Deuteronomy 33:1–20

Seventy times we read of "the man of God" in the Old Testament, and twenty-two of those passages refer to Elisha. What are we to understand by the title? Is it the equivalent of "Saint," and therefore true of everyone born of the Spirit? The Spirit's sparing use of the term forbids the thought. It is first applied to Moses in Deuteronomy 33:1. This gives us the key to its meaning. Moses cut himself adrift from the world. He gave up all its honours and advantages so that he might be wholly for God. Only people of this stamp can rightly be called men of God. In a time of general ruin and departure, the man of God is God's emergency instrument. It is open to us all to be in this blessed position, if our hearts desire it.

In both the songs Moses spoke as the prophet and apostle of the age of law. In the blessing and the prayer he speaks more simply as the man of God... As the man of God, called to be mediator of the old covenant, he passes the blessing from God to man, and the prayer from man to God.

It is full of interest and comfort to find that the last words of the lawgiver were words of unmixed blessing. We have dwelt on his various talks, those solemn, searching and moving addresses to the people of Israel. We have thought over that marvellous song with its mixed notes of grace and government. But now come words of the richest blessing, words of the sweetest comfort. They flow from the very heart of the God of Israel, giving His own loving thoughts about them and His outlook on their glorious future.

His last message was the blessing. This faithful servant of Jehovah carried the ministry of the law, and that ministry can do nothing but curse. Yet he ends his earthly testimony by speaking a blessing. That blessing will still come on the sons of Jacob, and all nations will rejoice in days to come, when God brings His people back and fulfils all His promises.

Jacob gives the history of what his sons did, some of it, sadly, deeply sad and humiliating. Moses, in contrast, presents the workings of divine grace, whether in them or towards them... The evil deeds of Reuben, of Simeon, and of Levi are recorded by Jacob, but left out entirely by Moses. Is this a contradiction? No, it is divine harmony. Jacob views his sons in their personal history. Moses views them in their covenant relationship with Jehovah. Jacob gives us human failure, weakness and sin. Moses gives us divine faithfulness, goodness and loving-kindness.

Deuteronomy is largely a book of warning. But all the warning ends at chapter 32:47. Chapter 33 then closes God's message for Israel by pronouncing blessing that is high above all the demands of law.

There is scarcely a passage in the Old Testament that has been more richly used for comfort. In every age weak believers — weary ones on sick-beds — have taken it for themselves, led, we do not doubt, by the Spirit of God. It has upheld and comforted them with the sweet assurance that "the everlasting arms" are underneath them, holding them, as it were, in a divine embrace.

The Lord is there in majesty, with the terror of the law in His right hand. But He loves the people — that is to say, His saints there surrounding Him to receive His words.

"Yes, he loved his people" — precious, unfailing source of all their future blessing! — "all his holy ones were in his hand" — true secret of their perfect security!

Saints, or holy ones, are spoken of often in the Word of God. The angels God chose are described this way (Deut. 33:2; Job 15:15; Dan. 8:13; Jude 14). The people of Israel are called this too (Deut. 33:3). But Israelites held that name in a relative sense, by natural birth. Christians are saints by calling.

Yes, it is He, the God of all, who loves the peoples. In His hand His angels are ministering spirits for them, sitting at His feet, and each one receiving of His words.

This presents a lovely picture of the true position of God's people. They are held in the hand of the Lord, sitting at the feet of the Lord, and listening to the words of the Lord. Secure in His hand, at rest at His feet, and learning His mind. May we, then, choose this good part, and in due course do the good work.

In Deuteronomy 33 we read that at Sinai the people sat at God's feet. "Every one shall receive of your words." This is the right way. It reminds us of one in the New Testament who sat at His feet and heard His word.

"Every one shall receive of your words" — blessed gift! Precious treasure! Every word that comes out of the mouth of the Lord is worth far more than thousands of gold and silver. It is sweeter than honey from the comb.

God's saints receive His words (Deut. 33:3; John 10:27). So whenever a true church or assembly faces something that Scripture condemns, its conscience gives a verdict that is both quick and firm.

We can take up what God says of Israel and enjoy it fully. If God loved His people then, we can be sure the church is well beloved now, and every member of that holy body. If we see how truly the Lord loved the Jew as such, we should not doubt but believe that the Christian is loved yet more.

The Lord is there in majesty, with the terror of the law in His right hand. But He loves the people — that is, His saints standing around Him to receive His words. The people receive a law, through the mediation of Moses, which is the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. This Moses is there as king. These, then, are the relationships on which these blessings are based.

Jacob gives the history of what his sons did, and some of it is sad and humiliating. Moses, by contrast, presents the actions of divine grace, whether in them or towards them. This alone accounts for the difference. Jacob records the evil deeds of Reuben, Simeon and Levi. Moses leaves them out completely… Jacob views his sons in their personal history. Moses views them in their covenant relationship with the Lord.

The song then names the special place of Moses. He commands a law, the possession of the congregation of Jacob. He is king in Jeshurun when the heads of the people, the tribes of Israel, gathered together.

Calling Moses a king may seem unusual, yet God's inspired Word here calls him king in Jeshurun, and earlier, the man of God. Jeshurun, meaning "the upright people," is a term God uses to designate His people Israel. We read repeatedly how the people and their heads came to Moses to find out God's will. God's ideal king would rule God's people according to the mind of God.

