Read: Numbers 33:40-35:34; Luke 5:13-38; Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 11:23
When the Israelites came to the land the Lord promised them they were to drive out the people living there and destroy all their idols and images. They were to take possession of their land and then divide it up among the tribes distributing the land proportionally to the size of the tribes. He warned them that if they didn’t drive out the inhabitants of the land and allowed them to live then they would become a pain in their neck.
The Levites were not to get any land but every tribe was to set apart cities of refuge where the Levites would live. They would be the judges of murder cases. If a person unintentionally killed someone, they would run to one of the cities of refuge and present their case before the Levites. If they believed he was innocent, the man would be allowed to live in the city and be safe until the death of the high priest, then they would be released and the avenger of death could not kill him.
We were all guilty of death because of our sin, but when our high priest, Jesus, died for us, we were set free.
In Luke, Jesus was at the beginning of his ministry. He came to reveal himself as the Messiah of the Jews so when he healed the man with leprosy, he wanted the man to show himself to the priest. He wanted to give them the chance to believe. In their law they believed that only the Messiah would be able to heal a leper. He wanted it to be a testimony to them.
A person with leprosy represents a person in sin because leprosy is a disease of the flesh. Next, Jesus healed a paralytic. He represents a person who cannot walk because he is paralyzed. Many people are paralyzed by fear, pain, death, sin…whatever stops them from becoming what God intended them to become. Before Jesus gave the man his walk back, he forgave him of his sin. Unforgiveness is one of the biggest paralyzers of life.
Lord, help us to get rid of the sin and paralyzers of our lives and live abundantly.
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