“And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest.”

No going back. Once we’ve trusted Christ, stick with him forever. Don’t go back to the world. Don’t give up your hope. Rather, get strength to continue.

The love of the world is in us. Our flesh is just as deceitful as anyone else's. Lust for other things, like weeds, attempts to strangle the word. Therefore, Paul teaches us to KEEP THE Passion. 2 Timothy 1:6 "For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands;" Keep the flame burning by confession of sin and repentance! Thank God we have a gracious Father who receives us in our worldliness. Thank him for recovering grace that's filled with compassion and kindness. He'll break the spell of seeking other things, and return our hearts to his will with pleasures.

God restores us, so we keep going. He gives us godly fear,and draws us to himself. Let your heart be filled with Christ. Serve him, and follow him to the end!

First, “you shall accept no ransom.” There is no Plan B, and no discharge from this war. There’s no atonement that allows us to leave Christ. There’s no gospel where we get Christ and the world. He must have our hearts, so surrender. Bow down, and confess your need of joy. Confess wanderings and worldliness. Deal with it honestly, and don’t play the hypocrite. He will receive you.

Prayer and fasting run together, when the world entangles us. The gospel is not touch not taste not, but everything must be done with thanksgiving and joy in the Lord. Let him have your heart fully!

Secondly, “that he may return.” No going back. We have a duty now. We fled to Christ, and he commissioned us. He gave us mercy AND duty! Acts 9:16 "I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

Paul said, “Woe is me, if I don’t preach the gospel, because necessity is laid upon me!” He was commissioned by Jesus Christ, and so are we. We have our place in the kingdom, where we must serve. There’s no getting out of it, and no other option. Drawing back is forbidden. We must have a heart relationship with the Lord in obedience. We must serve him sincerely. Grace is good enough for this task, and the Father will do it. Let him know what you are lacking.

If we deal honestly with a gracious God, then we’ll be saved. If we heed his terms, then he’ll help us. Many hide from God, but we must have God's will in our lives, because it is happiness and peace. Everything else is running away like Jonah.

Thirdly, “the death of the high priest.” Our high priest has an eternal priesthood, and he’ll never die. Instead, he’s given us death as a gift, so we’ll be absent from these bodies, but present with the Lord. We’ll put off the love of the world, and all rebellion will cease! We’ll have wills that want to obey God without any hindrance of the flesh - lust or temptation. We’ll have no more Satan to harass us, and we can have everything we desire! Nothing will be withheld from us. There’ll be no more self denial!

Let’s wait until our change comes. We won’t serve God with tears forever. This bitterness will cease!