Verse 4 recalls the giving of the law by Moses, the law being a heritage in which Israel should have rejoiced. But Moses is called "king in Jeshurun." He did hold the place of authority, yet it is most unusual to call him "king." The answer lies in the prophetic character of the blessing. Moses was a picture of Christ. Christ will hold the place of King in the coming day, when all Israel is gathered in a unity it has never shown before.

Up to this time the government of Israel had been a pure theocracy. God was their King. He might act through Moses at one time — Moses in this sense is called king in Jeshurun (see Deut. 33:4) — or through Joshua at another… And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them" (1 Sam. 8:7).

In the language of Deuteronomy 33:5, Moses was "king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together." In that chapter we find the heads of the people being chosen, as Jethro advised under God; he only gave the advice if "God commands you so." So it seems that here we have a little sample of the coming kingdom. Moses is king; the people are subject to him; the Gentile, in the person of Jethro, comes to rejoice with him and his people.

Jeshurun, meaning "the upright [people]," is a name God uses for His people Israel. Again and again we read how the people and their heads came to Moses to find out God's will. God's ideal king would rule God's people according to the mind of God.

Name given to Israel, probably meaning 'upright ones;' others prefer 'beloved of Jehovah.' Jehovah was the 'God of Jeshurun;' and Moses, 'king in Jeshurun.'

Jehovah is there in majesty, with the terror of the law in His right hand. But He loves the people — that is, His saints standing around Him to receive His words. The people receive a law through Moses as mediator, and that law is the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. This Moses is there as king. These, then, are the relationships that these blessings rest on.

Verse 4 recalls the giving of the law by Moses, the law being a heritage in which Israel should have rejoiced. But the text calls Moses "King in Jeshurun." He did hold the place of authority, yet the title "king" is still most unusual. The answer to this is in the prophetic character of the blessing. Moses pictured Christ, who will hold the place of King in the coming day. Then all Israel will be gathered in a unity they have never yet shown.

In the days of Samuel the people grew tired of being governed directly by God. They wanted to be like the nations around them, so they asked Samuel to make them a king. Jehovah's answer was that they had not rejected Samuel; they had rejected Him, so that He should not reign over them. Up to this time the government of Israel had been a pure theocracy. God was their King. He might act by Moses at one time, who is himself said in this sense to have been king in Jeshurun (see Deut. 33), or by Joshua at another.

Here we see the kingly dignity joined with the priestly, for Moses was "king in Jeshurun" (Deut. 33)… No such joining really happened in later times. But here Jehovah pledged it in type; and it awaits its fulfilment in Christ for the earth in days rapidly approaching. "Behold, a man whose name is Branch… he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on his throne; and he shall be a priest on his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both" (Zech. 6:12-13).

In the language of Deuteronomy 33:5, Moses was "king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together." In our chapter we find the heads of the people chosen, as Jethro advised under God; and he gave that advice only if "God command you so." So it seems that here we have a little sample of the coming kingdom. Moses is king; the people are subject to him; the Gentile, in the person of Jethro, comes to rejoice with him and his people.

There is nothing here about Reuben's instability, nothing about his sin. Grace has the upper hand. Blessings flow in rich abundance from the loving heart of the One who delights to bless. He delights to surround Himself with hearts overflowing with the sense of His goodness.

Jacob, when blessing his sons, said, "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it" (Gen. 49:3-4). This speaks of failure in the firstborn, and implies loss of his birthright. (Joseph, a type of Christ separated from His brothers, had the birthright.) Moses, when he blessed the tribes — showing more their relationship with God according to His government — said, "Let Reuben live, and not die: and let not his men be few."

Our translators, thinking there must be some mistake, inserted the word not — "let not his men be few." But Moses knew perfectly well what he was saying. Let Reuben live and not die: to just exist without dying out was all that could be expected or desired for him. But let his men be few — the fewer the better.

The blessing of the tribes follows, beginning with Reuben, the rejected firstborn, who, as in Jacob's prophecy, receives what seems very little. He is to live and not die, and his men be countable. No one doubts that this is the regular force of the words, though exceptions have been argued. The argument for the opposite thought, "Let not his men be few," is simply that it looks more like a blessing. When we take the whole prophecy into account, however, the grammatical meaning justifies itself.

We have already seen in Genesis 49 how the firstborn of nature stands for the nation on the ground of the first covenant, which was really "natural," fleshly, because it was legal. Here nothing but the blessing of God — which of course is grace — could have preserved the existence of the nation at all. Under the sentence of the law, and rejecting their Deliverer, they have still been kept from extinction in a remarkable way. They have also been the objects of constant persecution — "a sword drawn out after them" — and that has fulfilled the latter part of the prediction just as clearly.

Reuben was the beginning of Jacob's strength (Gen. 49:3) — that is, the strength of the flesh. Such strength must be brought down to nothing, yet grace would preserve his life: he would not die. Yet his men would be few, as is the proper translation (J. N. Darby). This reminds us of Romans 9:27, quoting Isaiah: "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved."

This is what man was before the fall, fresh from the hand of God. But he showed himself unstable as water. Like Reuben, he fell. Yet Moses can say, "Let Reuben live and not die." Though worthy of death, the way of life has been opened to sinful man, and now by faith in Christ Jesus he receives a sonship of higher order and richer blessing than the dignity lost through sin.

