The cities of refuge were locations where those accused of murder, but innocent, could flee for refuge. Once inside the city, the accused was free from the wrath of the accuser. Not only was this a great blessing to those in the Old Testament, but in Christ we have a refuge that far exceeds the benefits of the cities of refuge.
Many believers could be greatly offended that we would even deal with the issue of Santa Claus. “It is innocent”, you can hear them say. Yet a careful look into the scriptures would deny that this lie is anywhere near innocent.
The <em>dayspring</em> is the spring of the day; that is, the morning. This passage reveals some of the scientific details about this phenomenon. However, the dayspring is also a type of Jesus Christ, as revealed in the only other place in the Bible where the word occurs – Luke 1:78.
Ab is the Jewish name for the fifth month in the religious calendar and the eleventh month of the civil calendar. This non-biblical name began to be used during the Babylonian captivity. The Bible simply calls this month the “fifth month.” This designation is found ten times in the Bible. The month of Ab begins with the new moon of August and always has thirty days. Agriculturally, the month of Ab is known in Israel as the time for the ripening of grapes, figs, and olives.
The history of Israel during this time is comparative to the situation of many of our churches today. What are you doing to make sure this isn't the case in your church?
