1 The LORD said to Joshua,2 “Now tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed Moses.3 Anyone who kills another person accidentally and unintentionally can run to one of these cities; they will be places of refuge from relatives seeking revenge for the person who was killed. Josh 20:1-3 (NLT)

In Ancient Israel, it was necessary to have cities dotted around the country that a person could run to as a place of refuge, as the scripture above states. Did you know there is such a place available to each of us today? The word of salvation is near us. Jesus is that salvation and it is a very short journey to get to him. Instead of having to run to a city we simply run to Him and acknowledge that He is all we need. Let me explain a little more.

In ancient times, the road to the city of refuge had to be kept clear of obstructions, with bridges across rivers, obstacles removed, anything that might prevent the person getting to safety quickly. If there was a turning or crossroads, a signpost was put up with the words, “To the city of refuge!” There was to be nothing to slow the person down so that no-one chasing him could overtake him. Can you see how this is a perfect image of the road to Jesus Christ? The difference though is this; the road to Him is straight, no turnings or roundabouts, no hoops to jump through. We don’t need to obey this, that and the other to get to Him. No, the road is short and straight, it is simply, “Believe and live.” (Romans 10v9)

There is a problem though. This road is impassable for anyone who thinks he can do it by himself. Any self-righteous person will never last the journey, the road is too hard. But, it’s a very easy path to tread for anyone who acknowledges they have done wrong and let’s be honest, we have all done wrong. The bible calls this sin it’s an old fashioned word but none the less true! Every sinner can quickly find the way to the city of refuge for ultimately it leads to heaven.

(Thanks go to C. H. Spurgeon for the initial thought.)