The death of Moses is at hand and before he departs this earth he bestows a blessing upon each tribe of Israel.
"This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death." (Deuteronomy 33:1) Moses won't be allowed entry to the promised land because of the way he disrespected the Lord at Meribah but his mistake didn't disqualify him as a "man of God", as verse 1 calls him. Moses could have allowed his mistake and the penalty for it to make him unusable as the leader of Israel from that day at Meribah until now but he didn't. He didn't wallow in self pity. He didn't remain trapped in regrets. He repented to the Lord, received the Lord's forgiveness, accepted the Lord's discipline though he was not happy about it, and kept doing what he was called to do. We could all learn a lot from Moses' example. We can't allow our pasts to disqualify us from serving the Lord today and in the future. We may have regrets. We may have brought consequences upon ourselves that we aren't happy with. But if we've gotten things right with the Lord we need to keep moving ahead and doing what the Lord has called us to do.
"He said: 'The Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran. He came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from His mountain slopes. Surely it is You who love the people; all the holy ones are in Your hand. At Your feet they all bow down, and from You receive instruction, the law that Moses gave us, the possession of the assembly of Jacob. He was king over Jeshurun when the leaders of the people assembled, along with the tribes of Israel.'" (Deuteronomy 33:2-5) Moses introduces Chapter 33 by presenting the Lord in His sovereign power and holiness. It is on the authority of Israel's God that Moses pronounces the following blessings upon the tribes.
"Let Reuben live and not die, nor his people be few." (Deuteronomy 33:6) We are reminded of Jacob's blessing of his sons in Genesis 49 as we read the blessings Moses pronounces upon the tribes descended from the sons of Jacob. Jacob said of his firstborn, Reuben, "You will no longer excel." (Genesis 49:4a) This was because Reuben tried to usurp his father's authority by sleeping with one of his father's wives---a statement in ancient times that a man was making a bid for his father's leadership over the family. Reuben should have been his father's chief heir but he lost first position in the family through his actions. Moses pronounces no blessing upon the tribe of Reuben that refutes anything Jacob said; he simply asks that Reuben's tribe continue to be blessed by fruitfulness in offspring. He asks that the tribe of Reuben continue on and not disappear from the earth.
"And this he said about Judah: 'Hear, Lord, the cry of Judah; bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause. Oh, be his help against his foes!'" (Deuteronomy 33:7) Jacob foresaw that his son Judah's line would become the royal line of Israel. (See Genesis 49:8-12) Jacob also predicted that the Messiah would come from the line of Judah, referring to Him as the One to whom the scepter and ruler's staff rightly belongs and the One to whom the nations would bow in obedience someday. Moses asks the Lord to preserve the and protect the tribe of Judah so these prophecies may come true. When he says, "Bring him to his people," it could be that Moses is asking the Lord to send the Anointed One as promised.
"About Levi he said: 'Your Thummim and Urim belong to Your faithful servant. You tested him at Massah; You contended with him at the waters of Meribah. He said of his father and mother, 'I have no regard for them.' He did not recognize his brothers or acknowledge his own children, but he watched over Your word and guarded Your covenant. He teaches Your precepts to Jacob and Your law to Israel. He offers incense before You and whole burnt offerings on Your altar. Bless all his skills, Lord, and be pleased with the work of his hands. Strike down those who rise against him, his foes til they rise no more.'" (Deuteronomy 33:8-11) Jacob did not pronounce comforting words upon his son Levi or upon Levi's brother Simeon for they had slaughtered all the men of Shechem in their anger. But because the descendants of Levi loved the word of God, Moses has a blessing for them. To them was committed the objects known as the Thummim and Urim that were prayerfully utilized to discern the will of God. To them was committed the keeping of the Book of the Law and the tabernacle and all its furnishings including the ark of the covenant and the tablets with the ten commandments. To them was committed the teaching of the people. Their turnaround in fortune can be attributed to the way they loved the Lord and His precepts above all things---above even their own families. The Lord Jesus said something similar about following Him; He said that the person who wants to be His disciple must value Him above everyone and everything else---above even their own lives. (Luke 14:26) We see here that the Levites placed the Lord first in their lives and as a result were honored with four beautiful verses of blessing.
"About Benjamin he said: 'Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders.'" (Deuteronomy 33:12) Jacob's favorite son was Joseph but after Joseph's disappearance and presumed death (Jacob did not know that ten of his sons had sold Joseph into slavery) Jacob transferred his favoritism to Benjamin. Jacob was going to protect his youngest and smallest son Benjamin at all costs. Moses asks the Lord to protect the tribe of Benjamin which at times was the smallest tribe in number. Jacob's prophecy presented the tribe of Benjamin as a "ravenous wolf" who "devours the prey" and "divides the plunder" in Genesis 49:27 but Moses' words indicate that Benjamin needed protection, perhaps because the tribe would be smallest in number at certain points in history or perhaps as an extension of Jacob's great love for his youngest son. Jacob would no doubt have asked the Lord for a special blessing on Benjamin and perhaps Moses is simply asking that the Lord continue to grant Jacob's request.
Our deeds, whether good or bad, have far-reaching consequences. But so do our prayers! Jacob's prayers for his sons are still being answered here in Deuteronomy 33. Moses is pronouncing blessings upon them by the authority of the Lord. The prayers our parents and grandparents prayed over us are still bearing fruit even though our parents and grandparents may be dead. The prayers you and I pray for the generations to come will still bear fruit long after we are gone. We might not live to see every prayer we've prayed for our families come true but that doesn't mean the Lord didn't hear our prayers and answer them in the affirmative. Jacob didn't live to see his sons' descendants inheriting the promised land but he believed that day would come. He pronounced prophecies and blessings upon them before he died and now the time is at hand for them to cross the Jordan and begin taking hold of what was promised to Jacob's forefathers. Jacob's sons turned into mighty tribes, and though he did not live to see all his prayers for them fulfilled, we are witnessing the fulfillment of them as we study the book of Deuteronomy and the books to come.
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