Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy Chapter 33

• Deuteronomy 33:1 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 fiery law for them.

Here we see a double prophecy, the coming of God's people out of Egypt and also in the book of Jude we read of the latter day coming of the Lord with His saints with Him. This may clear up a little confusion as to whether the book of Jude was referring to angels or believers in Jesus that was previously raptured. Since Deuteronomy refers to Israel and God's people, then it stands to reason that passages in Jude that quoted Enoch was also referring God's people that exist in the latter days.

• Deuteronomy 33:3 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.

It looks as if someone else, perhaps Joshua finished the last two or three chapters in this book after the death of Moses.

God loved His people and that is why He gave them the law. A school master that later was to lead them to Christ the savior. God's commandments are for protection, safety, health and many other good things. It shows the danger of sin and how it steals, kills and destroys. God is good and makes good things for us. 

• Deuteronomy 33:6 Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.

Rueben did not excel because of sin against his father, Jacob but the promise here is that they will not die out and not be few in number and also will inherit eternal life along with the rest of their brethren.

• Deuteronomy 33:7 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 was the tribe that was to bring forth the Christ or Messiah that was to save all who would receive Him, from sin and grant them eternal life. 

• Deuteronomy 33:8 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;

The Urim and Thummin were a means of seeking understanding from the Lord when divine guidance was needed. It was used by the tribe of Levi since they were appointed as the spiritual leaders of that day. Today we have the Holy Spirit given to all believers in Jesus Christ who desire to be filled with the Spirit. The book of Acts speaks of the Holy Spirit that is given to all who obey Him. God the Father and His Son, Jesus our Christ. We also have the written word for guidance so we no longer use any other method. Why use other methods when God gave us the best. His Holy Spirit.

• Deuteronomy 33:9 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 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 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.

The tribe of Levi was to teach Jacob (Israel) judgments and laws without favoritism. To teach them to observe the word without regarding those that oppose them even if it was their own children or brethren. God came first in other words.

• Deuteronomy 33:12 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.

Benjamin dwelled near the tabernacle of the Lord which caused them to dwell safely. Judah was nearby. The first king of Israel came from the tribe of Benjamin. 

• Deuteronomy 33:13 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: 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.

The story of Joseph was one of the most heart breaking stories but it is a picture of Christ in a way. Just like Joseph was sold into slavery, suffered rejection, false accusation and imprisonment, but was later exalted to rule over all Egypt second only to Pharaoh; Jesus was rejected, beaten, crucified and then resurrected and will return to rule over all the earth. I long for that day for we live in a day of much evil and confusion.

Ephraim and Manasseh were the children of Joseph and had their own separate portions of land.

• Deuteronomy 33:18 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.

Zebulun was said to have went out to sea with maritime type of trade, and Issachar stayed home to dwell in tents taking care of the cattle and other means of making a living.

• Deuteronomy 33:20 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 of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.

Gad was one of the tribes along with Rueben and half of the tribe of Manasseh who took their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan but still went on to fight with their brethren in the other tribes until all the land was conquered. 

• Deuteronomy 33:22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.

Dan was known for his boldness. Samson came from this tribe.

• Deuteronomy 33:23 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 blessed by the favor of God.

• Deuteronomy 33:24 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 shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

Asher was blessed with children and was a tribe that had iron, brass and olive oil.

So we see good things prophesied here of the future tribes of Israel in the latter days. We see from reading the bible that later the tribes ended up being only two: Israel and Judah. A few years after that, Israel fell to the Assyrian Empire and we only had Judah also called Israel. Judah fell to the Babylonians but was returned to their own land after 70 years. They lost their nation again after their rejection of Christ in 70 AD.  In 1948 the nation of Israel was partly restored. Latter day prophecy shows us that God will bring them back to the original borders and their rightful place with God as they recognize Jesus as Messiah.

The separate tribes will be recognized again as prophesied and dwell in their rightful place under the leadership of Jesus Christ after His return. We see from the book of Revelation that they go through the future tribulation where a number from each tribe are sealed in order not to be harmed from the wrath of God and the plagues that come upon that region under the kingdom of the beast or anti-Christ. The ones sealed are the believers in Jesus who came to Christ at that time before the rest of Israel recognized Him. The false leader comes before the real leader. The true leader is the Son of God, Jesus our Christ. All these things are foretold in Daniel, Revelation and some of the other prophets in the Old Testament.

• Deuteronomy 33:26 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.

What a day that will be when all Israel is restored by the hand of God in the latter days.  DC

Deuteronomy Chapter 34