‘And of Dan he said, “Dan is a lion’s cub that leaps from Bashan” (Deuteronomy 33:22).

The phase ‘unfulfilled potential’ is often used for what was a formally young up and coming sportsman or a rising star in politics that has never really archive all that was expected of them. Verse 22 of chapter 33 concerns the tribe of Dan and along with the tribe of Reuben this is one of the shortest blessings in this address.  But it is one that may indicate unfulfilled potential!

Dan is compared to a: ‘lion’s cub.’ and in my mind this is a picture of youth and vigour and the aggressive qualities that are referred to in Jacob’s blessing in Genesis 49:16-17 where the tribe is referred to as: ‘a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that the rider falls backwards’ (Genesis 49:17). But it could also relate, as some commentators have noted, to the weakness of youth.  It has also been seem as an indication that this was a tribe that was going to grow.  Indeed, this was the case and the Danites later took extra territory than what had been allotted to them (Joshua 19:47).

It is uncertain what is the significance of the word ‘Bashan’ is here.  A straightforward reading of the text would suggest a place name, but there is no link between the tribe of Dan and Bashan.  So some commentators have surmised this is a play on words that is often found in Ancient Near East languages   So in that case Bashan can be associated with the word: ‘viper’ which would certainly fit in with Jacob’s blessing in Genesis 49:17, but none of these commentators have claimed this with certainty.

The ambiguous nature of this blessing may well be due to the fact that the tribe of Dan became associated with idolatry (see Judges 18) and this may be one of the reasons why they are not referred to as being among the tribes mentioned in Revelation 7:5-8.

Once again, Scripture warns us that we can come from a good heritage.  We can grow up in a Christian family, attended a good church and can see the blessing of God around us and in the lives of others.  Yet there is a danger that we can neglect making a personal decision and, rather than seek the kingdom of God, we make ourselves at home in the kingdom of this world, just as the Danites did, and became a case of unfulfilled potential!  The results of doing so is easily seen in the passage in Revelation 7 where they are not included along with the rest of God’s people! And as such, this acts as a warning to churches and individuals to put the Lord first and seek his will in everything they do!

‘And of Zebulun he said, “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.” And of Gad he said, 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 judgements for Israel” (Deuteronomy 33:18-21).

The next tribes Moses asks for blessing for are the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar (vs18-19).  Although some of the imagery in this part of the text is hard to discern (by whatever it means and by which tribe it refers to) it is overwhelmingly clear that this blessing is a wish for peace and security for both these tribes.

After years of wilderness wandering Zebulun would be successful: ‘in your going out’ quite possibly because they would become successful traders and Issachar would experience success: ‘in your tents’ which possibly means they would develop as successful farmers. Whether verse 19 refers to both these tribes is open to debate.  However, some have seen it as a reference to Mount Tabor which was in territory which later belonged to the tribe of Zebulun.  Although the site was later condemned by the prophet Hosea, very likely because idolatry was being practised there, it could have been a legitimate place of worship when the land was first occupied.  The reference to: ‘the seas’ and: ‘the hidden treasures of the sand’ is quite possibly because part of Zebulun’s territory was along the sea coast near the modern coastal town of Haifa and the tribe may of the developed some form of maritime trade, although whether this is so is not clear from the rest of the Old Testament.

The tribe of Gad like the tribe of Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh had already acquired their inheritance (3:16).  The verses of Moses’ blessing concerning them pays attention to this fact and calls for the Lord to give further blessing by enlarging their territory  (v20).  The text draws attention to the quality of their land.  It was particularly good, the tribe had seen this and, undoubtedly, this was a major factor in them approaching Moses and asking for it (Numbers 32:1-5).

But the text also draws our attention to their bravery and formidable fighting skills by comparing them to the way a lion acts.  In Deuteronomy 3:18-20 we saw that Moses commanded these tribes to go up and fight alongside their: ‘brother’ Israelites and Gad had done this.  They were not selfish in their acquisition of land east of the Jordan, but were willing to leave their families and all that they possessed to carry out the Lord’s will for Israel (v21) by partaking in the invasion of the land, which we have evidence of in Joshua 22:1-6.

