Year 1, Day 184: Deuteronomy 33

Blessings Upon the Tribes

It would be impossible to treat each of the blessings with the respect that they deserve and still keep this blog entry to a respectable length.  So, I will let you read the blessings for yourself and ponder their individual meaning.  Besides, if any of the blessings are confusing or need specific conversation, there is always the ability to post a conversation in the comments, right?

Moses

Rather, I’m going to look at Moses here.  This is it, folks.  This is the end.  In the last chapter God has told Moses to go and look upon the Promised Land.  God has told Moses that when he goes, he will die.  That story comes tomorrow.  So this is really the end.

How does Moses go out?  He goes out blessing the people.  He goes out trying to give them a nudge in the most positive of directions.  He goes out with all the knowledge of the struggles that his life contained, yet he goes out blessing the tribe.  He goes out knowing that because of the rebellion of human beings his own spirituality was compromised at times, yet he blesses the people.

I’ll say more about this tomorrow, but Moses has really earned my respect.  Within the last 3 months we have really seen Moses as a human being.  We’ve seen him wrestle with God.  We’ve seen him wrestle with the Egyptians.  We’ve seen him wrestle with the Hebrew people.  More than once we’ve seen him stand up for those rebellious people who deserved to be smote by God’s hand. 

Moses is a powerful bastion of faith.  His love for the people put him at odds with God from time to time.  His love for God almost perpetually put him at odds with the people.

Yet, Moses blesses them in the end.  Moses ends his life looking upon the people and only remembering the good.  Moses’ last act in many ways is an act of forgiveness.  Moses looks upon the masses and essentially says: if you are in a relationship with God, it was worth it.

Man, Moses has really gotten my attention.  I can’t say I find too many people in this world like Moses.  He deserves some serious respect – yet I know that Moses would remind me that I should be focusing on God rather than him.  So I’ll do that tomorrow.  For today I will simply sit in the awe that comes knowing that after the story is lived and written, Moses turns to the people and offers nothing less than a blessing.

Of course, it does make me wonder about myself.  How will I go out?  Will I have the love for God’s people that in spite of all the problems, conflict, and wrongdoings I have seen at work in “the church” I will still offer up a blessing upon it when my time comes?  Or will I be glad to be rid of it and only be thinking about heading off to be with God? 

Of course, being with God is the primary importance.  God always is and should be the primary importance.  But in the end, will I be ending ministry looking back fondly upon those among whom God has called me to do that very ministry?

I think that is the awesome question that the blessings have given to me this day.  Who am I, God?  Am I like your servant Moses?  Or do I fall far short?

<><