THE BLESSING OF THE TRIBES
[p. 15] THE BLESSING OF THE TRIBES
There may seem to be a good deal of similarity between this portion of Scripture and Genesis 49, but really there is a great difference between them.
In Genesis 49 it is really more a history than a blessing, though it is said in verse 28 that “he blessed them”. Judah represents the victorious power by which blessing is brought in, and Joseph is a type of Christ as the one in whom all blessing is established. It is true that we see in Gad, Asher, and Naphtali a figure of the blessing of those who are brought into the good of what God has brought to pass by Christ as the victorious accomplisher of His will (Judah) and in Christ as the risen and glorified One — the Administrator of all His blessing to men (Joseph). But, along with this, the moral ruin of man, and his entire failure even in presence of the grace of God, are fully developed — the first in Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, and the second in Zebulun, Issachar, and Daniel. All this gives Genesis 49 the character of a history — a history, indeed, of God’s perfect and blessed ways in Christ on the one hand, but of man’s ruin and failure on the other.
But in Deuteronomy 33 it is all blessing; every tribe gets a distinct blessing, and it is important to notice that it is “the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel”, (verse 1). There is a great contrast between Jacob and Moses. Jacob was the man of experience — the man of ups and downs — the man who had proved in his own experience what the flesh was and also the recovering power of God’s salvation. He was just the man to give the whole history of how the responsible man breaks down so that everything has to be established in Christ. But the man of experience cannot give the full and proper blessing of the saints; it needs the man of God to do that. Solomon was a man of experience, and he could write the book of Ecclesiastes to show that everything under the sun is vanity. But it needs a man of God like Paul to unfold a Person whose glory eclipses the brightness of the mid-day sun, and scenes of heavenly blessing which are above the sun. It is the man who is with God, and who knows God’s thoughts, who can unfold those thoughts in all their blessedness. We see something of this in the chapter before us.
In the song of Moses in chapter 32 the responsible history [p. 16] and failure of the people is declared in a very solemn way. On their side all had been failure, and would be failure, that should result in their cutting off as in the flesh — which has actually come to pass. Then in verses 49 and 50 Moses is directed to go up into mount Nebo to behold the land of Canaan and to die there. Amongst the people he could declare all their failure, and announce prophetically the judgment of God upon them. But when he went up into the mount he saw the whole range of blessing that was in the purpose of God for His people. If it was certain that the people according to the flesh would break down, it was equally certain that the purpose of God would not fail of its accomplishment. Chapter 33 is all on the line of Gods purpose and grace. Morally speaking, it is the people viewed from the top of the mount, according to the full height of God’s blessing for His called and chosen people.
Verse 3 is the standpoint from which everything is viewed in this chapter. “Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words”. From such a standpoint as this the saints can only be viewed as in full blessing.
In the first place, God loves His people. Nothing can change that sovereign love. We may have to learn what poor things we are — breaking down at every point — but the love of God knows no change. That love is not only the source but the security of our blessing. God is working to gratify His own heart, and will not fail to accomplish His purpose.
Then, “all his saints are in thy hand”. Christ has secured every blessing for the saints by His death, and all the blessing He has secured is established in Himself, but He also holds every saint of God in His mighty hand; and in this way we are kept for the blessing. He not only holds the blessing for us, but He also holds us for the blessing. God has One to whom He has entrusted the maintenance of everything that is for the satisfaction of His own heart. If you have proved that everything fails in your hands, it will be an immense comfort to you to see how everything is maintained in the hand of Christ.
The sense of this draws us to Christ to sit down at His feet, and to receive of His words. The one that has heard and learned of the Father (John 6: 45) comes to Christ the Son to sit down at His feet and be instructed in the knowledge of God, and of all that subsists for the pleasure of God.
[p. 17] Three wonderful thoughts are thus presented to us! The love of God as the source of all blessing; Christ the security of that blessing, and of those on whom it is bestowed in infinite mercy; and saints in the attitude that becomes them — seated at the feet of Christ, like Mary (Luke 10: 39), to hear and receive those holy words in which He declares the Father’s name.
Reuben comes first among the tribes, as in Genesis 49. There his wickedness is in view, but here we get the thought of sovereign mercy which would put away the sin. “Let Reuben live, and not die”. When David was brought to repentance and confession after his great sin, the prophet’s word to him was “The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die”, 2 Samuel 12: 13. So that it seems to me we get the thought of forgiveness in what is said of Reuben.
In Psalm 32:1-5 forgiveness is presented in a very blessed way, and also the exercise through which the soul passes on the way to it. Then in verse 6 we see that a man is forgiven that he may be godly. No one leads a godly life in this world until he knows that his sins are forgiven. “There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared”. The one whose transgression is forgiven comes out in a new character in this world as a “godly” man. He is set free in conscience to take this new course. The epistle to the Romans develops this very fully.
This leads on to the blessing of Judah (Deuteronomy 33: 7). “Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies”. This corresponds with Psalm 32: 6, 7. Dependence becomes characteristic of the one whose sins are forgiven, and this finds expression in prayer, in answer to which God comes in with deliverance from all our spiritual enemies.
