You Are Blessed Beyond Compare!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 33:13-29.  Let’s go!

You may find that Deuteronomy 33 is one of the harder chapters to understand or apply to our lives.  But if you dig deep, I believe you’ll find it’s one of the richest chapters in Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 33:13-17 (NIV)
¹³  About Joseph he said: “May the LORD bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below;
¹⁴  with the best the sun brings forth and the finest the moon can yield;
¹⁵  with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;
¹⁶  with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
¹⁷  In majesty he is like a firstborn bull; his horns are the horns of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even those at the ends of the earth. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim; such are the thousands of Manasseh.”

On verses 13-17:  Moses gives the tribe of Joseph arguably the biggest blessing of all, calling Joseph “the prince among his brothers” (v16) and praying that God gives Joseph the very best (v13-16).  Joseph’s two sons Ephraim and Manasseh are also mentioned (v17).  Why did Moses bless Joseph so much?  Remember that Joseph went through the most hardship of all his brothers.  He was sold as a slave by his jealous brothers and spent years in prison for crimes he did not commit.  But Joseph never gave up and continued to do the best he could with what God gave him.  Eventually God exalted him to become prime minister of Egypt and used him to save a nation and his own family too.  Moses’ blessing on Joseph reminds us that often the greatest blessings are reserved for those who persevere through the greatest pain.  It’s also a reminder that just like Joseph was a prince among his brothers, through faith in Jesus Christ we become members of God’s royal family too (see 1 Peter 2:9).

Also, you can tell the great deal of respect and admiration Moses had for Joseph just by the way Moses prays for Joseph’s descendants.  You could say that Joseph was the “prince of Egypt” before Moses was.  Moses and Joseph will always be tied together by the picture in Exodus 13:19 of Moses carrying Joseph’s bones out of Egypt in fulfillment of Joseph’s request.  To me it’s a beautiful picture of one great leader honouring another great leader who came before him.  Likewise, I find that the greatest leaders I have ever met have a great admiration and respect for one or more great leaders who came before them.  They realize that they would not be where they are today if it were not for what those who came before them did.  May you be one who honours and does take for granted the leaders who have helped you get to where you are today.

Deuteronomy 33:18-19 (NIV)
¹⁸  About Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and you, Issachar, in your tents.
¹⁹  They will summon peoples to the mountain and there offer sacrifices of righteousness; they will feast on the abundance of the seas, on the treasures hidden in the sand.”

On verses 18-19:  Next Moses blesses the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar, saying that they will “summon peoples to the mountain” (v19).  Similarly, may God use you to “summon people to the mountain” too; that is, to lead people to Jesus.

Deuteronomy 33:20-21 (NIV)
²⁰  About Gad he said: “Blessed is he who enlarges Gad’s domain! Gad lives there like a lion, tearing at arm or head.
²¹  He chose the best land for himself; the leader’s portion was kept for him. When the heads of the people assembled, he carried out the LORD’s righteous will, and his judgments concerning Israel.”

On verses 20-21: Moses then blesses the tribe of Gad.  Gad was one of the tribes that took initiative and asked Moses for the specific land that they wanted (see Numbers 32).  Seeing how protective Gad was regarding the land they were given, it’s no wonder Moses described Gad “like a lion”.  May we have that same lion-like, territorial attitude when it comes to chasing after and protecting what God has given us and not letting the enemy take it away.

Deuteronomy 33:22 (NIV)
²²  About Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s cub, springing out of Bashan.”

On verse 22: Moses blesses Dan, calling Dan a “lion’s cub”. What does that mean?  It could mean that like a lion cub Dan had the potential to grow into a lion, but was not there yet.  Likewise, we all have areas where we act more like a cub than a lion, areas where we still need to grow and are not yet mature.  Just as Moses seems to be praying for Dan’s maturity, Jesus intercedes for us and prays for our maturity too (Hebrews 7:25).  It’s a reminder that God is aware of those areas where we need to grow and His heart is for us to grow up and mature.

Deuteronomy 33:23 (NIV)
²³  About Naphtali he said: “Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the LORD and is full of his blessing; he will inherit southward to the lake.”

On verse 23:  Moses blesses the tribe of Naphtali, saying that Naphtali “will inherit southward to the lake”.  Indeed the land that Naphtali would take over would be next to the Sea of Galilee.  It is there that Jesus would begin and grow his ministry (Matthew 4:13-16).  Given how Naphtali became the place where so many of Jesus’ teachings and miracles took place, it’s no wonder Moses describes Naphtali as “bounding with the favor of the Lord and is full of his blessing” (v23).

Deuteronomy 33:24-25 (NIV)
²⁴  About Asher he said: “Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him bathe his feet in oil.
²⁵  The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days.

On verses 24-25:  The last tribe Moses blesses is Asher.  Asher’s background was not the most desirable.  He was the last of Jacob’s sons to be born out of wedlock (since Jacob and his mother Zilpah were not married.  Rather, Leah gave Zilpah to Jacob so that Zilpah could bear children for Leah).  So Asher probably grew up with second class status in the family.  Still, his name was “Asher”, meaning “happy”.  When Moses blesses Asher in verse 24, he calls Asher the “most blessed of sons…favored by his brothers”.  What was Moses doing? Moses was reversing the fortunes of Asher.  It goes to show that it doesn’t matter what background you come from.  Since Jesus Christ gave his life for you, like Asher you are most blessed and highly favoured.

Deuteronomy 33:26-29 (NIV)
²⁶  “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty.
²⁷  The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, ‘Destroy him!’
²⁸  So Israel will live in safety alone; Jacob’s spring is secure in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens drop dew.
²⁹  Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places.”

On verses 26-29:  Just as Moses began his blessing in Deuteronomy 33 by acknowledging the Lord, Moses ends his blessing by praising God and celebrating Israel’s special relationship with Him.  Because of Jesus Christ we can enjoy this same special relationship with God.  Truly “[t]here is no one like the God of Jeshurun [Israel], who rides across the heavens to help you” (v26), who is your refuge (v27), whose everlasting arms will carry you (v27), who drives out your enemies (v27), who shields you and helps you (v29), and lets you live in safety, security and abundance (v28).

That’s why Moses says in verse 29, “Blessed are you, Israel!  Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord?”  The same can be said of you and me: because of Jesus, we are the most fortunate people alive.

Heavenly Father, thank You for blessing us with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  
Thank You that like Joseph the prince among his brothers, you call us your royal children. 
Thank You that like Zebulun and Issachar, You made us to lead others to you, to be a blessing. 
Thank You that like Gad, You call us to be lions who go after and protect the territory You promised to us.   
Thank You that like Dan, we have still more to grow.  
Thank You that like Naphtali, You chose us to be the place where Your words can be heard and Your miracles can be seen.  
And thank You that like Asher, we are most blessed and highly favoured, regardless of our background. 
It’s all because of Jesus. 
Who is like You, Lord, the One who rides across the heavens to help us, who serves as our refuge, who carries us in His everlasting arms, who drives out our enemies, and who keeps us in safety, security and abundance.   Thank You for being my shield and my glorious sword (v29).  
In Jesus’ name, AMEN!