February 28, 2019
Deuteronomy 19:4-5                     
This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought.  For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life.
New International Version (NIV)
                “I don’t like Houston.  It is a refuge city", said a friend of mine.  I was unfamiliar with the political implications of that.  But I remembered Deuteronomy and Joshua both talked about refuge cities as God’s plan for saving the innocent.  In fact, I have heard of a church called, “City of Refuge Church”.  Our word refuge comes from the greek word pheugo which means to “run for your life”. 

                Why did the ancient Israelites need cities of refuge?  They needed refuge when they committed accidental crimes.  Imagine someone unintentionally kills another, but the family of the deceased wants blood.  They might never stop pursuing the person until they had killed the one who killed their loved one.  So Moses designated certain places as safe zones, like “base” in the game “Tag”. 

                Our Psalm for today underscores our own need for a refuge.  Seeking deliverance from enemies, David who is running for his life waits in a cave and then tries to find a place to go to get away from King Saul and his men.  In absence of a place or structure, he declares confidently, “But I will sing of your strength in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble” (Psalm 59:16-17). 

                Sooner or later all we fugitives need a refuge.  Like David, let’s make God the place we always go when we are in trouble or afraid.  He will always be there and he will always welcome us back to himself, no matter what we have done or where we have been.  When we sin, we want to run away from God.  Instead, let us run to him, confess and find forgiveness.  
Pray with me:    
Father, you alone are our refuge.  We fugitives either run to you or away from you.  Today we run home to you.  Thank you for being our refuge to which we can always run.  Hide us in the shelter of your wings today we pray.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.  
This year our Every Day with Jesus readings will follow The Bible Project Read Scripture Plan.  Copies of this reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download 
the app at readscripture.org.  Read through the Bible with us in 2019!
Joyfully, 
Duane 
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