It is necessary that we examine in more detail the statement made by Isaiah: ‘In the year that King Uzziah died, [in a vision] I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the skirts of His train filled the [most holy part of the] temple’ (Isaiah 6:1). Was the fact that Isaiah’s vision occurred soon after Uzziah’s death a mere coincidence? I think not. Some commentators believe that Isaiah, along with many others in Judah at that time, had unconsciously allowed his hopes and expectations to become entwined around the godly king Uzziah that when he was removed those hopes toppled and his expectations died. If this is true then it is reasonable to assume that God could not appear to Isaiah until first the object on which his hopes and expectations were pinned had been removed. Perhaps it was not until he came to recognize the impotence of the one who lay in a tomb that he was prepared to lift his eyes to gaze at the One who sits on the eternal throne. I wonder, if am talking to someone today who over the past few weeks and months has been experiencing a removal of the props that support their life? Perhaps you can no longer depend on the situations, circumstances, and people you have relied on in the past; the things you have stood on for many years have been removed. Inside you are deeply hurt and from within your soul comes the cry, ‘Why is God doing this to me? Does He no longer care? Is He indifferent to my great needs?’ No, my dear friend and people, God is not indifferent to your needs. Sometimes, though, it’s when the props fall away from under our feet that we then rest our weight fully upon Him our God. We may need to be willing to see our earthly securities buried before we can see the glory of the heavenly King, our God who sits upon the throne. Do you get it, this is really the way we humans behaves, God know that sometimes we humans have our hopes on people or on material wealth/things than on Him God, and as such it is only when such failable hopes are removed that we realize that we are in error, that God is in reality the only One in Whom we should always hinge our hope in life!

Now let us read Deuteronomy 33:20-29; 20 And of Gad he said: Blessed is He Who enlarges Gad! Gad lurks like a lioness, and tears the arm, yes, the crown of the head. 21 He selected the best land for himself, for there was the leader’s portion reserved; yet he came with the chiefs of the nation, and the righteous will of the Lord he performed, and His ordinances with Israel. 22 Of Dan he said: Dan is a lion’s whelp that leaps forth from Bashan. 23 Of Naphtali he said: O Naphtali, [f]satisfied with favor and full of the blessing of the Lord, possess the Sea [of Galilee] and [its warm, sunny climate like] the south. 24 Of Asher he said: Blessed above sons is Asher; let him be acceptable to his brothers, and [g]let him dip his foot in oil. 25 Your castles and strongholds shall have bars of iron and bronze, and as your day, so shall your strength, your rest and security, be. 26 There is none like God, O Jeshurun [Israel], Who rides through the heavens to your help and in His majestic glory through the skies. 27 The eternal God is your refuge and dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He drove the enemy before you and thrust them out, saying, Destroy! 28 And Israel dwells in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone in a land of grain and new wine; yes, His heavens drop dew. 29 Happy are you, O Israel, and blessing is yours! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the Shield of your help, the Sword that exalts you! Your enemies shall come fawning and cringing, and submit feigned obedience to you, and you shall march on their high places.

In this sermon on Deuteronomy 33:20-29, we will explore the blessings Moses pronounces on the tribes of Gad, Dan, Naphtali, and Asher, emphasizing God's unique provision and protection for His people, and the importance of trusting in Him. • Verse 20-21: Gad's Blessing: Moses blesses Gad, saying, "Blessed be he who enlarges Gad! Gad crouches like a lion and tears off an arm and the crown of the head. He provided the first part for himself, for there was the lawgiver's portion reserved; he came with the heads of the people; he executed the righteousness of Jehovah, and his ordinances with Israel." • Verse 22: Dan's Blessing: Moses blesses Dan, saying, "Dan is a lion's cub. He leaps out from Bashan." • Verse 23: Naphtali's Blessing: Moses blesses Naphtali, saying, "O Naphtali, sated with favor, and full of the blessing of the Lord, let his land be extended to the south from Lake Galilee." • Verse 24-25: Asher's Blessing: Moses blesses Asher, saying, "Most blessed of sons be Asher; let him be the favorite of his brothers, and let him be covered with the favor of the Lord. His land will be covered with iron and bronze, and his bolts will be iron and bronze." • Verse 26-29: A General Blessing: Moses concludes with a general blessing for all Israel, saying, "There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens in your help, and on the clouds in His Excellency. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you. Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall tread down their high places." MOSES BLESSES THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL; 1. (20-21) Gad: He dwells as a lion. 20 And of Gad he said: Blessed is He Who enlarges Gad! Gad lurks like a lioness, and tears the arm, yes, the crown of the head. 21 He selected the best land for himself, for there was the leader’s portion reserved; yet he came with the chiefs of the nation, and the righteous will of the Lord he performed, and His ordinances with Israel. a. He dwells as a lion: The lion-like character of the tribe of Gad was shown by the fact that Gad furnished many fine troops for David (1 Chronicles 12:14). This is in fulfillment of Jacob’s words in Genesis 49:19: he shall triumph at last. b. A lawgiver’s portion: Gad held the central area of land among the Israelite tribes on the eastern side of the Jordan, with Manasseh to the north and Reuben to the south. This was the best, choice part of the region. i. “Gad’s area was by far the largest and best, conforming well to its description as ‘the leader’s portion.’” (Merrill) 2. (22) Dan: A lion’s whelp. 22 Of Dan he said: Dan is a lion’s whelp that leaps forth from Bashan. a. He shall leap from Bashan: This may not be a complimentary phrase. History records that Dan was a troublesome tribe. They were the tribe to introduce idolatry into Israel (Judges 18:30); Jeroboam set up one of his idolatrous golden calves in Dan (1 Kings 12:26-30), and later Dan became a center of idol worship in Israel (Amos 8:14). Indeed, Jacob said of Dan in Genesis 49:17, Dan shall be a serpent by the way. Today when we read all of these, we begin to realize those words of Moses as he pronounces them over the tribes just as God gives him the words. Are we not seeing this idolatrous living in many areas of the world? b. From Bashan: The tribe of Dan originally was allotted land in the southern part of Israel but migrated to the north hundreds of years after this (Judges 18). Moses’ reference to Bashan (a region in northern Israel) prophetically anticipated this migration. This is prophecy fulfilled! 3. (23) Naphtali: Full of the blessing of the LORD. 23 Of Naphtali he said: O Naphtali, [f]satisfied with favor and full of the blessing of the Lord, possess the Sea [of Galilee] and [its warm, sunny climate like] the south. a. O Naphtali, satisfied with favor: The tribe of Naphtali was indeed satisfied with favor. Naphtali’s land was in a key portion near the Sea of Galilee, the region where our Lord Jesus did much of His teaching and ministry. b. Full of the blessing of the LORD: Since the ministry of Lord Jesus was based in the tribal lands of Naphtali, his blessing was indeed full. Jacob said of Naphtali in Genesis 49:21, he uses beautiful words. i. “Scarcely any of the tribes was more particularly favoured by the wondrous mercy and kindness of God, than this Naphtali, and the tribe of Zebulun. The light of the glorious Gospel of Christ shone brightly here, Matthew 4:13, 15, 16. Christ’s chief residence was at Capernaum in this tribe, Matthew 9:1; Mark 2:1; and this city, through Christ’s constant residence, and the mighty miracles He wrought in it, is represented as being exalted unto heaven.” (Clarke)

24 Of Asher he said: Blessed above sons is Asher; let him be acceptable to his brothers, and [g]let him dip his foot in oil. 25 Your castles and strongholds shall have bars of iron and bronze, and as your day, so shall your strength, your rest and security, be. a. Asher is most blessed of sons: The abundance of the tribe of Asher was also expressed by Jacob in Genesis 49:20 (he shall yield royal dainties). Here, Moses blessed Asher with an abundance of olive oil, plenty to dip one’s foot in. i. “The Galilean highlands were famous for olives and both Josephus and one of the Jewish Midrashim refer to this fact.” (Thompson) b. Your sandals shall be iron and bronze: The tribe of Asher would be blessed with wealth so that even their sandals would be made of the best, strongest, most durable materials. i. Sandals of iron and bronze have a spiritual sense for the believer. Spurgeon suggested several applications. • Such sandals would protect tender feet, and God protects. • Such sandals would be sturdy for travel, and God enables us to walk difficult paths. • Such sandals would be good for soldiers, and we wage war in the Spirit and crush spiritual adversaries under our feet. • Such sandals would be good for climbing mountains, and God has heights for His people to climb. • Such sandals would last a long time, needed for our long journey in life with the LORD. c. As your days, so shall your strength be: This wonderful promise meant that their strength would match their days. This can be understood in many blessed aspects. i. “The saying, I have no doubt, has comforted the souls of multitudes. The meaning is obvious: ‘Whatever thy trials or difficulties may be, I shall always give thee grace to support thee under and bring thee through them.’” (Clarke) ii. Spurgeon suggested many applications of the truth, as your days, so shall your strength be. • We receive strength from God as we do our days – day by day, piece by piece. We receive one day at a time and receive strength for that day. • We receive strength from God proportionally. A day of little service or little suffering may receive little strength; but days of greater service or greater suffering will receive greater strength. • We receive strength from God in many ways. As our days differ, so does the strength God gives us, always suited to the day. • We receive strength from God as long as our days continue; it is a constant provision. As we are reading all of these, they are given so that we will know that our God does not change and His love for us is constant and He supplies all that we need accordingly! So let us keep loving Him and always worship Him.