The soul is then ready for service and priestly approach to God, the thought of which is suggested in the blessing of Levi (Deuteronomy 33:8-11). Not only are our sins forgiven in view of a godly walk in this world, but in view of approach to God: This comes out in Psalm 6.5:3-5, which is very much on the line of the epistle to the Hebrews. In Romans the believer is cleared according to the righteousness of God, that he may walk in a godly way in this world; in Hebrews he is purged according to the holiness of God that he may [p. 18] approach God in the sanctuary. If you have forgiveness, God would exercise you as to approach.
The devotedness of Levi had been proved (verses 8, 9). We are not to be indifferent to the claims of natural affection, but superior to them when it is a question of the will of God.
Three things are connected with Levi which might almost be spoken of as three notes of the assembly — intelligence, edification, and worship. The Thummim and Urim represent intelligence in the mind of God; He made known His mind and pleasure in the Thummim and Urim. Then as being intelligent in God’s mind they were to teach His people (verse 10), and this answers to edification. And, finally, they put incense before God, and whole burnt-offerings upon His altar, and in this we get the thought of worship. These three things are intimately connected with approach to God.
Many do not care to go beyond the thought of forgiveness, and a godly walk in the world, but it is God’s pleasure to bring us as priests into His presence. In approaching God we get the knowledge of His mind, and then there is edification. This is a great comfort. All may not enter into the privilege of priestly approach, but those who do are fitted to edify the whole company. Thus all are helped on in the same direction. One may be used to present God’s blessed things in such a way that all are attracted and encouraged to draw near with true hearts.
If we approach God it is entirely apart from all the imperfection of the flesh. We approach in all the sweet savour and perfection of Christ. “They shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar”. It is as we are identified in affection with the perfections and acceptance of Christ that we can approach and worship.
Then in the blessing of Benjamin we get the thought of communion. “The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him”. Communion is a matter of the affections; nearness is essential to it. Communications are not communion. Two hearts absorbed in one interest — that is communion.
John is very fond of the word “abide”; he uses it about forty times in the gospel, and about twenty times in the first epistle. In John 1 the two disciples ask, “Where abidest thou?” and He says, “Come and see”. They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him. That is communion — to abide with Him. When a wife comes under the power of her husband’s love her interests are merged in his, and then there is communion. We do not know much about communion because we have so many interests of our own.
In getting near the Lord we are taken out of our own interests, like John who only thought of himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. He knew something of what it was to be “the beloved of the Lord”. It is a blessed thing to abide in the consciousness of the love of Christ, then we are protected from evil, and from the snares and wiles of Satan. To “continue in the Son, and in the Father” is the safeguard against all seductions. Some think they must know errors and heresies in order to avoid them. Do you think the Lord wants us to be acquainted with what is evil in that way? Not at all. We do not need to explore and know all the evil; we cannot afford to waste our time in this way. If we occupy ourselves with evil we shall in some way be coloured by it. The great thing is to be hidden in His pavilion. In this day of religious evil the only true preservative is to be kept near to Christ.
Then in the blessing of Joseph the prominent thing is fruitfulness. This is the outcome of communion (see John 15). If we abide in Christ every circumstance that arises is an opportunity to bring forth fruit. Trials bring out fruit if we are in communion. Everything comes out perfectly in its season. It is said of the tree of life that it “bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month”, Revelation 22: 2. Every changing season brought out its own precious fruit in Christ — a new kind of fruit in every new set of circumstances. God changes our circumstances — He allows the different seasons to pass over us — to give opportunity and occasion of bringing forth different manner of fruits.
How important then to abide in Him! We all know how it is practically. Sometimes in presence of the things that happen we are kept in patience, thankfulness, and peace. At other times we are impatient, we chafe and murmur. What is the secret of all this? Does it not lie in these words? “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing”, John 15: 4, 5.
In Genesis 49 Zebulun was going down to commerce with the world for his own advantage, but here he goes out to call people to God’s holy mountain. He still has to do with the abundance of the seas, and with the hidden treasures of the sand, but now it is for the glory of God. He is now in service for God.
Issachar wanted rest in Genesis 49 and sought it in a wrong way, but here he is seen in his tents. Taking up the proper character of a pilgrim he gets rest. Gad is enlarged and made superior to all his enemies. Dan — no longer a snake — is a young lion, bold for God. Mark, after running away from the difficulties of the service at one time, is eventually found identified with Paul in prison.
Then in Naphtali we see satisfaction, and in Asher a people divinely equipped for the wilderness journey. The time fails to take it all up in detail, but I think we see in all this a wonderful setting forth of the blessings of saints. Forgiveness, Dependence, Deliverance, Approach, Communion, Superiority, Strength, Satisfaction, Resource — all furnished to saints by the grace of God. If we meditate on these things we shall find in them a wondrous unfolding of the all-various grace of God.