Did Moses bless each tribe in Israel individually just before his death? Was the nation affectionately called the “upright one.” Are we also called to live as upright ones? Let’s look at Deuteronomy 33.
How did Moses bless the children of Israel before he died?
This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. He said, “Yahweh came from Sinai, and rose from Seir to them. He shone from Mount Paran. He came from the ten thousands of holy ones. At his right hand was a fiery law for them. Yes, he loves the people. All his saints are in your hand. They sat down at your feet. Each receives your words. Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. He was king in Jeshurun [Israel], when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together. (Deuteronomy 33:1-5 WEB)
How did Moses bless the tribes of Reuben, Judah and Levi?
“I pray that Reuben lives, doesn’t die, though his numbers are so few.” Moses said this to Judah: “Lord, listen to Judah’s voice! Bring him back to his own people, strengthen his hands; be his help against every enemy.” Then he told Levi: “Give your Thummim to Levi, your Urim to your faithful one— the one you tested at Massah, the one you challenged by Meribah’s waters; the one who said of his own mother and father: ‘I don’t consider them as such’; of their siblings: ‘I don’t recognize them’; of their own children, ‘I don’t know them’— but who obeyed your words and who guarded your covenant! They teach your case laws to Jacob, your Instruction to Israel. They hold sweet incense to your nose; put the entirely burned offering on your altar. I pray that the Lord blesses Levi’s strength, favors his hard work, and crushes the insides of his enemies so that those who hate him can’t fight anymore.” (Deuteronomy 33:6-11 CEB)
How did Moses bless the tribes of Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh?
“The Lord Most High loves you, tribe of Benjamin. He will live among your hills and protect you. Descendants of Joseph, the Lord will bless you with precious water from deep wells and with dew from the sky. Month by month, your fruit will ripen in the sunshine. You will have a rich harvest from the slopes of the ancient hills. The Lord who appeared in the burning bush wants to give you the best the land can produce, and it will be a princely crown on Joseph's head. The armies of Ephraim and Manasseh are majestic and fierce like a bull or a wild ox. They will run their spears through faraway nations.” (Deuteronomy 33:12-17 CEV)
How did Moses bless the tribes of Zebulun, Issachar and Gad?
And of Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents. They shall call peoples to their mountain; there they offer right sacrifices; for they draw from the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.” And of Gad he said, “Blessed be he who enlarges Gad! Gad crouches like a lion; he tears off arm and scalp. He chose the best of the land for himself, for there a commander's portion was reserved; and he came with the heads of the people, with Israel he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments for Israel.” (Deuteronomy 33:18-21 ESV)
How did Moses bless the tribes of Dan, Naphtali and Asher?
He said about Dan: Dan is a young lion, leaping out of Bashan. He said about Naphtali: Naphtali, enjoying approval, full of the Lord’s blessing, take possession to the west and the south. He said about Asher: May Asher be the most blessed of the sons; may he be the most favored among his brothers and dip his foot in olive oil. May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze, and your strength last as long as you live. (Deuteronomy 33:22-25 HCSB)
Does God call Israel by an affectionate name, encouragement to be “the upright one”?
“There is no one like the God of Jeshurun [upright one, Israel], who rides through the heavens with its lofty clouds to help you. The God of old is a dwelling place, with everlasting arms underneath. He drove out your enemies before you and said: ‘Destroy them!’ So Israel lives in confidence, isolated as the fountain of Jacob in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens rain down dew. How blessed are you, Israel! Who can be like you, a people delivered by the Lord, your shield of help and your finely crafted sword. May your enemies cower before you. You will tread down their high places.” (Deuteronomy 33:26-29 ISV)
Is there still a blessing promised to those who pursue righteousness, the ethical conduct that flows from God through faith?
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6 KJV)
Did Moses bless each tribe in Israel individually just before his death? Was the nation affectionately called the “upright one.” Are we also called to live as upright ones? You decide!
