Tuesday, February 8, 2011 (top)
An Amazing Man
(Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12)
The last words of Moses on this earth are recorded in chapters 33 and 34. Moses is universally acknowledged as the greatest man in the history of the Old Testament. Moses, from his birth, was set on a course ordained by God and that one day would result in leading the people of Israel on the most epic journey a nation has ever recounted.
God took a successful Hebrew man from the palace of Pharaoh and turned him into the "meekest" man the world had known. His strength was broken during his 40 years as a shepherd on the "backside of the desert." At 80 years old, he gave himself to selflessly lead Israel out of slavery to become the most blessed nation ever to grace our world. And he remained their servant, although they were a nation of people who fought him most of the way. They repeatedly rebelled against the good he sought to bring them to, yet he showed them God's power and blessing time and time again.
In the closing two chapters, we see Moses more than ever focused on the blessing that awaited the Israelite people. He leaves them with hope and promise as he gives each of the 12 tribes a prophetic promise. He then goes up to the Mount Nebo where he sees for the first time the full extent of the land promised this new nation, a nation that was finally ready to step forward and take it by faith.
What a price Moses paid to bring them to this moment of victory! He would not be allowed to share in the victory because of his sin when he fell from the meekness that had ruled him, and when rage and frustration with Israel overtook him (Num. 20:1-13). He left us with an honest assessment of even the greatest amongst us. We are sinners, all of us. We look to Jesus Christ alone as the only one who can ultimately be the "captain of our salvation" (Hebrews 2:8-10). What an amazing man Moses was. But he was a man nonetheless needing a Savior along with the rest of mankind.
NKJV Bible Text
Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12
1 Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2 And he said:
"The LORD came from Sinai,
And dawned on them from Seir;
He shone forth from Mount Paran,
And He came with ten thousands of saints;
From His right hand
Came a fiery law for them.
3 Yes, He loves the people;
All His saints are in Your hand;
They sit down at Your feet;
Everyone receives Your words.
4 Moses commanded a law for us,
A heritage of the congregation of Jacob.
5 And He was King in Jeshurun,
When the leaders of the people were gathered,
All the tribes of Israel together.
6 "Let Reuben live, and not die,
Nor let his men be few."
| Moses' Final Blessing on Israel v. 1 This Is The Blessing – Moses went on to bless the children of Israel, tribe by tribe, before he died. The word "bless" means, "to speak well of, to kneel before and adore, or to promise prosperity upon." It is noteworthy that after all Israel had put Moses through, he left them with a word of blessing and not of curses. v. 2 He Came With Ten Thousands Of Saints – The word saints means "holy and sacred ones" in this verse. Most likely it refers to the armies of angels which accompanied God to Mount Sinai. Exodus 19:11-19 speaks of the scene at the foot of Sinai as God delivered the Ten Commandments. There was smoke, fire, and earthquakes, accompanied by the voices of trumpets. | v. 3 Yes, He Loved The People – The purpose behind God's giving of the Law to Israel was His love for them. The Law contained ordinances that taught them how to live and walk with a holy God, as well as practical counsel on how to navigate life successfully. The Law of Moses helped guide Israel into healthful living in a day and age when no other nation had understanding of the real causes of disease and death. v. 5 Jeshurun – a word meaning "upright and righteous," symbolizing the way in which God viewed His people Israel. v. 6 Let Reuben Live And Not Die – Moses began to bless Israel, tribe by tribe, concerning their future. Reuben was the firstborn of the tribes of Israel. His name means "see, a son." As a tribe, Reuben would not excel, but neither would they be wiped out. |
7 And this he said of Judah:
"Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah,
And bring him to his people;
Let his hands be sufficient for him,
And may You be a help against his enemies."
8 And of Levi he said:
"Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one,
Whom You tested at Massah,
And with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah,
9 Who says of his father and mother,
'I have not seen them';
Nor did he acknowledge his brothers,
Or know his own children;
For they have observed Your word
And kept Your covenant.
10 They shall teach Jacob Your judgments,
And Israel Your law.
They shall put incense before You,
And a whole burnt sacrifice on Your altar.
11 Bless his substance, LORD,
And accept the work of his hands;
Strike the loins of those who rise against him,
And of those who hate him, that they rise not again."
| v. 7 Hear, Lord, the Voice Of Judah – The name Judah means "praise." Thus, hidden prophetically in Moses' blessing of the tribe of Judah was a desire that the Lord would always hear praise coming from His people. v. 8 Of Levi He said, "Let Your Thummim And Urim Remain With Your Holy One" – The tribe of Levi was the priestly tribe. As such, they were designated to keep and utilize the Urim and Thummim, a way God gave Israel in order to divine His will. | v. 9 Nor Did He Acknowledge His Brothers – This is in reference to the incident of the Golden Calf in Exodus 32. The tribe of Levi was the first of the tribes to quickly acknowledge their allegiance to the Lord after all of Israel polluted herself by worshipping an idol. v. 10 They Shall Put Incense Before You – The tribe of Levi was privileged to be the tribe responsible for the keeping of the Tabernacle, later the Temple, and all of the ministry that went on inside of it. That included the burning of incense and the offering of sacrifices to God. |
12 Of Benjamin he said:
"The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him,
Who shelters him all the day long;
And he shall dwell between His shoulders."
13 And of Joseph he said:
"Blessed of the LORD is his land,
With the precious things of heaven, with the dew,
And the deep lying beneath,
14 With the precious fruits of the sun,
With the precious produce of the months,
15 With the best things of the ancient mountains,
With the precious things of the everlasting hills,
16 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness,
And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush.
Let the blessing come 'on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.'
17 His glory is like a firstborn bull,
And his horns like the horns of the wild ox;
Together with them
He shall push the peoples
To the ends of the earth;
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And they are the thousands of Manasseh."
18 And of Zebulun he said:
"Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
And Issachar in your tents!
19 They shall call the peoples to the mountain;
There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness;
For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas
And of treasures hidden in the sand."
| v. 12 Benjamin – His name meaning "son of my right hand," Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob. The first king of Israel came from the tribe of Benjamin. Jerusalem was located within that tribe's inheritance, and thus the Temple was built within the borders of Benjamin. The Apostle Paul was born into the tribe of Benjamin. | v. 16 Him Who Was Separate From His Brothers – a reference to Joseph's time spent in Egypt apart from his family. v. 17 Of Ephraim...Of Manasseh – Ephraim and Manasseh were the two sons of Joseph, and so are included under the headship of his tribe in this blessing. Ephraim was eventually much more numerous than Manasseh, as was prophesied here. |
20 And of Gad he said:
"Blessed is he who enlarges Gad;
He dwells as a lion,
And tears the arm and the crown of his head.
21 He provided the first part for himself,
Because a lawgiver's portion was reserved there.
He came with the heads of the people;
He administered the justice of the LORD,
And His judgments with Israel."
22 And of Dan he said:
"Dan is a lion's whelp;
He shall leap from Bashan."
23 And of Naphtali he said:
"O Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
And full of the blessing of the LORD,
Possess the west and the south."
24 And of Asher he said:
"Asher is most blessed of sons;
Let him be favored by his brothers,
And let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Your sandals shall be iron and bronze;
As your days, so shall your strength be.
| v. 20 Blessed Is He Who Enlarges Gad – This referenced the Lord, who would bless the tribe of Gad. The Gadites, a fierce and warlike tribe described in 1 Chronicles 12:8, were described here by Moses as dwelling "as a lion." v. 21 He Provided The First Part For Himself – Gad, one of the tribes that remained on the far side of the Jordan, inherited the land Israel took in battle from among their first enemies in war, Sihon and Og. A Lawgiver's Portion Was Reserved There – This is a reference to either the fact that Moses, the lawgiver, appointed them their inheritance in that part of the land, or that Sihon and Og were the dwelling places of those great kings. v. 22 Dan Is A Lion's Whelp – Samson, one of the Judges of Israel, would emerge from the tribe of Dan. Judges 14:5 tells the story of a lion springing out against Samson, and the Spirit of the Lord coming upon him and giving him the strength to tear it in pieces. A whelp is an animal's young. | v. 24 Asher... May He Dip His Foot In Oil – Asher is a Hebrew name meaning "happy." Here he is described as a favored tribe, even "the most blessed of sons." The Israelites considered it a great blessing to have many children. Asher was described as blessed in having many sons who were able to go to war in Numbers 26:47. And more, historians describing later periods have recorded that none of the tribes of Israel ending up more blessed in the way of having children. In that day, olive oil was used to anoint both the head and the feet, and the inheritance of the tribe of Asher was so blessed with that oil that they could have washed their feet in it if they so chose. v. 25 Your Sandals Shall be Iron And Bronze – Along with having many children and much olive oil, their land was abundant with iron and bronze, prized metals in that day. The expression here likely refers to the fact that they later produce so much of those metals that they could encase their shoes in them if they so chose. |
26 "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens to help you,
And in His excellency on the clouds.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
He will thrust out the enemy from before you,
And will say, 'Destroy!'
