DEUTERONOMY 33

1  And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

• Moses will go on to bless the children of Israel, tribe by tribe, before he dies. It was customary for a father to impart a blessing upon his children just before his death (cp Jacob’s blessing in Gen 49).
• The word "bless" means "to speak well of, to kneel before and adore, or to promise prosperity upon." It is noteworthy that after all Israel has put Moses through, he leaves them with a word of blessing and not of cursing.
• This is the first time in Scripture that we find the phrase, the man of God.

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 fiery law for them. 

·      The word saints means "holy and sacred ones," and in this verse most likely refers to the armies of angels which accompanied God to Mount Sinai (cp. Ps 68:17; Ac 7:53 Ga 3:19).  

·      Exodus 19:11-19 speaks of the scene at the foot of Sinai as God delivered the Ten Commandments. There was smoke, fire, and earthquakes, accompanied by the voices of trumpets.

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.

·      The purpose behind God's giving of the Law to Israel was His love for them. The Law contained ordinances which taught them how to live and walk with a holy God, as well as practical counsel on how to navigate life successfully. The Law of Moses helped guide Israel into healthful living in a day and age when no other nation had understanding of the real causes of diseases and death, and continued to protect them all the way up through the days of plague in the 19th century.

·      All Thy saints are in Thy hand-

o   John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

·      They sat down at His feet…they received His Word- What a beautiful picture of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Like Mary who chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and receive His Word.

4 Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.

• Even the inheritance; the law is itself the inheritance of God's covenant people.
• Rom 9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

5 And he was king in Jeshurun (another name for Israel), 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.

·      Moses now begins to bless Israel concerning their future, tribe by tribe. Reuben was the firstborn of the tribes of Israel, and his name means "see, a son."

·      Let Reuben live suggests that it would face adversity that could bring about total destruction. We know from the blessing of Jacob that tribe, Reuben would not excel (Gen 49.4), but here the cry to God is that they not be wiped out.

·      The tribe of Reuben was one of the 2 ½ tribes that dwelt on the other side of the Jordan river, along with Gad and the half tribe of Manesseh.

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.

• Judah means praise. Judah was the tribe that led the children of Israel as they marched through the wilderness and into the Promised Land so this blessing was essentially a prayer for Judah’s military success through God’s help.
• Judah or praise leads the way into the presence of God, for we enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts and into His courts with praise (Psa 100.4).
• Be Thou help to him from His enemies- Those who have God for their helper will at last triumph over all their foes.
• Jesus Christ we remember stemmed from the tribe of Judah.

8 ¶ And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one (they were entrusted to the priestly mediators, priests of the tribe of Levi), whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah (Ex 17:7; Nu 20:1-13:1);

• According to the Book of Exodus, Moses was a son of Amram, a member of the Levite tribe of Israel descended from Jacob

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 (watched over; guarded) thy word, and kept thy covenant.

10 They shall teach 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 (be pleased with) 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.

·      Verse 8-11 pertains to the tribe of Levi. The tribe of Levi was the priestly tribe, and as such they were designated to keep and utilize the Urim and Thummim, a way given to Israel by God in order to divine His will. Urim and Thummim means "lights and perfections," and were likely the stones set into the breastplate of the high priest, which would light up in a particular order so that the Levites would be able to receive guidance for Israel from the Lord. See Exodus 28:30 for the origin of the Urim and Thummim.

·      Verse 9 refers to theincident of the golden calf in Exodus 32. The tribe of Levi was the first of the tribes to acknowledge their allegiance to the Lord after all of Israel polluted herself by worshipping an idol. In their fidelity, they even picked up swords and slew 3,000 of their fellow Israelites who refused to repent of their idolatry, thus they did not acknowledge their brethren.

·      Verse 10 is a reference to the fact that the tribe of Levi was privileged to be the tribe responsible for the keeping of the Tabernacle, later the Temple, and the entire ministry that went on inside of it. That included the burning of incense and the offering of sacrifices to God.

