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The blessing consists of a series of benedictions on the several tribes (Deu_33:6-25), preceded by an introduction (Deu_33:1-5), and followed by a conclusion (Deu_33:26-29).
Deu_33:1-5
Introduction. The blessing opens with an allusion to the making of the covenant and the giving of the Law at Sinai, when the Lord revealed himself in glory and majesty as the King of Israel, in order at the outset to fix the minds of the people on the source whence alone blessing could come to them. God's love to Israel is celebrated, and the intention and end of his choice and elevation of Israel to be his people is declared.
Deu_33:1
Moses the man of God. This appellation is applied to Moses only here and in Jos_14:6 and the heading of Psa_90:1-17. The phrase, "man of God," indicates one favored with Divine communications, and employed as God's messenger to men (cf. 1Sa_9:6; 1Ki_12:22). In this heading, the author of the blessing is clearly distinguished from the person by whom it was inserted in this place.
Deu_33:2
And he said. Here begin the words of Moses. He commences by depicting the majesty of Jehovah as he appeared to Israel when he came to make the covenant with them and give them his Law. The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them, etc. Seir is the mountain land of Edom to the cast of Sinai. Mount Paran is probably the range of lofty hills which form the southern boundary of the Promised Land to the north of the desert of Et-Tih. These places are not mentioned as scenes of different manifestations of the Divine glory, but as indicating the extent to which the one manifestation given at Sinai reached. The light of the Divine glory that rested on Sinai was reflected also from the mountains of Seir and Paran (cf. Heb_3:3; Jdg_5:4). He came with ten thousands of saints; rather, he came from ten thousands of holy ones; literally, out from myriads of holiness; i.e. "from his celestial seat, where myriads of angels surround his throne" (Rosenmüller). The rendering "with," though that of the Targum, LXX; and Vulgate, cannot be retained; nor does Scripture represent God as attended by angels when he comes forth to manifest his glory to men. They are represented as surrounding his throne in heaven (1Ki_22:19; Job_1:6; Dan_7:10), as his servants awaiting his behest, and his host that do his pleasure (Gen_28:12; Gen_32:2, Gen_32:3; Psa_103:21); and God is represented as dwelling in the midst of them (Psa_68:17). Hence he is represented here as coming forth from among them to manifest himself to his people. A fiery law. There is a various reading here; instead of àÅùÑ îãÌú , fire of law, many codices have àùÑãú in one word, and this is supported by the Samaritan text and other authorities, and is accepted by most critics and interpreters. It is a fatal objection to the textual reading that ãÇÌú is not a Semitic word, but one of Persian origin, brought by the Jews from Babylonia, and found only in the post-exilian books (Est_1:8, Est_1:19; Est_2:8, Est_2:12; Est_3:8, Est_3:14; Est_4:11, Est_4:15; Ezr_7:12, Ezr_7:21; Ezr_8:36; Dan_2:9, Dan_2:13, Dan_2:15; Dan_6:5, Dan_6:9, Dan_6:13, Dan_6:16); and in them as applied to the Law of God only by heathens. It is, therefore, altogether improbable that this word should be found in any Hebrew writing anterior to the Captivity. Besides, what is the sense of àÅùÑ ãÇÌú , supposing ãú to mean "law?" The words cannot be rendered, as in the Authorized Version, by "fiery law;" they can only be rendered by "a fire, a law," or "a fire of law," and What either of these may mean it is not easy to see. The ancient versions vary here very considerably: LXX; ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ ἄγγελοι μετ αὐτοῦ : Vulgate, fin dextera ejus ignea lex; Targum of Onkelos, "Written by his right hand, from the midst of the fire, a law gave he to us;" Syriac, "With myriads of his saints at his right hand. He gave to them, and also caused all peoples to love them." The best Hebrew manuscripts have àùÑãú as one word. The Masoretic note is, "The Chatiph is one word, and the K'ri two." The word àùÑãú is best explained as a compound of àÅùÑ , fire, and ùÑãà , an Aramaic word signifying to throw or dart; the Syriac, see Syriac word, or the Hebrew éÈãÈä , having the same signification, so that the meaning is "fire-dartings:" from his right hand went rays of fire like arrows shot forth (cf. Hab_3:4; Exo_19:16). To them; i.e. to the Israelites, to whom this manifestation was vouchsafed.
