Devotionary

Today we begin a brand-new series on the Gospel of John. This remarkable book will take us on incredible journey of discovery that that begins with the very first day of Jesus’ earthly ministry when He was baptized by John in the wilderness, all the way to His death, burial, and resurrection more than 3 years later. And along the way, John will provide us with his first-person account of all that he witnessed along the way. As one of Jesus’ hand-picked disciples, John had a unique vantage point from which to observe and assess all that Jesus said and did. Like the other disciples, he would struggle to grasp exactly who Jesus was and what He had come to do. In his heart, he longed for Jesus to be the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. And that hope carried certain expectations. But his gospel account, written years later, will reveal how his understanding of and belief in Jesus changed over time. John learned that Jesus was far more than a man sent to sit on a throne in Israel. He was the Son of God and the Savior sent to redeem a lost and dying world.   

In today’s passage, Moses blesses four more of the tribes. This time, he calls out Zebulun, Issachar, Gad, and Dan. There were four of the smaller tribes of Israel and the each had a less-than-stellar record when it came to faithfulness to Yahweh. So, in Deuteronomy 33:128-22, Moses will keep his blessings short and sweet, and leave a great deal up to the imagination, in terms of the meaning of his words. While these tribes had been set apart by God and provided with an inheritance of land, they had each proved to be unfaithful. God every reason to judge them for their disobedience and, one day, he would. But He would also prove to be faithful, eventually choosing to use them – in spite of them. Their disobedience would result in the darkness of God’s judgment. But, ultimately, God would send the light of the world, His Son, to penetrate the darkness with the hope of salvation by grace along through faith alone. 

At the end of chapter 33, Moses made the compelling confession, “There is no one like the God of Israel.” He wanted the people to know that they served a great and incomparable God. But at the same time, the author of the book of Deuteronomy seems to want his readers to know that Moses was also unparalleled and without equal. “There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses,” he writes. Moses was flawed, yet faithful. He could be stubborn and hard-headed, and yet, he never stopped believing in and relying upon God. Now, his day of reckoning has arrived and he will go to be with God. There will be no promised land in Moses’ future, but there will be an eternity spent in fellowship with God. And while Moses would disappear from the scene, the people of Israel would find themselves guided by another one of God’s chosen servants. Because He was not yet done with them. But that’s another story.

Moses was fully convinced that Israel served an incomparable God, who had no equals and, therefore, deserved His peoples’ unwavering commitment. But in Deuteronomy 33:23-29, as Moses wraps up his blessings of the tribes with an address to Naphtali and Asher, he reminds them of God’s goodness and greatness. Like all the other tribes, these two would be blessed by God and given every opportunity to enjoy the benefits of living in the land He had given them. But they would prove unfaithful and unsuccessful in keeping their end of the bargain. Once they entered the land of promise, they would fail to eliminate the pagan inhabitants, choosing instead to take the path of compromise and complacency. God, always faithful to keep His covenant promises, would continue to bless the tribes of Israel. But would they return the favor?   

In Deuteronomy 33:12-17, Moses continues his blessing of the 12 tribes of Israel. And in these verses, he focuses his attention of the tribes of Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh. These were three of the smaller tribes in Israel, but their diminutive size did not mean they were unimportant. Speaking by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, Moses reveals that God’s sovereign hand had been upon these three relatively insignificant tribes from the very beginning. It would be within the territory allotted to the tiny tribe of Benjamin that the Savior of the world would be born – in the remote village of Bethlehem. But the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, both equally small and insignificant, would play a less-auspicious role in the history of Israel. And it would all be according to God’s sovereign will.          

In Deuteronomy 33:6-11, Moses begins to issue his blessings upon the 12 tribes of Israel. While he will not be entering the land of promise with them, he still feels like their spiritual father and wants to communicate his last words of encouragement to each of them. He will echo the words of Jacob, who hundreds of years earlier had issued his blessings to his 12 sons. During the centuries that had passed, God had been working behind the scenes, divinely fulfilling the words spoken by Jacob, and eventually, He would ensure that the blessings of Moses came about as well. These two men had actually been speaking on behalf of God, issuing His divine decrees regarding His chosen people. He would end up blessing the 12 tribes of Israel, in ways neither Jacob or Moses could ever have imagined.   

Moses is fully aware that his days on this earth are quickly drawing to a close. But with a shepherd’s heart, he wants to leave his flock with one last message. And it will come in the form of a blessing. The one who led them out of Egypt and guided them through the wilderness and all the way to the land of promise wanted to pronounce a blessing over them. But knowing that the people were despondent over the thought of his pending death, Moses reminded them that their true leader was God. In Deuteronomy 33:1-5, the shepherd of Israel focuses their attention back on the one who had always been their true deliverer and King: God Himself. While Moses was going away, God would be going before them. The one who had redeemed them would continue to guide and rule over them. They were not alone.

As the Book of Deuteronomy draws to a close, it also brings an end to the leadership of Moses. But God had more in store for Moses than simply turning over the reins of leadership to Joshua. He was going to give up far more than his role as deliverer of Israel. Moses wouldn’t have the option of retiring from office and fading into the background as one of the millions of Israelites who crossed the Jordan into Canaan. God was going to ban him from ever setting foot in the land and, instead, would ensure that the wilderness would be his final destination. In Deuteronomy 32:48-52, God once again reminds Moses of the painful consequences of his earlier indiscretion. Moses had treated God with disrespect and was now going to pay the ultimate penalty for his sin.

God doesn’t make idol threats. Whatever He says, He does. When He makes a promise, He keeps it. When He issues a threat, He follows through with it. And in Deuteronomy 32:39-47, God lets His people know that they can believe all that He has said to them. They were to take His words seriously and memorize them carefully, teaching them to their children and grandchildren. As Moses continues to prepare the people of God for their entrance into the land of Canaan, he reminds them that the words of the song God had given them are to be remembered and sung for generations. It is to stand in judgment of them, a constant reminder of God’s call to faithfulness and their failure to heed that call. More than just a song, it is to be an everlasting memorial set to music. A reminder of who God is and all that He has called them to do.     

God will not tolerate disobedience from His chosen people. He has warned them repeatedly that their failure to remain faithful to Him will have dire consequences, including their ultimate fall to foreign powers who will destroy and enslave them. But in Deuteronomy 32:28-38, God has a few choice words of warning for those very same nations. He knows human nature and is well aware that these powerful nations will see their successes over Israel and Judah as their own doing. Puffed up with pride, they will claim the God-ordained judgment of Israel and Judah as something accomplished in their own strength and power. And so, God warns them that the day will come when the tables will be turned, and they find themselves on the receiving end of God’s wrath and judgment. And God assures His people that, when that day comes, He will once again shower them with His undeserved grace and mercy.