·      The people received direction as it was given to the high priest through the Urim and Thummim. Beloved, the key in life to know what to say or what to do is really simple…..abide in Jesus Christ, Our Great High Priest.  Worship Him, adore Him, surrender everything to Him and He, will direct your paths.

12 ¶ And of Benjamin (Jacob’s youngest and particularly loved son) he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety (rest securely) by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

·      A name meaning "son of my right hand," the youngest son of Jacob. The first king of Israel would come from the tribe of Benjamin, Jerusalem was located within that tribe's inheritance, and thus the Temple would be built within the borders of Benjamin. The Apostle Paul was also born into the tribe of Benjamin.

·      The Lord was the strength of Benjamin, and graciously placed His power where Benjamin carried his burden--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 (the subterranean waters, which break forth in springs),

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 (everlasting) 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 (some trans. read Him Whom dwelt in the bush; a reference to Jehovah): let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

• Separated from his brethren- A reference to the time that Joseph spent in Egypt apart from his brethren.
• The separated one Joseph, though persecuted by his brethren, received the richest blessing and the double inheritance. The more we are set apart for The Lord, the more we are able to bear our momentary and light afflictions of being separated.

17 His glory (majesty) is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns (wild ox): 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.

·      Ephraim and Manasseh were the two sons of Joseph, and so are included under the headship of his tribe in this blessing. Ephraim, the younger son was eventually much more numerous than Manasseh, as is prophesied here.

·      Moses prayed for the military success of Joseph, pictured here with horns like a wild ox, goring nations.

18 ¶ And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.

• Zebulon and Isaachar were mentioned together in Jacobs blessing in Gen 49.13-15.

• Zebulun in thy going out- Gen 49:13;  Zebulon would be a commercial and enterprising tribe.
• Issachar in thy tents- abiding in quietness at home.
• Here is a blessing for the traveler, and a blessing for the stayer at home.  In both cases it is given to the children of God to rejoice, for the Lord is with them. CHS

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.

• Abundance of the sea-treasures hid in the sand; The sand here represents the seashore, and then, generally, the wealth that comes to it through commerce. Though neither tribe touched the Mediterranean Sea, Isaachar was near the Sea of Galilee and Zebulon was only a few miles away.
• Note that the physical blessing is mentioned after they gathered the people of God together to offer of the sacrifices of righteousness. When we give to God the glory that is due His Name by walking in righteousness, we inevitably enjoy the deeper blessings of God in our souls that nobody and nothing can disturb or take away.

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; and he came with the heads (leaders) of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.

·      A reference to the Lord, who would bless the tribe of Gad. The Gadites were a fierce and warlike tribe, described in 1 Chronicles 12:8, men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains, and thus were described here by Moses as dwelling "as a lion."

·      As I mentioned earlier, Gad was one of the 2 ½ trines that dwelt on the other side of the Jordan River. They inherited the land that they took in war from the kings of Sihon and Og.

22 ¶ And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp (cub): he shall leap from Bashan.

• Dan being a lions whelp, or cub implies it’s potential for great strength.

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.

• Naphtali was abounding with the favor of The Lord. He has a fullness indeed who is full with the blessing, or favor of Jehovah.

24 And of Asher (name means blessed or happy) he said, Let Asher be blessed with children (most blessed of sons is Asher); let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.

25 Thy shoes (the locks of your gates) shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

·      Asher is a Hebrew name meaning "happy." Here he is described as being blessed with children The Israelites considered it a great blessing to have many children; and Asher was described as blessed in having many sons who were able to go to war in Numbers 26:47. Historians describing later periods have recorded that none of the tribes of Israel ended up to be more blessed in the way of having children.

·      Olive oil in that day was used to anoint both the head and the feet, and the inheritance of the tribe of Asher was so blessed with that oil that it was said they could have washed their feet in it if they so chose.