There is an important lesson for Christians today in the way Gad behaved.  The experience of becoming a Christian varies for each person.  Some will find it a struggle with opposition from family and friends.  But for those who become Christians and belong to a Christian family or have the support of the good church there can be a real sense of enjoying good fellowship, having a fairly comfortable and blessed life already and never having to engage in the battle of Christian witness on the home front.  The tribe of Gad are an example of those who did not just put their feet up once they got their inheritance and enjoy the benefits the Lord had given them; they were ready to do His work first and foremost and go to war with their brothers!  We, like them, should be prepared to do battle by doing the Lord’s will and witnessing to His great love!

And of Joseph he said, “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 finest produce of the ancient mountains and the abundance of the everlasting hills, with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favour of him who dwells in the bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph, on the pate of him who is prince among his brothers.  A firstborn bull—he has majesty, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he shall gore the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth; they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh” (Deuteronomy 33:13-17).

The next blessing is the longest and concerns the tribe of Joseph (vs13-17).  The blessing is very similar to the blessing Jacob gives concerning Joseph in Genesis 49:22-26.   The size of the blessing here indicates the importance and position that the tribe had among the tribes in regard to its status and its territory.

The blessing starts with an emphasis on the Lord’s provision through nature, His control over it and that He would bless the tribe through this provision (vs13-16a).  This is in direct contrast to the beliefs of the people of the land who believed Baal controlled the weather.  So, this blessing teaches God’s complete sovereignty over all of His creation.  This was in marked contrast to the supposed regional deities of the land like Baal who specialised in one area of controlling the cosmos.  No doubt this was a fitting blessing for the tribe whose patriarch, Joseph, had provided food for Egypt and the surrounding nations as well as being the means of preservation for God’s people.

This first section ends by referring to God’s favour being shown to the tribe with a reference to the burning bush (v16) that Moses encountered in the desert of Sinai (Exodus 3:2).  Because of the nature of the Hebrew some commentators have argued the emphasis of the passage cannot be on the Lord being present in the burning bush, but the significance of the area where Moses met Him.[1]  Yet others see no textual support for this. But, however you interpreted it, what is interesting is why this particular illustration of God meeting Moses is here, as this is the only other reference to it in the Old Testament?  I would surmise it is for the following reason; this was a reminder of God reconnecting with His people.  At the start of Exodus, Israel as a nation seems disconnected from God and from Ezekiel 20:7-8 we see the sad state that Israel had slipped into with the worship of false gods and idolatry being rampant in their religious practice.  Yet God met with Moses in a remarkable way through the burning bush, and this was the start of the Lord reconnecting with His people.

Also, it was at Sinai that the Lord entered into a covenant with His people.  ‘It was because of those great moments in the past that the tribe of Joseph would experience in the future the blessing of God in the land of promise.’[2]  Hence, the significance of the event! The Lord had not forgotten His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and, what was more important, He was going to keep them!

The second part of the blessing (vs16b-17) relates to the tribe’s military might which would be so essential in the conquest of the land and the protection of it afterwards.  This was to be part the Lord’s blessing and his ‘favour’ towards them as a tribe.  The illustration of the tribe’s military prowess is graphically illustrated as being like that of a: ‘firstborn bull’.  The picture here is of an animal that is the strongest in its family and that nothing can withstand.  In the same sense Moses prays that nothing will be able to stand against the tribe of Joseph.  The passage ends with a reference to: ‘the ten thousands of Ephraim’ and: ‘the thousands of Manasseh.’  By this, Moses emphasises the pre-eminence of Ephraim, despite the fact that Manasseh was the first born of Joseph sons, the numbers, being symbolic, reinforce this and give credence to Jacob’s blessing and prophecy in Genesis 48:14-20.

