One aspect of the law of Moses pertained to the cities of refuge (see Num. 35:9–34). The law stated that if someone accidentally killed another, he could flee for his life to one of the six cities of refuge, or alternatively, he could flee to the temple’s altar of sacrifice and grasp one of its four horns (see 1 Kgs. 1:49–53; 2:28–34). Once the accidental slayer reached a city of refuge or grasped one of the horns, he obtained asylum from the “redeemer of blood” (KJV Numbers 35 reads “revenger of blood”).
Three aspects of the laws of the cities of refuge have symbolisms that point to Jesus Christ and His Atonement.
(1) The redeemer of blood (mentioned six times in Numbers 35) may pursue and slay the person who accidentally killed his next of kin, therein cleansing the land of the blood that was shed (see vv. 33–34). The redeemer of blood foreshadowed Jesus Christ, who is the Great Redeemer. Both the redeemer of blood mentioned in Numbers 35 and the Great Redeemer administer justice; God administers perfect justice as the redeemer of blood when He cleanses the land of its pollutions and defilements.
(2) Refuge. The city of refuge could be interpreted to symbolize the Lord, who is our refuge from sin and from death. “O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge” (Ps. 142:5; see also Deut. 33:27; Ps. 46:1); God is “my refuge, my saviour” (2 Sam. 22:3); “My refuge, is in God” (Ps. 62:7). Just as a person who accidentally killed another could flee for his life to one of the appointed cities of refuge (“that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live,” Deut. 4:42), all of us may flee to the Lord Jesus from two of our greatest adversaries—sin and death. The Apostle Paul summed up, we “have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Heb. 6:18); that hope is Jesus Christ (see vv. 19–20). In other words, we have fled to Jesus, who is our refuge and laid hold upon the altar, that very sacred place of atonement in the temple.
(3) The high priest. In the law of Moses, the person who accidentally slew another would remain in a city of refuge until the death of the high priest who was anointed with holy oil (the anointed high priest who served in the temple). That high priest typified Jesus; just as the death of the ancient high priest freed the accidental killer from the confines of a city of refuge, allowing him to return to his homeland, so the death of Jesus Christ frees all humanity from the bondage of sin and death, allowing us to return to our heavenly homeland.