Deuteronomy - "Words": May 2021

LITV

Deu 33:1 And this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death.

Deu 33:2 And he said: Jehovah came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir for them; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the myriads of holy ones. At his right hand a law of fire went forth to them.

Deu 33:3 Yes, He loves the peoples; all His holy ones are in Your hand; and they sit down at Your feet; He lifts up each at Your Words.

Deu 33:4 Moses has commanded a Law to us, an inheritance for the congregation of Jacob.

Deu 33:5 And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people assembled, the tribes of Israel.

Deu 33:6 Let Reuben live, and not die, and let his men be numbered.

Deu 33:7 And this for Judah: And he said, Hear the voice of Judah, O Jehovah, and bring him in to his people; his hands were much for him, and You shall be a help against his foes.

Deu 33:8 And of Levi he said, Your Thummim and Your Urim are for Your devout man whom You tested at Massah; You contended with him at the Waters of Strife;

Deu 33:9 who said of his father and his mother, I have not seen him. And he has not acknowledged his brothers, and did not know his own son, for they have kept Your Word, and observed Your covenant.

Deu 33:10 They shall teach Your ordinances to Jacob, and Your Law to Israel. They shall put incense at Your nostrils, and whole burnt offering on Your altar.

Deu 33:11 O Jehovah, bless his strength, and accept the work of his hands. Dash the loins of those rising against him, those who hate him, that they may not rise!

Deu 33:12 Of Benjamin he said, The beloved of Jehovah shall dwell securely beside Him, covering him all the day long; yea he shall dwell between His shoulders.

Deu 33:13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be his land, with the best of the heavens, for the dew, for the deep crouching beneath;

Deu 33:14 and with the best of the produce of the sun, and with the best yield of the months;

Deu 33:15 and with the first of the ancient mountains, and with the best of the everlasting hills;

Deu 33:16 and with the best of the earth, and its fullness; and the good will of Him who dwelt in the Bush; let it come on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the consecrated one of his brothers.

Deu 33:17 His glory is as the first-born of his ox, and the horns of the wild ox are his horns; with them he shall butt the peoples together to the ends of the earth. And they are the myriads of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

Deu 33:18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, O Zebulun, in your going out, and O Issachar, in your tents;

Deu 33:19 to the mountains they call the peoples; there they shall offer righteous sacrifices for they shall suck the bounty of the seas, and treasures hidden in the sand.

Deu 33:20 And of Gad he said, Blessed is he who enlarges Gad; he shall live like a lioness, and shall tear the arm, also the top of the head.

Deu 33:21 And he eyes the first part for himself, for there was the portion of the lawgiver hidden; and he came with the rulers of the people; he executed the justice of Jehovah, and His judgments with Israel.

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

Deu 33:23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with good will and full of the blessing of Jehovah; possess the west and the south.

Deu 33:24 And of Asher he said, Asher shall be blessed with sons; let him be accepted by his brothers, and dip his foot in oil.

Deu 33:25 May your shoe latches be iron and bronze, and your days as your strength.

Deu 33:26 None is like the God of Jeshurun, riding the heavens for your help, and the clouds in His majesty.

Deu 33:27 The God of old is a refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And He shall cast the enemy out from before you, and shall say, Destroy!

Deu 33:28 And Israel shall live alone in safety; the fountain of Jacob in a land of grain and wine; and his heavens drop down dew.

Deu 33:29 Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you? A people saved by Jehovah, the Shield of your help, and He who is the Sword of your excellency! And your enemies shall be found liars before you, and you shall tread on their high places.

Deu 34:1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And Jehovah caused him to see all the land; Gilead to Dan;

Deu 34:2 and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah to the sea beyond;

Deu 34:3 and the Negeb, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, to Zoar.

Deu 34:4 And Jehovah said to him, This is the land which I have sworn to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, I will give it to your seed. I have caused you to see with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.

Deu 34:5 And Moses the servant of Jehovah died there in the land of Moab, according to the command of Jehovah.

Deu 34:6 And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; and no man knows his grave to this day.