This blessing has much to teach the church today.  Although we do not believe in a ‘Wealth, health and prosperity gospel’ and we do not seem to be living in a time of great revival at this moment, God wants to bless us spiritually with a greater knowledge and belief in Him. He wants us, because of this, to live as a triumphant people.  But most of the time we do anything but!  We focused too much on the world and live in a way that suggests we are beset on each side and that we are an irrelevance to the world in general!  True, we do face real spiritual opposition and the fight is hard.  But to quote a major theme in Deuteronomy, it is the Lord who fights the battle, and He is calling us to be obedient.  One-day God will be seen to be triumphant overall.  That means we worship a victorious God and if that’s true we will be seen as His victorious people!

[1] J.A. Thompson, Deuteronomy, An Introduction and Commentary (Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 1974) 130.
[2]Peter. C Craige, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Eerdmans publishing co, Michigan, 1976) 398.

‘Of Benjamin he said, “The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.  The High God surrounds him all day long, and dwells between his shoulders.” (Deuteronomy 33:12).

The blessing in relation to the tribe of Benjamin is comparatively short in comparison to Levi’s one in the verses before it.  Also the tone is very different from Jacob’s blessing in Genesis 49:27    A straightforward reading of the first part of this verse highlights the Lord’s love for them, as the text gives us a picture of intimacy and security by highlighting His protection towards them. This is very much echoing Judah’s comments to Joseph concerning his younger brother Benjamin in Genesis 44:20.

The second part of the verse is subject to translational difficulties.  What exactly does: “The High God surrounds him all day long, and dwells between his shoulders.” mean?  Again, a straightforward reading of the text would suggest this is emphasising the Lord’s love by using a father and son illustration of a father putting his son on his shoulders and carrying him.  The illustration of the Lord acting like a father towards his people has been used before in Deuteronomy when Moses reminds them how he tried to encourage them in the light of the spies discouraging report with the words: “and the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.” (1:31).

However, it is possible to read another meaning into this phrase.  Allan Harman points out that the word: ‘shoulder’, when used in the Hebrew text in Joshua 15:8 and 18:16, is used to describe the side of the mountain which Jerusalem was built on.  He concludes that this is a reference to the Tabernacle as it would ultimately be situated in Jerusalem.  Later the temple would be built there and as this was seen as the dwelling place of God, and Jerusalem was within Benjamin’s territory, this also seems plausible explanation.[1]

However, the main thing we should come away with is the anticipation that the tribe of Benjamin will dwell in the land in safety and security.  Also the father and son relationship theme of the second part of the verse emphasises the beginning of the verse which refers to Benjamin as the Lord’s: ‘beloved’.  Such is the nature of the Lord’s relationship with the believer.

[1]Allan Harman, Deuteronomy, The Commands of the Covenant God (Christian focus publications, Fearn, 2001) 280.

‘And of Levi he said,“Give to Levi your Thummim, and your Urim to your godly one, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you quarrelled at the waters of Meribah; who said of his father and mother, ‘I regard them not’; he disowned his brothers and ignored his children.  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” (Deuteronomy 33:8-11).

The blessing of verses 8-11 is directed at the tribe of Levi.  This is the second longest blessing that Moses gives, the longest being to the tribe of Joseph.  Once again the blessing for the tribe takes the form of a prayer for the future of the tribe and their dedication and role in serving the Lord’s people in the years to come.

The: ‘Thummim’ and: ‘Urim’ of verse 8 referred to the means by which the Lord’s will was often discerned.  They were probably two flat stones which the high priest kept in his breastplate (Exodus 28:30 and Leviticus 8:8).  The origin of the words on each side of these stones is interesting; ‘Urim’ is derived from the word that means ‘curse’ whereas ‘Thummim’ is derived from the word which means: ‘perfect.’  If, when thrown, both sides showed ‘Urim’ then the answer was in the negative and the consequences for the person asking the question, if proceeding with the action connected with that question, could be to incur a curse.  If ‘Thummim’, the answer was positive.  In the case of a combination of the two words the priests would say that it was impossible to give a definite answer.[1]  What this clearly shows is the pastoral role of the tribe from which the priestly office derived.  It is also a reversal of Jacob’s curse from Genesis 49:5-7.

