Search
In this lesson we will consider Moses’ prophecy with blessing concerning the tribes of Israel.
Deuteronomy 33 speaks of the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel before his death. Many important prophecies are in these blessings. The tribe of Simeon did not receive a blessing from Moses.
Moses’ prophecy concerning Reuben in Deuteronomy 33:6 says, “May Reuben live and not die, / Nor his men be few.” This word implies that Reuben should have died because of his sin (Ezek. 18:20). Even though Reuben should have died, Moses was merciful in executing the judgment of the law. He was concerned that Reuben would die and that the number of his tribe would be greatly decreased.
As the firstborn son of Jacob, Reuben should have received the birthright, but he sinned and lost the birthright. Because of his sin, the tribe of Reuben was nearly reduced to nothing. Moses, however, was merciful and prayed that Reuben would live and not die and that his men would not be few. This means that Reuben received the blessing of increase.
In Deuteronomy 33:7, concerning Judah, Moses said, “Hear, O Jehovah, the voice of Judah, / And bring him to his people.” This was a prayer for Judah, a tribe accustomed to fighting for the people, to be brought back from the battlefield. In verse 7 Moses also said that with his hands Judah contended for his people. Caleb and David are among those who contended in this way. Finally, Moses prayed that Jehovah would help Judah to fight against his adversaries. In fulfillment of this prophecy, Jehovah helped David in defeating the enemies around him.
Moses’ blessing concerning Levi in verses 8 through 11 is very rich.
Moses said that Jehovah’s Thummim and Urim would be with His faithful men, with whom He contended at the waters of Meribah. Concerning his father and mother, Levi said, “I do not regard him,” and he did not acknowledge his brothers nor recognize his children. Levi kept Jehovah’s speaking and guarded His covenant (vv. 8-9). This indicates that Levi cared for God’s interests instead of for his relatives.
Moses also said that Levi would show Jacob Jehovah’s ordinances and Israel His law. Levi would also put incense before Jehovah and whole burnt offerings upon His altar (v. 10). The altar for incense was inside the tabernacle, and the altar for offerings was outside the tabernacle. Levi served God at both altars.
In verse 11 Moses asked Jehovah to bless Levi’s might and to accept the work of his hands. Moses also prayed that Jehovah would wound thoroughly the loins of those who rose up against him and that those who hated him would not rise up again.
Because Levi’s disposition was changed, he became a great blessing. God’s Thummim and Urim were with him, and he had the privilege of coming into the presence of God to serve Him. Although the double portion of the land inherited by Joseph is rich, the privilege of entering God’s presence enjoyed by Levi is intimate. The priesthood can be considered as the sweet portion of the birthright. Levi received this portion.
In verse 12, concerning Benjamin, Moses said, “The beloved of Jehovah shall dwell securely beside Him; / Jehovah shall cover over him all the day, / And He shall dwell between his shoulders.” Beside Him indicates that Benjamin would be Jehovah’s neighbor. Benjamin would dwell in safety because he would dwell next door to Jehovah. Certainly anyone who dwells beside Jehovah will dwell in safety. This verse also says that Jehovah would cover, overshadow, Benjamin all day long and even dwell between his shoulders. According to geography, the territory of Benjamin has two shoulders toward the south and between these two shoulders is Jerusalem, where the temple, Jehovah’s dwelling, was located. Hence, Jerusalem, God’s dwelling place, was not located in the territory of Judah but in the territory of Benjamin (Judg. 1:21). Jehovah’s dwelling was a cover that overshadowed Benjamin all the day long. In the same way, the Lord will overshadow His people in eternity with His tabernacle (Rev. 7:15). What a blessing!
In the entire Old Testament there is no higher, greater, or sweeter blessing than the blessing of God’s dwelling place. The psalmists in the Old Testament longed to live in the house of God (Psa. 84:10). In the New Testament the Lord Jesus became flesh and tabernacled among God’s people, full of grace and reality (John 1:14). He is the tabernacle and temple of God (2:19, 21). Now the church is being built up to be the temple of God. Finally, the entire New Jerusalem will be God’s eternal tabernacle, overshadowing His people. God will be with His people and will dwell with them. This is the ultimate blessing.
Moses blessed Joseph and said that his land would be blessed by Jehovah “with the choicest things of heaven, with the dew / And with the deep waters that couch beneath; / With the choicest of the crops of the sun, / And with the choicest of the yield of the moons; / With the top of the ancient mountains, / And with the choicest things of the eternal hills; / With the choicest things of the earth, and the fullness thereof, / And the favor of Him who dwelt in the thornbush” (Deut. 33:13-16). The expression Him who dwelt in the thornbush refers to God, who in Exodus 3 appeared to Moses from within a burning thornbush. In Deuteronomy 33:16 Moses continued and asked that all these blessings would “come upon the head of Joseph, / And upon the top of the head of him who is separated among his brothers.” Joseph was separated from among his brothers and taken to Egypt in order to fulfill God’s purpose.
