great attributes of Jehovah: his justice and his mercy. The psalmist wrote: “Righteousness and judgment are the established place of your throne; loving-kindness and trueness themselves come in before your face.”​—Ps. 89:14.

18. Since that provision was a prophetic type, what questions now arise?

¹⁸ Since the provision of the city of refuge was of prophetic significance, pointing forward to greater things to come, the following questions arise: What does this city picture? Who is typified by the unintentional manslayer who was permitted to flee there and who by the avenger of blood who pursued the unintentional manslayer? What is meant by the road leading up to these cities? Who is the high priest? And what is shown by the fact that the refugees could leave the city after the high priest died? All these questions can be answered satisfactorily as we let God’s holy spirit ‘lead us into all the truth.’ (John 16:13) For further discussion of these questions we refer the reader to the following article.

The Way to Security

“I am the way and the truth and the life.”​—John 14:6.

1. What do the cities of refuge typify?

AMONG the ancient people of Israel the provision of the cities of refuge must often have proved to be lifesaving. Their purpose was to grant protection and security to unintentional manslayers, in view of threatening death by the hand of the legal avenger of blood. These cities were not to offer protection to criminals. And since the provision of these cities, as with so many other “shadows” of the Law (Heb. 10:1), was a prophetic type, from which Christians may learn much, the conclusion is inescapable that it typifies the grand provision of salvation that God, Jehovah, brought into operation for the eternal benefit of men of all kinds, to relieve and save them from the penalty of bloodguilt. How so?

2. What were some of the reasons for Jesus Christ’s coming to earth?

² God sent his highest Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to make known here the great truths of this provision and also that he might die a sacrificial death, in order to save those truly exercising faith in him from a certain and everlasting death, and give them life without end. Thus we read in Ephesians 1:7: “By means of him we have the release by ransom through the blood of that one, yes, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his undeserved kindness.”​—Matt. 20:28.

3. What is shown by the fact that both Israelites and alien residents could find refuge in the city of refuge?

³ Even as with the typical city of refuge, so also the antitypical city of refuge is a merciful provision of God, to forgive repenting violators of His law on the basis of the ransom of Jesus Christ and to accept him into his care and protection. Writes the apostle Paul: “So that is why he is a mediator of a new covenant, in order that, because a death has occurred for their release by ransom from the transgressions under the former covenant, the ones who have been called might receive the promise of the everlasting inheritance.” (Heb. 9:15) In the literal city of refuge, both Israelites and alien residents could find refuge. (Num. 35:15) That pictures that the antitypical city of refuge offers its powerful protection, not only to spiritual Israelites, that is, those who become members of the heavenly class and rule and serve as priests with Christ Jesus, but also to all those who are in line to receive everlasting life on earth, “other sheep.”​—John 10:16.

4. (a) What cannot be overlooked in the provision of salvation? (b) To what end do God’s spirit and his angels work?

⁴ The unintentional manslayer in Israel did not flee abroad, leaving his country, but headed for the city of refuge, which belonged to the nonpriestly Levites; the city of Hebron belonged to the Aaronic priests. This signifies that the provision of salvation is closely connected with Jehovah’s organization. A remnant of the spiritual priestly class is still on earth today, forming the nucleus of the congregation of Jehovah’s people. We cannot ignore the role the visible congregation of Jehovah’s witnesses plays in this provision of salvation. In Acts 2:47 we read: “At the same time Jehovah continued to join to them daily those being saved.” That means that those “being saved” were added to the visible body of the early Christian congregation. They were gathered together into one united family of faith. So the visible congregation of God’s people has something to do with the provision of salvation today. Indeed, it has an important place in that provision. Every congregation forms a small part of God’s people. We cannot remain outside the organization of God’s people, separated from it, if we want to have Jehovah’s protection. Jehovah’s spirit and his angels all tend to a bringing together in unity of thought, aim and action. So there is a vital connection between Jehovah’s protection in the antitypical city of refuge and His visible congregation of spiritual Israelites, supervised by the “faithful and discreet slave.”​—Eph. 4:3-6; Matt. 24:45-47.

THE ANTITYPICAL UNINTENTIONAL MANSLAYER

5. Who was foreshadowed by the unintentional manslayer?

⁵ But who, then, actually is typified by the unintentional manslayer who found refuge in the protective city? He is a picture of all those who become conscious of the fact that they, in some way and from Jehovah’s viewpoint, share in bloodguilt. This fact becomes clear to them when such sincere persons come in touch with the enlightening message of God’s Word, the Bible, which teaches the sanctity of human life. As in ancient Israel, even so today, a person may have been the cause of an accident, fatal to some other person or persons. Year by year, tens of thousands of people lose their lives on the streets of the world due to traffic accidents. Although there is no evil intent present, nevertheless, there is a certain amount of guilt involved, and, as a rule, the law codes of the nations stipulate penal sanctions for such cases.

6. How have many persons shared in bloodguilt in our age?

⁶ But the application of the meaning of the unintentional manslayer in the present antitype is broader in scope and does not limit itself to those cases just mentioned. Our age is the period of the greatest wars in human history. Just think of World War I and World War II. Millions of men were forced to have a part in these bloody events, without actually wanting it. Tens of millions of men have thus died since 1914, due to the struggle