Deuteronomy 33:13 says, 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, Moses began to pronounce blessings on Joseph, which would be fulfilled through Ephraim and Manasseh. Verse fourteen adds, And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, Verse fifteen continues, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, Verse sixteen continues, And for the precious things of the earth and fulness 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. There were quite a few blessings pronounced on the descendants of Joseph, because he had been faithful to God. Moses also said that the descendants of Joseph would be richly blessed because of the mistreatment that he that he had suffered at the hands of his brothers. Later, Jesus would be mistreated by the Jews, who should have been His family, but after His death, burial and resurrection He is blessed above everyone. Verse seventeen concludes, 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. Moses said these promises would be carried out through Ephraim and Manasseh, but more so through the descendants of Ephraim, though he was the younger of the two. Verse eighteen states, And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents. Verse eighteen adds, 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 treasures hid in the sand. Next, Moses pronounced the blessings on Zebulun and Issachar, Jacob's sons by Leah. Moses said that Zebulun would be blessed in his going out and Zebulun in his tents, and that they would call the people to the mountain and offer sacrifices of righteousness. Verse twenty says, 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. Verse twenty-one adds, 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. Moses pronounced the blessings on Gad, who had received their inheritance by his word, and said by war they would enlarge their borders. Not all of the people of Israel received the same blessings, but all were expected to be obedient to God in using their God given abilities for His glory. The same is still true for Christians today. Verse twenty-two states, And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan. Moses said the tribe of Gad would be blessed with the strength of a lion by the power of God. We today as Christians are given all the strength we need to overcome any enemy we might need to overcome of the forces of evil in the world. Verse twenty-three states, And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south. Moses then pronounced the blessings on the tribe of Naphtali and said they would be full of the blessings of the LORD and possess the west and the south. We need to be full of the blessings of the Lord as followers of Christ, no matter what is going on in our life. This does not mean material wealth, but spiritual wealth. Verse twenty-four says, 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. Verse twenty-five adds, Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. Moses finished stating the blessings on the people of Israel with the tribe of Gad. Just because they were the last blessed didn't mean that they would be any less blessed. As followers of Christ, we all receive our blessing according to our faith and willingness to do what God calls us to do. Verse twenty-six declares, There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. Moses then declared that there was no God like the only true and living God, and this should be our declaration today. Verse twenty-seven adds, 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. Moses said that the eternal God was their refuge and that they were to rest safely in His everlasting arms and that He would give them victory over all their enemies. We still need to rest easy under the protection of God today, and if we do, He will give us victory over all our enemies. Verse twenty-eight continues, 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. Moses said that when the people of Israel remained true to their covenant with God that they would live in safety and abundance. Verse twenty-nine concludes, 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. Just as Moses said that there were none like Israel because of their covenant relationship with God, there are none like Christians today because of our covenant relationship God through our faith in Jesus Christ. We just need to remain true to Him. These were the last words spoken by Moses, and they were to pronounce blessings on Israel because of their covenant relationship with God.
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