providing Shelter Today: What is Required?
The church!
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised Refuge, Cities of
Apparently the altar of Yahweh was a place of asylum even before the establishment of the cities of refuge (Ex. 21:13f.).
If you have ought against your brother, leave your sacrifice at the alter and go make it right with your brother. Then come.....
Because when you leave this alter, your going to be in right relationship...
The Gospel!
The Gospel!
Death - Repentence
Burial - Baptism
Resurrection - Holy Spirit
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.
How do we do that?
Rom
1 Cor 15:1-4 tells us that the Gospel is the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus.
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.