Numbers 35:25

Numbers 35:25 says, And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.  Someone who had accidentally killed someone instead of murdering him would be delivered out of the hand of the revenger and returned to his city of refuge, where he would live as long as the high priest lived.  Verse twenty-six adds, But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;  Verse twenty-seven continues, And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:  If the man who had accidentally killed someone left his city of refuge and was found and killed by the revenger, then the revenger would not be guilty of his blood.  Though we have no sanctuary cities like this today, if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ as our High Priest, we are safe from facing the death penalty of sin as along as He lives, which is forever.  Verse twenty-eight concludes, Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.  If the man remained in his sanctuary city until after the death of the high priest, he was free to return to his homeland.  Since our High Priest, Jesus Christ, will never die, we will never be free to return to the place we were before we accepted Him.  We are always spiritually in His sanctuary.  Verse twenty-nine states, So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.  These laws were to last throughout all the generations of Israel, or forever.  Verse thirty adds, Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.  God said no person could be put to death by the testimony of one person, but it would require the testimony of two or more. Verse thirty-one continues, Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death. Though the murderer was to be put to death, the people were to take no satisfaction in it.  Too often today I believe we want the death of those most in need of God's salvation, but their death should break our heart.  They are then doomed to everlasting destruction  which is never what God wants.  Verse thirty-two concludes, And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.  They were also to take no satisfaction for the man who had fled to the sanctuary city where he was safe until the death of the high priest.  Verse thirty-three says, So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.  God then said, through Moses, that the land could not be cleansed of shed blood, except by the blood of the one who shed ot.  Our sin brings a death sentence, but Jesus shed His blood in our place to cleanse us, and that is the only way to be cleansed.   Verse thirty-four adds, Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.  Like the people of Israel, we as followers of Christ are to not defile the land, because God dwells amongst us.