THE BLESSINGS/PROPHECIES BY MOSES ON THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL – DEUTERONOMY 33

The words of Moses to the tribes before he died contain a host of Biblical information and prophetic meaning to both Hebrew Foundation Christian and Jewish believers. The Chumash has interesting commentary and is used in this study.

As you read these “words” to the Tribes of Israel keep in mind the words of Paul the Apostle in Romans 11 on our grafting into Israel. First we seek to understand these blessing in their historical context. Then we should seek to understand how these blessing are eternal and apply to ALL those who are grafted into Israel.

Ezekiel 47.21-23 applies to all who have been grafted into the Commonwealth of Israel, it is an amazing promise:

“So shall ye divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel and it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, who have begotten sons among you; and they shall be unto you as native born among the sons of Israel; they shall have cast lots with you to inherit among the tribes of Israel.

 And it shall come to pass, that in the tribe in which the stranger sojourns, there shall ye give him his inheritance, said the Lord GOD.”

Rueben ⁶ ¶ Let Reuben live and not die, and let not his men be few (let him be counted in the census).

Reuben required this blessing of live (in this world) and not die (in the world to come) because of his violation of Bilhah’s bed (Gen 35.22). Moses blessed him first because he was the firstborn of Leah--or because Reuben would be the first to receive a portion of the land. These blessing on the tribes follow this order according to some Jewish sages. He was to be included in the count and Moses prayed his population would not be diminished for his sin. He was stripped of his leadership role by Jacob (Gen 49.3-4).

Judah⁷ And this blessing is for Judah, and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people; let his hands be sufficient for him, and be thou a help to him from his enemies.

Judah, from the Davidic royal line will play a central role in Jewish history, past and present. They would lead the nation in the wars for Eretz Israel in Biblical history--and present world history. Moses blessing/prophecy/prayer here is similar to Jacob’s in Genesis 49.8—Judah’s armies would be victorious over their enemies relying upon God in battle. We see the tiny nation of Israel in our day holding their enemies at bay.

Levi ⁸ ¶ And to Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah⁹ who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen them; neither did he acknowledge his brethren nor know his own children; therefore, they shall keep thy word and guard thy covenant.

¹⁰ They shall teach Jacob thy judgments and Israel thy law; they shall put incense before thy nostrils and a perfect sacrifice upon thine altar.¹¹ Bless, O LORD, his ministry, {Heb. men of valour} and take pleasure in the work of his hands; smite through the loins of those that rise up against him and of those that hate him that they may never rise again.

Moses blessing/prophecy begins with the Priests and then the tribe as a whole. He praised the steadfast loyalty and bravery of the Levites in the Wilderness. First at Massah (Exodus 17) where the people were rebellious, questioning Elohim’s ability to provide water at the waters of Meribah when Moses hit the rock. Levi had not joined those who had complained according to Jewish commentary.

…who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen them; neither did he acknowledge his brethren nor know his own children; this occurred at the Golden Calf incident when Levi performed their duty without regard to their own families and slew those who worshipped the IDOL. Three thousand were slain (Ex 32.27). They were loyal only to God’s word.

As the Levites were “divided from Israel” because of their cruelty to the men of Shechem (Gen 49.7) this negative trait illustrates how we can overcome and turn a negative trait into a positive. It became a strength in the Wilderness as they obeyed God without hesitation! Divided from Israel also was fulfilled as they had no land inheritance but lived in the cities as they performed their priestly duties to the nation. They would go on to “teach Jacob thy judgments.”

NOTE: Simeon is omitted from these prophecies most likely because of his cruelties with Levi and because in the incident in Baal Peor the rebels were Simeonites (Numbers 25) It was Zimri, a Simeonite prince and Cozbi, a Middianite woman. Both were slain. Simeon would eventually be given an inheritance within the tribal boundaries of Judah (Joshua 19.9). They would often fight side by side in the many wars Judah fought. Their cruelty also became a positive in faithfully assisting Judah in battle.

Benjamin¹² ¶ And to Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall rest between his shoulders.

