"And this is the blessing wherewith Moses, the man of God, blessed the
children of Israel before his death."
It is full of interest and comfort to find that the last words of the
lawgiver were words of unmingled blessing. We have dwelt upon his
various discourses--those solemn, searching, and deeply affecting
homilies addressed to the congregation of Israel; we have meditated
upon that marvelous song, with its mingled notes of grace and
government: but we are now called to hearken to words of most precious
benediction, words of sweetest comfort and consolation, words flowing
from the very heart of the God of Israel and giving His own loving
thoughts respecting them, and His onlook into their glorious future.
The reader will doubtless notice a marked difference between the last
words of Moses as recorded in Deuteronomy xxxiii. and the last words
of Jacob as given in Genesis xlix. It is needless to say that both are
given by the same pen--both divinely inspired, and hence, although
they differ, they do not and cannot clash; there is, there can be, no
discrepancy between two sections of the volume of God. This is a
cardinal truth, a vital and fundamental principle with every devout
Christian, every true believer--a truth to be tenaciously grasped and
faithfully confessed, in the face of all the ignorant and insolent
assaults of infidelity.
We are not, of course, going to enter upon an elaborate comparison of
the two chapters; this would be impossible just now, on various
grounds. We are obliged to be as concise and brief as possible. But
there is one grand point of difference, which can be seized at a
glance. Jacob gives the history of the actings of his sons--some of
them, alas! most sad and humiliating: Moses, on the contrary, presents
the actings of divine grace, whether in them or toward them. This will
at once account for the difference. The evil actings of Reuben, of
Simeon, and of Levi are recorded by Jacob, but entirely omitted by
Moses. Is this discrepancy? Nay, but divine harmony. Jacob views his
sons in their personal history; Moses views them in their
covenant-relationship with Jehovah. Jacob gives us human failure,
infirmity, and sin: Moses gives us divine faithfulness, goodness, and
loving-kindness. Jacob gives us human actings, and judgment thereon:
Moses gives us divine counsels, and unmingled blessing flowing out of
them. Thanks and praise to our God, His counsels and His blessings and
His glory are above and beyond all human failure, sin, and folly. He
will ultimately have it all His own way, and that forever; then,
Israel and the nations shall be fully blessed, and shall rejoice
together in the abundant goodness of God, and celebrate His praise
from shore to shore, and from the river to the ends of the earth.
We shall now do little more than quote for the reader the various
blessings of the tribes. They are full of most precious instruction,
and do not call for much in the way of exposition.
"And he said, 'The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto
them; He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands
of saints [holy ones]; from His right hand went a fiery law for them.
Yea, _He loved the people_;"--precious, unfailing source of all their
future blessing!--"_all His saints are in Thy hand_;"--true secret of
their perfect security!--"and they sat down at _Thy feet_;"--the only
safe and proper attitude for them, for us, for each, for all!--"every
one shall receive of Thy words."--Blessed boon! precious treasure!
Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord is more
precious, by far, than thousands of gold and silver; sweeter also than
honey and the honey-comb.--"Moses commanded us a law, even the
inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. And he was king in Jeshurun,
when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered
together. Let Reuben live and not die, and let not his men be few.'"
We have nothing here about Reuben's instability, nothing about his
sin. Grace is in the ascendant; blessings are flowing in rich
abundance from the loving heart of the One who delights to bless and
to surround Himself with hearts filled to overflowing with the sense
of His goodness.
"And this is the blessing of 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 is the royal line. "Our Lord sprang out of Judah," thus
illustrating, in a truly marvelous manner, how divine grace rises, in
its majesty, above human sin, and triumphs gloriously over
circumstances which reveal man's utter weakness. "Judas begat Phares
and Zara of Thamar"! Who but the Holy Spirit could have penned these
words? How plainly they declare that God's thoughts are not as our
thoughts! What human hand would have introduced Thamar into the
genealogical line of our adorable Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? Not
one. The stamp of divinity is strikingly impressed on Matthew i. 3, as
it is upon every clause of the holy volume from beginning to end. The
Lord be praised that it is so!
"Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand shall be
in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down
before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art
gone up; he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion;
who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a
lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall
the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and
his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine,
and his clothes in the blood of grapes; his eyes shall be red with
wine, and his teeth white with milk." (Gen. xlix. 8-12.)
"And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book
written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw
a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to open
the book, and to loose the seals thereof?' And no man in heaven, nor
in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither
to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to
open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the
elders saith unto me, 'Weep not: behold, _the Lion of the tribe of
Juda_, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose
the seven seals thereof.' And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the
throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the
elders, stood _a Lamb_, as it had been _slain_, having seven horns and
seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the
earth."
How highly favored is the tribe of Judah! Surely, to be in the
genealogical line from which our Lord sprang is a high honor, and yet
we know--for our Lord Himself has told us--that it is far higher, far
more blessed, to hear the Word of God and keep it. To do the will of
God, to treasure up in our hearts His precious commandments, brings us
morally nearer to Christ than even the fact of being of His kindred
according to the flesh. (Matt. xii. 46-50.)
"And of Levi he said, 'Let Thy Thummin and Thy Urim [lights and
perfections] be with Thy holy one, whom Thou didst prove at Massah,
and with whom Thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; _who said
unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him_; _neither did
he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew_ his own children; _for they
have observed Thy word and kept Thy covenant_. They shall teach Jacob
Thy judgments, and Israel Thy law; they shall put incense before Thee,
and whole burnt-sacrifice upon Thine altar. Bless, Lord, his
substance, and accept the work of his hands; smite through the loins
of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they
rise not again.'" (Ver. 8-11.)
The reader will notice the fact that Simeon is left out here, though
so intimately associated with Levi in Genesis xlix. "Simeon and Levi
are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my
soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine
honor, be not thou united; for _in their anger they slew a man_, and
_in their self-will_ they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger,
for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide
them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel."
Now, when we compare Genesis xlix, with Deuteronomy xxxiii, we observe
two things, namely, human responsibility on the one hand, and divine
sovereignty on the other. Moreover, we see nature and its actings;
grace and its fruits. Jacob looks at Simeon and Levi linked together
in nature, and displaying nature's tempers and ways. So far as they
were concerned, they both alike deserved the curse; but in Levi, we
see the glorious triumphs of sovereign grace. It was grace which
enabled Levi, in the days of the golden calf, to gird on the sword and
stand for the glory of the God of Israel. "Then Moses stood in the
gate of the camp, and said, 'Who is on the Lord's side? let him come
unto me.' And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto
him. And he said unto them, 'Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put
every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate
throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his
companion, and every man his neighbor.' And the children of Levi did
according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day
about three thousand men. For Moses had said, 'Consecrate yourselves
to-day to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother;
that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.'" (Ex. xxxii. 26-29.)
Where was Simeon on this occasion? He was with Levi in the day of
nature's self-will, fierce anger, and cruel wrath; why not in the day
of bold decision for Jehovah? He was ready to go with his brother to
avenge a family insult, why not to vindicate the honor of God,
insulted as it was by the idolatrous act of the whole congregation?
Will any one say he was not responsible? Let such an one beware how he
raises such a question. The call of Moses was addressed to the whole
congregation; Levi alone responded, and he got the blessing. He stood
for God in a dark and evil day, and for this he was honored with the
priesthood--the very highest dignity that could be conferred upon
him. The call was addressed to Simeon as well as to Levi, but Simeon
did not respond. Is there any difficulty here? To a mere theologian
there may be, but to a devout Christian there is none. God is
sovereign. He does as He pleases, and gives none account of any of His
matters. If any one feels disposed to ask, Why is Simeon omitted in
Deuteronomy xxxiii? The simple and conclusive answer is, "O man, who
art thou that repliest against God?" In Simeon, we see nature's
actings judged; in Levi, we see the fruits of grace rewarded; in both,
we see God's truth vindicated and His name glorified. Thus it ever has
been, thus it is, and thus it shall be. Man is responsible: God is
sovereign. Are we called upon to reconcile these two propositions?