Deu_33:3
Yea, he loved the people. The proper rendering is, he loveth peoples ( òÇîÄÌéí ). This is generally understood of the tribes of Israel; but some would understand it of nations in general, on the ground that such is the proper meaning of the word, as in Deu_32:8 and other places. A reference to nations at large, however, would seem incongruous here; and the use of the word in relation to Israel in such passages as Gen_28:3; Jdg_5:14; Isa_3:13; Hoe. Isa_10:14; Zec_11:10, justifies the taking it so here. All his saints are in thy hand. The people of Israel are here called God's saints, or holy ones, because they were chosen by and consecrated to him. It is not probable, as some suggest, that the angels are here intended. The change from the third person to the second is not uncommon in Hebrew poetry (cf. Deu_32:15; Psa_49:14, etc.). They sat down at thy feet. The verb rendered "sat down" here ( úËÌëÌåÌ ) is found only in this passage, and is of uncertain meaning. Kimchi explains it as "they united or assembled together to follow thy steps;" Knobel makes it "they wandered at thy feet," and understands it of Israel's following the lead of Jehovah in the wilderness, when the ark of the covenant preceded them in their march; Gesenius and Furst, "they lie down at thy feet." This last is accepted by Keil, and seems to have most in its favor. Every one shall receive of thy words. Some render here, they rise up at thy words; but though the verb ðÈùÇÒà is sometimes used intransitively, it is properly an active verb, and there seems no reason why it should not be so regarded here: every one receives [the singular, éÄùÇÌÑà , used distributively] thy words.
Deu_33:4
Moses here, identifying himself with the people, uses the third person, and includes himself among those to whom the Law was given; cf. Psa_20:1-9; Psa_21:1-13; where David not only speaks of himself in the third person, but addresses such prayers for himself as could only be offered by the people for their king (cf. also Jdg_5:12, Jdg_5:15; Hab_3:19). Even the inheritance of the congregation. The "even," which the translators of the Authorized Version have inserted here, were better omitted; the words are in apposition to "law." The Law which Moses communicated to Israel was to remain with them as the inheritance of the congregation. The Bishops' Bible and the Geneva Version have, more correctly, "for an inheritance of the congregation."
Deu_33:5
Some refer this to Moses, but Moses was never recognized as king in Israel: he "was faithful in all his house as a servant" (Heb_3:5); but Jehovah alone was King (Exo_15:18; Psa_47:6, Psa_47:7). Jeshurun (cf. Deu_32:5). The gathering together refers to the assembling of the people at Sinai, when Jehovah came forth as their King to give them his Law.
Deu_33:6-25
Blessings on the tribes individually. With these may be compared the blessing which Jacob pronounced on his sons as representing the tribes of which they were the heads. The two resemble each other in many points; the differences are such as naturally arose from the different relations of the speakers to the objects of their address, and the changes in the condition and prospects of the tribes which during the lapse of centuries had come to pass.
Deu_33:6
And let not his men be few. The negative, though not expressed in the Hebrew, is to be carried into this clause from the preceding. Though the rights of primogeniture had been withdrawn from Reuben, and Jacob had declared that he should not excel, Moses here assures the tribe of continuance, and even prosperity. Their number was not to be small; which was, perhaps, said to comfort them, in view of the fact that their numbers had greatly diminished in the course of their wanderings in the desert (comp. Num_1:21 with Num_26:7). At no time, however, was this tribe numerous as compared with the others; nor was it ever distinguished either by the enterprise of its members or by the eminence of any of them in the councils of the nation or the management of affairs.
Deu_33:7
The blessing on Judah is in the form of prayer to Jehovah. As Jacobhad promised to Judah supremacy over his brethren and success in war, so Moses here names him next after Reuben, whose pre-eminence he had assumed, and prays for him that, going forth at the head of the tribes, he might return in triumph, being helped of the Lord. Let his hands be sufficient for him; rather, with his hands he contendeth for it (to wit, his people). øÇá here is not the adj. much, enough, but the part. of the verb øÄéá , to contend, to strive; and éÈãÈéå is the aeons, of instrument. The rendering in the Authorized Version is grammatically possible; but the meaning thereby brought out is not in keeping with the sentiment of the passage; for if Judah's hands, i.e. his own power and resources, were sufficient for him, what need had he of help from the Lord?
Deu_33:8-11
The blessing on Levi is also in the form of a prayer. In Jacob's blessing, Simeon is joined with Levi, but Moses passes him over altogether, probably because, as Jacob foretold, he was to be scattered among his brethren (Gen_49:7), and so lose his tribal individuality. Simeon, however, is included in the general blessing pronounced on Israel; and as this tribe received a number of towns within the territory of Judah (Jos_19:2-9), it was probably regarded as included in the blessing on that tribe. Thy Thummim and thy Urim; thy Right and thy Light (cf. Exo_28:30). The high priest wore the breast-plate on which these were placed when he went in before the Lord; and this is here represented as the prerogative of the whole tribe. Thy holy one; i.e. Levi, the tribe-father, representing the whole tribe to which the blessing applies; hence in the following verses the verb passes into the plural. For "holy one," it would be better to read "pious" or "godly one;" literally, the man thy pious one. Some would render "the man thy favored one," or "the man of thy friendship;" but this is wholly arbitrary, the word ( çÈñÄéã ) has no such meaning. To explain this more particularly, reference is made to the trials at Massah and the waters of Meribah (strife), when the people rebelled and murmured against Moses and Aaron, whereby the piety of these men was put to the test, and in them, the heads of the tribe of Levi, the whole tribe was proved. (On Massah, see Exo_17:1-7; and on the waters of strife, see Num_20:1-13.) In these trials, Levi had proved himself faithful and godly, having risen up in defense of the honor of Jehovah, and in support of his covenant, though in the latter case both Moses and Aaron stumbled. Who said unto his father and to his mother, etc. This refers to what is narrated in Exo_32:26-29, when the Levites drew their swords against their brethren at the command of Moses, to execute judgment without respect of person, because of the sin of the people in the matter of the golden calf (of. also Num_25:8, and, for the principle here implicitly commended, see Mat_10:37; Mat_19:29; Luk_14:26). Because of their zealous devotion to the claims and service of the Lord, the dignity of the priesthood had been conferred on this tribe; and to them belonged the high office of being instructors of the people in Divine things, and of presenting the sacrifices of the people to the Lord. For those entrusted with such an office, nothing was more to be desired than that they should be blessed with power rightly to discharge the duties of their office, that their service should be accepted with favor, and that their enemies and haters should be foiled and rendered impotent; and for this Moses prays on their behalf.
