Deuteronomy 33:1-12 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 33:1-12. It’s one of my favourite passages in Deuteronomy. Let’s go!
Deuteronomy 33:1 (NIV)
1 This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death.
On verse 1: Moses already knew that he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land (see chapter 32). Still, Moses blessed the Israelites as they prepared to enter it, rather than envying them. From this we see Moses’ humility and his love for the people he led, putting the people before himself. No wonder he was called “the man of God”.
By the way, the last record of anyone blessing the Israelites tribe by tribe this way was in Genesis 49. There an elderly Jacob blessed each of his sons before his death. Now here in Deuteronomy 33, we see Moses, the spiritual father and pastor of the Israelites, giving a fatherly and priestly blessing over the tribes of Israel before his death.
Like Moses, throughout your time on earth and when it is done, may you be known for leaving behind a blessing.
Deuteronomy 33:2-5 (NIV)
2 He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his mountain slopes.
3 Surely it is you who love the people; all the holy ones are in your hand. At your feet they all bow down, and from you receive instruction,
4 the law that Moses gave us, the possession of the assembly of Jacob.
5 He was king over Jeshurun when the leaders of the people assembled, along with the tribes of Israel.
On verses 2-5: Before blessing the Israelites tribe by tribe, Moses begins by acknowledging the God who made them and called them in the first place. Moses acknowledges how God reached out to the Israelites (v2), how God loved them (v3), how God is worthy of their worship (v3), how God taught them His laws (v3-4), and how God ruled over them as king (v5).
That’s a good lesson for us. When you pray for others, beware falling into the trap of making it all about them. Like Moses, remember to acknowledge the Lord when you pray for others. It is all for His glory in the end. To help me with this, one thing I’ll sometimes do when I pray for others is to begin my prayer by praising God for who He is before praying for that person specifically. By praising God first, I remind myself that it is about God and His glory first, and somehow I’m then better positioned to really bless the person I’m praying for.
Deuteronomy 33:6 (NIV)
6 “Let Reuben live and not die, nor his men be few.”
On verse 6: Moses blesses Reuben, the tribe named after Jacob’s firstborn son. In Jewish culture, the firstborn enjoyed special rights and privileges, including a double portion of the father’s inheritance. Similarly, Jesus is described as God’s “firstborn” (Hebrews 1:6; Colossians 1:15, 18; and Romans 8:29). When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, all the rights and privileges Jesus had as God’s “firstborn” flow to us as well. So no matter what your birth order in your natural family, we are treated like firstborn children in God’s eyes because of Jesus! That’s why the writer of Hebrews describes Christians everywhere as “the church of the firstborn” (Hebrews 12:23).
Deuteronomy 33:7 (NIV)
7 And this he said about Judah: “Hear, O LORD, the cry of Judah; bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause. Oh, be his help against his foes!”
On verse 7: Moses then blesses Judah. Moses’ prayer for Judah here would be answered when Jesus — known as the Lion of Judah — was born into the tribe of Judah.
Deuteronomy 33:8-11 (NIV)
8 About Levi he said: “Your Thummim and Urim belong to the man you favored. You tested him at Massah; you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.
9 He said of his father and mother, ‘I have no regard for them.’ He did not recognize his brothers or acknowledge his own children, but he watched over your word and guarded your covenant.
10 He teaches your precepts to Jacob and your law to Israel. He offers incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Bless all his skills, O LORD, and be pleased with the work of his hands. Smite the loins of those who rise up against him; strike his foes till they rise no more.”
On verses 8-11: Moses then blesses Levi, the tribe Moses himself came from and the tribe God assigned to serve as priests for Israel. Similarly, because of Jesus Christ, you and I are now priests in God’s kingdom.
- Just as God entrusted two tools called the Thummim and Urim to the Levites to help them discern God’s will, so God has given you the Holy Spirit so you can discern His will (v8).
- Just as Levi went through testing, may you pass the tests God allows you to go through (v8).
- Just as Levi put God first above his own family, may we always make the Lord our first priority (v9). (By the way, doesn’t verse 9 remind us of Jesus’ words in Luke 14:26? In both cases Moses and Jesus are exaggerating for emphasis.)
- Just as the Levites were to teach God’s Word to the people, may your life make the teaching of God attractive (v10).
- Just as the Levites were to offer incense and offerings to God, may your life be a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him (v10).
- Just as Moses prayed that God would bless Levi’s skills and be pleased with his work, may your skills and your serving be full of God’s anointing (v11).
12 About Benjamin he said: “Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.”
On verse 12: “Benjamin” means “son at your right hand”. Moses speaks a beautiful blessing over Benjamin. Moses affirms Benjamin that he is God’s beloved, that God shields him all day long, and that God places him near his heart “between his shoulders”. Because of this, Benjamin can rest secure. In the same way, through Jesus Christ, you and I became sons and daughters at God’s right hand. You are shielded by Him all day long, and God places you between His shoulders near His heart. You are God’s beloved and therefore you can rest secure too.
Praise You Heavenly Father that because of Jesus Christ, many of the blessings that Moses prayed over the tribes of Israel also apply to us. Thank You that like Reuben we are blessed like firstborn children in your family. Thank You that like Levi we are priests in Your kingdom. Thank You that like Benjamin we are beloved sons and daughters at your right hand. It’s all because of Jesus that we are blessed, and it’s all for Your glory. May our lives be a blessing back to You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
