The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1895-09-13
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON xl, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. rs.

saying" There was a time when God
spake to men face TO face as with Adam,
Abraham. Moses and Joshua He after
ward spoke through the prophets, but He
last spoke through His Son. our Lord
Jesus Christ (Heb. l. /, p. Even His COM
munications to Abraham and the others
were through the Son, for, "No man hath
seen God at any time, the only Begotten
Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He
hath declared Him" John /, 49,. Whether
through the prophets or His Son 1t was al
ways by the Spirit, and the same Holy
Spirit now speaks to us in His word Il
Pet. /, IL; III Pet l. 81; John xvi, 13;
John ii, 27)
g. "Speak to the children Of Israel, say
ing, Appoint out for you cities of refuge,
whereof / spake unto you by the hand of
Moses" The commands concerning the
"cities of refuge" are found in FIX. xxi,
18; Mum. xxxv, ll-15, and Deut. xix,
90 Our lesson is the fourth reference to
them, and the number four is suggestive
of completeness concerning Gods dealings
with the earth. The four gospels, the
four faces of the cherubim, the four cor
ners of the earth-all suggest Gods pur-
poses Of grace in Christ Jesus for the whole
earth.
3. THAT the slayer that killeth any per-
son unawares and unwittingly may flee
thither and they shall be your refuge from
the avenger of blood" The word "miglat'
here translated refuge" is a word which
is used only of the cities of refuge. 1t is
from a root which signifies "to receive"
and makes us think of Him Of whom it is
said, "This man receiveth sinners" The
cities of refuge were only for the innocent
who had killed accidentally and without
malice; the Lord Jesus is Saviour and a
refuge for the guilty, and yet the cities of
refuge were Gods way of saving those who
otherwise would have persisted.
4. "They shall take him into the city
unto them and give him place that ne
may dwell among them" His dwelling
among them calls to mind another word
which is translated refuge" only once.
1t is in the passage, "The eternal God is
thy refuge" (Deut. xxxiii, go and is in
the Ninetieth and Ninety-frst Psalms and
elsewhere translated dwelling place" and
"habitation. When we have fed TO Je-
sus, our refuge He becomes our dwelling
place. and we may "abide In Him."
! g. And if the avenger of blood pursue
after him. then they shall not deliver the
slayer up into his hand" The way to the
city was prepared (Deut xix, 81 and ev-
erything made as plain and easy for the
unwilling slayer rs possible, but he had to
! flee to the city and fee for his life lest the
avenger should overtake him. There is al
ways q danger of the sinners being cut off
in his sins. Then there is no possibility of
redemption, for it is written Because
there is wrath, beware lest He take thee
away with His stroke Then great ran
som cannot deliver thee" dob xxxvi, 1S).
God is not willing that any should per-
ish, and He has made every possible provi-
! sion for every sinner who will come so
that the guilt is either upon the sinner
who has heard and will not come, or upon
those who, knowing Of the refuge, have
not informed those who know it.
g. And lie shall dwell in that city I'M
til he stand before the congregation for
Judgment, and until the death Of the high
priest that shall be in those days" His
! liberty depended upon the death of the
high priest Our High Priest has died and
risen from the death and is alive forever
more Because He ever livcth He is able
TO save evermore all who come unto God
by Him. None who ever come TO Him will
be cast out, and because He lives all who
come TO Him shall live also (.John vi, 81;
xiv, l9) We have only TO abide in Him.
live unto Him and rejoice in Him who
has made US free.
2. And they appointed Kedesh in Cali
lee in Mount Naphtali, and Shechem in
Mount Ephraim, and kirjath-arba, which
is Hebron in the mountain of Judah. I"
There were three cities on each side of
Jordan Three is suggestive of the Trini-
ty and of resurrection, and these names
are all suggestive of Him who reveals the
/ Eot har nv 4 ba chi rif nv lie a. nd
resurrection becomes "A refuge for us. Ke-
desh means holiness, and Naphtaii means
wrestling. He becomes our holiness when
we yield TO His wrestlings and are willing
to acknowledge no good thing in us. She
chem is shoulder and Ephraim is fruitful
1t is only when we cease from our wres-
things against Him and rest quiet on His
shoulder that He can make us fruitful.
| kirjath-arba Is the city Of Arba, or OF
four. Hebron Is q company, or fellowship,
and Judah is praise. Resting from our
wrestling in Him who is our holiness we
become fruitful through fellowship with
the Father and the Son by the Spirit and
are thus praise unto God. 1t all comes
through coming unto and abiding in Him
who is our only refuge.
g. "Bezer, out of the tribe of Reuben
Ramoth, out of the tribe of Cad, and Go
Ian, out of the tribe of Manasseh." These
were the three on the east of Jordan and
are also very suggestive of Him. Beer
signifies strong, and also gold or silver
something precious. Reuben is "sce a
son." There is no real strength or wealth
or preoiousness apart from the Son in
whom dwelleth all the fullness Of the Sod
head bodily (See Prov. iii, IA, Is; Pet
ii, z; 1sa. xii, 2; xl, 29). Ramoth is height
or exaltation, and Cad is troop or COM
pany. This makes us think of the host of
exalted ones who have fed for refuge TO
lay hold upon the hope. set before them
Redeemed by His precious blood they are
now by faith sealed with Him in the heav-
enlies-in due time shall be actually with
Him, spirit, soul and body, and shall come
with Him among the armies of heaven
Golan is n circle, or JOY or rejoicing and
Manasseh Is forgetting. When the circle is
completed and we become manifestly a
part of Him from whom our new life be-
gan, then will our joy be full and we shall
forget all our miseries and remember them
as waters that pass away dob XII, 16).
Then shall we see that all the sufferings Of
this present time are not worthy TO be
compared with the glory that shall be re-
Ill -