Thursday

7-March

Num 34-36; Ps 29; Luke 10

Numbers 35:  What inheritance did the Levites receive? What is a city of refuge?

Numbers 36: What stipulation was placed upon the daughters of Zelophahdad?

Luke 10:  How many apostles were sent out and what was their mission? Why did Jesus tell the lawyer the parable of the Good Samaritan?

Journal Prompt: Who is the ‘neighbor’ in your life that Jesus is referring to in the parable of the Good Samaritan?

Answers:

Numbers 35: The Levites did not receive a land inheritance as the other tribes did. Their inheritance was to serve God as priests, guards and caretakers of the Tabernacle.  God told the other tribes to allot cities and pastures around the cities for them to live in.  A city of refuge is a place where someone could go if accused of manslaughter while he awaited justice.

Numbers 36: The daughters of Zelophahad were required to marry within their tribes, so the inheritance of the land wouldn’t pass from one tribe to another.

Luke 10:  72 were sent out to the towns that Jesus was to visit – kind of an advance team!  Their mission was to ” enter a town , , ,  eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, The kingdom of God has come near to you.”.

When the lawyer asked who his neighbor was  (love your neighbor as yourself), Jesus knew that he (and we) don’t necessarily think of the victims or the marginalized as our neighbor, and he pointed out that it wasn’t the priest or the Levite who helped him (who would have been the more likely if they understood God’s law), but it was a Samaritan – (they were considered second class citizens – the Jews didn’t associate with them) who actually helped this man.  Jesus is telling us that everyone is our neighbor. (imho)