Jacob's blessings were more like history told ahead of time. These blessings are about relationship with God under His government. There are still twelve tribes. Simeon is left out to make room for two tribes from Joseph's line, because Joseph, not Reuben, held the firstborn's right to the inheritance. So everything here goes by God's blessing, not by natural rights.

The next name looks like a strange choice, but divine wisdom set the order. It brings forward the tribe that would take Reuben's place — soon in the life of the nation, and in the end according to God's own purposes. For Christ was to be born of Judah as to His human descent.

Judah is the royal line. "Our Lord was descended from Judah." That shows in a wonderful way how God's grace rises in majesty above human sin, and wins over circumstances that expose how weak man is. "And Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar!" Who but the Holy Spirit could have written those words?

God would hear Judah's voice, just as He hears every prayer of His beloved Son. He will bring Him to His people at the very time they are completely helpless. His hands will be enough for him. That can only be said of Christ, whose hands do perfect work. God would also be His help against His enemies, defeating them in the day of His glory.

The words "bring him in to his people" deserve careful notice. Think of the dealings there have been between that people and God. Think of Judah's place in their history under God's government, and of Judah's scattering today. Then think of what is still to come, when the whole people will be one again in their own place.

We know that the Jews have long had a separate place. But the day is coming when Judah and Israel will be joined into one people, pictured by Ezekiel's vivid symbol, which may throw light on what Moses says here.

Judah, on the other hand, has fallen from the place Jacob pictured for him — though with a possible limit, "until Shiloh comes." Shiloh, we know, has come, and Judah's staff of rule has been taken away. They did not recognise the day when God visited them. Moses' blessing implies the disastrous results.

Judah, then, has been a wanderer, cut off from his people. His own hand has brought him no help that was enough, and his enemies have kept busy with him. All this fits what has long been history, and it foretells the deliverance waiting for them in the near future… Reuben stands first for the survival of the people, and Judah then for their deliverance.

The meaning of these Hebrew words is "lights" and "perfections." They were not the same as the gems on the breastplate. Moses put the breastplate on Aaron, and then put the Urim and the Thummim in it (Leviticus 8:8). It is clear that God answered questions by means of the Urim and Thummim. Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 33:8; 1 Samuel 28:6. When the Jews returned from Babylon, some claimed to be priests but could not show their family line. They were not allowed to eat of the holy things until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim and got an answer from God. This great privilege has never yet been restored.

Levi occupies the third place, Simeon being left out. What the prophet-king asks for Levi is the everlasting priesthood of the people of God (on earth, of course). "His holy one" is used in the sense of piety towards God — grace in the heart. He asks that light and perfection (Urim and Thummim) might be with the man of grace and piety — officially, the priestly tribe. This is light and perfection in understanding the relations that would really exist at all times between the people and God, and between God and the people in return.

Levi's thummim and urim are said to be "with your holy One" (v.8). The meaning of thummim and urim is "perfections and lights," seen in the reflections of the precious stones in the ephod. Priests used this when inquiring of God, when needs of discerning His will arose. In the millennium Israel will gladly commit this entirely to God's Holy One, the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone is all-wise and discerning. Israel had proved Him at Massah and Meribah. There they found grace in Him that far surpassed both their need and the quarrelling they were guilty of in complaining against Him.

God proved the people at Massah, and strove with them at Meribah. Now that is exactly what is attributed to Israel historically. They tried (or tempted) God at Massah, and strove with Him at Meribah. But where the flesh showed itself in Israel, there God put His priest to the test. At the waters of Meribah, where Moses did not sanctify Him, God was in controversy with Moses. God subjects His priests to painful trials. One is being cut off from the stream of clear and felt blessing among the people of God. That state leaves room for rebellious flesh to show itself, and for grumbling against God in the wilderness, tempting God and saying, "Is He among us?"

Levi can lift up his head. By nature he knows only "instruments of cruelty" — things that must have kept God forever at a distance from "his secret and his assembly." By nature he is cruel, fierce, self-willed, scattered and divided. Yet God, in His mercy, can make him familiar with "the instruments of the tabernacle." God can bring him into the enjoyment of the covenant of life and peace, in union with the great head of the priestly family. And in the power of this blessed union, God can give him his "lights and perfections with his Holy One." (Deut. 33:8; Mal. 2:4-5)

God tested Levi in his priesthood. But God had tested him first, and that testing was how he received the priesthood. Levi did not hesitate for one moment in choosing between man and God — even man in the nearest family tie. That is the sole basis of all priesthood. One can only stand before God on behalf of another in proportion as one has oneself stood truly for God before man.

It is true we find him here again with his sword at his side, but for what a different purpose, and in what a different cause! It is not now anger and self-will killing a man, but holy jealousy and care for the honour of the Lord God of Israel, and simple obedience to His command. And although this may, and will, lead to the cutting off of a brother, a son, or a friend, Levi does not care; for the word is, "Consecrate yourselves to the Lord, that He may bestow upon you a blessing." This was enough for Levi.

Where was Simeon on this occasion? He was with Levi in the day of nature's self-will, fierce anger and cruel wrath; why not in the day of bold decision for the Lord?... Moses' call went out to the whole congregation. Levi alone responded, and he got the blessing. He stood for God in a dark and evil day, and for this he received the priesthood — the highest honour open to him... In Simeon we see nature's actings judged; in Levi we see the fruits of grace rewarded.

