Thank God As The Source of All Blessings
Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 33:12-21 (NASB)
12 Of Benjamin he said,
“May the beloved of the Lord live in security beside Him
Who shields him all the day long,
And he lives between His shoulders.”
13 Of Joseph he said,
“Blessed of the Lord be his land,
With the choice things of heaven, with the dew,
And from the deep waters lying beneath,
14 And with the choice yield of the sun,
And the choice produce of the months;
15 And with the best things of the ancient mountains,
With the choice things of the everlasting hills,
16 And with the choice things of the earth and its fullness,
And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush.
Let it come to the head of Joseph,
And to the top of the head of the one who was prince among his brothers.
17 As the firstborn of his ox, majesty is his,
And his horns are the horns of the wild ox;
With them he will gore the peoples
All at once, to the ends of the earth.
And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And those are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 Of Zebulun he said,
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
And, Issachar, in your tents.
19 They will call peoples to the mountain;
There they will offer righteous sacrifices;
For they will draw out the abundance of the seas,
And the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20 Of Gad he said,
“Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad;
He lies down as a lion,
And tears the arm, also the crown of the head.
21 Then he selected the choicest part for himself,
For there the ruler’s portion was reserved;
And he came with the leaders of the people;
He executed the justice of the Lord,
And His ordinances with Israel.”
SUMMARY
Moses blesses the tribe of Benjamin, Joseph, Zebulun, Issachar, and Gad. The tribe of Benjamin would have security because the Lord would shield them and carry them between his shoulders. The tribe of Joseph, which included both Ephraim and Manasseh, would enjoy material prosperity and military might. They were blessed with the favor of God who dwelt in the bush. The tribes of Zebulun and Issachar would rejoice in God’s blessing through the abundance of the seas. The tribe of Gad executed the justice of the Lord and gained victory in battles in Canaan.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
Today I meditate on the love of the Father shown to the descendants of Benjamin, who is the youngest among children of Israel. I am the youngest in my family, and I remember feeling so safe when I stayed between my father’s shoulders. I am once again deeply moved by the Abba Father’s love for me. His blessing is the intimate relationship He wants with me. His blessing is to carry me and shield me in His arms all the days. That peace and security is such a blessing from Father God. When I continue chewing on the words, in verse 13, “with the choice things of heaven, with the dew, and from the deep lying beneath”. The earth produced its fullness and these abundant blessings that descendants of Joseph would receive were all grown by God. God first provided them rain, dew, and water that runs deep beneath ground, and God was the source of all their blessings. I reflected in this season of Thanksgiving, and I recognized that He is truly my Provider. All that I have are all His blessings. My daily bread and the shelter over my head all are blessings poured out from God. God teaches me daily through my quiet time, which is like rain in my spiritual life. I shall be more grateful and treasure His words that shower my soul. As I keep reading more in today’s passage, I find more of His instructions for me. I am reminded not only to have a heart of gratitude, but also to rejoice. In verse 18, “rejoice… in your going forth and… in your tents”. I feel that God commands me to enjoy His presence when I go out or when I am home. Rejoice when I worship Him online in my home, and also rejoice when I can worship Him in person with other brothers and sisters. The blessings are from Him and I shall rejoice in all circumstances. Lastly, the blessing for the tribe of Gad was to be used by God. Their blessing was that they get the privilege to partake in expanding God’s justice by fulfilling their promise, leaving their women and children at east of Jordan, and fighting the battles with others.
APPLICATION
Love, peace, thanksgiving, and rejoicing – God knitted them beautifully in today’s quiet time. My heart is so full as I meditate on these verses. I thank God that quiet time with the book of Deuteronomy comes in such perfect timing to help me through this season. I pray and hope that God would use me and my family to help others who are in need of His justice, love, and peace. I ask God to give me strength to join Arise every morning starting November 30th. Moreover, I want to use this time to intercede for our brothers, sisters, pastors, our church, our nation, next generation, and many who are going through hardships due to the pandemic.
PRAYER
Thank you, Lord. I give thanks for every blessing from You. I give thanks with a grateful heart. I give thanks because You have given us Jesus Christ, Your Son. I thank You for Your love and Your protection. I pray that You will wake me up to join Arise and intercede for others. For with You is the fountain of life, and in Your light we see light. I pray that Your light will shine through this darkness. In the name of Jesus, I pray.
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