At first it seems unclear as to how the tribe of Levi was responsible for testing the Lord at Massah or how they: ‘quarrelled’ with the Lord at Merbeth (Exodus 17:1-7 and Numbers 20:1-13).  But I think Allan Harman has the answer in the sense that both Moses and Aaron, who represented Levi, had both been tested through this event.[2]  What is clear from the following verses is the loyalty to the Lord that Levi had shown.

There’s no doubt that the tribe of Levi acted with great zeal for the Lord’s cause at key points in the history of the exodus.  For example, they carried out the Lord’s judgement to the letter in the aftermath of the idolatry of the Golden calf (Exodus 32:27-28) and Phinehas, a Levite, had acted zealously when the men of Israel indulged in sexual immorality and idolatry with the Moabite women (Numbers 25:6-13).  Indeed, their faithfulness concerning the incident with the Golden Calf is what led to the tribe being set aside for the Lord’s service.  The three areas that service covered were seeking the Lord’s will, instructing the people in God’s Law and taking responsibility for Israel’s formal worship.

The words of verse 9 for can be compared to Jesus’ comments when He teaches, using an extreme example (which was common in Jewish teaching), that love for God and the sacrifice that that entails is to come first in all the Christian says and does (Matthew 10:34-39 and Luke 14:26).  Just as the Levites were to guard the Lord’s Covenant, those who minister to God’s people are to hold God’s Word as precious.  This role is the focus of verse 10 as this was Levi’s unique role within the people of Israel and throughout the Old Testament as teachers of the people.  Those who were priests had a special role in that they offered incense and sacrifices to the Lord in accordance with the Law.  In other words, they acted as intercessors to the Lord on behalf of the people.  Moses ends his blessing with a call to the Lord that this role would continue and the Lord would bless the work of the Levites and protect them from anyone who would oppose them.  In our day and age it is just as important that we pray that the Lord strengthens and protects those who minister His Word.

[1] Raymond Brown, The Message of Deuteronomy, The Bible Speaks Today  (Inter-Varsity-Press, 1993) 314.
[2] Allan Harman. Deuteronomy, the Commands of the Covenant God (Christian focus publications, Fearn, 2001) 279.

‘And this he said of 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” (Deuteronomy 33:7).

The blessing of the tribe of Judah is a comparatively short one, especially when compared to Jacob’s blessing in Genesis 49:8-12 and the lengthy description of Judah’s territory that’s found in Joshua chapter 15.  The text highlights two things about the tribe.  Firstly, the sense of isolation which is illustrated with the phrase: “bring him to his people” and secondly, a sense of Judah’s formidable talents in battle which is highlighted with the phrase: “With your hands contend for him”.  Moses then proceeds to ask for the Lord’s help concerning Judah’s role against God’s enemies.

Again, this verse presents major translation difficulties which make it hard to get beneath the surface of the text.  So it would seem best to take this verse in a general sense as having, a prophetic dimension that anticipated Judah’s leading role in the future conquest of the land (see Judges 1:1-2).  This fits well with what we know from Numbers 2:9 where Judah is seen as having a leading role among the tribes when it comes to warfare.  As such, the tribe would occupy a very dangerous place when it came to battle and the blessing is best interpreted as a prayer of protection for the tribe in the future conquest of the Promised Land.

 However, there may also be a further prophetic element to this part of the blessing, in that it may refer to later events after the conquest of the land.  These being ‘the Philistine encroachments of the twelfth-eleventh centuries.’[1]  One notable difference from Jacob’s reference to Judah in Genesis 49:10 is that there is no reference to the messianic connections that Judah would have in the future.  Here Moses’ sets his thoughts on the more immediate future of the tribe, that being the conquest of the land.

Yet, in Judah’s blessing, there are lessons for us today. However naturally gifted the tribe was when it came to warfare, they still needed the Lord’s blessing to be successful.  However gifted we are as individuals and Churches, in the end it is always the Lord who brings forth blessing among us!

[1] J. A. Thompson, Deuteronomy, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press 1974) 309.

“Let Reuben live, and not die, but let his men be few” Deuteronomy 33:6.

