Deuteronomy 33:1-29
1 And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
2 And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fierya law for them.
3 Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.
4 Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
5 And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.
6 Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.
7 And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.
8 And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
9 Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.
10 They shall teachb Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.
11 Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.
12 And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.
13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns:c with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.
19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.
20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated;d and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.
22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.
23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.
24 And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Thy shoese shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
26 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
28 Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.
29 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
Deuteronomy: God’s Law of Love
Love and Obey the *LORD your God
Deuteronomy
Philip Smith
Chapter 33
v1 This is the *blessing that Moses, God’s *prophet, gave to the *Israelites. Moses did this before he died.
v2 ‘The *LORD came from *Mount Sinai.
He rose like the sun over Seir. He shone from *Mount Paran.
He came with 1000s of *holy *angels.
There was fire at his right side.
v3 Certainly you love the people. You look after the *holy people.
They all bend down at your feet. You give instructions to them.
v4 Moses gave to us the law that belongs to the people from Jacob.
v5 The *LORD was king over his people *Israel.
He was king when the leader and *tribes of the *Israelites gathered together.’
These are Moses’ last words to the people before he died. People considered that the last words of a father were an official statement of his desires. Genesis 27:27-29 contains Isaac’s last words to Jacob. (Isaac believed that Jacob was Esau.) Here Moses *blesses the *tribes. He was like a father who was blessing his children. Moses was saying what would happen to them in the future. Moses describes God as a king who comes with his angels. Angels are God’s army of servants from heaven. God wanted the *Israelites to know what he wanted them to do. God did that as he gave his laws to them.
v6 ‘Let Reuben live and do not let him die.
Do not allow Reuben’s *tribe to become few in number.’
Although Reuben was the first of Jacob’s sons, he did not receive the benefits of the oldest son. (See Genesis 39:3-4.) Instead, those benefits went to Joseph (Genesis 49:26). Reuben allowed Joseph to become a slave. Many people in the *tribe of Reuben died because Korah went against Moses. (See Numbers 16:1-30.) Moses prays that the *tribe will not become smaller.
v7 Moses said this about Judah.
‘Oh *LORD, hear the cry of Judah. Unite Judah with the other *tribes.
Help him against his enemies as he fights to defend himself.’
This is a prayer for help for Judah when that *tribe would need that help. The Philistines (people from Philistia) attacked Judah later.
Moses does not mention Simeon in this *blessing. Perhaps Moses includes the *tribe of Simeon in the *blessing of Judah.
v8 Moses said this about Levi.
‘Your *Urim and Thummin, *LORD, are for the man whom you chose.
You tested him at Massah. You quarrelled with him at the waters of Meribah.
v9 Levi was more loyal to you than to his parents, to his brothers or to his children.
He obeyed your words and he *kept your *covenant.
v10 They will teach your laws to Jacob and your instructions to *Israel.
They will put a substance with a sweet smell in front of you.
They will give whole *burnt offerings on your *altar.
v11 Oh *LORD, make them strong.
I pray that his work will please you.
*Destroy his enemies, so that they will not attack again.’
This was the *blessing on Moses’ own *tribe. The words Urim and Thummin mean ‘perfect lights’. They were probably precious stones. The chief priest carried them. Somehow, God used them to tell his decisions to the chief priest. ‘The man whom you chose’ probably means the chief priest. The events at Massah and Meribah are in Exodus 17:1-7. It seems that the *tribe of Levi was *faithful to God on those occasions.
They had a duty to serve God. That was more important than their duty to their families. This *blessing refers to the story of the young cow that Aaron made out of gold. (See Exodus 32:25-29.) The *Levites had killed even members of their own family who were not *faithful. The *Levites had two tasks. They guarded God’s law and they taught it to the people. Some *Levites were priests and they gave *sacrifices. Moses prays that God will *destroy Levi’s enemies. Perhaps he is referring to the story of Korah in Numbers 16:1-11.
v12 Moses said this about Benjamin.
