Blessing Tribes Deuteronomy 33

Deuteronomy 33:1 "And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death."

Compare to Genesis 49 where Jacob blessed his sons (the tribes).

The tribes are noted by the name of Jacob's sons who started them. There is a short mention of some of them while others have several verses devoted to them. Levi has a long mention and is related to teaching the law. Joseph, obviously beloved, has several verses devoted to him. Such as, v17 "His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns..." Benjamin is honored with this statement v12 "...The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him, and the LORD shall cover him all the day long..." I noticed Asher where he said v24 "...and let him dip his foot in oil." and wondered exactly where they settled and if the reference could be to oil production or is it just that Moses wished him to be comforted with oil on his feet.

But all the tribes are under God's watchful eye as we see in the following verse:

v28 "Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. v29 Happy art thou, O Israel, who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD..."

Moses has had his say. He has acknowledged in teaching the people that they are stiff necked and rebellious. He also reminds them that they belong to the LORD and that they are under his everlasting care and protection. The LORD said in previous verses that He would bring any vengeance on Israel as he saw fit and no one else. He has also said that even though they would be punished for wrongdoing, that he would gather them back and put his law in their hearts.

And so we have Moses' final words in the last part of v29 "...the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places."

Psalms 133:1 "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"

keywords: Israel, Bible Study, milton southerland, Old Testament, Moses