Deu_33:12
Benjamin, the beloved of his father, is also the beloved of the Lord, and would be cared for and protected by him. Shall dwell in safety by him; shall dwell securely upon him, i.e. resting on him. Shall cover him. The word rendered "cover" ( çÇôÇó ) occurs only here; construed with òÇì , upon, it conveys the idea of sheltering: he continually is sheltering him. And he shall dwell between his shoulders. "To be between the shoulders" is to be carried on the back (cf. 1Sa_17:6); and as a father might thus bear his child, so should Benjamin be borne of the Lord. There can be no doubt that Benjamin is the subject of this clause; to understand it of Jehovah dwelling on the shoulders of Benjamin, in the sense of having the temple, the place of his rest, within the territory of Benjamin, is too violent and far-fetched an interpretation to be admitted. In the change of subject in the three clauses of this verse, there is nothing strange, since such a change repeatedly occurs, and is found even in prose, as e.g. 2Sa_11:13. "To dwell upon God, and between his shoulders, means as much as to lean upon him; the similitude being taken from fathers who carry their sons while yet small and tender" (Calvin).
Deu_33:13-17
The blessing on Joseph by Moses closely resembles that pronounced by Jacob on his favorite son; he solicits for him the utmost abundance of temporal blessing, and the riches of the Divine favor. There is this difference, however, between the two blessings, that in that of the patriarch it is the growth of the tribe in power and might that is chiefly contemplated; whilst in that of Moses it is the advance of the tribe in wealth, prosperity, and influence that is chiefly indicated. "Jacob described the growth of Joseph under the figure of a luxuriant branch of a fruit tree planted by the water; whilst Moses fixes his eye primarily upon the land of Joseph, and desires for him the richest productions" (Keil). For the precious things of heaven, for the dew. Several codices, for îèì , "for dew," read îòì , above—"the precious things of heaven above;" and this reading, some critics of eminence adopt. Probably, however, this is only a correction, to bring this passage into accordance with Gen_49:25. The Targums and the Peshito combine both readings. Instead of "for the precious things," it is better to read "with," etc; and so throughout Gen_49:13-16. Literally, it is from, etc.; îÄîÆÌâÆã , the î expressing the instrumental cause of the blessing, of which the Lord is the efficient cause. The noun îÆâÆã , literally, excellency, preciousness, occurs only here and in Son_4:13, Son_4:16 and Son_7:13, where it is rendered by "pleasant." The precious fruit of the heavens is the dew, which, with the waters stored up in the recesses of the earth, furthers the growth of the earth's produce, ripened by the influences of sun and moon. And for the chief things of the ancient mountains; literally, and from the head of the mountains of old. The precious things of the mountains and hills are the vines and olive trees with which the lower slopes are adorned, and the forests that crown the loftier. The good will of him that dwelt in the bush. The reference is to the appearance of Jehovah to Moses in the bush at Horeb (Exo_3:1-22.), when he manifested himself as the Deliverer of Israel, whose good pleasure it was that they should be redeemed from bondage and favored with blessing. That was separated from his brethren; separated in the sense of consecrated, or distinguished ( ðÈæÄéø , from ðÈæÇø , to consecrate), from among his brethren. His glory is like the firstling of his bullock; rather, the firstborn of his oxen, majesty is to him. The singular, ùÑåÉø , is here used collectively, as in Deu_15:19. The oxen are Joseph's sons, all of whom were strong, but the firstborn excelled the rest, and was endowed with majesty. It is Ephraim that is referred to, whom Jacob raised to the position of the firstborn (Gen_48:8, etc.). His horns are like the horns of unicorns; literally, and horns of a ream are his horns. The ream is supposed to be the aurochs, an animal of the bovine species, allied to the buffalo, now extinct, but which the Assyrian bas-reliefs show to have been formerly hunted in that region (cf. Job_39:9, etc.; Psa_22:22; Rawlinson 'Anc. Men.,' 1.284). By his strong power, Ephraim should thrust down nations, even the most distant. And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim; and these are, etc.; i.e. in such might will the myriads of Ephraim come forth. To Ephraim, as the chief, the myriads are assigned; to Manasseh only the thousands.
