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The Scriptorium

Blessing the People of God (4)

We are blessed in them. Deuteronomy 33.18-29

The Final Works of Moses: Deuteronomy 33, 34 (5)

Opening Prayer: Deuteronomy 32.42, 43
“I will make My arrows drunk with blood,
And My sword shall devour flesh,
With the blood of the slain and the captives,
From the heads of the leaders of the enemy.”
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people;
For He will avenge the blood of His servants,
And render vengeance to His adversaries;
He will provide atonement for His land and His people.”

Sing Deuteronomy 32.42, 43, 3
(Sagina: And Can It Be)
God makes His arrows drunk with blood; all wicked flesh shall feel His sword.
All who oppose Him and hate the good, will know the judgment of the Lord.
Come, nations all, rejoice with us in Him who delivers those who in Him trust.
Refrain, v. 3
I will proclaim our Savior’s fame, and sing the greatness of His Name.


Today’s Text: Read Deuteronomy 33.18-29

Preparation
1. How is God pictured in these verses?

2. Why was Israel the happiest of all peoples?

Meditation
The remaining tribes are blessed: Zebulun, Issachar, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, and Asher. Their blessings are commensurate with those we have already seen, depending on where they are to be situated in the land. The overall picture is of a people abundantly blessed, happy, safe, and free.

At the end of these blessings, Moses returns to his opening theme, the greatness of God. He is immense and excellent (v. 26), and is a refuge and support for His people (v. 27). He will defeat their enemies, keep them in safety, and supply all their needs (v. 28). Thus, Israel will be the happiest of all the peoples of the earth (v. 29), saved by the Lord, shielded by His help, and ruling over all their enemies. The final word from Moses to God’s people restates a warning he has issued over and again, but which Israel will ultimately fail to heed: “And you shall tread down their high places” (v. 29).

Blessing and bounty were the promise held out to the people of God, but compromise, idolatry, and rebellion is the path they would choose. When Israel settled for the blessings rather than One Who blesses, their doom was sealed. God alone is our help and our salvation. Let us seek Him and His Kingdom above all else; if we will, all else will be added to us (Matt. 6.33).

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
We are the people of God (Heb. 12.22; 1 Pet. 2.9). As His children we are: Reuben, Judah, Levi, Benjamin, Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh), Zebulun, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, Issachar, and Asher. We are offered the blessing and the cursing of God. We will choose, as they chose, some for good and some for evil. But God is the same. The promise is the same: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” And “Happy are you, O Israel [you Christians today]! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall tread down their high places” (Deut. 33.27, 29). God is ready to guide us, to order our steps, to uphold us, and to bless us. We need only be His adoring children: trusting and obeying. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand” (Ps. 37.23, 24).

Reflection

1. Why can we know that the promises and blessings God made to Israel of old yet remain for His people today?

2. What are the greatest hindrances to our laying hold on the precious and very great promises of God?

3. How can believers encourage one another to more consistency in trusting, obeying, and loving our God?

He again exclaims that happy is the people, whose salvation is in God; and surely this is the only true happiness; for unless we ascend to the first cause of Salvation, all salvations, so to speak, are but transitory. And, since God had honored the Israelites alone with this privilege, their condition is here distinguished from the common lot of the whole human race.
John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Deuteronomy 33.29

Thank You for the blessing of knowing You, Lord! Use me today to…

Closing Prayer: Deuteronomy 32.32-41
Let the Lord search your soul, to reveal and cleanse you of any lingering sins. Then call on Him to attend to you with His blessings and Presence throughout the day.

Deuteronomy 32.32-41, 3
(Sagina: And Can It Be)
See the corruption of the land; like Sodom and Gomorrah they shall fall.
Bitter the fruit on every hand, their poisonous venom is over all.
God stores this up within His heart, to give His people their woeful part.
Refrain, v. 3
I will proclaim our Savior’s fame, and sing the greatness of His Name.

What, though He judge His people sore, He will have compassion on their soul,
Once they repent to sin no more, and turn to the Lord to make them whole.
Let them no longer vain idols trust, but look to God alone as just.
Refrain, v. 3
I will proclaim our Savior’s fame, and sing the greatness of His Name.

“Now see that I am God alone; no other gods exist but Me.
I have the power, all on My own, to heal, deliver, and set you free.
All those who hate Me I will repay with vengeance and judgment on that day.”
Refrain, v. 3
I will proclaim our Savior’s fame, and sing the greatness of His Name.

T. M. and Susie Moore

Listen to our summary of last week’s study in Deuteronomy by clicking here. You can download all the studies in the series by clicking here. And check out our current ReVision series on encouragement.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All quotations from Church Fathers from
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy: Ancient Christian Commentary Series III, Joseph T. Lienhard, S. J. ed. in collaboration with Ronnie J. Rombs, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2001). All quotations from John Calvin from John Calvin, Commentaries on The Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Order of A Harmony, Rev. Charles William Bingham M. A., tr. and ed. (Edinburgh: The Calvin Translation Society, 1863. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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