It was a searching trial — a trial which demanded that Levi put aside every claim of the flesh... It was obedience at all costs to the divine call, and so complete separation from the evil into which Israel had fallen. God often tests His people in the same way. Whenever confusion and decline have begun, the only path for the godly is the one Levi took — full-hearted, unquestioning obedience. Such a path must be painful. It means giving up some of the closest ties of life, family ties included. But it is the only path of blessing.

It is in no way to be inferred from this scripture that natural relationships may be refused. To be "without natural affection" is one of the features of the "perilous times."... What we have here is wholly different.

In the terrible moment of the cross, when His service was finished, He could say, "Mother, behold your son," and "Son, behold your mother." The same Lord could also say, "Woman, what have I to do with you?" when He was simply carrying out His service. He was a stranger to His own mother's sons, like Levi in the blessing of Moses, the man of God. Levi said of his father and mother, "I regard them not"; he disowned his brothers and ignored his children, because they observed Your word and kept Your covenant.

Moses' blessing in Deuteronomy speaks of their terrible testing at a time when, in carrying out God's judgment on the idolaters, he "did not acknowledge his brothers, and did not know his own children," and of the result in God's approval: "They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, and Israel Your law." Those are to teach the lesson who have learned it; and so it always is.

Perhaps there is nothing that hinders full loyalty to Christ so much as natural affection. We find it so hard to give Him the place of absolute supremacy in our hearts and lives... The natural must be subject to the spiritual if we would follow Him. The rejected One laid it down emphatically: "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." What a test for our hearts!

When we compare Genesis 49 with Deuteronomy 33, we see two things: human responsibility on the one hand, and divine sovereignty on the other. We also see nature and its actings, and grace and its fruits. Jacob looks at Simeon and Levi linked together in nature, showing nature's tempers and ways. As far as they were concerned, both alike deserved the curse. But in Levi we see the glorious triumphs of sovereign grace. It was grace that enabled Levi, in the days when Israel worshipped the golden calf, to take up the sword and stand for the glory of the God of Israel.

Levi is a helpful example of God making His judgment an occasion of blessing. Genesis 49:7 says, "I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel." But in Deuteronomy 33:10 we see God overruling that dividing and scattering, so that they may teach "Jacob your rules and Israel your law" better. "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more."

Only the man who himself tries to walk in power before God can speak with effect to the hearts and consciences of others. Nothing else will do. Nothing else will tell, either on the hearts or in the lives of Christians. Sadly, there is much merely systematic teaching and preaching of things the mind alone has received. A natural fluency of language lets us give them out. But all such teaching is empty, and far better avoided in God's sight.

The second consequence reaches a very high point: "they shall put incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar." This is worship. We put incense before God when we can present, in the power of communion, the sweet odour of Christ in His person and work.

Why does the burnt offering speak most clearly of worship? Because it differs from the other offerings in one way: the whole of it went up to Jehovah. Whether the animal offered was a sheep, a goat or a bull, all of it went up. The entire body was placed on the altar, consumed by fire, and went up in smoke to heaven. In picture, it rose to God as the sweet-smelling aroma of Christ in His complete devotion to God's will, even as far as death on the cross.

For a Levite to instruct his brothers was as acceptable in God's sight as to burn incense before God. Both were just as much a divine exercise of his office. This is very important. We should never separate these two things. The same Spirit must fit us to speak for God and to speak to Him. If we do not see this, our souls clearly lack moral order.

To the Levites fell the solemn responsibility and high privilege of teaching Israel the law of the Lord. "They shall teach Jacob your rules and Israel your law." A day of blessing is still to come for Israel. Of Levi the prophet Ezekiel then says, "They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. In a dispute, they shall act as judges, and they shall judge it according to my judgments" (Ezekiel 44:23-24). For God does not take back His gifts and His calling. He will carry out His great purpose promised to the fathers, and will yet establish His word in the land of Canaan.

Only those who put God first in this way are fit to be teachers of the people. So the Levites were to teach Israel (v.10). They were also to lead Israel in worship, offering incense to God and burnt offerings. This is a solid basis for the prayer that follows: "Bless, O LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands." On the negative side, it asks God to judge those who rise against him or who hate him.

Moses blesses Levi not merely on the ground of God's purpose and intention, but because they had earned it by faithfulness in a day when everyone was turning away from God.

When we compare Genesis 49 with Deuteronomy 33, we see two things: human responsibility on the one hand, and divine sovereignty on the other... Jacob looks at Simeon and Levi linked together in nature, showing nature's tempers and ways. As far as they were concerned, both alike deserved the curse. But in Levi we see the glorious triumphs of sovereign grace. It was grace that enabled Levi, in the days of the golden calf, to take up the sword and stand for the glory of the God of Israel.

Real, whole-hearted devotion to Christ will always bring increased blessing... Levi had shown great diligence in the Lord's service. He had shown himself ready to defend God's name against every merely human thought and affection, strongly and decidedly. Now the Lord will show Levi that He is not unrighteous to forget his work and labour of love, for He will bless his substance.

The Lord does not ask a sinner dead in trespasses and sins to serve Him. Sin would spoil everything such a person could do. His very prayers are polluted, his thoughts are polluted, his acts of kindness are polluted... But the Lord gives life to those who are dead in trespasses and sins. Then He teaches them to walk worthy of Him as dear children, and to be fruitful in every good word and work, to the praise of His name. And when we do this, in grace He stoops to accept the work of our hands.

