The Language of the Blood

Genesis 4:9-10

And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

Hebrews 12:22-24

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

I believe that we are living in the last days. We live in a very violent society. “As it was in the days of Noah…” Violence filled the earth in Noah’s generation.

There are approximately 20,000 murders every year in America.

There are people that have little or no regard for human life. I once read actual statements given by murders to police investigators. Among them were…

“He ate the last piece of chicken.” “He changed channels on the television.” “She looked at me wrong.”

The very first murder took place among the very first family. In Genesis chapter 4 we read the account of the first murder ever committed. In a fit of anger and jealousy Cain rose up and killed his brother Abel in the field. No doubt he tried to conceal the body but God came to him and asked him where is Abel? Cain denied knowing where Abel was, but the Lord responded with this statement, “The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth to me from the ground.”

Abel’s blood was given a voice and it cried from the ground where it spilled. It cried out to God for vengeance.

The writer of Hebrews talks about another mans blood. He said that the blood of Jesus speaks better things than that of Abel. The blood that was shed on Calvary does not speak of vengeance or retribution but the blood of Jesus speaks of mercy, forgiveness, salvation, deliverance, safety and security.

  

From the very foundation of the world God planned for the blood of Jesus to provide refuge to those that are bound by sin.

Rev. 13:8

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Numbers 35:6

And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.

Years before Israel entered the Promised Land, the Lord instructed Moses to appoint six cities to be cities of refuge. These cities were strategically located throughout Palestine. If a man committed manslaughter or caused an accidental death he could run to a city of refuge and there he would be safe.

Under the law if a person was killed, it was custom that the nearest relative became the avenger of blood. It was his duty to slay the slayer.

However, if a person killed another accidentally or unintentionally, the cities of refuge were provided as an asylum for him. You could flee to a city of refuge and as long as you remained within the gates of that city you were safe. The avenger couldn’t retaliate against you if you were in a city of refuge.

I believe that those six cities of refuge are a type of the refuge that is available to us through Jesus Christ and His precious blood!

Are you thankful for refuge? You have an adversary!

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

He is after every one of us but thank God there is a place of refuge that we can run to and there he can’t touch us.

2 Samuel 22:3

The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

Psalm 9:9

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

Psalm 46:1

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 59:16

But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Psalm 62:7

In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

Isaiah 25:4

For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

Each of these six cities of refuge had a name and there names were significant.

Each name is typical of the safety and refuge that we find in the blood of Jesus Christ.

The first city was named KEDESH: To pronounce clean!

What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

His blood was righteous blood…it was cleansing blood. The only thing that can wash and erase the stains of sin from a life is the blood of Jesus.

1 Peter 1:18-19

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

1 John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

2. SHECHEM: To shoulder a load.

Thank God the blood of Jesus bears all of our sins, all of our guilt and all of our shame.

Isaiah 53:12

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

1 Cor. 6:8-11

Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. 9Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Sin is a foreign element…you weren’t designed to carry around a load of guilt and condemnation. Thank God for the blood! My load is lifted!

3. BEZER: An inaccessible place.

The blood of Jesus shields us from Satan’s evil plots against us. It also separates us from the world.

Hebrews 13:12

Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

The blood of Jesus makes you inaccessible to Satan. He can’t touch you if you are covered by the blood.

Isaiah 54:17

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

No curse, no hex, no spell…NO weapon! Satan the blood of Jesus is against you!

On the night of the Passover the death angel passed by every home that had the blood applied to the door.

Illustration: Witchdoctor in Africa who through satanic power could look into your eyes and read your past told a missionary…all I see is blood!

4. HEBRON: Fellowship.

The blood has brought us into fellowship with God.

Col. 1:20

And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Ephes. 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

5. GOLAN: Joy

His blood brings joy to our lives.

Romans 5:9

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Romans 5:11

And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

6. RAMOTH: To be exalted.

The blood of Jesus lifts you up.

Ephes. 2:1-13

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

11Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

What language does the blood of Jesus speak? What is it saying to us? It speaks of cleansing, the removal of sin from our lives. It speaks of protection and joy. It speaks of exaltation and fellowship with God. The blood is a refuge from the avenger. All of us were guilty of the blood of Jesus…we crucified Him. It was our sins that He died for. We deserve judgment but thank God we have found a refuge from judgment and all condemnation. The Blood!

These six cities were situated so that any one of them was only a day’s journey for any guilty Israelite. Refuge was only a day away! How many people are fleeing from the mistakes of yesterday? They run in circles, not knowing that there is a place of refuge.

Lost and confused they wander aimlessly. The solutions to life’s dilemmas seem so far away, but refuge is close by! Jesus is as close as the mention of His name. Come to Him, call on His name. He has mercy available.

Today, the blood of Jesus speaks loud and clear, there is hope for the hopeless, there is mercy for the guilty. You can be saved. Don’t wait until an uncertain tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation.