Christ certainly felt the burden of a city that refused His grace (Luke 19:41). Jerusalem had every opportunity to repent, having seen great miracles and having heard the Lord’s greatest sermons. The knowledge that Jerusalem would finally reject and crucify Him caused Jesus to weep over a lost opportunity.
Paul also felt heartsick over Israel’s rejection of the Gospel: “My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed-cut off from Christ!-if that would save them” (Romans 9:2-3).
Have you ever thought that a certain person would surely repent after hearing a particular sermon or experiencing an especially painful situation in his life, and yet he did not? Intercession can arise from deferred hope, knowing that God is waiting to bless, but human beings are resisting. The pain and agony of watching others miss God’s best in their lives should be turned into a continual prayer on their behalf.
Keep on standing for your lost loved ones. As long as they are alive and breathing, there is still hope. Imagine the joy you will experience when they turn their lives over to God!
Joshua 19-20
Allotment for Simeon
19 The second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon according to its clans. Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah.2It included:
Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah,3Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,4Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,5Ziklag, Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susah,6Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen—thirteen towns and their villages;
7Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan—four towns and their villages—8and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (Ramah in the Negev).
This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Simeonites, according to its clans.9The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah, because Judah’s portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah.
Allotment for Zebulun
10The third lot came up for Zebulun according to its clans:
The boundary of their inheritance went as far as Sarid.11Going west it ran to Maralah, touched Dabbesheth, and extended to the ravine near Jokneam.12It turned east from Sarid toward the sunrise to the territory of Kisloth Tabor and went on to Daberath and up to Japhia.13Then it continued eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin; it came out at Rimmon and turned toward Neah.14There the boundary went around on the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah El.15Included were Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem. There were twelve towns and their villages.
16These towns and their villages were the inheritance of Zebulun, according to its clans.
Allotment for Issachar
17The fourth lot came out for Issachar according to its clans.18Their territory included:
Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem,19Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,20Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,21Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah and Beth Pazzez.22The boundary touched Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh, and ended at the Jordan. There were sixteen towns and their villages.
23These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, according to its clans.
Allotment for Asher
24The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher according to its clans.25Their territory included:
Helkath, Hali, Beten, Akshaph,26Allammelek, Amad and Mishal. On the west the boundary touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath.27It then turned east toward Beth Dagon, touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El, and went north to Beth Emek and Neiel, passing Kabul on the left.28It went to Abdon, Rehob, Hammon and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon.29The boundary then turned back toward Ramah and went to the fortified city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah and came out at the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Akzib,30Ummah, Aphek and Rehob. There were twenty-two towns and their villages.
31These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Asher, according to its clans.
Allotment for Naphtali
32The sixth lot came out for Naphtali according to its clans:
33Their boundary went from Heleph and the large tree in Zaanannim, passing Adami Nekeb and Jabneel to Lakkum and ending at the Jordan.34The boundary ran west through Aznoth Tabor and came out at Hukkok. It touched Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west and the Jordan on the east.35The fortified towns were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth,36Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,37Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor,38Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen towns and their villages.
39These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, according to its clans.
Allotment for Dan
40The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan according to its clans.41The territory of their inheritance included:
Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh,42Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,43Elon, Timnah, Ekron,44Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,45Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon,46Me Jarkon and Rakkon, with the area facing Joppa.
47(When the territory of the Danites was lost to them, they went up and attacked Leshem, took it, put it to the sword and occupied it. They settled in Leshem and named it Dan after their ancestor.)
48These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, according to its clans.
Allotment for Joshua
49When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them,50as the LORD had commanded. They gave him the town he asked for—Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there.
51These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting. And so they finished dividing the land.
Cities of Refuge
20 Then the LORD said to Joshua:2“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,3so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.4When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state their case before the elders of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them.5If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought.6They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled.”
7So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.8East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh.9Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.
Luke 19:28-48
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
28After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.29As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,30“Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.31If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
35They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.36As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
41As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it42and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.43The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.44They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
Jesus at the Temple
45When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling.46“It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
47Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.48Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
Psalm 88
Psalm 88
88 LORD, you are the God who saves me;
day and night I cry out to you.
2May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.
3I am overwhelmed with troubles
and my life draws near to death.
4I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am like one without strength.
5I am set apart with the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
who are cut off from your care.
6You have put me in the lowest pit,
in the darkest depths.
7Your wrath lies heavily on me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
8You have taken from me my closest friends
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
9 my eyes are dim with grief.
I call to you, LORD, every day;
I spread out my hands to you.
10Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
11Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness in Destruction?
12Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
13But I cry to you for help, LORD;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14Why, LORD, do you reject me
and hide your face from me?
15From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
16Your wrath has swept over me;
your terrors have destroyed me.
17All day long they surround me like a flood;
they have completely engulfed me.
18You have taken from me friend and neighbor—
darkness is my closest friend.
Proverbs 13:12-14
12Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
13Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it,
but whoever respects a command is rewarded.
14The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
turning a person from the snares of death.
