Israel will continue to spiral downward away from their God but He will continue to hear their pleas for help and send them deliverers.
What a lesson in determination! Are you fighting to conquer the mountain God has for you?
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.
What the cities of refuge were to Israel, sheltering the sinner from judgment, the Lord Jesus Christ is to us.
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.