There is nothing that gives the soul such remarkable power over enemies as an obedient, holy walk... when a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, God brings him at once into a place where Satan, the world, and the flesh are under his feet. He can hold this blessed ground only as he walks in the power of resurrection life. But how often the opposite happens. Instead of having these enemies under our feet, we are under theirs. This dishonours our Lord, and it brings sorrow and weakness to our own souls. And why? Because we do not walk in simple obedience.

And now the deliverance is not a temporary one... Here, then, a day begins for them which does not set.

In the blessing of Psalm 68:27, "Little Benjamin" — a name of affection, not a comment on numbers — comes first, before the three important tribes of Judah, Zebulun and Naphtali... Benjamin (son of my right hand) was a type of Christ exalted to the right hand of God in glory. His place in the blessing of Moses is one of special nearness and protection.

He shall have the first king of Israel, and the chief apostle, called from his sons. He shall have the holy capital of Zion given to his portion. And what has he done to deserve all this? Why is it — why?

We are inclined to think that modesty would cry out, "Who am I that God should love me?" But this indescribable grace rests on us by its own free action, like the light of heaven. It needs nothing to draw it out.

Some take this last expression to refer to the tabernacle at Gibeon, or to the temple in Jerusalem. That is surely a mistake. It is not the Lord who dwells between Benjamin's shoulders (which would turn all right thought upside down), but the reverse. It is Benjamin who dwells in security, covered and sustained by his covenant-God. We see that Levi's sacrifice has opened the sanctuary to him. This is the way of divine grace: God brings His redeemed near to Himself.

Wherever Scripture uses the word "shoulder" as a symbol, it means strength. Isaiah speaks of the birth of the Messiah and says, "the government shall be upon his shoulder" (Isaiah 9:6). That is, the Messiah will maintain His righteous government in divine power.

What a home for the weak believer! There he can enjoy safety and protection all the time, as the object of divine affections, as the beloved of the Lord... John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, rested on the chest of his Lord, in the place of everlasting love. The One he leaned on upholds all things by the word of His power.

His Master did not love John more than Peter or James or even doubting Thomas. But John was conscious of being loved. So he leaned on his Master's chest. Notice that the dwelling in safety depends on being "by Him." Being kept safe from the tempter outside and the tempter within depends on our trusting the shelter of His wings (Psalm 61:4). That in turn matches how much we are enjoying the love of the Lord.

Benjamin pictures Christ in suffering, as Joseph pictures Christ in glory. In Joseph's blessing (see vv. 13-17) we find an abundance of "precious things" and a well-supplied table. In Benjamin we have the deeper and richer blessing: a shelter beneath the LORD's wings and a place between His mighty shoulders. This is the place of comfort for the sufferer. With "nowhere to lay the head," there was still the comfort of the LORD's bosom. An ear that listens to the heavenly voice must be close to the lips of the speaker. It must dwell, so to speak, between His shoulders. In that nearness, that closeness of communion, that place of love, the soul rests safely and is quiet from the fear of evil.

This is another mark of Israel, and it will be seen in beauty in the coming day of her glory. That is because Benjamin is first of all a type of the Lord Jesus. Today the Church of God shares in the blessing of identification with Him, dwelling between God's shoulders. Each believer has the right to enjoy this. It is sad that we do not enjoy it more.

There is a clear difference between the words of Jacob and the words of Moses over the twelve. The one saw them as children, the other as tribes of the Lord. The one was looking ahead to their own conduct and history. The other was putting each of them in that place of honour and blessing which God had settled and secured for them. So in the words of Moses, you get nothing but blessing. No mention of any fault or evil of their own, but God disposing of them all according to His own purpose of grace.

Much more is said of Joseph, for Benjamin did not go through the deep suffering and pressure that Joseph did. This section speaks of the abundance of fruitful prosperity that Israel will yet enjoy in the age to come... God will show how He is able to bring about the greatest blessing from the greatest suffering. This has already been seen in the sufferings of Christ and in the great blessing the Church of God now enjoys.

Even the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem, the chief city of God's creation, will have its twelve gates marked with the names of the tribes of Israel (Revelation 21:12). From that heavenly city the grace of God will pour its abundant blessing on the earthly people of God. The dew from heaven, a picture of the Spirit of God, will water the nation, so that fruit for God may grow. "The deep lying beneath" seems to suggest that depths of evil will be turned into depths of goodness. Then nothing will be against them, and everything will serve the spiritual energy of bearing fruit.

It is a blessing, a refreshment sent by God, and withheld as punishment or in discipline. In the summer the dew is very heavy in Palestine, and helps greatly in growing crops. It is a picture of the refreshment and strength that God sends down on His people during the night of their Lord's absence. It will not be needed when the day breaks, and the Sun of righteousness arises with healing in His wings.

Notice how strongly Moses speaks of Joseph being separated from his brothers. He was rejected and thrown into the pit. He passed, in figure, through the deep waters of death, and so reached the place of dignity and glory. He was raised from the dungeon to be ruler over the land of Egypt, and the preserver and sustainer of his brothers... A striking picture of Him who hung on the cross, lay in the grave, and is now on the throne of the majesty of heaven.

Under the smile of God the whole of the fruitful land breaks out into a manifold and continuous harvest. The good will of Him who dwelt in the bush crowns the head of the Nazarite as with a royal crown — the man set apart for God and so set apart from his brothers. It is very plain that it is Christ who brings the blessing down in this way. For this to happen, the Gentiles who have taken over must leave the land, giving way to the crowds of fruitful Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh.

