Deuteronomy 33:1-5
We now come to the last words of Moses and it is precious to see how they all speak of grace and of Israel’s future blessing in the land.
In Jacob’s dying utterances (Gen. 49) when he has his sons before him, he looks at them in a very different aspect. He speaks of blessing, but he also recalls to them their sin. Moses was about to die, too, and how well he knew the character of the people he had led throughout those forty long years. But he looks at them from the heights of God’s thoughts and purposes, in contrast to the actual history of the nation in its sin and failure as Jacob sees them. Moses looks on to that coming day when a king shall reign in righteousness and his people shall be the objects of the richest grace and unmingled blessing.
Jacob recalls Reuben’s moral faire, and Simeon and Levi’s cruelty. Thus corruption and violence, the two dominant forms of evil that have marked man’s history in this world, would characterize the early history of Israel as a nation and would sweep on to the end and “befall the people” in the last days. Jacob gives the sad sinful actings of his sons, but Moses rises above all man’s ruin and failure and gives us the actings of divine grace.
In our chapter Moses sees the Lord coming from Sinai with His people, His glory flooding the wilderness, from Seir on the east, from Mount Paran on the north and west, and His angelic hosts around Him. “From His right hand went forth a fiery law for them.”
“He loved the people(s).” This really goes beyond Israel, because when Israel is blessed, the world at large will be brought into blessing, too.
“All His saints are in Thy hand.” Not only does God love His people, but they are in His hand. What a safe place to be in! How precious the promise of John 10, where the Lord Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.” There we are eternally secure, eternally held by those mighty hands, while “underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deut. 33:27.
“And they sat down at Thy feet; every one shall receive of Thy words.” At His feet! This is the place of blessing. How precious a privilege to sit at His feet and hear His words, like Mary of Bethany, of whom the Lord said, “She hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42. What a treasure the words of the Lord! more precious than thousands of gold and silver.
Low at Thy feet, Lord Jesus,
This is the place for me.
There have I learned deep lessons
Truths that have set me free.
~~~
Just on the threshold! oh, why not come in,
Leaving the mazes of darkness and sin?
Forward the light, and the glory divine;
Backward the dangers, and woes that were thine.
Just on the threshold, and joy near at hand;
Yonder’s the gleam of Immanuel’s land!
Refuge and rest are now offered to thee:
Sin or salvation—oh, which shall it be?
Just on the threshold —and Christ calls to thee!
Come! with the pardoned forever to be!
Just on the threshold—why linger so long?
Sing, with the ransomed, Eternity’s song!
ML-07/04/1976