After the opening of the blessing  in verses 2-5 which focused purely on God’s glory as it was manifested at Sinai, Moses now turns his attention to the blessing of each of the tribes.

The order is somewhat different from Jacob’s blessing in Genesis 49 in that although he starts with some of the tribes named after the sons of Leah, Moses then divides the tribes of Benjamin and Joseph, the sons of Rachel, before he returns to the final two.  He then finishes with the tribe’s named after the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah the respective handmaidens of Rachel and Leah as opposed to how Jacob finishes with the tribes of Joseph and Benjamin descended from the sons of Rachel.

The other notable exception here is that the tribe of Simeon is not mentioned.  This would be in accordance with Genesis 49:7 and the fact that it seems to have become part of, or a part within, the tribe of Judah, certainly where territory was concerned as Joshua 19:1-9 shows their territory was within Judah’s territory.

Reuben is the first tribe to be blessed (v6) and the blessing is comparatively short compared to the blessing of the others tribes.  The blessing takes the form of a request to the Lord for the survival of the tribe, yet, at the same time, a request that the tribe would not increase greatly in size.  The background and reason for this is found in Jacob’s words in Genesis 49:4 which indicates the sexual sin of Reuben, in Genesis 35:22, when he slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah.  The seriousness of this sin is indicated with its prohibition in the Law (Deuteronomy 22:30, although this is a man committing the act with his mother) and by the threat of the curse in Deuteronomy 27:20.  What we do know is that the tribe of Reuben was numerous at the time of the first census in Numbers 1 numbering 46500 but by the time of the second census in Numbers 26 they had declined to 43750 a loss of 2770.  The tribe continued to have trouble with decreasing numbers and later in Israel’s history, when the nation was disobedient and came under the covenant curses, the tribe of Reuben suffered from Ammonite aggression against Israel (see 2 Kings 10:33).  Hence the nature of Moses’ prayer for them.

So, what can we learn from Moses’ blessing of the tribe of Reuben?  Many Churches in this day and age are facing decline.  Although it is not always the case, it seems foolhardy to me for Churches not to examine the past and to see if there is any sense of unfaithfulness and sin in the closet which has led to a withdrawal of God’s blessing.  After all, a sin that is recognized is a sin that can be repented of!

“The Lord came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran; he came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand.  Yes, he loved his people, all his holy ones were in his hand; so they followed in your steps, receiving direction from you, when Moses commanded us a law as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.  Thus the Lord became king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together” (Deuteronomy 33:2-5).

The first part of the blessing in verses 2-5 focuses purely on God’s glory.  In this it has similarities with other pieces of Scripture.[1] But the chief purpose here seems to be to look back at the glory of God as it was manifested at Sinai (interestingly, this is the only place in Deuteronomy where the name Horab is not used in the text).

The text refers to the splendour of the Lord as being like a sunrise (v2) and I cannot help thinking that this is in reference to the way that God revealed himself to His people.  Back in Deuteronomy chapter 4 and 5 although the people do not see God, they are left in no doubt as to His nature.  He is holy, yet, despite this, He has gone out of his way to firstly, redeemed His people and secondly, to speak to them, and by that, make Himself known.  Surely, this is the equivalent of a spiritual sunrise that seeks to destroy the dark night of superstition and idolatry that the Israelites had acquired in Egypt!

Also in this section there is an emphasis on: ‘holy ones’ which are most probably the Angels that were used in the revealing of God’s law (see Galatians 3:19 and Hebrews 2:2).  The focus then changes in that this great God has revealed himself and redeemed his people out of His great love for them.  The people are, I feel, the most likely explanation of the term: ‘his holy ones’ in verse 3, the context having change from the previous use in verse 2 as this is now related to the giving of the Law to them (see also v4)   which is shown in the phase: ‘so they followed in your steps, receiving direction from you, when Moses commanded us a law as a possession for the assembly of Jacob’ rather referring to the holiness and majesty of the Lord.