Deu 34:7 And Moses was a son of a hundred and twenty years at his death; his eye had not become dim, nor had his natural force abated.

Deu 34:8 And the sons of Israel mourned Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. And the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

Deu 34:9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. And the sons of Israel listened to him and did as Jehovah commanded Moses.

Deu 34:10 And never since has a prophet like Moses arisen in Israel, whom Jehovah knew face to face,

Deu 34:11 in regard to all the signs and wonders which Jehovah sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants and to all his land;

Deu 34:12 and in regard to all the mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel.

Main Point: This reads like an epilogue to the life of Moses. It’s final analysis for the time is blessings upon each individual tribe and a brief commentary of life and relationship of Moses and Jehovah.

1. Write key points and ideas that you see in Moses’ final blessing on Israel (33:1-29).
The law is an inheritance. Moses is a “king” of Jeshurun – (straight/upright) a symbolic name for Israel. As much as Israel was seeking for God, they did not start “straight” about their relationship with Him. Concerning the tribes:

Rueben	Will live, not die, be numbered
Judah	God will hear him, Judah will be joined to his people, God will fight for them
Levi	Are given thummin/urim (the oracles of God), they will be the teachers of God, rejecting all else. God will bless them and crush their enemies.
Benjamin	Will be “surrounded” by God and God will be their strength
Joseph	His land will be most bountiful, power, majesty
Zebulun	Rejoice in “your going out”
Issachar	Rejoice in your tents, “they shall call peoples to their mountain” - abundance
Gad	Gad will be as a lion – a commander, executing justice of the Lord
Dan	The lion’s cub (leaps)
Naphtali	Will possess the lake an south
Asher	Most blessed, a favorite of his brothers
(Israel)	Safety, happy, Saved by the Lord. Victorious

Note that Simeon is excluded from this list! There is much speculation for this. One is the idolatry and sexual sin found in Num 25 which caused the death of 24,000 people by plague. In Num 26 we see that Simeon had the least amount in the second census. In Joshua 19, we see that Simeon’s inheritance “lay within the territory of Judah” (vs 1). Others believe that this was a punishment from Genesis when Simeon and Levi slaughtered Canaan inhabitant for molesting Dinah. Maybe so, but why not Levi?

2. What made God special (26-29)? What made Jeshurun special? There is none like Him. (He is of a heavenly origin) – God himself is called “your dwelling place” in relation to Israel. Israel is a nation “saved by the Lord.” Jehovah is their sword and shield. He will conquer their enemies.

3. What special title is given to Moses (34:1-6)?
SERVANT H5650 - עֶבֶד ‛ebed eh'-bed From H5647; a servant: - X bondage, bondman, [bond-] servant, (man-) servant.

4. Why did Moses die (34;7)? Was Moses’ death because of his age or physical condition? “his eye had not become dim, nor had his natural force abated.” His death was according to the “word of the Lord.” Whether it was God’s words or simply a prophecy fulfilled, we cannot know with complete clarity. But he died because God said he would.

5. Who buried Moses? God! What did that look like? What does that say about our God?

6. What honor is placed on Moses (8-12)? There has never been another prophet like Him who knew God “face to face.” This, of course is a statement foreshadowing the Christ, who IS the face of God himself.

7. How is this honor representative of Jesus? Consider John 1:14-18.

Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, glory as of an only begotten from the Father, full of grace and of truth.

Joh 1:15 John witnesses concerning Him, and has cried out, saying, This One was He of whom I said, He coming after me has been before me, for He was preceding me.

Joh 1:16 And out of His fullness we all received, and grace on top of grace.

Joh 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Joh 1:18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, that One declares Him.

John differentiates the mission in this text between Moses and Jesus.
Moses brought the law. Grace and truth came through the Christ. What the Christ brought, could not have been delivered by a mere man, but God himself. Who through the fulfillment of the law and proprietary sacrifice SEALED the deliverance of anyone who heeds the calling.
Jesus is the greater FACE-TO-FACE part of this overall plan.