RPG Adults
MOSES’ BLESSING OF THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24
Deuteronomy 33:1-6
Psalm 127:1-2
“Except the LORD build the house,
they labour in vain that build it…”
MOSES’ BLESSING OF THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL
Prior to his departure, Moses said something concerning the future of the children of Israel. These were the blessings that he left for them, similar to those of Jacob in Genesis 49. He named each of the twelve tribes and said a word for each one, except for Simeon. He began with a few remarks to praise the Lord and then blessings for each. He closed with more remarks. These were the blessings of Moses.
In these parting words, this man of God blessed the children of Israel, and then he died. This was the expected farewell after leading the nation all those years. Moses recalled those days that the Lord led them in the wilderness to Sinai, Seir and Paran. The Lord came with ten thousand saints, and from His right hand He gave the Law. God loved the people and they submitted to receive His words. The Law that Moses commanded was their inheritance. The Lord was king in Jeshurun as heads of the tribes gathered together. It was a poetic name for Israel. In this, Moses was recalling how the Lord had been with the nation and the great works He had done. As he was now departing, the Lord would continue to lead them and he spoke of the specific destiny of each tribe in these blessings.
The blessings of Moses for each of the twelve tribes of Israel are brief and are not the same as those of Jacob in their detail. Reuben is the eldest of all the children of Jacob and his name comes first although Moses did not follow that order after this.
He said that Reuben would live and not die and his men would not be few. The blessings he cited were based on experiences and circumstances of each of the tribes. When Jacob blessed them earlier, they were only families, but now after more than 400 years they were part of a big nation. The number given for them when a census was taken showed that they were great in number. These figures were recorded in the book of Numbers. The predictions of Moses were based on the immediate circumstances and this explained the reason for the omission of one tribe which had just rebelled.
THOUGHT: The prophetic words of Moses came from the Lord.
PRAYER: Father, may I be counted worthy of Thy blessings.