Cities of Refuge | Part 7

There are three zones we unite with, called “The Crown,” “Wisdom,” and “Understanding.” In Hebrew, they are called “Keter,” “Chochmah,” and “Bina.” Keter is the light sparks from the Name – YHVH, in oneness with the All of God. Chochmah, or Wisdom, is feminine, the source of all potential energy. There is no self, but the first dot appears when the spark of Light is seen. The “YUD” is present in The Name, releasing the “HEY” in the breath. “God said, let there be Light” (Genesis 1:3 KJV). Bina, or understanding, awakens with JOY – the radiance of the Shekinah glory expanding the potential energy of the “spark” of God, unveiling creation.

“At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do” (Luke 10:21 NIV).

“For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you?” (1 Thessalonians 2:19 NIV). 

In His humanity, Jesus experienced complete joy through the Holy Spirit, the divine essence of God emanating from Chochmah (wisdom) and Bina (understanding). Paul tells us that our hope, joy, and crown in the Shekinah glory will be revealed to the world through us as we awaken to our oneness in Christ, even while still in our natural bodies (Philippians 3:10). 

 “I will remember the promise that I made with you when you were young, and I will make it a promise that will last forever. Then you will remember what you have done. You will be ashamed when I return your older and younger sisters to you. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of my promise with you. Then I will make my promise with you, and you will know that I am Yahweh” (Ezekiel 16:60-62 NOG).

What is this promise? 

In Hebrews 10:14:16 Passion translation, we are told, “By His perfect sacrifice, He made us perfectly holy and complete for all time! The Holy Spirit confirms this to us by this Scripture, for the Lord says, ‘Afterwards, I will give them this covenant: I will embed my laws into their hearts and fasten my Word to their thoughts.”

The conversation Yahweh has with Ezekiel concerns a marriage between the one husband, Jesus Christ, and all who are the church—believers in Christ, or even Old Testament religious leaders who prioritized religion over relationship. The women in chapter 16 are relatives of the body of Christ; each filled with varying degrees of self-gain within the covenant marriage with Jesus. This stance caused division in the body of Christ, making it seem as though they were led by the Holy Spirit when, in fact, there was no anointing. “It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil” (Isaiah 10:27 NKJV).

Manasseh's land is blessed twice, both in heaven and on earth. The awakening in our spirit reveals that Christ Jesus is present with us today. We're not waiting for a someday when He returns. Yet this is a point in many Christians' spiritual journeys when they face obstacles. Jesus wants to elevate us, His beloved, to a greater longing for His Kingdom on earth. However, we are often resisted by the principalities of the Amorite spirit, which once ruled the land with pride and offense, under King Sihon and King Og. God rebukes these strongholds as the sin of Baal Peor. In the church, we've fallen into idolatry, elevating religion, politics, and blood sacrifices as future prophecies instead of experiencing the union and intimacy with the Lamb of God. Though the death angel passed over blood-marked doorposts, those inside are not feasting on the roasted Lamb in intimacy and love, allowing their innermost being to flow with living waters, so that out of the mouth the heart speaks LIFE. Selah.

“Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk, and so the innocent escape trouble” (Proverbs 12:13 NIV). Sinful talk goes beyond just insulting others; it is a deeper issue. For a believer in Christ, sinful talk means speaking from the heart with the authority of a commoner or slave, rather than as a royal priest within the body of Jesus Christ. For example, 'The Israelites yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead' (Psalm 106:28 ESV). This shows they were relying on the wisdom of the dead rather than embracing their new identity in Christ today.

“I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first-ripe in the fig-tree at its first season: but they came to Baal-peor, and consecrated themselves unto the shameful thing, and became abominable like that which they loved” (Hosea 9:10 ASV). 

“Because ye have said, we have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves,” (Isaiah 28:15 ASV). Paul talks about this in Romans 7: 1-6 GNT, “Certainly you will understand what I am about to say, my friends, because all of you know about law. The law rules over people only as long as they live.  A married woman, for example, is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives; but if he dies, then she is free from the law that bound her to him.  So then, if she lives with another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is legally a free woman and does not commit adultery if she marries another man.  That is how it is with you, my friends. As far as the Law is concerned, you also have died because you are part of the body of Christ, and now you belong to him who was raised from death in order that we might be useful in the service of God.  For when we lived according to our human nature, the sinful desires stirred up by the Law were at work in our bodies, and all we did ended in death.  Now, however, we are free from the Law, because we died to that which once held us prisoners. No longer do we serve in the old way of a written law, but in the new way of the Spirit.” 

This city serves as a refuge for spiritual transformation, where our words and the meditations of our hearts reflect Christ in us, revealing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Like a natural marriage, our union with Jesus Christ involves the ongoing development of our innermost being and identity, renewed in our minds. This isn't about leaving our bodies to reach heaven, but about transforming into kings and priests to rule with Christ on earth today, fulfilling our divine purpose and calling from the FATHER, as expressed in “As He is so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17 KJV).

This is not about titles, degrees, church ministries, or educational status. It concerns the unity in marriage as the wife of Christ to one husband—Jesus Christ today. “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called,” (Isaiah 54:5 ESV).

Moving from the Land of Golan to the next refuge city occurs when we realize we possess eternal life, light, and love in the present. Heaven and earth have united within me, nourishing the WORD and turning it into flesh. The words I speak and the meditations of my heart serve as fertile ground for the seed of Christ to grow, multiply, and spread God's glory across the earth (John 10:28).