Day 67, Deuteronomy 32-34

Today I finished the book of Deuteronomy!

It started out with the Song of Moses which was basically a summary of their journey, and the power of the Lord. The blessings he gave the people of Israel, and his anger against them and their consequences.

“It was a hymn celebrating God’s spectacular victory over the Pharaoh and his army. The focus of the song is God himself. The divine name Yahweh (“the Lord”), appears ten times. Similes: “like a stone,” “like a wall,” and “like lead” mark the conclusion of three of the five stanzas. It retells the story of deliverance at the Red Sea, and the final stanza anticipates the future approach to and conquest of Canaan.” -NIV Study Bible

When Moses finished speaking all the words of the song to the people of Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of the law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

That very day the Lord spoke to Moses and foretold his death. He was to go up to Mount Nebo, in the land of Moab, to view the land of Canaan. This was the land the people of Israel would be given as a possession. He was to die on the mountain, and then be gathered by the people, just as his brother Aaron did at Mount Hor.

Because Moses broke faith with the Lord at the waters of Meribah in the wilderness, he was to see the land but know he could never enter it. That’s pretty shitty if you ask me. ‘Here, take a look at the land you will never be allowed to go in; now die looking at what you missed out on, because you disobeyed me that one time.’ Seriously! I still find this to be pretty harsh.

Then Moses gave a final blessing on Israel. He spoke specifically about each tribe.

Moses Blessed the Tribes

Reuben
“Let Reuben live, and not die, but let his men be few.”

Judah
“Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him in to his people. With your hands contend for him, and be a help against his adversaries.”

Levi
“…For they observed your word and kept your covenant. They shall teach Jacob your rules and Israel your law; they shall put incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar. Bless, O Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; crush the loins of his adversaries, of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”

Benjamin
“The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety. The High God surrounds him all day long, and dwells between his shoulders.”

Joseph
“Blessed by the Lord be his land, with the choicest gifts of heaven above, and of the deep that crouches beneath, with the choicest fruits of the sun and the rich yield of the months…with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness. May these rest on the head of Joseph, on the pate of him who is prince among his brothers.”

Zebulun & Issachar
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents. They shall call peoples to their mountain; there they offer right sacrifices; for they draw from the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.”

Gad
“Blessed be he who enlarges Gad! Gad crouches like a lion; he tears off arm and scalp. He chose the best of the land for himself, for there a commander’s portion was reserved; and he came with the heads of the people, with Israel he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments for Israel.”

Dan
“Dan is a lion’s cub that leaps from Bashan.”

Naphtali
“O Naphtali, sated with favor, and full of the blessing of the Lord, possess the lake and the south.”

Asher
“Most blessed of sons be Asher, let him be the favorite of his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil. Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be.”

“There is none like God, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

-Moses’ Blessing 33:26-27

Jacob
“So Israel lived in safety, Jacob lived alone, in a land of grain and wine, whose heavens drop down dew.

“Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs.”

-Moses’ Blessing 33:29

Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo, and the Lord showed him the land. So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died and he was buried in the land of Moab. No one to this day, really knows the place of his burial.

He was 120 years old when he died. The people of Israel wept and mourned for him for thirty days. Joshua, the son of Nun, was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the Lord commanded Moses.

There had not been another prophet in Israel like Moses, for all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do. It wasn’t until Jesus came, that anyone was superior to Moses.