There is difficulty in translating the next part of the passage and defining its meaning.  Who does the: King in verse 5 refer to?  Is it the Lord, or is it Moses as it is not clear in the KJ or NIV?  There are arguments both ways.  J. G. McConville translates it as: ‘the Lord’[2] his argument being that this illustrates the Lord’s Kingship on earth echoing His Kingship in heaven.[3]  I once commented to a notable lecturer of Hebrew and Greek at the college I study at, that I have no wish to mangle another language as I had quite enough trouble with my own being dyslexic!  So I am in no position to tell which is the right translation here, but have to rely on the skill of others.  John Currid points out some have seen a reference to the coming of Jesus of whom Moses is a shadow or a ‘type’ in the work that he undertakes for the people as intercessor.  However, it probably refers to the Lord as John Currid notes: ‘as King and Warrior, he has acted on behalf of His people.’[4]  In the end I would settle for the explanation that it refers to the Lord as I feel Christopher Wright clarifies this when he notes ‘the establishment of the monarchy lies outside the scope of the poem.’[5]  So, I believe the ESV gets this translation right, hence the use of it here.

Lastly, Israel is here referred to as ‘Jeshurum’ which is translated as the ‘upright one’.  This is the Lord’s nickname for Israel and presumably shows His affection for them.  Moses uses it here in the context of the poem as it portrays Israel serving faithfully under God’s rule at this point.

[1] Notably, Psalm 68:17, Zechariah 14:5, Acts 7:55-56 and Galatians 3:19.
[2] J. G. McConville, Deuteronomy, Apollos Old Testament Commentary (Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 2002) 462.
[3] McConville, Deuteronomy, 469.
[4] John D Currid, Deuteronomy, an EP Study Commentary (Evangelical Press, Darlington, 2006) 520.
[5] Christopher Wright, Deuteronomy, New International Biblical Commentary (Massachusetts, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc, 1996), 314.

Introduction

‘This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death’ (Deuteronomy 33:1)

This month we start a new series in Deuteronomy chapter 33.   We’ll be looking at the last words of Moses to the Israelites and what they teach us as Churches and Christians today.

When I left the Church where I had my first Pastorate I finished my last leaflet to the community with a goodbye.  I wrote what would be considered the usual thing you say.  I said it has been a privilege to serve them as a community and I would miss meeting and talking to them, particularly on the street where I used to do open-air work with the poster board and free literature.  But I then ended with the thing I wanted to say most of all.  ‘Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near’ (Isaiah 55:6).  Last words are important, and I did not want to waste mine to people I was unlikely to see again.  In Deuteronomy chapter 33 we find Moses in a similar situation.  These are the last recorded words of Moses in Scripture.  So he chooses them carefully so he can encourage the people for the work ahead of them as they go into the Promised Land, but also with warnings concerning their future in the land.  That being the case, these are very important words!

Moses addresses the Israelites in two capacities.  Firstly, he addresses them as the Lord’s Prophet.  Verse 1 refers to Moses as: ‘the man of God’ for this very reason.  Moses had literally been the voice of God to the people, in that he had conveyed the Lord’s Word to them and acted as an intercessor for them all the days of their wilderness wanderings (see 5:23-27). But he conveys his last words to them by looking back and summarising the Lord’s attitude in the past, particularly when they were at Mount Sinai, before looking forward to when they settle the land.

Secondly, he addresses them in his pastoral role.  Just as a good Pastor would make the effort to get to know his congregations strengths and weaknesses, so he might pastor them effectively, Moses shows he has a good knowledge of the people he has led as he highlights their particular strengths and weaknesses.  This has similarities to the way Jacob addresses his sons in Genesis 49 just before his death.  So, in this sense; Moses is also addressing them in a fatherly role.  Meredith Kline comments that: ‘in the ancient Near East a dying father’s final blessings spoken to his sons were an irrevocable legal testament, acceptable as decisive evidence in court disputes.’[1]  So this stresses the importance with which the Israelites would have regarded these last words of Moses.

It’s worth noting that all commentators stress that there are difficulties with this chapter due to translation issues and the poetic nature of the text.  But we will try and unravel these as we work through it over the next few months.