Deu_33:18, Deu_33:19
Zebulun and Issachar, the two last sons of Leah, are taken together by Moses; and Zebulun, though the younger son, is placed first, in accordance with Gen_49:13. Success in enterprise, and felicity at home, are assured to both. "Although 'going out' (enterprise, labor) is attributed to Zebulun, and 'remaining in tents' (the comfortable enjoyment of life) to Issachar, in accordance with the delineation of their respective characters in the blessing of Jacob, this is to be attributed to the poetic parallelism of the clauses, and the whole is to be understood as applying to both in the sense suggested by Graf, 'Rejoice, Zebulun and Issachar, in your labor and your rest'" (Keil). They shall call the people unto the mountain; rather, they shall call nations to the mountain, i.e. the mountain of the Lord's inheritance (Exo_15:17), the place of his sanctuary. Sacrifices of righteousness; i.e. sacrifices offered according to God's Law, and in a manner and a spirit well pleasing to him (Psa_4:6; 51:21). They shall suck of the abundance of the seas, etc. The treasures of both sea and land should be theirs. The Targumist Jonathan Ben Uzziel explains this as referring especially to the obtaining of the rich purple dye from the shell of the oyster (murex Syrius), and the producing of mirrors and glass vases from the sand. The existence of vitreous sand on the coast of Zebulun is attested both by Strabo and Pliny.
Deu_33:20, Deu_33:21
As in the blessing of Shem by Noah, God is praised for Shem's prosperity (Gen_9:26), so here God is praised for the enlargement of the warlike tribe of Gad (cf. Gen_49:19). He dwelleth as a lion; rather, as a lioness. Though the noun ìÈáÄéà has a masc. termination, usage shows that it was the female and not the male that was thereby designated (see e.g. Gen_49:9; Num_24:9, where it can hardly, be a mere synonym; and Job_4:11; Job_38:1-41 :89, where the reference to the young of the animal accords better with the lioness than with the lion, Gesenius). Deu_33:21 refers to Gad's obtaining an inheritance for himself from Moses beyond Jordan. And he provided the first part for himself; literally, and he saw for himself (i.e. chose) the first, i.e. either the most excellent part or the firstfruits of the conquest. Because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; rather, for there the portion of the leader was reserved. The word rendered "lawgiver," or "leader" ( îÀçÉ÷Å÷ ), signifies primarily one who ordains or appoints, and is used in both the above senses (cf. Exo_33:22; Jdg_5:14); it is here applied to Gad, because that tribe displayed such promptitude and energy at the head of the tribes in the conquest of the land, that it might be regarded as their leader. An entirely different view of the passage has been taken by some, who by the mechokek understand Moses as the lawgiver, and his portion as the place of his grave, which was concealed, but was within the inheritance of Gad. But it is a fatal objection to this view that not only is the word rendered "portion" ( çÆìÀ÷Çú ) nowhere used of a grave, but the grave of Moses on Mount Nebo was in the territory of Reuben, not in that of Gad. Gesenius renders, "The portion of (assigned by) the lawgiver was preserved." But this does not tally with the immediately preceding statement, that Gad chose his portion for himself; at any rate, it could not be because of this that he chose it. Gad chose for himself a portion on the east of Jordan, and the portion he had chosen was sacredly kept for him, though he went with his brethren to the conquest of Canaan. And he came with the heads of the people; i.e. his place of marching was with the leaders; his place was at the head of the tribes (cf. Num_32:17, Num_32:21, Num_32:32, and Jos_1:14; Jos_4:12). He executed the justice of the Lord, etc.; i.e. he did what God required of him, obeying his commands, and thereby fulfilling all righteousness (cf. Mat_3:15; Php_3:6). With Israel; in the fellowship of Israel.
Deu_33:22
Jacob compared Dan to a serpent that suddenly springs forth by the way, and bites the heels of a horse so that the rider falls backward. Moses here compares the tribe to a young lion that suddenly leaps from its lair in Bashan on the object of its attack. Both similitudes relate to the vigor and force which the tribe should display in conflict.
Deu_33:23
In Jacob's blessing, Naphtali appears invested with the attributes of freedom, gracefulness, and graciousness; here Moses assures that tribe of the Divine grace and blessing, and promises to it prosperity and felicity. Possess thou the west and the south. The word rendered "west" here ( éÈí ) properly means sea, and came to signify "west" from the fact of the Mediterranean, or Great Sea, lying to the west of Palestine. The proper meaning of the word is to be retained here. As the territory of Naphtali lay in the north of Canaan, and was far from the sea, the blessing here pronounced upon him must be understood generally of prosperity and felicity. He was to possess riches as of the sea, and genial and fructifying warmth as of the south.
