MARCH 9
In contrast to the urgent warnings against unfaithfulness, Moses' last recorded words are optimistic blessings for each of the tribes of Israel as they prepare to take over the land which was promised to their forefathers. Although the exact interpretation of each blessing is sometimes obscure, it is clear that Moses is caught up in the excitement of pending conquests and uses the occasion for giving encouragement and hope.
Prior to giving these blessings,
Moses is told that he is to go up on a mountain to view the land of Canaan and
then die soon thereafter.
MOSES SUMMONED BEFORE DEATH.
Deut. 32:48-52 [Num. 27:12-14 ]
On that same day the lord told Moses, "Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel."
MOSES BLESSES THE TRIBES. Deut.
33:1-6
This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death. He said:
"The lord came from Sinai
and dawned over them from Seir;
he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came with myriads of holy ones
from the south, from his mountain slopes." Surely it is you who love the people;
all the holy ones are in your hand. At your feet they all bow down,
and from you receive instruction, the law that Moses gave us,
the possession of the assembly of Jacob. He was king over Jeshurun0
when the leaders of the people assembled,
along with the tribes of Israel.
"Let Reuben live and not
die, nor his men be few."
- And this he said about Judah:
"Hear, O lord, the cry of Judah"
bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause. Oh, be his help against his foes!"
Dent. 33:8-11
About Levi he said: •
"Your Thummim and Urim belong
to the man you favored. You tested him at Massah;
you contended with him at the waters of Meribah. He said of his father and mother,
'I have no regard for them.' He did not recognize his brothers
or acknowledge his own children, but he watched over your word "
and guarded your covenant. He teaches your precepts (o Jacob
and your law to Israel. He offers incense before you
and whole burnt offerings on your altar. Bless all his skills, O lord,
and be pleased with the work of
his hands. Smite the loins of those who rise up against him; strike his foes
till they rise no more."
About Benjamin he said:
"Let the beloved of the lord rest secure in him, for he shields
him all day long, and the one the lord loves
rests between his shoulders."
Deut. 33:13-17
About Joseph he said:
"May the lord bless his land
with the precious dew from heaven above
and with the deep waters that lie below; with the best the sun brings forth
and the finest the moon can yield; with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains _ (
and the fruit fullness of the everlasting hills; with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among"! his brothers. In majesty he is like a firstborn bull;
his horns are the horns of a wild ox. ' With them he will gore the nations,
even those at the ends of the earth. :" Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim;
such are the thousands of
Manasseh."
Deut. 33:18,19
About
Zebulun he said:
"Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and you, Issachar, in your tents. They will summon peoples to the mountain
and
there offer sacrifices of righteousness; they will feast on the abundance of
the seas, on the treasures hidden in the sand."
Deut.33:20,21
About
Gad he said:
"Blessed is he who enlarges Gad's domain!
Gad lives there like a lion,
tearing at arm or head. He chose the best land for himself;
the leader's portion was kept for him. When the heads of the people assembled,
he carried out the lord's righteous will,
and his
judgments concerning Israel."
Deut.33:22
About
Dan he said:
"Dan is a lion's cub,
springing
out of Bashan."
Deut.33:23
About
Naphtali he said:
"Naphtali
is abounding with the favor of the lord and
is full of his blessing; he will inherit southward to the lake."
Deut.33:24-29
About
Asher he said:
"Most blessed of sons is Asher;
let him be favored by his brothers, and let him bathe his feet in oil. The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days.
"There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
who rides on the heavens to help you
and on the clouds in his majesty. The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you,
saying, 'Destroy him!' So Israel will live in safety alone;
Jacob's spring is secure in a land of grain and new wine,
where the heavens drop dew. Blessed are you, O Israel!
Who is like you,
a people saved by the lord? He is your shield and helper
and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you,
and you
will trample down their high places/
Moses'
Death and Burial.
The tribes having
been blessed, and all things set in order, Moses prepares to ascend Mount Nebo
for a long-awaited view of the promised land. It must be with mixed emotions
that he climbs that last step and looks down over "the land that flows
with milk and honey." The land is rich and fertile. There is room for a
nation, and roots at last for a wandering people. The long journey has been
worth it, and the God who has promised it all is indeed faithful. But the land
must still be conquered. While Moses has every confidence that God can deliver
the land, he knows that territorial conquest is nothing compared to the
struggle which the Israelites will face in trying to maintain their covenant
relationship with God. So Moses must be both excited and concerned (not to
mention apprehensive about his own impending death).
MOSES
VIEWS PROMISED LAND
Deut.34:1-4.
Then
Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across
from Jericho. There the lord showed
him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of
Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea,-' the
Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as
far as Zoar. Then the lord said
to him, "This is the land 1 promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
when I said, T will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with
your eyes, but you will not cross over into it."
MOSES
DIES. Deut.34:5-7
And
Moses the servant of the lord died
there in Moab, as the lord had
said. He buried him' in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day
no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when
he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone,
ISRAEL
MOURNS. Deut.34:8
The
Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time
of weeping and mourning was over.
JOSHUA
LEADS. Deut. 34:9
Now
Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit" of wisdom because Moses had
laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what
the LORD had commanded Moses.
TRIBUTE
TO MOSES. Deut.
34:10-12
Since
then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the lord knew face to face, who did all
those miraculous signs and wonders the lord
sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his
whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome
deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
So ends the life of the greatest man of God since Abraham. As Abraham had taught a family about faith, Moses had taught a nation about law. And in centuries to come, One greater than them both will teach the whole world about love and grace.