[1] Meredith G. Kline, Treaty of the Great King, The Covenant Structure of Deuteronomy: Studies and Commentary (Eugene WIPF and Stock Publishers, 1963) 44.

‘To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen’ (Revelation 1:5b-6).

Just put yourself in John’s shoes.  You’ve been faithfully ministering the Gospel for many years, but now you find yourself imprisoned on a small desolate island for that very reason!  It’s Sunday, and you’re on your own, engaged in worship. In your heart you’re concerned that what’s happened to you could easily happen to the Churches where you’ve ministered!  What was going to happen to the Church?  That was the question that was probably going through John’s mind at this time as the many of the Churches John had ministered in were facing major persecution.  It is to these Churches that this blessing is given.

So why this blessing in the rather unusual place at the beginning of the letter rather than at the end?  Perhaps the thing to note is this blessing starts to establish a theme for the book, one that is crystallised in the words of the glorified Christ.  “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17b-18).  Both the blessing and these words focus us on the main theme of the book as they place Christ at the centre of history. Not just that, he transcends history itself and provides redemption for his people!  So, let’s look at the blessing itself, as well the verses around it, and see what we can learn.

The introduction to the book reminds us that Revelation is about what is being revealed (v3).  The book is to be an encouragement to the Church as it will bring blessing to those who heed its words.  John addresses the letter to seven Churches in, what today is, Asia Minor (v4).  The number seven represents completeness in Jewish thinking, so these Churches represent the universal Church.  The introductory greetings of verses 4-5a emphasises the doctrine of the Trinity with it’s mention of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.[1]   But it also acts as an introduction to the centrality of Christ death with the phrase: ‘the first born from the dead’ (v5a) this being emphasised again in the second half of verse 5 with a reference to the: ‘blood’ of Jesus being absolutely essential in the process of forgiveness.

The blessing it’s self is set out in a way that shows the process by which the offer of Salvation is made.  Firstly, God loved us (John 3:16), that was his motivation in sending Jesus. Secondly, Jesus has: ‘freed us from our sins by his blood.’  His death was absolutely essential as in Jesus we see the fulfilment of all the sacrifices demanded by the Law as he is ultimate sacrifice (Matthew 5:17-18).  This was essential as: ‘without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins’ (Hebrews 9:22b).  Lastly, it is by this that God has redeemed his people: ‘and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father’ (v6).  The purpose of this is to bring glory to him.  Verse 7, with its reference to Daniel 7:13, serves to emphasise that Christ is now in a position of glory, a glory which the blessing has made clear he shares with the Church and was achieved through his work on the cross!

Yet these are much more than fine sounding words.  John has two purposes.  He wants to assure the Christians that he’s writing to, some of whom will soon face persecution, that Christ is sovereign over all powers and authorities that might threaten the Church. That’s a picture that the book portrays very clearly.  Persecution and suffering may come, but Christ rules!  The second thing John wants to convey is the Christian’s role in the present time, and that’s why he uses the word: ‘priests’ when referring to the Christians he’s writing to.

John is writing to ordinary Christians yet, like an Old Testament priest, they have a job that involves intercession.  Not by offering animal sacrifices, that has been superseded by Jesus’ sacrifice once for all (1 Peter 3:18).  Rather, the priestly role of the Christian is found in prayer and witness.  Leon Morris notes: ‘the essential thing about a priest is that he mediates.  He speaks to God on behalf of men and to men on behalf of God.  Believers are assigned this responsible task by their God.  They are to pray to God for the world. And they are to witness to the world of what God has done.’[2]  John wanted believers to know that they share in the work of Christ and, whatever suffering they faced in the meantime, they could be assured that in the future he would share his glory with them!

[1] The phrase: ‘the seven spirits’ (v-4) might baffle us.  John knows there is only one Spirit (John 16:13), so it’s possible that the number seven represents the completeness of God’s Spirit, and also the seven aspects of God’s Spirit which are referred to in Isaiah 11:2.
[2] Leon Morris, Revelation, An Introduction and Commentary (Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 1969) 49.