“BLESSED ARE YOU, ISRAEL”

Deuteronomy 33:1-29 / Keywords 33:29

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 Blesses the Tribes

33:1 This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death. 2 He said:

“The Lord came from Sinai

    and dawned over them from Seir;

    he shone forth from Mount Paran.

He came with[a] myriads of holy ones

    from the south, from his mountain slopes.[b]

3 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,

4 the law that Moses gave us,

    the possession of the assembly of Jacob.

5 He was king over Jeshurun[c]

    when the leaders of the people assembled,

    along with the tribes of Israel.

6 “Let Reuben live and not die,

    nor[d] his people be few.”

7 And this he said about Judah:

“Hear, 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!”

8 About Levi he said:

“Your Thummim and Urim belong

    to your faithful servant.

You tested him at Massah;

    you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.

9 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.

10 He teaches your precepts to Jacob

    and your law to Israel.

He offers incense before you

    and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

11 Bless all his skills, Lord,

    and be pleased with the work of his hands.

Strike down those who rise against him,

    his foes till they rise no more.”

12 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.”

13 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;

14 with the best the sun brings forth

    and the finest the moon can yield;

15 with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains

    and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;

16 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[e] his brothers.

17 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.”

18 About Zebulun he said:

“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,

    and you, Issachar, in your tents.

19 They will summon peoples to the mountain

    and there offer the sacrifices of the righteous;

they will feast on the abundance of the seas,

    on the treasures hidden in the sand.”

20 About Gad he said:

“Blessed is he who enlarges Gad’s domain!

    Gad lives there like a lion,

    tearing at arm or head.

21 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.”

22 About Dan he said:

“Dan is a lion’s cub,

    springing out of Bashan.”

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.”

24 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.

25 The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze,

    and your strength will equal your days.

26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,

    who rides across the heavens to help you

    and on the clouds in his majesty.

27 The eternal God is your refuge,

    and underneath are the everlasting arms.

He will drive out your enemies before you,

    saying, ‘Destroy them!’

28 So Israel will live in safety;

    Jacob will dwell[f] secure

in a land of grain and new wine,

    where the heavens drop dew.

29 Blessed are you, 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 tread on their heights.”

Footnotes

a. Deuteronomy 33:2 Or from

b. Deuteronomy 33:2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.

c. Deuteronomy 33:5 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel; also in verse 26.

d. Deuteronomy 33:6 Or but let

e. Deuteronomy 33:16 Or of the one separated from

f. Deuteronomy 33:28 Septuagint; Hebrew Jacob’s spring is

1. Before his death, Moses took the time to speak words of blessing over Israel, naming the tribes one by one. Moses’ blessing focuses on God as Israel’s king, the importance of the law, and the priestly role of Levi. Afterall, to maintain God’s blessing, the people needed to hear and obey God’s words and precepts in covenant with God. Incense and offerings (10) are acts of worship and prayer. May God bless our pastors and priests today to teach his precepts and leads his people in worship and prayer.

2. Moses’ blessing harkens back to Genesis 49 when Jacob prophetically blessed his sons. In Genesis, the focus was on the scepter of Judah, foreshadowing David’s kingdom and later the Messianic Kingdom of Jesus. In this passage, Moses does bless each tribe, but his overall focus is on God who blessed all Israel as a whole. God is the eternal source of blessing and security; God holds them in his everlasting arms. The most blessed people are not those with lands and materials, but those saved by the LORD. In the same way, we who believe in Jesus are the most blessed people because Jesus saves us.

Prayer Father, thank you for saving us and reigning over us through Jesus. We are most blessed to have your word of promise and covenant of grace. Help us remember how blessed we are.

One Word We are most blessed