Deu_33:24, Deu_33:25
Asher, the prosperous one, as his name implies, was to be rich, and honored, and strong, and peaceful. Blessed with children; rather, blessed among the sons; i.e. either blessed more than the rest of the sons, or blessed by the sons who were to reap benefit from him. From what follows, the latter explanation seems the one to be preferred. The preposition îÄï is constantly used as indicating the source whence anything proceeds, or the agent by whom anything is done. Let him be acceptable to his brethren; "iis e tetras suae proventibus res optimas suppeditaturus; cf. Gen_49:20" (Rosenmüller). This tribe should find itself in so advantageous and luxurious a condition that the ether tribes should have delight and pleasure in it" (Knobel). Others render, "favored among his brethren;" favored, that is, by the Lord more than his brethren (Keil). But the former seems preferable. And let him dip his foot in oil. This points to a land abounding in olives, and generally richly fertile, a fat land and yielding rich dainties, such as Jacob promised to Asher (Gen_49:20). Thy shoes shall be iron and brass. The word rendered "shoes" ( îÄðÀòÈì ) occurs only here. It is a derivative from ðÈòÇì , to bolt or shut fast, and is to be taken in the sense of a fastness or fortress, a place securely closed: iron and brass shall be thy fortress; i.e. his dwelling should be strong and impregnable. The rendering" shoes" is from a supposed derivation of the word from ðÇòÇì , a shoe. As thy days, so shall thy strength be; literally, as thy days, thy rest; i.e. as long as thou livest, so long shalt thou have rest and quiet. The noun rendered "strength" ( ãÉáÅà ) in the Authorized Version. occurs only here, unless it be found in the proper name îÆéãÀáÈà (Medeba), and has no Cognate in Hebrew; but the Arabic supplies a root for it in (deba), to rest. Furst connects it with æÈá , and the Targum with ãÀÌåÈà , to flow, and translates by "riches."
Deu_33:26-29
As Moses commenced by celebrating the glorious majesty of Jehovah when he appeared to establish his covenant with Israel, so he concludes with a reference to God as the eternal Refuge and the saving Help of his people.
Deu_33:26
There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun. The points and accents direct that this should be read, There is none like God, O Jeshurun; and though all the ancient versions read as does the Authorized Version, the Masoretic punctuation is vindicated here by the following thy help, which shows that Israel is here addressed.
Deu_33:27
God is the Refuge or Dwelling-place of his people, their Protection amid the storms of life, and the unfailing Source of comfort and blessing to them in their pilgrimage state. Over them is his sheltering protection, and underneath them the support of his everlasting arms.
Deu_33:28
The clauses of this verse are parallel to each other; their symmetry will be seen if we render and arrange thus—
"And Israel dwelleth securely,
Alone, the fountain of Jacob,
On a land of corn and new wine;
His heavens also drop down dew."
The fountain of Jacob is parallel to Israel. Israel is so designated because they came forth from Jacob as waters from a copious source (Ibn Ezra; cf. Isa_48:1; Psa_68:26).
Deu_33:29
"This concluding verse comprehends the whole blessing. Israel is to be congratulated and praised because, through the true God, it has unparalleled protection, salvation, and triumph" (Herxheimer). Thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; literally, shall feign unto thee; i.e. shall pretend to be thy friends, in order to obtain favor with thee. The verb conveys the idea of fawning upon a person with a feigned humility and submissiveness (cf. Psa_18:44; Psa_66:2; Psa_81:15). Thou shalt tread upon their high places; i.e. shalt wholly subdue them and triumph over them (cf. Deu_32:13); "crees eorum in montibus positas, loca eorum inaccessa victor calcabis, its potieris; qua ipsa phrasi Amo_4:13, Mic_1:3, superbe incedens victor describitur" (Rosenmüller).
The general import of this paragraph is clear. Some of its phrases, however, are far from being so easy that we can be quite sure of their meaning. (For a discussion of the points in dispute, see the Exposition; also Keil, Lange, and a work far too little known, Barrett's 'Synopsis of Criticisms,' vol. 1. pt. 2.) There is, however, quite enough that is sufficiently clear to furnish us with a topic for valuable pulpit teaching, albeit there may be, in this introductory paragraph and between each blessing, indications of an editor's hand. The whole paragraph has reference to God's august manifestation of himself at the delivery of the Law on Sinai. In it there are eight matters to be noted.
1. The new disclosure of God was as the rising of a bright light in the midst of the darkness (see Gescnius, sub verb, æÈøÇç (zah-ra‛)'), and all the uses of the verb in the Old Testament).
2. The beams of the newly risen light flooded the region of Sinai, Mount Paean, and Mount Serf (Deu_33:2).
3. In the displays of his glory, Jehovah was attended by ten thousands of his holy ones (Deu_33:2).
4. From Jehovah thus attended there went forth a Law (Deu_33:2).
5. This Law thus given was the expression of Jehovah's love (Deu_33:3).
6. All the holy ones (English Version, "saints") thus surrounding Jehovah, were at his disposal, to serve the people of his choice, and reverently waited for his words of command (Deu_33:3).
