{"id":22749,"date":"2022-08-17T22:00:55","date_gmt":"2022-08-18T05:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/deuteronomy32_40-52-copy\/"},"modified":"2022-07-26T16:18:31","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T23:18:31","slug":"deuteronomy33_1-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/deuteronomy33_1-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Because You Are God\u2019s Beloved"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deuteronomy\u00a0 33:1-12\u00a0 \u00a0 Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

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Today\u2019s passage is Deuteronomy 33:1-12.\u00a0 It\u2019s one of my favourite passages in Deuteronomy.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Deuteronomy 33:1 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse\u00a01: \u00a0Moses already knew that he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land (see chapter 32).\u00a0 Still, Moses blessed the Israelites as they prepared to enter it, rather than envying them.\u00a0 From this we see Moses’ humility and his love for the people he led, putting the people before himself.\u00a0 No wonder he was called “the man of God”.<\/p>\n

By the way, the last record of anyone blessing the Israelites tribe by tribe this way was in Genesis 49.\u00a0 There an elderly Jacob blessed each of his sons before his death.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Like Moses, throughout your time on earth and when it is done, may you be known for leaving behind a blessing.<\/p>\n

Deuteronomy 33:2-5 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He said: “The\u00a0LORD\u00a0came 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.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Surely 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,
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0the law that Moses gave us, the possession of the assembly of Jacob.
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He was king over Jeshurun when the leaders of the people assembled, along with the tribes of Israel.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 2-5: \u00a0Before blessing the Israelites tribe by tribe, Moses begins by acknowledging the God who made them and called them in the first place.\u00a0 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).<\/p>\n

That’s a good lesson for us.\u00a0 When you pray for others, beware falling into the trap of making it all about them.\u00a0 Like Moses, remember to acknowledge the Lord when you pray for others.\u00a0 It is all for His glory in the end.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Deuteronomy 33:6 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Let Reuben live and not die, nor his men be few.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 6: \u00a0Moses blesses Reuben, the tribe named after Jacob’s firstborn son.\u00a0 In Jewish culture, the firstborn enjoyed special rights and privileges, including a double portion of the father’s inheritance.\u00a0 Similarly, Jesus is described as God’s “firstborn” (Hebrews\u00a01:6; Colossians\u00a01:15, 18; and Romans 8:29).\u00a0 When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, all the rights and privileges Jesus had as God’s “firstborn” flow to us as well.\u00a0 So no matter what your birth order in your natural family, we are treated like firstborn children in God’s eyes because of Jesus!\u00a0 That’s why the writer of Hebrews describes Christians everywhere as “the church of the firstborn” (Hebrews 12:23).<\/p>\n

Deuteronomy 33:7 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And this he said about Judah: “Hear, O\u00a0LORD, the cry of Judah; bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause. Oh, be his help against his foes!”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 7: \u00a0Moses then blesses Judah.\u00a0 Moses’ prayer for Judah here would be answered when Jesus — known as the Lion of Judah — was born into the tribe of Judah.<\/p>\n

Deuteronomy 33:8-11 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0About 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.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He 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.
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He teaches your precepts to Jacob and your law to Israel. He offers incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Bless all his skills, O\u00a0LORD, 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.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 8-11: \u00a0Moses then blesses Levi, the tribe Moses himself came from and the tribe God assigned to serve as priests for Israel.\u00a0 Similarly, because of Jesus Christ, you and I are now priests in God’s kingdom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n
  • 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).<\/li>\n
  • Just as Levi went through testing, may you pass the tests God allows you to go through (v8).<\/li>\n
  • Just as Levi put God first above his own family, may we always make the Lord our first priority (v9). (By the way, doesn\u2019t verse 9 remind us of Jesus\u2019 words in Luke 14:26?\u00a0 In both cases Moses and Jesus are exaggerating for emphasis.)<\/li>\n
  • Just as the Levites were to teach God’s Word to the people, may your life make the teaching of God attractive (v10).<\/li>\n
  • 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).<\/li>\n
  • 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).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV)<\/strong>
    \n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0About Benjamin he said: “Let the beloved of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the\u00a0LORD\u00a0loves rests between his shoulders.”<\/em>On verse 12: \u00a0“Benjamin” means “son at your right hand”.\u00a0 Moses speaks a beautiful blessing over Benjamin.\u00a0 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”.\u00a0 Because of this, Benjamin can rest secure.\u00a0 In the same way, through Jesus Christ, you and I became sons and daughters at God’s right hand.\u00a0 You are shielded by Him all day long, and God places you between His shoulders near His heart.\u00a0 You are God’s beloved and therefore you can rest secure too.<\/p>\n

    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.\u00a0 Thank You that like Reuben we are blessed like firstborn children in your family.\u00a0 Thank You that like Levi we are priests in Your kingdom.\u00a0 Thank You that like Benjamin we are beloved sons and daughters at your right hand.\u00a0 It’s all because of Jesus that we are blessed, and it’s all for Your glory.\u00a0 May our lives be a blessing back to You.\u00a0 In Jesus’ name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

    Today\u2019s passage is Deuteronomy 33:1-12.\u00a0 It\u2019s one of my favourite passages in Deuteronomy.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!
    \n\u00a0
    \nDeuteronomy 33:1 (NIV)
    \n1\u00a0\u00a0This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death.
    \n\u00a0
    \nOn verse\u00a01: \u00a0Moses already knew that he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land (see chapter 32).\u00a0 Still, Moses blessed the Israelites as they prepared to enter it, rather than envying them.\u00a0 From this we see Moses’ humility and his love for the people he led, putting the people before himself.\u00a0 No wonder he was called “the man of God”. \u00a0 \u00a0
    \n\u00a0
    \nBy the way, the last record of anyone blessing the Israelites tribe by tribe this way was in Genesis 49.\u00a0 There an elderly Jacob blessed each of his sons before his death.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

    Like Moses, throughout your time on earth and when it is done, may you be known for leaving behind a blessing.
    \n\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22751,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22749"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22752,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22749\/revisions\/22752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}