Verse 17 says, “Like his firstborn ox, he has majesty; / And his horns are the horns of the wild ox; / With them he shall drive peoples / To the ends of the earth together. / Those are the ten thousands of Ephraim; / And those the thousands of Manasseh.” Joseph is strong as the firstborn ox. This ox has two horns: one is Ephraim, and the other is Manasseh. With these horns he would drive people to the ends of the earth. This is also a prophecy concerning Christ.
For centuries the inhabitants of cold regions have been trying to spread south to the Mediterranean Sea, including Jerusalem. Eventually, Christ at His coming back as the strong ox will come with two horns and push them back to the northern region. The crucial center of international relations today is the Middle East, and many nations want to spread into that region. But Joseph, the strong ox, will come with the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh to push the peoples back to the ends of the earth, because this land is for God’s people.
Verse 18 says, “Rejoice, Zebulun, for your going forth.” According to this verse Zebulun had to go forth. This going forth was fulfilled in the Lord’s sending forth the apostles. Most of the apostles who were sent forth to disciple the nations were produced from Zebulun, which was in the region of Galilee. The Galileans went out with the glad tidings of the victory of Christ, bearing the word of the victorious, restful, and productive Christ. Thus, Zebulun rejoiced in going forth.
Hundreds of years after Jacob uttered the prophetic blessing recorded in Genesis 49, Moses, an old lawgiver, said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, for your going forth.” The going forth that Moses spoke of refers to the shipping out. The word of Moses corresponds to the word of Jacob. Jacob likened Zebulun to ships, which are for going forth. Zebulun went forth for the preaching of the gospel; hence, he would rejoice. As for Issachar, Moses prophesied that he would rejoice for his tents (Deut. 33:18).
Verse 19 says, “They shall call peoples to the mountain; / There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness.” This verse prophesies that people would be called to the mountain of God, that is, to the kingdom of God. This invitation will be completely fulfilled during the time of the millennial kingdom. In the millennial kingdom all the peoples, the nations, will be called through preaching to God’s kingdom in Mount Zion. There they will offer sacrifices of righteousness to God.
Today in the church life we experience a miniature of the fulfillment of this prophecy. In God’s kingdom, in the church life, righteous offerings are being presented to Him (1 Pet. 2:5; Heb. 13:15-16; Phil. 4:18). All the sacrifices that we offer to God in the church life are of righteousness; that is, they are according to the righteous requirement of God. It will be the same in the coming kingdom, as prophesied in the book of Malachi: “He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and purge them like gold and like silver, and they will offer to Jehovah a sacrifice in righteousness. And the sacrifice of Judah and of Jerusalem will be pleasing to Jehovah, as in the days of old and as in the former years” (3:3-4).
In Deuteronomy 33:19 Moses also said that Zebulun and Issachar would “suck the abundance of the seas / And the hidden treasures of the sand.” This word prophesied that when Zebulun and Issachar received their portion of the land by lot, the land that they received would be close to the sea.
Because the tribe of Gad was rather small, when Moses blessed them prophetically, he said, “Blessed be He who enlarges Gad” (v. 20). He also said that God would cause this tribe to be strong in fighting, as indicated in the words, “He dwells as a lioness, / And tears off the arm, yea, even the top of the head” (v. 20).
Furthermore, concerning Gad verse 21 says, “He provided the first part for himself, / For there the portion of a lawgiver is reserved.” According to the history in the Old Testament, the first part refers to the first part of the inheritance given to the Israelites, that is, the land east of the Jordan. In their journey into the good land, the twelve tribes first entered the land that was on the east side of the Jordan. Desiring this rich, fertile land, Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh begged Moses to give it to them. Although Moses agreed, he charged them not to enjoy their land while their brothers had not yet obtained their portion of the land. Moses charged them to fight the battle for the rest of the good land (Num. 32:1-32), after which the remaining tribes would receive their inheritance. If the two and a half tribes had not gone on to fight for the rest of the land, they would not have been just. Thus, Gad provided the first part of the land for himself, and there a portion was reserved for the lawgiver. This prophecy was fulfilled when Moses, the lawgiver, was buried there (Deut. 32:48-52; 34:1-6).
Deuteronomy 33:21 also says, “He came with the heads of the people; / He executed the righteousness of Jehovah / And His judgments with Israel.” Gad went with the heads of the people to take the rest of the good land, to execute the righteousness of Jehovah in dividing the land, and to execute His judgments with Israel (Josh. 22:1-5). Dan’s failure was his pride. When he gained more land, he became proud. Instead of caring for his brothers, he set up another center of worship. However, even though Gad gained the land, he pressed on to take care of the need of his brothers, by fighting the battle with his brothers to take the rest of the land so that all his brothers had their inheritance. This is to execute the righteousness of Jehovah and to keep His judgments with Israel.
In Deuteronomy 33:22 Moses prophesied, “Dan is a lion’s whelp / That leaps forth from Bashan.” As a young lion, Dan was not fighting for the prey but for more land (Josh. 19:47; Judg. 18:27-29). In typology, to fight for more land is to fight for more Christ. The young lion in Judah was for seizing the prey. However, the young lion in Deuteronomy 33:22 is fighting for more land, that is, fighting to gain more Christ. In Judges 18 Dan is a young lion fighting for more land.