7. The Law thus given in august majesty was the rich inheritance of the people (Deu_33:4).
8. On a people so honored of God, the man of God is moved to utter a blessing, as his last act ere he quits the scene of toil for the realm of rest (Deu_33:1). The exposition and illustration of all this will furnish Christian preachers and teachers in every age with abundance of material for the understanding, heart, conscience, and life.
Deu_33:6
I. THERE ARE CERTAIN SINS—SINS OF THE FLESH—TO WHICH MEN GENERALLY ARE LIABLE; WHICH TO SOME CONSTITUTIONS PRESENT THEMSELVES AS TEMPTATIONS SPECIALLY STRONG. In every one there is some weak point, at which seductive influences may easily enter: "Every one is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust ( ὑπὸ τής ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας ) and enticed."
II. THERE ARE NO SINS WHICH WORK GREATER HAVOC IN A MAN THAN THOSE TO WHICH REUBEN GAVE WAY. The desperately wicked act recorded of him indicates with too much certainty a previously formed habit of self-indulgence, in which he had suffered the reins of self-control and self-respect to fall from his hands. The effect of such habits in a physiological point of view is disastrous. But more grievous still are their moral issues. They lower the man himself in his own eyes. They lower his view of mankind at large. They lead inevitably to the association of thought with what is lowest in human nature, rather than with what is highest and best. And, unless renounced, these sins will drag the whole man after them, and make of him a wreck and a ruin. Hence the terrific warning of our Savior in Mat_5:29. Nothing will sooner becloud and deaden the moral sense than indulgence in sensual sins.
III. THE EVIL EFFECT OF SUCH SINS STOPS NOT WITH THE MAN HIMSELF. With regard to those whose good opinion and respect are most worth having, it is impossible for them to look on one who indulges in such sins otherwise than with profoundest pity and shame, and even with disgust! They see that one who by his sex is meant to be the guardian of woman's purity, honor, and joy, is basely tampering with them all! Not even Jacob, though the tenderness of the old patriarch under such circumstances must have been at its height, could bring himself to pronounce a rich blessing even on his firstborn, whose life had been thus disfigured and disgraced. Reuben's whole family and tribe shared in the stigma of their father's sin; not as being guilty in like manner, but because the name of their sire could not henceforth be dissociated from the thought of base and treacherous lust.
IV. NOR DOES THE ILL EFFECT OF SUCH SINS EXPIRE WITH THE GENERATION IN WHICH THEY WERE COMMITTED. The foul odor of Reuben's crime rises up before Moses. 'Tis not named indeed. But he has no blessing for his tribe of any richness or depth. "May he not become so weak as to be lost sight of altogether!" Such is the gist of it. The descendants of Jacob's firstborn were long, long under the gloomy shadow cast on them by the sins of their sire! There is nothing in this record of the Word of God which does not frequently find its counterpart in the generations of men now. Many, many there are who inherit some physical ill, some mental weakness, or some moral incapacity or obliquity, through a constitutional taint from sins long gone by!
Learn—
1. We know not whence, on the physical and moral side of cur constitution, a mightier argument can be drawn for purity of life and manners, than from such a theme as that suggested by the text. If men have little care for themselves, let them at least guard against shading with sadness or marring with weakness the lives of those who may hereafter owe their existence to them.
2. Maybe some who may read these words may be disposed to say, "If I may possibly be the possessor of an enfeebled constitution on account of some sins which preceded me, then how can I or any one judge of my measure of responsibility before God as to how far it is affected thereby?" We reply:
(1) No living man can gauge exactly another's responsibility, or even his own; but God can. He does, and he makes all allowances that equity requires. He who is most just is most kind.
(2) God invites every man to come to him through his Son Jesus Christ, that sin, as guilt, may be forgiven; and that, as disease, it may be cured.
(3) Wherever God's invitation is accepted, his grace will cancel guilt and cure corruption; thus imparting health and soundness for the life that now is, and promising the life to come.
(4) To this each one may well be urged, not only on the ground of his individual well-being, but also on the ground that the streams of purifying grace, cleansing his nature, may do much to check the onward flow of the poison he inherits, and to help towards a sounder life in those who shall follow him.
Deu_33:7
(1) sustain him; so that he may be brought to his people;
(2) give him all the strength he requires to enable him to fulfill his high and holy destiny; 'let his hands be sufficient for him;' and
(3) when the enemy would endeavor to overthrow him, let thine almighty aid be near; 'be thou a Help to him from his enemies.'" That this prophetic blessing and prayer is, in the highest meaning thereof, Messianic, seems to admit of no question. Its complete fulfillment will be realized in the ultimate triumph of him who is at once "the Lion of the tribe of Judah," and yet "the Lamb that was slain." He will be brought "unto his people;" his hands have been and will be "sufficient for him;" and power no less than that of the eternal Father will ensure the defeat of the enemy and the enthronement of the Son, that "in all things he may become the pre-eminent One." For this believers have prayed implicitly ever since the days of Moses; for this they have prayed explicitly ever since the day of Pentecost.