Nay; we are called to believe them. They are reconciled already,
inasmuch as they appear side by side on the page of inspiration. This
is enough for every pious mind; and as for cavilers, they will get
their definitive answer by and by.[27]
[27] For further remarks on the tribe of Levi, the reader is referred
to "Notes on the Book of Exodus," chapter xxxii; "Notes on the Book of
Numbers," chapter iii, iv, and viii; also a pamphlet, first published
in the year 1846, entitled, "The History of the Tribe of Levi
Considered." All these can be had from Loizeaux Brothers.
"And of Benjamin ["the son of my right hand"] 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 dwell between His shoulders.'"
Blessed place for Benjamin! blessed place for each beloved child of
God! How precious is the thought of dwelling in safety in the divine
presence, in conscious nearness to the true and faithful Shepherd and
Bishop of our souls, day and night abiding under the covert of His
sheltering wings!
"How blest are they who still abide,
Close sheltered by Thy watchful side!
Who life and strength from Thee receive,
And with Thee move and in Thee live."
Reader, seek to know more and more the reality and blessedness of
Benjamin's place and portion. Be not satisfied with any thing short of
the enjoyed presence of Christ, the abiding sense of relationship and
nearness to Him. Be assured of it, it is your happy privilege. Let
nothing rob you of it. Keep ever near the Shepherd's side, reposing in
His love, lying down in the green pastures and beside the still
waters. The Lord grant that the writer and the reader may prove the
deep blessedness of this, in this day of hollow profession and empty
talk. May we know the unspeakable preciousness of deep, personal
intimacy with Himself. This is the special need of the day in which
our lot is cast--a day of so much intellectual traffic in truth, but
of so little heart-knowledge and true appreciation of Christ.
"And of Joseph he said, 'Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the
precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth
beneath, and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for
the precious things put forth by the moon, and for the chief things
of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting
hills, and for the precious things of the earth and fullness thereof,
and for the good-will of Him that dwelt in the bush; let the blessing
come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that
was separated from his brethren. His glory is like the firstling of
his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns; with them
he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; and they
are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of
Manasseh.'"
Joseph is a very remarkable type of Christ. We have dwelt upon his
history in our studies on the book of Genesis. The reader will notice
the emphatic way in which Moses speaks of the fact of his having been
separated from his brethren. He was rejected and cast into the pit. He
passed, in figure, through the deep waters of death, and thus reached
the place of dignity and glory. He was raised from the dungeon to be
ruler over the land of Egypt, and the preserver and sustainer of his
brethren. The iron entered into his soul, and he was made to taste the
bitterness of the place of death ere he entered the sphere of glory.
Striking type of Him who hung upon the cross, lay in the grave, and is
now on the throne of the Majesty of heaven.
We cannot but be struck with the fullness of the blessing pronounced
upon Joseph both by Moses in Deuteronomy xxxiii. and by Jacob in
Genesis xlix. Jacob's utterance is uncommonly fine. "Joseph is a
fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well,"--Exquisitely
beautiful figure!--"whose branches run over the wall. The archers have
sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him; but his bow abode
in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands
of the mighty God of Jacob; (_from thence is the Shepherd, the Stone
of Israel_:) even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and
by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts and
of the womb: the blessings of thy father have prevailed above the
blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting
hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the
head of him that was separate from his brethren."
Magnificent range of blessing! And all this flowing from and based
upon his sufferings. It is needless to say that all these blessings
will be made good in the experience of Israel by and by. The
sufferings of the true Joseph will form the imperishable foundation of
the future blessedness of His brethren in the land of Canaan; and not
only so, but the tide of blessing, deep and full, shall flow forth
from that highly favored though now desolate land, in refreshing
virtue into all the earth. "And it shall be in that day, that living
waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former
sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea; in summer and in winter
shall it be." Bright and blessed prospect for Jerusalem, for the land
of Israel, and for the whole earth! What a sad mistake to apply such
scriptures to the gospel dispensation or to the Church of God! How
contrary to the testimony of holy Scripture, to the heart of God, and
to the mind of Christ!
