Tribal Blessings
Deuteronomy 33:3-16
Synopsis Deuteronomy 33:3-16 4/4/2018
Moses blessed each of the tribes.
Tribal Blessings
Although Moses’ blessing of the tribes is reminiscent of Jacob’s blessings at the end of Genesis, the order and emphasis is decidedly different.
Moses’ blessing emphasized the role and leadership of the tribes of Joseph and Levi and simultaneously de-emphasized the role of the tribe of Judah. This was different than Jacob’s blessings which anticipated that the mantle of leadership would come from Judah.
Throughout the exodus, the people had been carrying the mummified remains of Joseph. He was a great patriarch and leader over the tribes, who had also forced his sons to swear an oath to take his body back to the land of his fathers. Similarly, Moses and Aaron were from Levi, so no surprise the Levites and priests were the focus of a richer blessing. The emphasis on the tribes of Levi and Joseph were natural, but de-emphasizing the tribe of Judah is less intuitive.
Judah and Joseph
As men, Judah and Joseph struggled most of their lives over the right to lead. In the end, both formed an historic legacy for leadership. As a result, the tension between these two passed down through generations. The underlying stress made a cameo appearance in Moses’ blessing, but we make no mistake, this is a crack in the foundation of God’s great experiment.
The pressure on the community to split will only increase with time, growth, affluence and leisure.
Power for its own sake is a false self. It is less than the possibility of my life. No amount of control over the external things of this world compares to the freedom to respond to God wholly – without reserve.
“whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all”. Mark 10:44