But there is another bearing of this blessing of Judah, perhaps less obvious, though not less real than the one already named; while it equally suggests a topic for pulpit teaching of no small interest and value, viz. Divine help needed for man, that he may realize his true destiny. The following line of thought may serve to press home this truth:—
I. The life of man has a noble destiny before it.
II. According to the greatness of destiny must be the measure of responsibility.
III. According to responsibility, so is the need of Divine help to give unity and directness to life. We need
(1) strength: "let his hands be sufficient for him;"
(2) protection: "be thou a help to him from his enemies."
IV. That such Divine help may be granted may well be made matter of earnest prayer:
(1) of pastors for people;
(2) of parents for children;
(3) of friend for friend.
V. It is a great stimulus to prayer, when the one prayed for is known to pray for himself. Moses was not praying for a prayerless tribe. "Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah."
VI. When prayer has great promises to fall back upon, we may be absolutely sure of its success. The prayer, "Bring him unto his people," was based on the promise, "To him shall the gathering of the people be." It is equivalent to, "Lord, fulfill thine own promise." The great Messianic promise was made through Judah, and through him and in him was it fulfilled.
Deu_33:8-11
1. Here is an office divinely appointed and assigned to a particular tribe—"thy holy one" (Deu_33:8).
2. Here is a history, in some sort chequered and sad, connected with the tribe (Deu_33:8)—"Massah," "Meribah" (Num_20:1-13). There had been a grievous failure on Aaron's part too, as well as on that of Moses (Exo_32:1-35; Exo_33:1-23.). Still, as a whole, the tribe had been marked by great zeal for God, great concern for his honor, and great devotion to his service (Deu_33:9; cf. Num_8:14-26; Num_25:1-15; Exo_32:26-28). The honor of God was deemed by this tribe paramount to all personal and family considerations.
3. Here is a commission for the discharge of varied duties resting on the tribe (Deu_33:10)—teaching, incense, sacrifice (see Deu_10:8; Mal_2:4-7). The duties of the priesthood were more varied than is generally supposed (cf. Dean Stanley on the Jewish Church, vol. 2. lect. 36.). Whatever a man could be or do to help his people in prayer, work, war, worship, knowledge, or life,—all this was charged upon the priest.
4. Here is a danger espied to which the tribe would be liable (Deu_33:11)—"them that rise against him;" "them that hate him." This hatred had already manifested itself in jealousy (Num_16:3, et seq.). It is very suggestive that we find one of the Reubenites, a tribe which had lost its birthright, concerned in that conspiracy. There always has been and there will be jealousy and odium towards God's ministers, as "taking too much upon them." As Moses had found it out already, he knew by some experience what it was likely to be in the future. Hence:
5. Here is a prayer which takes its shape from a review of the varied facts named above (Deu_33:11), that a blessing might attend on their consecrated energies: "Bless, Lord, his strength;" that the work might be accepted in God's sight; and that the enemies and haters of the tribe, who rose up in jealousy against the office and those who filled it, might be put to utter shame! £
Here is a mass of truth suggested of great interest and value.
I. There is a ministry appointed by God under the Christian economy.
II. To this office great honor now belongs.
III. Its faithful discharge makes varied demands on those who hold it.
IV. These demands cannot be rightly met without entire and unreserved consecration.
V. However faithful God's ministers may be, they wilt certainly meet with hatred and opposition.
VI. That their work may, in the midst of all difficulty, be divinely accepted and guarded, may well be made matter of earnest prayer.
Deu_33:12
I. THERE ARE THOSE WHOM GOD LOVES WITH A SPECIAL LOVE. They are, in a degree to which others are not, "the beloved of the Lord." No doubt there is a sense in which it is true that God loves all mankind. His love to our race is such that he has given us the noblest gift which even Heaven itself could bestow (Joh_3:16; Rom_5:8; Eph_2:4). This is a love of benevolence. But our Lord speaks of something further in Joh_14:21, Joh_14:23; Joh_16:27. And Paul the apostle, in describing the blessings of a justified life, speaks of the "love of God" being "shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost," i.e. a pervading sense of that love.
But who are they who are thus specially loved of God? They do not belong, as such, to any nation, tribe, or tongue. They may be found in all of them. Those who are "in Christ," pardoned, renewed, accepted, justified, sanctified,—these, these are "beloved of God, called to be saints."
II. THEY CAN REJOICE "ALL THE DAY LONG" IN THAT NEW RELATIONSHIP WHICH IS THE CREATION OF REDEEMING LOVE. In the figure used in the text, and in a not dissimilar verse in Deu_1:1-46 :81, there is the underlying thought of a gracious fatherly relation. That is also disclosed in the gospel; and in both cases it has its reciprocal that of "son" (see Rom_8:14-17). This is not that general relation to God indicated in Act_17:28; that is common to man as man. This is peculiar to those who are born again. The former may be and is marred by sin. The latter will never be; it is roads possible through a propitiation for sin by the blood of Christ, and made actual through the destruction of sin by the power of the Holy Ghost (1Jn_3:9). Hence in the perpetuity of this relationship there is matter of constant joy (Rom_8:38, Rom_8:39).