Under the smile of God the whole of the fruitful land breaks out into a varied and continuous harvest. The good will of Him who dwelt in the bush crowns, as with a royal crown, the head of the one set apart to God, and so set apart from his brothers. Clearly it is Christ who brings the blessing down in this way. Moses' words here confirm what Jacob said.

As well as moisture, the sunshine must be added so that there may be precious fruit (v.14). The sun is typical of the Lord Jesus, "the Sun of righteousness" spoken of in Malachi 4:2 as rising on Israel with healing in His wings. "The precious produce of the months" connects with Revelation 22:2, though that verse refers to the Lord Jesus as the Tree of life yielding twelve fruits, one each month. He Himself, the Tree of life, will be in heaven, in the midst of the Assembly, the Church of God. The twelve fruits are for Israel, while the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the Gentile nations. Wonderful prosperity!

Psalm 4:1 tells us, "In pressure You have enlarged me" (Darby's translation). This was beautifully true of Joseph. It also points to the great blessing that Israel will yet receive as a result of their deep pressure of years, ending in the Great Tribulation. God will show how He is able to bring the greatest blessing out of the greatest suffering. This has in fact already been seen in the sufferings of Christ and the great blessing of the Church of God now.

Magnificent range of blessing! And all this flowing from and resting on his sufferings. Of course all these blessings will come true for Israel in due time. The sufferings of the true Joseph will form the lasting foundation of the future blessedness of His brothers in the land of Canaan. And not only that: the tide of blessing, deep and full, shall flow out from that highly favoured though now desolate land, in refreshing power into all the earth. What a sad mistake to apply such scriptures to the present age of the gospel or to the church of God!

Joseph had taken the heat and the cold. Both the sun and the moon had shone on him. He had been able to receive and pass on the precious things of heaven from each. He had received divine energy from his God and radiated that energy back to family and stranger, to prisoner and Pharaoh. He could reveal the precious things of heaven that were hidden from others. There had been no "clouds" between him and his God or those around him. He never seemed in a hurry. He went on quietly and patiently taking both heat and cold — good times and bad — as from his Lord.

His voice might sound out in the wilderness. But his heart lived among the "precious fruits brought forth by the Sun" that shone on him. He was a man "filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb."

Much more is said of Joseph, because Benjamin did not go through the deep suffering and pressure that Joseph did. This section speaks of the abundant, fruitful prosperity that Israel will yet enjoy in the age to come… Israel will yet receive great blessing as a result of their deep pressure of years, ending in the Great Tribulation. God will show how He is able to bring the greatest blessing out of the greatest suffering. We have already seen this in the sufferings of Christ and the great blessing of the Church of God now. But Israel will know the value of this only after suffering the ordeal of the tribulation.

Verse 15 adds another lovely feature of the fruitfulness of Israel: "with the best things of the ancient mountains, with the precious things of the everlasting hills." Ancient mountains speak of authority established from time out of mind. Israel will then recognise the Lord Jesus as "the LORD, the King of Israel," "the Redeemer, the LORD of hosts." He says, "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god" (Isa. 44:6). His authority has been His from eternity past. When Israel accepts it, that submission will be a vital part of the fruit they bear for God.

Magnificent range of blessing! And all of it flowing from and resting on his sufferings… The sufferings of the true Joseph will form the lasting foundation of the future blessedness of His brothers in the land of Canaan; and not only that, but the tide of blessing, deep and full, will flow out from that highly favoured though now desolate land, bringing refreshment to all the earth.

Joseph, separated from his brothers, is a picture of the Lord Jesus. Through His lonely sufferings and death, He is the great Recipient of all blessing from God. Joseph shared with his brothers the blessing that came to him in Egypt. In the same way, the Lord Jesus will share with Israel all these blessings that make up Joseph's portion.

There is space here for only a passing mention of the "precious things of heaven," the "precious things put forth by the moon," the "precious things of the everlasting hills," and the "precious things of the earth." But a search of Scripture on each one will yield much spiritual joy and substance… Think of the "precious things of heaven." They relate to the sphere "where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God." Are they "precious things of the earth and the fullness thereof"? Then again they centre in Him, whose "is the earth and the fullness thereof."

The thorn bush in which God was pleased to reveal Himself to Moses when He gave him his commission (Exodus 3:2-4). God's presence made it holy ground. The bush burned without being consumed, and that brings out one of His characteristics, for "our God is a consuming fire," burning up the dross without destroying. Moses did not forget the bush: near his death he blessed the twelve tribes and spoke of the "good will of him who dwelt in the bush."

The work was to bring the people through a waste, howling wilderness. What sign could be more fitting than a bush blazing yet unconsumed — and still more, "the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush"? Moses himself, "separated from his brothers," could well appreciate its meaning.

The burning bush is the symbol of God's constant care of Israel, even in the furnace of Egypt. It tells Moses that in all their affliction the Lord had been afflicted, and that the angel of His presence had still preserved them... He "who dwelt in the bush" had a "good will" towards them. For if the Son of God is in the furnace with His people, it is to preserve them.

Their land, their earthly possession, will bear fruit abundantly because of "the favour of Him who dwelt in the bush."... The burning bush pictures Israel going through the fires of tribulation, but preserved through it. This is another reminder that suffering is the means that finally brings fruit for God.

