351 Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho , saying , 2 "Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities . 3 "The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their beasts . 4 "The pasture lands of the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits around . 5 "You shall also measure outside e the city on the east side two thousand cubits , and on the south side two thousand cubits , and on the west side two thousand cubits , and on the north side two thousand cubits , with the city in the center . This shall become theirs as pasture lands for the cities . 6 "The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge , which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two e cities . 7 "All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight e cities , together with their pasture lands . 8 " As for the cities which you shall give from the possession of the sons of Israel , you shall take more from the larger and you shall take less from the smaller ; each shall give some of his cities to the Levites in proportion to his possession which he inherits ."
9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses , saying , 10 " Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan , 11 then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge , that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there . 12 ' The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger , so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial . 13 'The cities which you are to give shall be your six cities of refuge . 14 'You shall give three cities across e the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan ; they are to be cities of refuge . 15 'These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel , and for the alien and for the sojourner among them; that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there . 16 ' But if he struck him down 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 down with a stone in the hand , by which he will die , and as a result he died , he is a murderer ; the murderer shall surely be put to death . 18 'Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand , by which he might die , and as a result he died , he is a murderer ; the murderer shall surely be put to death . 19 'The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death ; he shall put him to death when he meets him. 20 ' If he pushed him of hatred , or threw something at him lying in wait and as a result he died , 21 or if he struck him down with his hand in enmity , and as a result he died , the one who struck him shall surely be put to death , he is a murderer ; the blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him. 22 ' But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity , or threw something e at him without lying in wait , 23 or with any deadly e object of stone , and without seeing it dropped on him so that he died , while he was not his enemy nor seeking his injury , 24 then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the blood avenger according to these ordinances . 25 'The congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the blood avenger , and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he fled ; and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil . 26 'But if the manslayer at any time goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he may flee , 27 and the blood avenger finds him outside e the border of his city of refuge , and the blood avenger kills the manslayer , he will not be guilty of blood 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 manslayer shall return to the land of his possession .
29 'These things shall be for a statutory ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings . 30 ' If anyone kills a person , the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses , but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness . 31 'Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death , but he shall surely be put to death . 32 'You shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge , that he may return to live in the land before the death of the priest . 33 ' So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except e by the blood of him who shed it. 34 'You shall not defile the land in which you live , in the midst of which I dwell ; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel .' "
361 And the heads of the fathers' households of the family of the sons of Gilead , the son of Machir , the son of Manasseh , of the families of the sons of Joseph , came near and spoke before Moses and before the leaders , the heads of the fathers' households of the sons of Israel , 2 and they said , "The Lord commanded my lord to give the land by lot to the sons of Israel as an inheritance , and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters . 3 "But if they marry e one of the sons of the other tribes of the sons of Israel , their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of our fathers and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong ; thus it will be withdrawn from our allotted inheritance . 4 "When the jubilee of the sons of Israel comes , then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong ; so their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers ."
5 Then Moses commanded the sons of Israel according to the word of the Lord , saying , "The tribe of the sons of Joseph are right in their statements . 6 " This is what e the Lord has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad , saying , 'Let them marry e whom they wish e ; only they must marry e within the family of the tribe of their father .' 7 "Thus no inheritance of the sons of Israel shall be transferred from tribe to tribe , for the sons of Israel shall each hold to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers . 8 " Every daughter who comes into possession of an inheritance of any tribe of the sons of Israel shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father , so that the sons of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers . 9 "Thus no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another tribe , for the tribes of the sons of Israel shall each hold to his own inheritance ." 10 Just as the Lord had commanded Moses , so the daughters of Zelophehad did : 11 Mahlah , Tirzah , Hoglah , Milcah and Noah , the daughters of Zelophehad married their uncles' sons . 12 They married those from the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph , and their inheritance remained with the tribe of the family of their father . 13 These are the commandments and the ordinances which the Lord commanded to the sons of Israel through Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho .
101 Getting up, He went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan ; crowds gathered around Him again , and, according to His custom , He once more began to teach them. 2 Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife . 3 And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?" 4 They said , " Moses permitted a man TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY ." 5 But Jesus said to them, " Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment . 6 "But from the beginning of creation , God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE . 7 " FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER , 8 AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME e ONE FLESH ; so they are no longer two , but one flesh . 9 "What therefore God has joined together , let no man separate ." 10 In the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again . 11 And He said to them, " Whoever e divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; 12 and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man , she is committing adultery ."
13 And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these . 15 "Truly I say to you, whoever e does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.
17 As He was setting out on a journey , a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher , what shall I do to inherit eternal life ?" 18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good ? No one is good except God alone . 19 "You know the commandments , ' DO NOT MURDER , DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY , DO NOT STEAL , DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS , Do not defraud , HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER .' " 20 And he said to Him, "Teacher , I have kept all these things from my youth up." 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack : go and sell all you possess and give to the poor , and you will have treasure in heaven ; and come , follow Me." 22 But at these words he was saddened , and he went away grieving , for he was one who owned much property . 23 And Jesus , looking around , said to His disciples , " How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God !" 24 The disciples were amazed at His words . But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children , how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God ! 25 " It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God ." 26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, "Then who can be saved ?" 27 Looking at them, Jesus said , " With people it is impossible , but not with God ; for all things are possible with God ." 28 Peter began to say to Him, "Behold , we have left everything and followed You." 29 Jesus said , "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms , for My sake and for the gospel's sake , 30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age , houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms , along with persecutions ; and in the age to come , eternal life . 31 "But many who are first will be last , and the last , first ."
(Read Mark 10:1-12)
Wherever Jesus was, the people flocked after him in crowds, and he taught them. Preaching was Christ's constant practice. He here shows that the reason why Moses' law allowed divorce, was such that they ought not to use the permission; it was only for the hardness of their hearts. God himself joined man and wife together; he has fitted them to be comforts and helps for each other. The bond which God has tied, is not to be lightly untied. Let those who are for putting away their wives consider what would become of themselves, if God should deal with them in like manner.
(Read Mark 10:13-16)
Some parents or nurses brought little children to Christ, that he should touch them, in token of his blessing them. It does not appear that they needed bodily cures, nor were they capable of being taught: but those who had the care of them believed that Christ's blessing would do their souls good; therefore they brought them to him. Jesus ordered that they should be brought to him, and that nothing should be said or done to hinder it. Children should be directed to the Saviour as soon as they are able to understand his words. Also, we must receive the kingdom of God as little children; we must stand affected to Christ and his grace, as little children to their parents, nurses, and teachers.
(Read Mark 10:17-22)
This young ruler showed great earnestness. He asked what he should do now, that he might be happy for ever. Most ask for good to be had in this world; any good, Matthew 6:24, Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
(Read Mark 10:23-31)
Christ took this occasion to speak to his disciples about the difficulty of the salvation of those who have abundance of this world. Those who thus eagerly seek the wealth of the world, will never rightly prize Christ and his grace. Also, as to the greatness of the salvation of those who have but little of this world, and leave it for Christ. The greatest trial of a good man's constancy is, when love to Jesus calls him to give up love to friends and relatives. Even when gainers by Christ, let them still expect to suffer for him, till they reach heaven. Let us learn contentment in a low state, and to watch against the love of riches in a high one. Let us pray to be enabled to part with all, if required, in Christ's service, and to use all we are allowed to keep in his service.