·      Their land would abound with iron and brass, which were two metals that were of great value in those days. The trans. thy shoes is more accurately rendered thy gates of iron and brass which would indicate Asher’s military security.

·      As thy days, so shall thy strength be; God promised them daily strength to walk in His will.

·      *****It is to be noted that the tribe of Simeon, which was later absorbed by Judah (Josh 19.1-9) in omitted, for reasons that are not given in the Word of God.

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.

• Having finished the pronunciation of blessing upon the congregation of Israel, the man of God reminds them again Who their God is. NO matter what adversity the nation would face, The Lord would be right there to give grace and help for the time of need.

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.

• If the sun, moon and stars are the work of God’s fingers (Psa 8.3), what must be the power of His everlasting arms? Truly beloved, our strength is in The Lord. 

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 (blessed) 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 (will cringe before you); and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

• Please note that in verse 26 we read that there is none like the God of Jeshurun. Here, we see that there is no other nation like the nation of Israel.

·      The conclusion of the blessing is that Israel alone, out of all the nations of the earth in that day, was God's prized possession. The Lord took them from a helpless position in Egypt and made them the most blessed and favored nation on earth. Here, He promises to be the shield that protects them and the sword that fights their battles for them. No other nation even to this day has had such a blessed beginning or such a blessed end promised to them.

DEUTERONONY 34

1 ¶ And Moses went up (climbed up) from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho.

• Having finished his work and pronounced his last blessing, the prophet cheerfully climbs towards heaven.  Death to the saints is an assent.

And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan (this was in the north part of the country),

2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea (the Mediterranean, forming the western boundary),

3 And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar (near the southern boundary of Canaan).

4 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware (promised) unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.

• God mentions the oath that He made to give the land to the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Even though Moses would not lead the nation into the Promised Land, God would be faithful to fulfill His promise.
• Beloved, God is faithful to fulfill everything that He promises to us.
• Moses spent his last days on earth in sweet fellowship with The Lord.

5 ¶ So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.

• The Jews say that he died, "with a kiss from the mouth of God." Servants of Jehovah are human and pass away, but The Lord endures from one generation to another.

6 And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.

• Many Jewish writers have expressed that Moses was buried by angels, and Jude 1:9 hints that it may have been Michael the archangel who buried Moses himself.

7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force (strength) abated.

• God gifted Moses with a supernatural gift of sight, so that he could see a land which stretched out more than a hundred miles in either direction.

8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

9 ¶ And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.

·      Joshua, Moses' successor, exhibited the same wisdom in leadership that Moses had. Here it is said that the source of that wisdom was the Holy Spirit, who came upon Joshua when Moses laid his hands upon him.

·      The laying on of hands is symbolic of a transfer of leadership all through the Scriptures (Num. 27:23, 1 Tim. 5:22). The laying on of hands is also sometimes used as a point of contact in transferring one person's anointing of the Spirit to another, as in 2 Timothy 1:6 and Acts 8:17.

·      God is not dependent for the accomplishment of his work on any of his servants, but they are constantly and entirely dependent on him.  He raises up one, fits him for his work, sustains him till it is accomplished, and then, in his own way and time, removes him. 

10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,

11 In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,

12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.

• The greatness of Moses is beyond dispute, for The Lord knew him face to face; and yet, we hear the words of Jesus Christ declare, Luke 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
• You and I, by virtue of the indwelling Holy Spirit and imputed righteousness of The Lord Jesus Christ possess a relationship and  intimacy with God that exceeds that which was known by even Moses and John. 
• Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
• Moses prophesied that God would raise up another Prophet like unto him (Deut 18.15). That prophecy was fulfilled by when The Lord Jesus Christ, the Greater than Moses (Heb 3.1-6) was born. It is through the grace of Christ that we are saved and will be taken to that city Who’s Builder and Maker is God.
• As we close in song tonight, may we look vertically to our Great High Priest. May we meditate on His goodness and grace. May we, like Judah, praise Him for His worth and majesty.