28 Then Israel shall dwell in safety,
The fountain of Jacob alone,
In a land of grain and new wine;
His heavens shall also drop dew.
29 Happy are you, O Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD,
The shield of your help
And the sword of your majesty!
Your enemies shall submit to you,
And you shall tread down their high places."
| v. 26 Who Rides The Heavens To Help You – The Old Testament tells of several occasions when the Lord sent help to Israel from the sky, using weapons such as lightning, thundering, and hail (as was the case with the plagues of Egypt). | v. 29 Who Is Like You, A People Saved By The Lord – The Lord took Israel from a helpless position in Egypt and made them the most blessed and favored nation on earth. Here, He promises to be the shield that protects them and the sword that fights their battles for them. No other nation in history has had promised them such a blessed beginning or such a blessed end. |
Deuteronomy 34
Moses Dies on Mount Nebo
1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there."
5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. 6 And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished. 8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.
| Chapter 34 Moses Dies on Mount Nebo v. 1 Moses Went Up – In this chapter, God allowed Moses a final glimpse of the Promised Land before he died. At this point, Israel was camped in a valley of Moab. Moses went to the top of the mountain between this valley and the Promised Land. Pigsah was the highest peak of Mount Nebo. This miraculous scene describes a final gift of mercy from the Lord to Moses. v. 2 As Far As The Western Sea – Naphtali inherited the northernmost part of Canaan, and Ephraim and Manasseh inherited the middle part. Judah lay on the southernmost area of Canaan. The Western Sea, which lay on the western coast of Israel, was the Mediterranean. v. 4 I Have Caused You To See It With Your Eyes – To see a land "with your eyes" was meant to express ownership of the land (as in Genesis 13:14, 15). Therefore, God was assuring Moses that his people would one day own all of the land he was about to see. | v. 6 And He Buried Him – Many Jewish writers have said that angels buried Moses. Jude 1:9 hints that it may have been Michael the archangel himself who buried Moses. No one up until the writing of this passage (most likely either by Joshua or by Samuel) knew the location of Moses' grave. This was important to the account because the children of Israel who revered Moses may have been tempted to find his grave and make a shrine or memorial to him. v. 7 His Eyes Were Not Dim Nor His Natural Vigor Diminished – Moses lived an extraordinarily long time, as the normal life span by that time was around 70 years (Ps. 90:10). Moreover, although he was of such great age, the Lord had blessed him with strength and eyesight that did not diminish even in his old age. v. 8 Wept For Moses...Thirty Days – The Jewish historian Josephus records that the Israelites wept for Moses in a particularly vehement manner for the same amount of time they mourned his brother Aaron (Num. 20:29). |
9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
10 But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 in all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, 12 and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
| v. 9 Moses Had Laid His Hands Upon Him – Joshua, Moses' successor, exhibited the same wisdom in leadership that Moses had. Here it is said that the source of that wisdom was the Holy Spirit, who came upon Joshua when Moses laid his hands on him. The "laying on of hands" is symbolic of a transfer of leadership throughout the Scriptures (Num. 27:23, 1 Tim. 5:22). The laying on of hands is also sometimes used as a point of contact in transferring one person's anointing of the Spirit to another, as in 2 Timothy 1:6 and Acts 8:17. | v. 10 There Has Not Risen In Israel A Prophet Like Moses – Although Joshua had received the same spirit of wisdom and leadership that Moses carried, he did not receive the same measure of anointing for prophecy. The laying on of hands does not guarantee the transfer of any of the gifts of the Spirit, only those that the Holy Spirit desires to see transferred (see 1 Corinthians 12:11). Because we are told that God spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend, no one exceeded Moses until the coming of Jesus. |
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