Cities of Refuge | Part 10

Shechem: Resting Upon the Shoulder of the Bridegroom-the shoulder of LOVE

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms,” (Deuteronomy 33:27 NKJV)

Have you ever tried to carry something that was never meant to rest on your shoulders, such as guilt, shame, or disappointment? Maybe it was a situation that seemed too heavy, or the expectations of everyone around you were too much. Eventually, each of us discovers that there are burdens too great for human strength. That is exactly why the next City of Refuge is so beautiful. The name of this refuge city is Shechem.

The Hebrew word Shechem means shoulder, especially the strong shoulder that bears a load. Through Scripture, the shoulder represents authority, government, responsibility, and strength. Isaiah 9:6 NKJV, "The government shall be upon His shoulder." This city reminds us, as a bride of Christ, that Jesus isn't asking us to carry the Kingdom; He already does.

“Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven ',” (Matthew 19:14 NKJV). Have you ever watched a little child fall asleep on the shoulder of a loving father? There is something almost sacred about that moment. The child isn't worried about paying bills, tomorrow's schedule, or whether everything will work out. Rest comes naturally because the child trusts the one carrying them.

Here is a place to stop and ask yourself, “When was the last time you rested on Jesus’s shoulder as a bride of Christ?” The question is not whether you prayed, studied the Bible, or served as a believer for Jesus, but whether you rested with your head upon His heart. We have become experts at doing for Christ while forgetting how to be with Him, resting.

Could it be that the Lord is calling His bride back to intimacy rather than activity? A relationship instead of religion, finding rest in His presence as our PEACE. Shechem answers that invitation.

The bride was never created to carry the bridegroom. The bridegroom carries His Bride. Religion teaches burden. Love invites rest.

The six cities of refuge were never intended to be random places scattered across Israel for people to escape to when they were in a bad situation. Every city reveals another facet of the heart of God and, ultimately, another revelation of Jesus Christ. As we've journeyed through this series, we've discovered that these cities are more than historical locations. They are prophetic pictures pointing to our Refuge—Jesus Himself.

The Apostle Paul reminds us, "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition" (1 Corinthians 10:11 NKJV). The Old Testament is not merely a record of Israel's history; it is a divine invitation to discover Christ hidden within its pages.

One of the greatest misunderstandings in the Church is the belief that spiritual maturity means becoming better at carrying heavy loads. Jesus taught exactly the opposite. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me... For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV).

The invitation into the Kingdom begins with rest, not work or a need to prove our self-worth. Unfortunately, it is taught that this can only be accomplished when you die in your natural body and go to Heaven someday. This is not the language of Jesus as our Bridegroom. 

There is a beautiful picture woven throughout Scripture that we often overlook. When a bride leans her head upon the shoulder of her beloved, she expresses complete trust. She is saying to Jesus, "I am safe with you. I am at peace with you. I know you will protect me."

This is exactly how Jesus desires His Church to live. Not as frightened servants wondering whether we've done enough, and not as orphans trying to earn an inheritance. But as a beloved Bride resting in the unwavering love of her Husband.

The Apostle Paul writes, “For I have betrothed you to one Husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ," (2 Corinthians 11:2 NKJV). "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her" (Ephesians 5:25 NKJV).

Paul is not merely stating that Jesus is our King, Savior, or High Priest in his epistles. He is establishing that He is our Bridegroom and lover of our souls. Everything Jesus does flows from His covenant love for us. The cross was more than a legal transaction enabling us to have a relationship with God as our Father. It was the greatest love story ever written.

From Genesis to Revelation, we can rise to perceive the Scriptures as God wrote them, not as man has interpreted them through our human understanding. Letting God be the author and finisher of our faith, which is His faith in us, we receive His finished work of Christ as it grows through us.

Scriptures begin in Genesis with God walking with Adam and Eve in an intimate relationship. The Old Testament prophets spoke of the children of God as the bride of Christ, even when they wandered away from their relationship with the Father. The Song of Solomon takes us into the inner sanctuary of love between the bride and bridegroom, unveiling the heart of God to His people. John the Baptist steps out of his pattern of baptizing sinners, rejoicing that the bridegroom they had longed for, the Messiah, was present among the people. Jesus performs His first miracle at a wedding, transforming water into the best wine. Revelation concludes the Scriptures with the marriage of Jesus to humanity, which began on resurrection morning.

The Scriptures have always been about the relentless pursuit of God and His family, created through His DNA before the world’s foundation. To reach Galilee quickly, the disciples took the shortest route through Shechem. Yet they were grappling with fear of the cross and the unfolding events of the resurrection, as well as the unsafe territory of Samaria, and they did not take time to meditate on why Jesus had to go to Shechem. “He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria” (John 4:3-4 NKJV).

One of the burdens I carry for the Body of Christ is seeing so many believers remain spiritual infants—not because they lack sincerity, but because they have never been taught to live in union with Christ. The writer of Hebrews challenges us: "Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection" (Hebrews 6:1 (NKJV)). He does not tell us to abandon Christ, but to move beyond elementary teaching about Christ, which includes repentance, dead works, faith toward God, baptism, the laying on of hands, and raising the dead. We are meant to move forward into maturity in Christ as one body in Him.

The Greek word translated as perfection (teleiotēs) speaks of completeness, maturity, and reaching the intended goal. Paul declared, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27 NKJV). This perfection is Christ fully formed in us while we are in our natural body, for “As He is, so are we today in this world” (1 John 4:17 KJV). This is the heartbeat of the Lord’s prayer. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it (already is) in heaven" (Matthew 6:10 KJV). This perfection is unveiled when the bride, the body of Christ, not merely honors and worships Jesus Christ but is so united with Him as her bridegroom that His life is revealed and seen through her to the world.

This is the invitation from Shechem, symbolizing the marriage of the Lamb and the Bride. The bride no longer tries to bear what only the Bridegroom can bear. She realizes that His shoulder is strong enough to bear all burdens, fears, unanswered questions, and the dreams He has placed within her.

Remember, Jesus traveled for forty days with His disciples as the resurrected Christ, reclaiming the land the enemy of God thought he had rights to. Jesus redeemed all humanity at the cross, awakening His royal priesthood and holy nation in us to rule and reign together with Him as Christ on the earth. He doesn’t need us to die and go to heaven but to establish His Kingdom here and now while we are in our natural body. The earth belongs to the Lord and is today filled with His glory, a veiled bride waiting to be unveiled. Selah.