Numbers 35:6

And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.

Among the cities given to the Levites, six were appointed as cities of refuge for the manslayer to flee to, and forty-two additional cities were added to them, making forty-eight cities in all. The six cities of refuge were allotted among the cities of the Levites, with the forty-two cities in addition to the six. The cities of refuge are a type of the refuge found in Christ Jesus.

The Levites received no separate tribal territory but were given cities scattered among the tribes of Israel, were supported by tithes, and were thus provided homes near the people they served. Their towns were distributed through Israel, placing them near the people they served. The six cities of refuge belonged to the Kohathites.

The refuge was for one who killed another unintentionally, while a willful murderer was not protected after a fair trial and conviction. A fugitive who reached a city could be admitted by its elders while the case awaited regular trial. The elders' decision was only preliminary, with the higher court to hear the case later after witnesses were summoned and the accusers had time to appear.

The manslayer who fled there had to remain in the city until the death of the high priest. The scattering of Levi turned the former curse of being divided and scattered into a blessing that made their good influence widely felt. Though the loss of an inheritance remained, repentance and loyalty turned that consequence into a place of special favor and service to God, and these refuge cities were a blessing within that scattering throughout Israel.

The cities picture Christ as the sinner's refuge and the avenger of blood pictures God's law demanding the sinner's life, so that a sinner who flees to Christ and abides in him is safe because Christ lives forever and intercedes and the law is satisfied. The title city of refuge rightly belongs to Christ as Mediator and Saviour, and to give that title to Mary perverts Scripture and leaves nothing for Christ, making Mary the only hope of the saints who saves by her own merits and intercession.

Cities can serve as refuges when compassionate work brings help and healing to people who suffer and are in danger, for they are places where a person in danger could flee. The image of a place to flee for safety applies to a farm proposed near the Boston mission as a refuge for Jewish converts facing persecution and as a place where they could find employment and receive training to work for Christ.

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