"Satisfied with favour." Naphtali enjoyed this, but he did not find it in himself. He found it in Another. For this favour he looked away from self to God. Indeed, this word "favour" is translated in verse 16 as "the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush."

Notice the emphatic way Moses speaks of his being separated from his brothers. He was rejected and cast into the pit. He passed, in figure, through the deep waters of death, and so reached the place of dignity and glory. He was raised from the dungeon to be ruler over the land of Egypt, and the preserver and sustainer of his brothers... A striking picture of Him who hung on the cross, lay in the grave, and is now on the throne of the majesty of heaven.

It is the good will of Him who dwelt in the bush that crowns, as with a diadem, the head of the Nazarite, separated to God and so separated from his brothers. It is very plain that Christ brings the blessing down in this way, and that Moses' word here confirms Jacob's.

Joseph shared with his brothers the blessing that came to him in Egypt. In the same way, the Lord Jesus will share with Israel all these blessings named here as Joseph's portion. Today He shares much more than this with the Church of God. He gives her a heavenly inheritance and announces her as His future bride.

Magnificent range of blessing! And all of it flowing from and resting on his sufferings... The sufferings of the true Joseph will be the lasting foundation of the future blessedness of His brothers in the land of Canaan. And not only that: the tide of blessing, deep and full, will flow out from that highly favoured though now desolate land, refreshing all the earth.

Joseph is a very remarkable type of Christ. The reader will notice how strongly Moses says that Joseph was separated from his brothers. He was rejected and cast into the pit. He passed, in figure, through the deep waters of death, and so reached the place of dignity and glory. He was raised from the dungeon to be ruler over the land of Egypt, and the preserver and sustainer of his brothers. Striking type of Him who hung upon the cross, lay in the grave, and is now on the throne of the majesty of heaven.

Joseph, separated from his brothers, is a type of the Lord Jesus, who, through His solitary sufferings and death, is the great Recipient of all blessing from God. Yet, as Joseph shared with his brothers the blessing that came to him in Egypt, so the Lord Jesus will share with Israel all these blessings that are said to be the portion of Joseph.

"His majesty is as the firstling of his ox" (Darby Translation). He is seen here as having strength to subdue every enemy, with horns like those of the wild ox. So He pushes all enemies before Him. This is Christ in His people Israel victorious over all the world. The two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, fathered the tribes that had this honour of representing Joseph, and indeed representing all Israel (verse 17).

Nothing in Scripture suggests that the animal had only one horn. In fact Deuteronomy 33:17 speaks of "the horns" of a unicorn (see the margin note). It must have been an animal the Israelites knew well. Its great strength and wildness are the main features: it cannot be put to work, like the tame ox, for farming. It is most likely that a species of wild ox, the Bos primigenius, is meant.

Israel were not a mighty people in themselves; it was God who had brought them out of Egypt. The mighty strength of the wild ox was not their own, but what their God gave them. In Psalm 22:21 the Lord Jesus met the full force of the power of death. He was answered from the horns of the wild oxen — from the place where death, in the fullness of its power, had spent all its energy against Him. Here, Israel had strength, given by God who dwelt among them, that no nation could overcome.

Reuben, the eldest, is set aside; Judah, the lawgiver, is not chosen, but Joseph is chosen for the birthright. You see this in the "double" portion of two tribes — Ephraim and Manasseh. Ephraim, the younger, gets a greater blessing than Manasseh, the elder. Jacob's crossed hands proclaimed the sovereignty of God.

Many of these blessings were fulfilled in history. But, just as in Genesis 49, they also have an obvious prophetic and spiritual value. Deuteronomy 33 points several times to the coming Kingdom. In it Israel will hold the land not just for a time but for ever… Joseph will even rule over the nations and extend his rule to the ends of the earth (verse 17).

The sufferings of the true Joseph will form the everlasting foundation of the future blessedness of His brothers in the land of Canaan. And not only that. The tide of blessing, deep and full, shall flow out from that greatly favoured land, though it now lies desolate, and refresh all the earth… What a sad mistake to apply such scriptures to the gospel age or to the church of God!

There is a decided difference between the words of Jacob and the words of Moses over the twelve tribes. Jacob regarded them as children; Moses regarded them as tribes of the Lord. The one was anticipating their own conduct and history. The other was putting each of them in that place of honour and blessing which God had settled and secured for them. So in the words of Moses, you get nothing but blessing. No mention of any fault or evil of their own, but God disposing of them all according to His own purpose of grace. It is the tribes under the covenant of promise in the last days. There may be, and are, differing glories among them, but all are blessed. All that is forgotten.

Jacob foretold what would happen to his sons in the last days. He said, "Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon" (Gen. 49:13). So Zebulun stands for Israel having dealings with the Gentiles for profit.

In Jacob's prophecy we see the one stretching out toward the nations around them, and the other crouching under their yoke. We are reminded of this here, though how different it all is now. Zebulun may now rejoice in going out, Issachar in the tents of her pilgrimage. They still stretch out toward the nations. But they are now ambassadors of a present King, and they carry a joyful invitation to come up and honour Him… It is a different kind of trade from the one that attracted Israel in the past: now the nations are the ones attracted.

The blessings of Zebulun and Issachar seem to be yet future. The blessing of Gad seems to establish relations that already existed.

