Matthew Henry Commentary Deuteronomy 33
Matthew Henry Commentary
Deuteronomy 33
Matthew Henry Commentary
Deuteronomy 33
"And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said, Jehovah came from Sinai, And rose from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, And he came from the ten thousands of holy ones: At his right hand was a fiery law for them. Yea, he loveth the people; All his saints are in thy hand: And they sat down at thy feet; [Every one] shall receive of thy words. Moses commanded us a law, An inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. And he was king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people were gathered, All the tribes of Israel together." — Deuteronomy 33:1-5 (ASV)
To all his precepts, warnings, and prophecies, Moses added a solemn blessing. He begins with a description of the glorious appearances of God in giving the law.
His law works like fire. If received, it is melting, warming, purifying, and burns up the dross of corruption; if rejected, it hardens, sears, pains, and destroys.
The Holy Spirit came down in cloven tongues, as of fire; for the gospel also is a fiery law. The law of God written in the heart is a certain proof of the love of God poured out there: we must consider His law one of the gifts of his grace.
"Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few. And this is [the blessing] of Judah: and he said, Hear, Jehovah, the voice of Judah, And bring him in unto his people. With his hands he contended for himself; And thou shalt be a help against his adversaries. And of Levi he said, Thy Thummim and thy Urim are with thy godly one, Whom thou didst prove at Massah, With whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; Who said of his father, and of his mother, I have not seen him; Neither did he acknowledge his brethren, Nor knew he his own children: For they have observed thy word, And keep thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob thine ordinances, And Israel thy law: They shall put incense before thee, And whole burnt-offering upon thine altar. Bless, Jehovah, his substance, And accept the work of his hands: Smite through the loins of them that rise up against him, And of them that hate him, that they rise not again. Of Benjamin he said, The beloved of Jehovah shall dwell in safety by him; He covereth him all the day long, And he dwelleth between his shoulders. And of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be his land, For the precious things of heaven, for the dew, And for the deep that coucheth beneath, And for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, And for the precious things of the growth of the moons, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, And for the precious things of the everlasting hills, And for the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof, And the good will of him that dwelt in the bush. Let [the blessing] come upon the head of Joseph, And upon the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. The firstling of his herd, majesty is his; And his horns are the horns of the wild-ox: With them he shall push the peoples all of them, [even] the ends of the earth: And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And they are the thousands of Manasseh. And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; And, Issachar, in thy tents. They shall call the peoples unto the mountain; There shall they offer sacrifices of righteousness: For they shall suck the abundance of the seas, And the hidden treasures of the sand. And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: He dwelleth as a lioness, And teareth the arm, yea, the crown of the head. And he provided the first part for himself, For there was the lawgiver`s portion reserved; And he came [with] the heads of the people; He executed the righteousness of Jehovah, And his ordinances with Israel. And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion`s whelp, That leapeth forth from Bashan. And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full with the blessing of Jehovah, Possess thou the west and the south." — Deuteronomy 33:6-23 (ASV)
The order in which the tribes are blessed here is not the same as is observed elsewhere. The blessing of Judah may refer to the whole tribe in general, or to David as a type of Christ. Moses largely blesses the tribe of Levi. Acceptance with God is what we should all aim for and desire in all our devotions, whether people accept us or not (2 Corinthians 5:9). This prayer is a prophecy that God will maintain a ministry in His church until the end of time. The tribe of Benjamin had their inheritance close to Mount Zion.
To be situated near the ordinances is a precious gift from the Lord, a privilege not to be exchanged for any worldly advantage or indulgence. We should thankfully receive the earthly blessings sent to us through the successive seasons. But those good gifts which come down from the Father of lights, through the rising of the Sun of righteousness, and the pouring out of His Spirit like the rain that brings fruitfulness, are infinitely more precious as the tokens of His special love. The precious things prayed for here are figures of spiritual blessings in heavenly things by Christ: the gifts, graces, and comforts of the Spirit.
When Moses prays for the good will of Him who dwelt in the bush, he refers to the covenant, on which all our hopes of God's favor must be founded. The providence of God appoints people's habitations and wisely directs them to different employments for the public good. Whatever our place and business are, it is our wisdom and duty to apply ourselves to them; and it is happiness to be well pleased with them. We should not only invite others to the service of God but also abound in it.
The blessing of Naphtali. The favor of God is the only favor that satisfies the soul. Those are truly happy who have the favor of God; and those will have it who consider that in having it they have enough, and desire no more.
"And of Asher he said, Blessed be Asher with children; Let him be acceptable unto his brethren, And let him dip his foot in oil. Thy bars shall be iron and brass; And as thy days, so shall thy strength be." — Deuteronomy 33:24-25 (ASV)
All things will be sanctified to true believers; if their way is rough, their feet will be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
As your days, so shall your strength be. The word “day” is often used in Scripture to mean the events of the day; it is a promise that God will graciously and constantly support believers under trials and troubles, whatever they may be. This is a promise sure to all the spiritual seed of Abraham.
Do they have work allotted? They will have strength to do it. Do they have burdens appointed? They will have strength, and will never be tempted above what they are able to bear.
"There is none like unto God, O Jeshurun, Who rideth upon the heavens for thy help, And in his excellency on the skies. The eternal God is [thy] dwelling-place, And underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy from before thee, And said, Destroy. And Israel dwelleth in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine; Yea, his heavens drop down dew. Happy art thou, O Israel: Who is like unto thee, a people saved by Jehovah, The shield of thy help, And the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall submit themselves unto thee; And thou shalt tread upon their high places." — Deuteronomy 33:26-29 (ASV)
No one had such a God as Israel. There are no people like the Israel of God. What is said here of the church of Israel is to be applied to the spiritual church. Never were people so well situated and sheltered. Those who make God their dwelling place will have all the comforts and benefits of a dwelling place in Him (Psalms 91:1). Never were people so well supported and sustained.
However low the people of God are brought at any time, everlasting arms are underneath them to keep their spirits from sinking, from fainting, and their faith from failing. Divine grace is sufficient for them (2 Corinthians 12:9). Never were people so well commanded. Thus, believers are more than conquerors over their spiritual enemies, through Christ who loved them.
Never were people so well secured and protected. Israel will dwell in safety alone. All who keep close to God will be kept safe by Him. Never were people so well provided for. Every true Israelite looks with faith to the better country, the heavenly Canaan, which is filled with better things than grain and wine.
Never were people so well helped. If they were in danger of any harm, or in want of any good, they had an eternal God to go to. Nothing could hurt those whom God helped, nor could the people who were saved by the Lord perish. Never were people so well armed.
Those in whose hearts is the excellence of holiness are defended by the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6). Never were people so well assured of victory over their enemies. Thus the God of peace will tread Satan under the feet of all believers, and will do it shortly (Romans 16:20). May God help us to seek and to set our affections on the things above, and to turn our souls from earthly, perishing objects, so that we may not have our lot with Israel's foes in the regions of darkness and despair, but with the Israel of God, in the realms of love and eternal happiness.
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