Deuteronomy 33:1-29
Moses’ Final Blessing on Israel
1 Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2 And he said:
“The LORD came from Sinai,
And dawned on them from Seir;
He shone forth from Mount Paran,
And He came with ten thousands of saints;
From His right hand
Came a fiery law for them.
3 Yes, He loves the people;
All His saints are in Your hand;
They sit down at Your feet;
Everyone receives Your words.
4 Moses commanded a law for us,
A heritage of the congregation of Jacob.
5 And He was King in Jeshurun,
When the leaders of the people were gathered,
All the tribes of Israel together.
6 “Let Reuben live, and not die,
Nor let his men be few.”
7 And this he said of Judah:
“Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah,
And bring him to his people;
Let his hands be sufficient for him,
And may You be a help against his enemies.”
8 And of Levi he said:
”Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one,
Whom You tested at Massah,
And with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah,
9 Who says of his father and mother,
‘I have not seen them’;
Nor did he acknowledge his brothers,
Or know his own children;
For they have observed Your word
And kept Your covenant.
10 They shall teach Jacob Your judgments,
And Israel Your law.
They shall put incense before You,
And a whole burnt sacrifice on Your altar.
11 Bless his substance, LORD,
And accept the work of his hands;
Strike the loins of those who rise against him,
And of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”
12 Of Benjamin he said:
“The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him,
Who shelters him all the day long;
And he shall dwell between His shoulders.”
13 And of Joseph he said:
“Blessed of the LORD is his land,
With the precious things of heaven, with the dew,
And the deep lying beneath,
14 With the precious fruits of the sun,
With the precious produce of the months,
15 With the best things of the ancient mountains,
With the precious things of the everlasting hills,
16 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness,
And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush.
Let the blessing come on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.’
17 His glory is like a firstborn bull,
And his horns like the horns of the wild ox;
Together with them
He shall push the peoples
To the ends of the earth;
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 And of Zebulun he said:
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
And Issachar in your tents!
19 They shall call the peoples to the mountain;
There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness;
For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas
And of treasures hidden in the sand.”
20 And of Gad he said:
“Blessed is he who enlarges Gad;
He dwells as a lion,
And tears the arm and the crown of his head.
21 He provided the first part for himself,
Because a lawgiver’s portion was reserved there.
He came with the heads of the people;
He administered 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 favor,
And full of the blessing of the LORD,
Possess the west and the south.”
24 And of Asher he said:
“Asher is most blessed of sons;
Let him be favored by his brothers,
And let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Your sandals shall be iron and bronze;
As your days, so shall your strength be.”
26 There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens to help you,
And in His excellency on the clouds.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
He will thrust out the enemy from before you,
And will say, ‘Destroy!’
28 Then Israel shall dwell in safety,
The fountain of Jacob alone,
In a land of grain and new wine;
His heavens shall also drop dew.
29 Happy are you, O Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD,
The shield of your help
And the sword of your majesty!
Your enemies shall submit to you,
And you shall tread down their high places.”
These are the final blessings pronounced by Moses on all the children of God in the time of Israel (Jeshurun). He began by extolling the LORD God of Israel who gave them His word of the law on Mount Sinai written on long lasting tablets of stone to pass down the generations until it would he inscribed one day (Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10, 10:16, 2 Corinthians 3:3) permanently on their hearts. Then he proceeded to bless each family tribe of Israel, one at a time. Reuben was only given a promise to thrive with no additional details. Judah would he promised sufficiency and the protection of the LORD against all enemies. As for Levi, the priests, they would keep and teach the word of God to the others and serve with incense and sacrifices before God’s altar for the rest of the people, and the LORD would protect him and accept the work of his hands as enough in return. Benjamin, the beloved of the LORD, would dwell in safety by Him Who shelters him in loving watchcare. For Joseph, the best and precious things would be given, with “the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush” as a strong reminder of Moses meeting the great I AM (Exodus 3:2, 4, 14-15) in the burn bush when called to set God’s people free from bondage. He would gain great victory in over the ungodly in the promised land bequeathed as the inheritance of all God’s people. Zebulun and Issachar would rejoice as they called the others to sacrifice with joy to the LORD. Gad would administer the justice of the LORD and His judgment. Dan was mentioned by character as a lion’s whelp, a wild cub. As for Naphtali, he would be satisfied with God’s favor and full of His blessings in possessing the inheritance. Asher would find favor with the others and be prosperous and strong. The blessings then close with am exaltation of the LORD over His people who is their help and refuge with everlasting arms of strength and protection and victory over their enemies. They were promised the blessings of safety, peace, and prosperity in the promised land as a people saved by the LORD and not their own hand. Only in Him would they achieve the victory over their enemies who would submit to them and be conquered. This is a picture of our victory in Christ who fights the battles for us against the adversary and will lead us to eternal blessings in the heavenly promised kingdom to come. These are true and lasting blessings on all of God’s children in Jesus Christ, our Lord who delivers us to our souls’ safety.
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