What does it mean that God is the God of Jeshurun?

After dealing with each of the tribes and the blessing for Israel that they represent, Moses now gives a lovely summary of this. How appropriate that he emphasizes the greatness of the Lord Himself in this last message for Israel! "There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to help you, and in His excellency on the clouds" (v.26). Jeshurun means "the righteous one." Israel will be designated as "the righteous one" in that day, because her faith then will be counted as righteousness. Wonderful contrast to the condition she was in at the time of her rejection of Christ! From the height of heaven this great God will work in the hearts of the people to produce a marvelous change, and they will realize that "the eternal God" is their refuge, and underneath them the everlasting arms (v.27). How wonderful a revelation to their hearts that the Lord Jesus whom they crucified is the eternal God! His arms of eternal strength will uphold them.

(f) The last words celebrate the triumph of divine goodness for them, before which all enemies are helpless and defeated. This is a thing of course: but blessed are the people who are the subjects of such a salvation! And who is like the God of Jeshurun? He rides upon the heavens to thy help. Thy refuge is the eternal God; and underneath are everlasting arms!

These blessings of the individual tribes doubtless bring into prominence the special features connected with each; yet this individual blessing is shared by all. All these blessings are headed up in the ascription of praise to the God of Jeshurun, the Helper of Israel, who is the refuge of His people and whose everlasting arms sustain them, who shall drive out their enemy from before them and give them the land of corn and wine. The heavens above shall look down upon the smiling earth where all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

But, moreover, if the ways of God towards His people were connected with their faithfulness and the manifestation of Himself — if God suited His ways to their conduct to manifest His government and Himself — He also exalted Himself above all to bless and to keep. He would fall back upon the title of His own glory in order to be to them an infallible source of blessing and security; He would make known His glory in the behalf of Israel; He rode upon the heavens in their help. Where His majesty was, there was the help of the people. He would uphold them also, would destroy their enemies, and then should Israel dwell in safety alone. The nations should dwell in a fruitful land, on which the heavens would drop down blessings as dew. Happy people! objects of the deliverance of God, who was unto them as a shield and a sword. Their enemies would be subdued under them.

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 ascertain God's will. God's ideal king would rule God's people according to the mind of God.

Name given to Israel, probably signifying 'upright ones;' others prefer 'beloved of Jehovah.' Jehovah was the 'God of Jeshurun;' and Moses, 'king in Jeshurun.' Deut. 32:15; Deut. 33:5, 26; Isa. 44:2.

And when they crossed the Jordan, He still accompanied or went before them. The cloud of the divine glory, which had journeyed with them in the wilderness, now rested between the cherubim which overshadowed the mercy-seat; and after their conquest of the land under Joshua, the tabernacle of the congregation, enclosing alike the ark of the covenant, the mercy-seat, and the shekinah and cherubim above, was set up at Shiloh, which from that time became the seat of government. It was there, "before Jehovah," that Joshua "divided the land among the tribes for an inheritance" (Joshua 18:1-10). The house of God was there during the period of the Judges,* and up to the time of Eli and Samuel. It was in the days of the latter that the people, wearied of being under the direct government of God Who from time to time appointed judges over them, and desiring to be like the nations which surrounded them, asked Samuel to make them a king over them. This displeased Samuel, and he prayed to Jehovah. What was the answer of Jehovah to him? "And Jehovah said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them" (1 Sam. 8:7). This is very plain. 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. 33:4), or by Joshua at another, or afterwards by the judges who were successively raised up. Still, God was their King.

Nothing can exceed the grandeur of the closing words of Moses; and they will assuredly be fulfilled in the future brightness and glory of restored Israel. He has dealt with His people according to the fiery law in His right hand; but He has not exhausted the resources of His tender mercy; nay, the best wine is kept to the last, to be brought in by Him whom they knew not in His humiliation but will own to theirs, yet in the end with exceeding joy when He returns in glory to change the water of purifying after their manner into that which gladdens the heart of God and man. "There is none like the God of Jeshurun, riding the heavens for thy help, and for his excellency the skies. The God of ages is a refuge, and underneath the everlasting arms; and he shall drive away the enemy from thy presence, and say, Destroy. Israel dwells in safety, the fountain of Jacob on a land of corn and new wine; his heavens also drop down dew. Happy thou, O Israel: who is like thee, O people saved by Jehovah, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! And thy enemies shall lie to thee; and thou shalt tread on the high places."

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 being selected, as Jethro counselled under God; for he only advised it, if "God command thee 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. Moreover his Gentile wife is there, though she had disappeared during the time when God was redeeming His people by powerful judgments, and in her we see a faint type of the church.

Verse 4 recalls the giving of the law by Moses, the law being a heritage in which Israel should have rejoiced. But Moses was said to be "King in Jeshurun" Though he did have the place of authority, yet it is most unusual that he should be called "king." The answer to this is in the prophetic character of the blessing. Moses typified Christ, who will have the place of King in the coming day, when all Israel will be gathered in a unity they have never before displayed.