Benjamin’s inheritance borded and was located within Jerusalem. The sages say the Temple was built in Benjamin’s portion of Jerusalem. Benjamin received this blessing for three reasons: A. He was the only one born in the Holy Land (the others were born in Aram, while Jacob worked for Laban. B. He had no part in the sale of Joseph. C. He comforted Jacob in his old age. Therefore he was honored to have the Temple built in his portion of the City.

…shall rest between his shoulders…the Temple was built in the Judean hills, as if “on Benjamin’s shoulders”.

Joseph¹³ And to Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD is his land, for the gifts of the heavens, for the dew, and for the deep that is stretched out beneath ¹⁴ and for the gifts of the fruits of the sun and for the gifts of the influence of the moon¹⁵ and for the summit of the ancient mountains and for the gifts of the everlasting hills,

¹⁶ and for the gifts of the earth and fullness thereof, and may the grace of him that dwelt in the bush come upon the head of Joseph and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

¹⁷ His beauty is like the firstborn of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns (wild oxen); with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; these are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Manasseh.

Joseph’s blessing includes those of Ephraim and Manasseh and parallels Jacob’s blessing in Genesis 49.25. Joseph’s blessing contains specific information that is prophetic in our time. His glorious roots and accomplishments came with danger. He married Pharaoh’s daughter and sired Ephraim and Manasseh who would later lead the Northern Kingdom into idolatry and dispersion after taken captive by Assyria.

Joseph’s territory was very fertile and had great sources of water in the deep beneath, fountains of “living waters” as Yeshua would say.

…and for the gifts of the fruits of the sun and for the gifts of the influence of the moon¹⁵   The sun we know ripens, but influence of the moon would be produce that matures at night, such as cucumber and melon.

…and for the gifts of the earth and fullness thereof, and may the grace of him that dwelt in the bush come upon the head of Joseph, gifts of the earth mean abundance and the mountain crops in Samaria ripened earlier than the low lands.

…beauty (sovereignty) is like the firstborn of his bullock, Joseph’s sovereignty is related to the fact that he is looked upon as the true first born of Jacob, as Jacob loved Rachel but was tricked into marrying Leah and had to work seven years to gain her (Gen 29 also see 1 Chronicles 5.1-2). The birthright goes through Joseph (those grafted into Israel included).

…his horns are like the horns of unicorns (wild oxen); with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; these are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Manasseh. The horns of the “wild oxen” represent power, the two horns being Ephraim and Manasseh. These two tribes would become world powers in the modern age (Great Britain and USA) pushing the nations in the natural world and in the spiritual world. What other powers spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth like Ephraim and Manasseh?

Zebulun and Issachar ¹⁸ ¶ And to Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and thou, Issachar, in thy tents.¹⁹ They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness; therefore they shall suck the abundance of the seas and hidden treasures of the sand.

Zebulun and Issachar had a unique partnership. Zebulun engaged in maritime commerce and supported Issachar who devoted his time to Torah study and calendar calculations. Issachar “had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12.32). They kept the calendar and studied Torah. Both tribes were nourished by the sea.

Zebulun’s maritime success provided for and supported Issachar’s work. Just as many scholars are supported by the wealthy in their pursuits of truth, so Zebulun supported Issachar. The sages say this is what allowed Issachar to stay in “thy tents” and supervise the nation’s calendar and study Torah. Read their blessings in Genesis 49.13-15

Gad ²⁰ And to Gad he said, Blessed is he that caused Gad to be enlarged; he shall dwell as a lion and shall tear the arm with the crown of the head. ²¹ And he saw the best for himself because there the portion of the lawgiver was enclosed; and he came at the head of the people; he shall execute the righteousness of the LORD and his judgments with Israel.

Gad’s territory was located on the eastern side of the Jordan—the land of Sichon and Og. It was larger than the territory of any of the western tribes. Moses said, “Blessed is he that caused Gad to be enlarged” which of course was God. As a tribe which lived on the border Gad was like a lion defending the border against enemies; he shall dwell as a lion and shall tear the arm with the crown of the head. Because the Gadites also defended the neighboring tribes borders Moses blessed them with great strength; he shall execute the righteousness of the LORD and his judgments with Israel.

During the conquest of the land Gad marched among the first to fight (Joshua 1.12-14).