In blessing Naphtali, Moses spoke of this tribe as being satisfied with favor and filled with the blessing of the Lord (Deut. 33:23). Naphtali would possess the sea (the west) and the south. The sea, the west, signifies the Gentile world. The south, the land, signifies the nation of Israel. This means that Naphtali would possess the whole earth, that is, the Gentile and Jewish world. According to Matthew 4:13-16, the Lord Jesus in fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah 9:1-2 came to the districts of Zebulun and Naphtali, beside the sea. Eventually, through the preaching of the gospel, those of Naphtali possessed the Mediterranean Sea. Church history shows that much has been gained for the Lord in the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.
According to Moses’ prophecy, Asher would be blessed above the sons; he would be the one favored of his brothers (Deut. 33:24).
Verse 24 also says that Asher would be “the one dipping his foot in oil.” Undoubtedly, the oil here is olive oil. There is an abundance of olive trees in this part of the good land. For this reason, it is rich in oil. The fact that Asher would dip his foot in oil indicates that, as far as food is concerned, he would be richer than all the other tribes.
Verse 25 says, “Your doorbolts shall be iron and copper.” Iron and copper are for fighting the battle and for building. Oil is food for nourishment, but iron and copper are materials for fighting and for building up the kingdom. Since Asher would be rich, favored in food and minerals, he would be more blessed than the other tribes. He would have food for nourishment and minerals for weapons and building materials.
The second part of verse 25 says, “As your days are, so shall your strength be.” Strength in this verse relates to safety, security, rest, peace, and quietness. It denotes a leisurely life, a life in which there is sufficiency with no need to worry or rush. Thus, Asher was to have a leisurely life, a life that was safe and secure and in which sufficiency was guaranteed. This means that throughout his life he would not lack anything. He would have rich food for nourishment, weapons for defense, and materials for building. Instead of scarcity, there would be sufficiency, rest, peace, and leisure. Asher would constantly enjoy life.
After Moses blessed each individual tribe, he blessed all the children of Israel. Moses said that there is no one like the God of Jeshurun (Israel), who rides through the heavens as their help and in His majesty through the skies (v. 26). He also said that the God of old would be their habitation, and underneath would be the eternal arms (v. 27). The children of Israel would dwell in God as their habitation, and His eternal arms would be underneath them. Moreover, God would drive out the enemy before them (v. 27).
Because of the foregoing blessings, Israel would dwell securely, the fountain of Jacob in solitude, on a land of grain and new wine, with the heavens over him dropping their dew (v. 28). Finally, Moses proclaimed, “Happy 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 majesty! / So your enemies shall come cringing to you, / And you shall tread upon their high places” (v. 29). This was a final blessing on all the children of Israel.
History has proved that Israel is blessed. Although they have often rebelled against God and have even rejected the Lord, God still preserves them and will care for them until the consummation of this age when the whole house of Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:25-27; Isa. 59:20-21; 27:9).
Before his death, Moses blessed each of the tribes of Israel, just as Jacob did. In Moses’ blessing there were many wonderful and important prophecies. Only the tribe of Simeon was not included in Moses’ blessing. Concerning Reuben, Moses was merciful and prayed that Reuben would live and not die and that his men would not be few. According to his sin, Reuben should have died, but Moses blessed him with increase. In blessing Judah Moses said, “Hear, O Jehovah, the voice of Judah, / And bring him to his people.” The blessing of Moses concerning Levi was very rich. Levi would receive Jehovah’s Thummim and Urim; they would show Jacob Jehovah’s ordinances and Israel His law; their might would be blessed, and their work would be accepted. Moses prophesied that Benjamin would be Jehovah’s neighbor and that God’s dwelling place would lie between his two shoulders. Thus, Jerusalem, God’s dwelling place, was not located in the territory of Judah but in the territory of Benjamin. This is the highest, greatest, sweetest, and ultimate blessing in the entire Old Testament. Moses blessed Joseph by saying that his land would be blessed of Jehovah. As the strong ox, he would come with the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh to push those who would invade Israel back to the ends of the earth, because the land of Israel is for God’s people. Moses blessed Zebulun and Issachar, saying that Zebulun would rejoice for his going forth, and Issachar would rejoice for his tents. They would call the peoples to the mountain, and there they would offer sacrifices of righteousness to God. They would suck the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand. Moses said that Gad would be enlarged by God and would be strong in fighting. Gad provided for himself the first part of the land in which the portion of a lawgiver would be reserved. He would come with the heads of the people to execute the righteousness of Jehovah and His judgments with Israel. Moses said Dan would be a lion’s whelp leaping forth from Bashan. Naphtali, satisfied with favor and full of the blessing of Jehovah, would possess the sea (the west) and the south; this is to possess the whole earth, including the Jewish and Gentile world. According to Moses’ prophecy, Asher would be blessed above the sons and would be the one favored of his brothers. He would dip his foot in oil, his doorbolts would be iron and copper, and his strength would be as his days. Finally, Moses blessed all the children of Israel. History has proved that Israel is blessed. Although they often rebel against God, and have even forsaken the Lord, God still preserves them and will care for them until the end of this age when the whole house of Israel will be saved.
