seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Deuteronomy 33:6
7 And this he said about Judah:
8 About Levi he said:
“Let Reuben live and not die,
nor[d] his people be few.”
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!”
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.”
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.”
d. Deuteronomy 33:6 Or but let
These comments came from the blueletterbible.org site.
Let Reuben live: This is a general blessing for the tribe of Reuben. Moses prayed, "Nor let his men be few," asking that the tribe of Reuben be blessed with growth.
This tepid blessing is in line with Jacob's prophecy concerning the tribe of Reuben (you shall not excel, Genesis 49:4). The tribe of Reuben never did excel; as far as we know, there never came a prophet, a judge, or a king from the tribe of Reuben.
This tepid blessing is in line with Jacob's prophecy concerning the tribe of Reuben (you shall not excel, Genesis 49:4). The tribe of Reuben never did excel; as far as we know, there never came a prophet, a judge, or a king from the tribe of Reuben.
Remember, Reuben not only sold his brother Joseph into slavery, but he also slept with his father's wife, Bilhah [Genesis 35:22]. Still, Moses blessed the tribe.
Since the name Judah means praise, Moses prayed that the LORD would hear the voice of praise.
Essentially, Moses prayed for the blessing and sustaining of the tribe of Judah, no doubt until it could fulfill its prophetic destiny to bring forth the Messiah.
Essentially, Moses prayed for the blessing and sustaining of the tribe of Judah, no doubt until it could fulfill its prophetic destiny to bring forth the Messiah.
Moses knew this destiny for the tribe of Judah from Jacob's prophecy in Genesis 49:10: The scepter shall not depart from Judah.
Because of this, Levi had a blessed place among the tribes of Israel. Moses prayed that the substance of Levi would be blessed and that their enemies would be defeated.
Especially, Levi had the blessed place of teaching Israel the word of God. They would accomplish this as they were scattered in Israel, as Jacob had prophesied (Genesis 49:7).
The prophecy I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel (in Genesis 49:7) was given to both the tribes of Simeon and Levi. For the tribe of Levi it was a blessing, as they were scattered throughout the nation to minister to the people and to bring God's word to the whole nation. For the tribe of Simeon, the scattering was a significant curse; they are not even mentioned among the tribes being blessed here.
Especially, Levi had the blessed place of teaching Israel the word of God. They would accomplish this as they were scattered in Israel, as Jacob had prophesied (Genesis 49:7).
The prophecy I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel (in Genesis 49:7) was given to both the tribes of Simeon and Levi. For the tribe of Levi it was a blessing, as they were scattered throughout the nation to minister to the people and to bring God's word to the whole nation. For the tribe of Simeon, the scattering was a significant curse; they are not even mentioned among the tribes being blessed here.
This commentary is from the easy English site.
This was the blessing on Moses’ own tribe. The words Urim and Thummin mean ‘perfect lights’. They were probably precious stones. The chief priest carried them. Somehow, God used them to tell his decisions to the chief priest. ‘The man whom you chose’ probably means the chief priest. The events at Massah and Meribah are in Exodus 17:1-7. It seems that the tribe of Levi was faithful to God on those occasions.
They had a duty to serve God. That was more important than their duty to their families. This blessing refers to the story of the young cow that Aaron made out of gold. (See Exodus 32:25-29.) The Levites had killed even members of their own family who were not faithful. The Levites had two tasks. They guarded God’s law and they taught it to the people. Some Levites were priests and they gave sacrifices. Moses prays that God will destroy Levi’s enemies. Perhaps he is referring to the story of Korah in Numbers 16:1-11.
They had a duty to serve God. That was more important than their duty to their families. This blessing refers to the story of the young cow that Aaron made out of gold. (See Exodus 32:25-29.) The Levites had killed even members of their own family who were not faithful. The Levites had two tasks. They guarded God’s law and they taught it to the people. Some Levites were priests and they gave sacrifices. Moses prays that God will destroy Levi’s enemies. Perhaps he is referring to the story of Korah in Numbers 16:1-11.
So, Moses has "blessed" the first three tribes so far. Apparently Moses considered the dysfunctional path and prior "blessings" while he formulated this blessing. We've read all these stories of Jacob's dysfunctional family. They are not the good people next door. These three tribes have arrived with a ton of baggage. How in the world does the Messiah draw his heritage from this dysfunctional crew?
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