Gad had requested this portion of Sichon and Og and it was the first territory conquered in Eretz Israel. Finally the Sages interpret he saw the best for himself because there the portion of the lawgiver was enclosed; as Gad desiring this territory because they understood Moses would be buried there (Deut 34.6).

Dan ²² ¶ And to Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp; he shall leap from Bashan.

The inheritance of Dan was along the Mediterranean coast so Dan was attacked by seafaring marauders. Like Gad, Dan is described as a lion’s whelp, defending against enemies. Like a lion Dan was adventurous and traveled extensively. In modern times we see many places throughout Europe named after Dan. Dan River, Danube, Dardanelles, Danmark, etc. The tribe of Dan was a settler in many areas during the diaspora! He literally leaped from Bashan!

Naphtali ²³ And to Naphtali he said, Naphtali, filled with grace and full of the blessing of the LORD, shall inherit the sea and the south shore.

Naphtali’s blessing refers to the riches of his territory. The south shore refers to territory in the northwest which included the lake of Galilee. They were fishermen. Most likely Peter and his brother were from the tribe of Naphtali.

Asher ²⁴ And to Asher he said, Asher, more blessed than the sons, shall be acceptable unto his brethren and shall dip his foot in oil.²⁵ Thy locks shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

Moses followed Jacob’s word of blessing (Gen 49.20) in focusing on the fertility of Asher’s inheritance. They were a large and prosperous tribe as more blessed than the sons, shall be acceptable unto his brethren and shall dip his foot in oil. When Asher was born Leah said she was the most fortunate of women (Gen 30.13). Asher provided the nation with abundant and delicious produce and olive oil.

Thy locks shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. Moses was assuring the rest of the tribes they would be secure in their borders as protected by iron and brass. It also refers to Asher who was situated at the strategic and vulnerable northern border. Moses was assuring the nation that Asher would defend the area as if sealed by iron and brass.

Jeshurun ²⁶ ¶ There is no other like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rides upon the heavens for thy help, in the clouds with his excellency.

Jeshurun – The Hebrew meaning of Jeshurun means upright and righteous. It is God’s adoring name to ALL Israel (we are grafted into Israel).  Moses is telling the tribes that when they conduct themselves in an upright and righteous manner Elohim will ride across the heavens to come to their aid!

One ancient Sage, R’ Hirsch, puts it this way: “Nothing can compare to the manner in which God will manifest Himself if the Jewish people remain true to their calling of Jeshurun: If they remain straight and upright pursuing life in undeviating loyalty to their duty”.

I would say the same goes for all those who follow our Messiah Yeshua in His Kingdom of God!

Israel ²⁷ The habitation of God is eternal, and underneath the everlasting arms; he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee and shall say, Destroy them. ²⁸ Then Israel, the fountain of Jacob, shall dwell in safety alone in a land of grain and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.²⁹ Blessed art thou, O Israel, who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help and the sword of thy excellency? Thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

Moses last words are a mixture of love and praise. In previous chapters of Deuteronomy he has threatened Israel with a frightening array of punishments if they should fall short of God’s calling. History testifies to the suffering the tribes have experience throughout human history.

But now, in his final good-bye, Moses displays his and God’s feelings toward the nation: ²⁷ The habitation of God is eternal, and underneath the everlasting arms; he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee and shall say, Destroy them. ²⁸ Then Israel, the fountain of Jacob, shall dwell in safety alone in a land of grain and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. This promise brings to mind Zechariah’s end time prophecy To the House of Judah and Ephraim: “…for I have bent Judah for me as a bow, and I made Ephraim his arrow, and I will raise up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and make thee as the sword of a mighty man.”

Because of our lofty status as Israel we are not permitted to indulge in excesses that are regarded as “acceptable” by other nations! Moses last words are of blessing and reassurance—for ultimately ALL ISRAEL will fulfill its promise and be showed with Divine rewards that will eclipse the punishment it has endured. Blessed art thou, O Israel, who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help and the sword of thy excellency?

We are more than overcomers in Yeshua and we are grafted into reunited Israel (Ezek 37.15-28). We have much to learn from the Torah.