‘The *LORD loves this *tribe. I pray that Benjamin will live safely with God.
God always looks after Benjamin.
Benjamin lives under the protection of the *LORD.
The *LORD carries Benjamin, his little son whom he loves, on his shoulders.’
The *tribe of Benjamin will have a safe place in which to live. Benjamin had land to the north-west of Judah, near Jerusalem. The place on which the *Israelites built the *temple was in Benjamin’s land.
v13 Moses said this about Joseph.
‘I ask the *LORD to *bless Joseph’s land.
I ask God to send mist from the sky above and to send up water from below.
v14 Joseph will have the best fruit that the sun has made ripe.
He will have the best fruit in each month during the year.
v15 Let there be the richest things from the old mountains.
Let there be the best fruits from the ancient hills.
v16 I ask God to fill his land with the best gifts of the earth.
God was in the bush that was burning. I ask him to *bless Joseph.
I ask that the *tribe of Joseph will receive all these *blessings.
He was the leader of his brothers.
v17 Joseph is as strong as a *bull.
He has *horns like a wild *ox.
He will use them to push away nations to the ends of the earth.
His horns are the 10 000s of Ephraim and the 1000s of Manasseh.’
Joseph has the longest *blessing. He has the double *blessing that a father usually gave to the oldest son. Both Joseph’s sons led *tribes. Ephraim became the very important *tribe. God *blesses Joseph with *fertile land and good crops. There is a reference in verse 16 to the story about the bush that was burning. (See Exodus 3:2.) An *ox is a powerful animal. Joseph has power too. *Horns are often a way to refer to power. The *tribes of his two sons are like the *horns on the *ox. That means that they will have military power.
v18 This is what Moses said about Zebulun and Issachar.
‘Oh Zebulun, be happy when you go out.
Oh Issachar, be happy in your tents.
v19 They will call people to come to their mountain.
There they will give right *sacrifices.
They will get their wealth from the sea.
They will get secret valuable things from the sand.’
Zebulun will have success in trade. And they will succeed when they catch fish. Issachar will succeed in agriculture. Moses says that they will give the right *sacrifices to God. They will give the *sacrifices when they have success.
v20 This is what Moses said about Gad.
‘Give honour to God! He makes Gad’s territory to be large.
Gad lives there like a lion that tears at an arm or a head.
v21 Gad chose the best land for himself.
He got the leader’s part. The leaders of the people gathered.
Gad did what the *LORD declared to be right.
They made the right *judgements for *Israel.’
Gad had the area east of the River Jordan. He chose the best part. But he obeyed God. He helped the rest of the *Israelites to *capture their own land.
v22 This is what Moses said about Dan.
‘Dan is a young lion. He jumps out of Bashan.’
Dan has the energy of a young lion. Later, the *tribe moved to the north near Bashan. Perhaps Moses speaks a *prophecy about that event here.
v23 Moses said this about Naphtali.
‘The *LORD is very pleased with Naphtali.
They are full of the *LORD’s *blessings.
Naphtali’s land reaches to the sea in the south.’
Naphtali will have the beautiful and *fertile land by the Sea of Galilee. The *tribe will receive God’s *blessing.
v24 This is what Moses said about Asher.
‘Asher shall have the *blessing of sons.
Let Asher’s brothers give honour to him.
Let him wash his feet in oil from *olives.
v25 Asher’s gates will be strong, with bars of iron and of *bronze.
His strength will last for as long as he lives.’
Asher will have a *fertile territory. Moses prays that Asher’s brothers will give honour to him. His land was famous because of its *olive trees. People came into the*Israelites’ country to attack it. And they had to come along the road through Asher’s land. But Moses says that its towns will have strong defences.
The final promise is like Matthew 28:20. ‘I will always be with you until the end of this age.’
v26 ‘There is nobody who is like the God of Jeshurun (*Israel).