26 There is none like God, O Jeshurun [Israel], Who rides through the heavens to your help and in His majestic glory through the skies. 27 The eternal God is your refuge and dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He drove the enemy before you and thrust them out, saying, Destroy! 28 And Israel dwells in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone in a land of grain and new wine; yes, His heavens drop dew. 29 Happy are you, O Israel, and blessing is yours! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the Shield of your help, the Sword that exalts you! Your enemies shall come fawning and cringing, and submit feigned obedience to you, and you shall march on their high places. a. The eternal God is your refuge: What blessing God gave to Israel! As Paul wrote in Romans 3:2: To them were committed the oracles of God. The true greatness of Israel is the same as the greatness of the Christian: not in and of themselves, but in their God, that there is no one like the God of Jeshurun. Here we begin to see how all of these words applies or compares to the individual, to a people and to a nation. b. Who rides the heavens to help you: God is great and uses His greatness on behalf of His people, upholding them with the everlasting arms. When believers are a people saved by the LORD, it means that God is for them, and heaven is on their side. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). He is the shield of the believer’s help. i. “The figure of deity riding on a chariot through the heavens is an ancient Near Eastern motif or repeated pattern known to the Canaanites, but occurring also in the Old Testament (Psalm 18:10; 68:33; Isaiah 19:1; Ezekiel 1).” (Thompson) ii. The fountain of Jacob: “It is a figurative way of describing Jacob’s offspring, the descendants of his sons who came to comprise the nation Israel.” (Merrill) iii. Then Israel shall dwell…alone: “This people shall not be incorporated with any other people under heaven. A prophecy which continues to be fulfilled to the very letter. Every attempt to unite them with any other people has proved absolutely ineffectual.” (Clarke) do you hear and see that, God’s people are known by the character, attitude and attributes of God that is found in them in terms of genealogy and any attempt to mix them with other tribes or people is not workable because the differences will be very visible! c. Underneath are the everlasting arms: The hymn Leaning on the Everlasting Arms gets its title and theme from this phrase. The sense of this simple and powerful image gives great comfort and courage to those who believe in God’s Word and receives its truth. i. The everlasting arms of God are underneath, as a foundation for everything. Everything in the universe, all creation, the Church, the individual believer – all built on a firm foundation, with God’s everlasting, strong, arms underneath. They are also underneath the believer as a place of rest. Our Father’s arms are a perfect pillow, giving perfect rest and peace. We can put all our weight on these strong arms, leaning heavily on them without fear. ii. If we sink deep from humiliation, from trials, inner conflict, weary working, illness, or impending death – no matter what brings us low – we have God’s everlasting arms underneath us. “You cannot go so low but that God’s arms of love are lower still. You get poorer and poorer; but ‘underneath are the everlasting arms of God.’ You get older and feebler; your ears are failing, your eyes are growing dim; but ‘underneath are the everlasting arms of God.’” (Spurgeon) iii. “I recollect being at the funeral of one of our brethren, and a dear friend in Christ offered prayer in which there was a sentence which struck me, ‘O Lord,’ he said, ‘thou hast laid our friend low, but we thank thee that he cannot go any lower, for underneath him are Your everlasting arms.’ Yes, underneath the bodies of the saints are the everlasting arms of God.” (Spurgeon) iv. Everlasting arms: “They are arms which always were, and always will be: arms which always were strong, and never will grow faint or weary; arms which once outstretched will never be drawn back again; arms which once engaged for the defense of the chosen people shall never cease to work for their good world without end. Not failing arms, nor dying arms, but everlasting arms, are underneath the saints of God.” (Spurgeon) d. Happy are you, O Israel: With this salvation, with God as their shield and sword, with victory assured, all this gave God’s people great reason to be happy. These blessings, in their spiritual sense, were not limited to Israel. Believers, God’s people under the new covenant, also have such blessings and reasons to be happy. i. A people saved by the LORD: “If you are indeed believers in Christ, you are ‘a people saved by the Lord.’ If you only read as far as the word ‘saved’ and there pause, what music there is in the words—‘a people saved’! Not a people who may be saved, who are in process of being saved, but a people saved; for he that believes in Lord Jesus is saved. The work is done.” (Spurgeon) ii. “Remember that, O believer. Not half saved, but completely saved; saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you shall not be ashamed nor confounded, world without end. Why, that one word ‘saved’ is enough to make the heart dance as long as life remains.” (Spurgeon) e. Your enemies shall submit to you: The last recorded words of Moses were full of confidence that Israel would defeat the Canaanites and occupy the land Yahweh had promised them. i. “On the eve of conquest it was assuring to know that Yahweh, the Divine Warrior (cf. Deuteronomy 33:27), would lead His elect nation to victory. Their enemies would submit to them, and they would tread upon the high places of their foes.” (Merrill)