THE BLESSING OF MOSHE

“This is the blessing that Moshe the man of God pronounced on the Isra’elites before his death.”
Deuteronomy 33:1

If you recall, back in the later portions of Genesis, we looked at details both visible and hidden within the words of Ya’akov given to his sons before his passing. Of all the sons listed, there were three specifically that I pointed to that later had references once more to Deuteronomy 33. I would like to spend a few minutes looking at these again as we come close to the end of this book, and the Torah as a whole.
We begin once more with Zebulun. Ya’akov prophesied over this son that the tribe would live at the seashore. Four hundred plus years later this prophecy would be seen truthful as Joshua would allot to this tribe the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. This allowed for trading routes, in which Zebulun was heavily involved, and as was also declared on them by Moshe in Deuteronomy 33:19, stating they shall take the abundance of the seas and the treasures hidden in the sand. It is awesome to see all the pieces come together. Ya’akov spoke also that the border of Zebulun’s territory would be at Sidon. When Joshua divided the land, Sidon was not included in the piece given to Zebulun. In fact, it was not theirs until the tribe of Asher was unable to defeat the remaining Canaanities. The tribe of Zebulun began attacking and defeating the Canaanities and this victory allowed them the land that had been spoken of as theirs prior.
Genesis 49:19 speaks concerning Gad, and Ya’akov jumped right to the point with one sentence. “Gad – a troop will troop on him, but he will troop on their heel.” This verse doesn’t seem to make sense. A troop will troop? Although written with the same words in English, in Hebrew it reads that a GADUWD (army) will GUWD (invade) him. In the end, however, Gad would GUWD them back. In this we piece together that Gad would be attacked but in the end would find victory. In Judges 10 we see this truth as for eighteen years the Philistines vexed the children of Isra’el before finally having their justice served. It is this constant state and declaration of war that kept the men of Adonai ready with the faces of lions. Even Moshe blessed the tribe of Gad in Deuteronomy 33:20, stating that they dwelled like a lion and tore the arm with the crown of the head. Although no one famous person in the Bible is shown to derive from the tribe of Gad, one main theme is. As stated in I Peter 5:8, we are to be ready at any moment for the enemy to attack us. He may indeed guwd us, but in the end we will be victorious and guwd his heel.
To Asher also Ya’akov is quick and to the point, stating that Asher’s food is rich, fit for a king. In saying little, Ya’akov was stating that Asher would enjoy the rich products of the fertile land, teeming with items to sustain life and find himself serving his food before royalty. The tribe of Asher failed to remove the Canaanite/Phoenican inhabitants once in their Promised section, and perhaps forewent their military capability. There is thought that based on the words of Moshe in Deuteronomy 33:24, oil was present within the land of Asher, be this an idea of an oil such as olive oil or in the manner of Texas tea. In the end, though, we read that Asher would be blessed, despite the oil’s form.
While we could go on with each of the sons and tribes and find how the words spoken by Ya’akov later matched the words spoken by Moshe, I wanted just to leave us with the tidbits of these three. It is in these three I find a hope for myself. The time span between these words first spoken by Ya’akov and later spoken by Moshe is close to 440 years, and yet, in Adonai’s time, they came true. So then here is the hope. What He has promised to you and me, He has every intention of completing. We are not forgotten even though at times we may feel that way. And we are not forsaken even though sometimes we feel alone on this journey. Adonai will be sure to allow His promise to become our reward. Let us not give up on waiting for Him.

Deuteronomy 33:1-29