God rides on the heavens as he comes to help you.
He is magnificent as he rides on the clouds.
v27 The God, who lives for always, is your place of safety.
His arms that last for always will support you.
He will force out your enemy in front of you.
He tells you to *destroy your enemy.
v28 The people in *Israel will live in safety.
Jacob’s supply of water is certain.
They will have a land that is full of corn and new wine.
Mist drops down from the sky.
v29 Oh *Israel, you are happy. There is nobody who is like you.
The *LORD has saved your nation.
The *LORD will protect you and help you. You will use his sword to overcome.
Your enemies will be afraid of you.
You will walk all over their *holy places.’
Moses praises God again at the end of the poem. God comes to help his people. He will support them. He will force out their enemies. As a result, they will live safely in their country. They will have water, grain, wine and the mist that comes on cool nights. God has saved *Israel. Their enemies will be afraid of them.
34:1-12 Moses Dies
Lord ~ a name for God. It translates the word ‘Adonai’ in the Hebrew language, which means ‘my ruler’. The word ‘lord’ (without a capital letter) means an ordinary ruler.LORD ~ God gave this special name to himself. It translates the word ‘Yahweh’ in the Hebrew language. It is the Covenant name for God. It links to the words ‘I am’; it means that God has always been here.
covenant ~ the special promise that God made to his people. God’s covenant with the Israelites established a relationship between him and them. But they must obey him.
Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.
Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
blessing ~ a good thing that God does for us; when someone asks God to do good things for a person or for people; when a person speaks good words about someone.
Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.
Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
Mount ~ mountain. For example, ‘Mount Sinai’ means the mountain called Sinai.
holy ~ morally good; something completely good and perfect; something that people consider to be very important in their religion.
tribe ~ a group of people from the same race, who all came from one person. The tribes of *Israel were the 12 large families of Jacob’s sons.'Urim and Thummin ~ Urim and Thummim were valuable stones. The main priest kept them in the pocket of the ephod. The priest used those objects to discover God’s decision about a situation. We do not know how God did that. The ephod was a special kind of short coat that the main priest wore over his other clothes.
covenant ~ the special promise that God made to his people. God’s covenant with the Israelites established a relationship between him and them. But they must obey him.
Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.
Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
altar ~ a table on which people give gifts or sacrifices to God or to a false god.
sacrifice ~ something valuable that people give to God, or to a false god; or, to make such a gift.
faithful ~ when someone always does what they have promised to do; when someone is loyal at all times.
Levite ~ an Israelite who belonged to the tribe of Levi. Levi was a son of Jacob. Levites had special duties connected to worship. All Israelite priests were Levites.
Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.
tribe ~ a group of people from the same race, who all came from one person. The tribes of *Israel were the 12 large families of Jacob’s sons.
worship ~ when people show honour to God, or to a false god. People may sing or pray. Or they may kneel down or give a sacrifice.
Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
sacrifice ~ something valuable that people give to God, or to a false god; or, to make such a gift.
descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
sacrifice ~ something valuable that people give to God, or to a false god; or, to make such a gift.
destroy ~ to damage something so that it does not continue to exist; to kill people or animals.
bull ~ male farm animal; (the female is called a cow). The Israelites made a metal image of a bull, which they worshipped as an idol.
Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.
worship ~ when people show honour to God, or to a false god. People may sing or pray. Or they may kneel down or give a sacrifice.
idol ~ an image of a false god that people give honour to; an object of wood, stone or metal that people worship.
Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
sacrifice ~ something valuable that people give to God, or to a false god; or, to make such a gift.
descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
fertile ~ land that can produce many crops.
judgement ~ when God or a judge says what is right or wrong.
capture ~ to take something and to keep it; to take people and to make them prisoners.
olive ~ small green or black fruit that comes from a tree. Oil comes from this fruit.
bronze ~ a metal that people make out of copper and tin.