But he withdrew into the desert, and prayed. Luke 5:16
Numbers 34-35
Numbers 34
The Boundaries of Canaan
1 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2 “Command the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, according to its borders:
3 Your southern quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin, along the coast of Edom, and your southern border shall be from the end of the Salt Sea, eastward. 4 Your border shall turn southward of the ascent of Akrabbim and pass along to Zin, and it shall pass southward of Kadesh Barnea, and it shall go from there to Hazar Addar and pass along to Azmon. 5 The border shall turn from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and it shall end at the sea.
6 For the western border, you shall have the great sea and its border. This shall be your west border.
7 This shall be your north border: From the great sea you shall mark out for yourselves Mount Hor. 8 From Mount Hor you shall mark out to the entrance of Hamath, and the border shall pass by Zedad. 9 Then the border shall go to Ziphron, and it shall end at Hazar Enan. This shall be your north border.
10 You shall mark out your east border from Hazar Enan to Shepham. 11 The border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain. The border shall go down and shall reach to the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward. 12 The border shall go down to the Jordan and end at the Salt Sea.
This shall be your land according to its borders around it.’ ”
13 Moses commanded the Israelites, “This is the land which you shall inherit by lot, which the Lord has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe, 14 for the families of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance. 15 The two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan at Jericho to the east, toward the sunrise.”
Leaders to Divide the Land
16 The Lord spoke to Moses, 17 “These are the names of the men who shall divide your inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun. 18 You shall choose one leader from every tribe, to divide the land. 19 These are the names of the men:
From the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
20 From the tribe of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.
21 From the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.
22 A leader from the tribe of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli.
23 A leader from the tribe of Manasseh, from the sons of Joseph: Hanniel son of Ephod.
24 A leader from the tribe of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.
25 A leader from the tribe Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.
26 A leader from the tribe of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan.
27 A leader from the tribe of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.
28 A leader from the tribe of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.”
29 These are the people whom the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance to the Israelites in the land of Canaan.
Numbers 35
Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites
1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho and said, 2 “Command the Israelites to give to the Levites, cities to dwell in out of their inheritance. You shall give pasture lands for the cities around them to the Levites.
3 They shall have the cities to dwell in. Their pasture lands shall be for their livestock, their possessions, and all of their animals.
4 The pasture lands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward 28 miles around it. 5 You shall measure outside of the city for the east side 57 miles, and for the south side 57 miles, and for the west side 57 miles, and for the north side 57 miles, the city being in the middle. This shall be the pasture lands of their cities.
Six Cities of Refuge
6 The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the man who accidentally killed someone to flee to. You also shall allot 42 additional cities. 7 You shall give a total of 48 cities to the Levites, together with their pasture lands. 8 For the cities that you give to the Levites, from the larger tribes you must give more and from the smaller tribes you must give less, each according to the size of their land grant.’ ”
9 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 then you shall appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, so that the person who accidentally kills someone may flee there. 12 The cities shall be a refuge from the avenger, so that he will not die until he stands trial. 13 There shall be six cities of refuge: 14 three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan. 15 These six cities will be a refuge for the Israelites, and for the stranger, and for the foreigner living among them, so that everyone who accidentally kills anyone may flee there.
16 But if he struck anyone with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. 17 If he struck him with a stone in his hand that could kill someone, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. 18 Or if he struck him with a wooden weapon in his hand, by which a man could die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. 19 The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death himself. When he meets him, he shall put him to death. 20 If he shoved him out of hatred, or hurled something at him while lying in wait, so that he died, 21 or in hostility struck him with his hand, so that he died, he who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
22 But if he shoved him suddenly without hostility, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait, 23 or with any stone, which could kill someone, but did not see him, and threw it at him so that he died, and he was not his enemy and not seeking his harm, 24 then the assembly shall judge between the slayer and the avenger according to these ordinances. 25 The assembly shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the avenger, and the assembly shall return him to his city of refuge, where he had fled. He shall dwell in that city until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
26 But if the slayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge where he flees, 27 and the avenger finds him outside of the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger kills the slayer, he shall not be guilty of bloodshed, 28 because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to the land of his possession.
29 This shall be a statute and ordinance for you throughout your generations wherever you live.
30 Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be executed based on the testimony of witnesses, but one witness alone shall not convict anyone.
31 Furthermore, you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of killing. He shall surely be put to death.
32 You shall take no ransom for anyone who returns from his city of refuge before the death of the priest.
33 You shall not pollute the land where you live, for blood pollutes the land. No atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him who shed it. 34 You shall not defile the land which you inhabit, where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.’ ”
Luke 5:12-26
The Leper’s Prayer
12 While Jesus was in one of the cities, there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
13 He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him. 14 He commanded him to tell no one, “But go your way and show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifice for cleansing according to the laws of Moses, as a testimony to them.” 15 But the report concerning him spread much more, and great crowds came together to hear and to be healed by him of their sicknesses. 16 But he withdrew into the desert, and prayed.
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
17 One day, Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting nearby, who had come from every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal them. 18 Men brought a paralyzed man on a cot, and they sought to bring him and lay before Jesus. 19 Not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up to the housetop and lowered him on his cot through the tiles, into their midst in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, he said to him, “Sir, your sins are forgiven.”
21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”
22 But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered them, “Why are you reasoning so in your hearts? 23 Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk?’ 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take up your cot, and go home.”
25 Immediately he rose up before them and took up that which he was laying on and departed to his house, glorifying God.
26 Amazement took hold on all, and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Psalm 65
Praise Waits for You God, in Zion
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. A song.
1 Praise waits for you, God, in Zion.
Vows to you shall be fulfilled.
2 You who hear prayer,
all men will come to you.
3 Sins overwhelmed me,
but you atoned for our transgressions.
4 Blessed is the one whom you choose
and cause to come near,
that he may live in your courts.
We will be filled with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple.
5 By awesome deeds of righteousness, you answer us,
God of our salvation.
You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth,
of those who are far away on the sea.
6 By your power, you form the mountains,
having armed yourself with strength.
7 You still the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
8 They also who dwell in faraway places
are afraid at your wonders.
You call the morning’s dawn
and the evening with songs of joy.
9 You visit the earth, and water it.
You greatly enrich it.
The river of God is full of water.
You provide them grain,
for so you have ordained it.
10 You drench its furrows.
You level its ridges.
You soften it with showers.
You bless it with a crop.
11 You crown the year with your bounty.
Your ways overflow with abundance.
12 The wilderness grasslands overflow.
The hills are clothed with gladness.
13 The pastures are covered with flocks.
The valleys also are clothed with grain.
They shout for joy!
They also sing.
Proverbs 11:23
23 The desire of the righteous is only good.
The expectation of the wicked is wrath.