"And of Zebulun he said, 'Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and,
Issachar, in thy tents. They shall call the people unto the mountain;
there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall
suck of the abundance of the seas, and of the treasures hid in the
sand.'"
Zebulun is to rejoice in his going forth, and Issachar in abiding in
his tents. It will be joy at home and abroad; and there will be power
to act on others also--calling the people unto the mountain to offer
the sacrifices of righteousness. All this grounded upon the fact that
they themselves shall suck of the abundance of the seas and of hidden
treasures. Thus it is always, in principle. It is our privilege to
rejoice in the Lord, come what may, and to draw from those eternal
springs and hidden treasures that are to be found in Himself. Then
shall we be in a condition of soul to call others to taste and see
that the Lord is good; and not only so, but to present to God those
sacrifices of righteousness so acceptable to Him.
"And of Gad he said, 'Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as
a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head. And he
provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of
the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people,
he executed the justice of the Lord, and His judgments with Israel.'
And of Dan he said, 'Dan is a lion's whelp; he shall leap from
Bashan.' And of Naphtali he said, 'O Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
and full with the blessing of the Lord: possess thou the west and the
south.' And of Asher he said, 'Let Asher be blessed with children; let
him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days thy strength. There
is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in
thy help, and in His excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy
refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and He shall thrust
out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. Israel
then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon
a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. Happy
art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord,
the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and
thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread
upon their high places.'" (Ver. 20-29.)
Truly we may say human comment is uncalled for here. Nothing can
exceed the preciousness of the grace that breathes in the closing
lines of our book. The blessings of this chapter, like the song of
chapter xxxii, begin and end with God and His marvelous ways with
Israel. It is refreshing and comforting beyond expression, at the
close of all the appeals, all the exhortations, all the solemn
warnings, all the faithful declarations, all the prophetic records as
to failure and sin, judgment and governmental wrath--after all these,
to listen to such accents as those which we have just penned. It is
indeed a most magnificent termination to this blessed book of
Deuteronomy. Grace and glory shine out with uncommon lustre. God will
yet be glorified in Israel, and Israel fully and forever blessed in
God. Nothing can hinder this. The gifts and calling of God are without
repentance. He will make good every jot and tittle of His precious
Word to Israel. The last words of the lawgiver bear the clearest and
fullest testimony to all this. Had we nothing but the last four verses
of the precious chapter on which we have been dwelling, they would be
amply sufficient to prove, beyond all question, the future
restoration, blessing, pre-eminence, and glory of the twelve tribes of
Israel in their own land.
True it is--blessedly true--that the Lord's people now can draw
instruction, comfort, and refreshment from the blessings pronounced
upon Israel. Blessed be God, we can know what it is to be "satisfied
with favor, and full of the blessing of the Lord;" we may take comfort
from the assurance that "as our days shall be our strength," we too
can say, "The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the
everlasting arms"--we can say all this, and much more. We can say what
Israel never could and never can say. The Church's blessings and
privileges are all heavenly and spiritual, but that does not hinder
our taking comfort from the promises made to Israel. The grand
mistake of professing Christians is in applying to the Church
exclusively what most manifestly applies to God's earthly people. We
must once more earnestly entreat the Christian reader to watch against
this serious error. He need not be in the least afraid of losing aught
of his own special blessing by leaving to the seed of Abraham the
place and the portion assigned them by the counsels and promises of
God; on the contrary, it is only when these are clearly understood and
fully acknowledged that we can make an intelligent use of the entire
canon of Old-Testament scripture. We may lay it down as a great
root-principle that no one can possibly understand or interpret
Scripture who does not clearly recognize the grand distinction between
Israel and the Church of God.