These two tribes are taken together, Zebulun in his going out and Issachar in his tents. But both are told to rejoice (v.18). We too should rejoice in going out to share Christ with others. And we should rejoice in the quiet place apart as well, where we may enjoy communion with the Lord.

It will be joy at home and abroad. There will be power to act on others as well… All of this rests on one thing: they themselves will draw from the abundance of the seas and from hidden treasures. So it always is in principle. It is our privilege to rejoice in the Lord, come what may. It is our privilege to draw from those eternal springs and hidden treasures found in Himself.

It would appear that Zebulun's special portion from the Lord was to "go out." Our own Lord and Master was brought up in Nazareth, in the country of Zebulun. How truly He fulfilled this character of Zebulun — to "go out." Out from the palace of His glory, down to this world of sorrow, His path was always one of "going out," until that last terrible day when "He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull."

Jonah belonged to the tribe of Zebulun. Had he realised the portion and the privilege God had given him in that, he would have rejoiced in his going out, as the terms of the blessing say. But sad to say, Jonah is famous for his reluctance in going out, not for his joy.

Zebulun's blessing looks outward, Issachar's inward.

The blessings of Zebulun and Issachar seem to be yet future, while those of Gad establish the relations which already existed.

The correct translation of verse 19 is "they shall call the peoples (Gentiles) to the mountain." The mountain is Mount Zion and the Lord's house. It will be a house of prayer for all nations. The nations will go there to worship (Isa. 2:14). We have therefore a prophetic description of the blessings which Gentiles receive through a saved Israel.

Zebulun and Issachar are joined together. In Jacob's prophecy we see the one stretching out toward the nations round about, and the other crouching under their yoke. We are reminded of this here, though how different everything is now. Zebulun may now rejoice in going out, and Issachar in the tents of her pilgrimage. They still stretch out toward the nations. But now they are ambassadors of a present King, carrying a joyful invitation to come up and do Him homage... This is a different trade from the one that attracted Israel in the past. Now the nations are the ones attracted, and Israel draws from the abundance of the seas, and from the treasures hidden in the sand of the seashore (the ports on its coasts?).

The abundance of the seas and the treasures hidden in the sand speak of the Gentile nations also contributing to the blessing of Israel... This wealth in the seas is only symbolic of the wealth that Gentiles will bring to share with Israel in the millennium.

In going out they shall call the peoples to the mountain, no doubt the mountain of the house of the Lord (v.19). And there closeness to the Lord will have its place, with sacrifices of righteousness. These sacrifices will call to mind the one great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on Calvary. Sharing in this blessing will be precious. It is precious today too, to share with God's people the enjoyment of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.

In Psalm 4:5 and in Deuteronomy 33:19 we read of "sacrifices of righteousness." In Psalm 51:17 we read, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." It may be that from a broken spirit the sweetest fragrance goes up to God. And it may be that some of the sorrows of God's people that puzzle us now have this fragrance in view... Such a sacrifice — and it is a very costly one, perhaps one of the most costly of all — our God will not despise.

Zebulun is to rejoice in his going out, and Issachar in staying in his tents. It will be joy at home and abroad; and there will be power to act on others too — calling the people to the mountain to offer the sacrifices of righteousness. All this rests on one thing: they themselves will draw from the abundance of the seas and from hidden treasures. So it always is in principle. It is our privilege to rejoice in the Lord, come what may, and to draw from those eternal springs and hidden treasures that are found in Himself. Then we will be in a condition of soul to call others to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Jacob's blessings were more like history told in advance. These blessings are about relationship with God under His government. Twelve is still the number of the tribes. Simeon drops out so that two tribes from Joseph's descendants can be counted, since Joseph holds the firstborn's place as to the inheritance, instead of Reuben. Here everything goes by God's blessing, and not by the rights of nature.

Gad means "a troop." That points to a warrior character, and it will show most clearly in Israel when God restores them to their inheritance. God "enlarges Gad" (v.20), because those who take part in the good conflict of faith to take hold of what is theirs are the ones God enlarges. So Gad stands for Israel in the conflict of gaining their inheritance. Like a lion he "dwells," instead of running away. He tears the arm raised against him, and "the crown of his head" — clearly the enemy's crown.

Gad pictures spiritual increase, and a fighting condition too. Leah's cry, "A troop is coming," holds both. In a world like this, spiritual increase rarely comes without conflict. And in David's time we find the men of Gad standing out as warriors.

Put it all together, and give Jacob's original prophecy its full weight. Gad seems to stand for the strength God supplies once weakness and defeat have taught their lesson. It is His strength, found when our own has failed and broken down — a practical power of resurrection.

Gad's haste to get rich appears, though he shared the trials of the people.

They had chosen what suited themselves and their flocks, instead of the land flowing with milk and honey... So they had sunk far below the height of their calling. For that very reason it is all the more remarkable that God was still working in power among them... They were "men of might," who "separated themselves to David into the stronghold in the wilderness," "men of war fit for the battle, who could handle large shield and small shield, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as gazelles on the mountains."

It is true — wonderfully true — that the Lord's people now can draw instruction, comfort and refreshment from the blessings spoken over Israel... The great mistake of those who profess to be Christians is to apply to the church alone what plainly belongs to God's earthly people... He need not fear at all that he will lose anything of his own special blessing by leaving to Abraham's descendants the place and the portion God assigned them by His counsels and promises.