Remember playing tag? The fun was running away, rescuing those trapped by whoever was “it”, or trying to find a way to get to your base. The idea of being safe somewhere no matter the circumstances was important. The safety of the base gave hope, especially for someone like me who was not the fastest player in the game.

In today’s passage, the idea of a base is on display, but the situation is far more serious. We see that God built cities of refuge for His people AND for sojourners, in other words everyone. The cities of refuge gave hope. Scripture detailed that there might be cases where someone caused a death by accident or with no intention to harm. If that occurred, people needed a place where they could be safe from someone looking to avenge the death. The refuge city offered safety and hope. Once you were there you didn’t have to constantly look over your shoulder. You did not have to fear that someone would take matters into his own hands.

A city of refuge is a far cry from your base in tag. However, the ideas of hope and safety are always powerful. The city of refuge also provided a vision for the coming of a savior. Both God’s people and those who were not his people (yet) could have safety from a world around them that might persecute them even when they were not guilty.

We know that we are all sinners. We need God’s mercy. The city of refuge is certainly an image that should make us think of Jesus. What strikes me this time is that the hope and safety were for people that were innocent of that crime. In other words, there will be times when the world around us is unkind and even persecuting us, yet we might be truly innocent of the incident. Our city of refuge is still Jesus. He still provides the safety and hope for times when despite our innocence the world around us looks to attack. So, we need our safety and hope whether we are guilty in the moment or whether we are innocent in the moment. Thankfully Jesus is our refuge for both.