Josh 20:1-2, 7-8
The Lord also spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,
3 that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood'"
7 So they appointed Kedesh in Galilee, in the mountains of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and Kirjath Arba (which is Hebron) in the mountains of Judah.
8 And on the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness on the plain, from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh
6 specific cities designated as Refuge Cities
When a person made a mistake, they could run to a Refuge City
Find protection & recovery from mistakes
Refuge: secure, safe shelter inside & protection from the outside
A retreat, a haven
These cities & their requirements serve as a Blueprint for building a Home-Refuge
Shechem: shoulder – government Is 9:6
Submission to God’s government brings order & safety to the family
to respect, hold in high regard, esteem, set a value on, to prize, glory
Using God’s Blueprint will produce God’s Power
Kirjiath-arba or Hebron: communion, fellowship, alliance – team
Eccl 4:9-12
Two are better than one, because they can help each other succeed.
10 If one falls down, the other can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Promise – to Family, too: Matt 18:20.
Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there
Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is to dwell together in unity!
3 For there the Lord commanded the blessing
Kedesh: sanctuary: a place set apart, or consecrated for a sacred use
Ps 73:17. Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.
Bezer: munitions – where you keep the equipment & ammunition
Restore & Reload
Prepare for battles
Ramoth: high places
Encouragement & praise
Gifts we give each other in the home
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Prov 16:24
Let no corrupt (rotten) communication proceed out of your mouth,
but that which is good to the use of edifying (building up),
that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Eph 4:29 KJV
Encourage one another daily. Heb 3:13
Golan: rejoicing
The atmosphere of the home
A merry heart does good like medicine: but a broken spirit dries the bones. Prov 17:22
Prov 24:3-4
By wisdom a house is built,
and through understanding it is established;
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.
Couples Covenant
I covenant to strive to make our home a Refuge & a Shelter
To establish it according to God’s pattern and order
So that we can have God’s power.
I covenant that we will be on the same team, in unity
So that God will be in our midst
I covenant to provide you a place of sanctuary, a safe place of recovery
So that you can be restored, then reload for the next set of challenges
Forgive me for any words that were rotten and did not minister grace
I will try to remember to encourage you every day
I covenant to work to make ours a happy home
So that you can have a happy heart
Please help me to do so, God