III. IN CONNECTION WITH THIS RELATION THERE IS A CORRESPONDING CARE ON THE PART OF JEHOVAH. The father carries the child "between his shoulders," not only because the child is too young or too weak to go alone—true enough though that may be—but because he feels that the child's safety is its father's care. And the parent would feel it a reproach to himself if the weal of the child were not the care of his heart. Now, we know how our Lord permits, yea, teaches us to look up from human tenderness to the Divine, as if the lower were but the reflection (and consequently the image) of the higher (Mat_7:9-11). And St. Peter directly' teaches the positive truth, "he careth for you" (1Pe_5:7). And so does Peter's Lord, in Luk_12:6, Luk_12:7, Luk_12:22-30; Mat_21:32, Mat_21:33. How much of loving care is indicated in Joh_6:38-40; Joh_10:1-29, words would fail to tell. The believer may meditate thereon to his heart's delight, but he will find no words adequately to express the glories revealed to his faith in the infinite care for him of God the Father and the Son.
IV. HENCE THE BELOVED OF THE LORD ARE IN PERPETUAL SAFETY. "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him"—"upon him" the word is: God bears him up; he rests safely on God. God is his "Shelterer" all the day long, without let or pause. The Old Testament saints felt this, or they could never have penned Psa_23:1-6; Psa_91:1-16; and 121.
1. They are safe in Divine love. None can wrest them thence.
2. They are safe at all hours. "He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."
3. They are safe from all plots, snares, and fiery darts.
4. They are safe under all circumstances of duty, care, trial, affliction, bereavement, death. They may be tossed about on the Rock, but never from it.
IN CONCLUSION.
1. Let the believer rejoice in the Lord; yea, let him shout aloud for joy (Psa_33:1; Php_3:1; Php_4:1).
2. If any ask us this question—"If the believer is so safe, how is it that one like Paul can write as he does in 1Co_9:23-27?"—the answer is, This is one way in which God secures the safety of loyal souls, by giving them to see the danger they are in from themselves, that they may look ever to the Rock that is higher than they are. For:
3. No such security is ever enjoyed as to warrant any departure from duty's path, or any presuming on God's providence. To a temptation in this direction, even our dear Lord was exposed, and his followers must not expect to be free therefrom yet awhile (see Mat_4:5-7).
4. The great reason why God takes our cares on himself is that he may set us free for the one business of life, which is in loyalty and love to do the work of the day in the day, and to leave all else in his hands. Let us say—
"I have no cares, O Blessed Will;
My cares thou makest thine.
I live in triumph, Lord, for thou
Hast made thy triumphs mine!"
And sooner shall heaven and earth pass than one such beloved one of the Lord shall ever he put to shame.
Deu_33:13-17
I. THE STORE OF MERCIES WHICH ARE THE TEMPORAL GIFTS OF GOD'S HAND IS BY NO MEANS SMALL. The land, with its wondrous capacities and its adaptation to this seed and to that; the dew that gently distils, or the vapor that exhales; the lakes that lie sleeping on the bosom of the hills; the variety of beauty, fragrance, and fruitfulness coming through the sunbeams; the produce of the several months, year by year; the wealth stored up in the mountains and hills; the varied productions of the soil;—all these are referred to in the text; and, in a few brief touches, what a conception they give us of the wealth with which God has enriched this globe, and of the series of constant adaptations with which it is made subservient to the use of man! So great are all these blessings which go to make up the enjoyments of life on its temporal side, that meditation thereon may well call up from the soul a grand song of praise such as we find in Psa_104:1-35.
Nor can we in such an age as this, leave out the additional fact that, owing to the rapid communication between the people of one land and those of another, the productions of one country supply the wants of another; and thus the nations at large share the supplies sent them by a gracious God.
And he it remembered these supplies are not less from God because he uses means in sending them; it is rather a proof of his care for the culture and education of man, that he makes him the means of the cultivation and tillage of the soil. "Whoso is wise and will observe these things, even he shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord."
II. THERE IS A FAR GREATER MERCY THAN ANY OF THESE—one which we have called "the mercy of mercies." It is referred to in Psa_104:16, "The good will … may it come upon the head of Joseph." Favor, mercy, on Joseph's head, is a boon greater far than plenty on his land I There are three questions which we may appropriately ask concerning it.
1. What is this "good will?" It is not simply that benevolence to which our Savior refers in Mat_5:45. In this sense God's goodness extendeth to all. "His tender mercies are over all his works." This good will is something special. If the student will compare the several passages (those given ut supra et al.), in which the same word is used which is here translate