Yesterday we studied Moses' blessings on the tribes of Reuben, Judah, Levi, and Benjamin. Today we'll see what he says about the tribes of Joseph, Zebulun, Issachar, and Gad.
We begin with Joseph and we must keep in mind that his descendants are not usually referred to as the tribe of Joseph but that they are reckoned through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. So when Moses speaks blessings upon Joseph's tribe he's speaking of the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh. "About Joseph he said: 'May the Lord bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below; with the best the sun brings forth and the finest the moon can yield; with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills; with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of Him who dwelt in the burning bush. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.'" (Deuteronomy 33:13-16) Jacob pronounced similar blessings on his son Joseph and his family line: blessings of the skies above and the earth below, the blessings of fertility and great numbers, the blessings of the mountains and the hills.
Moses asks that the God who appeared to him in the burning bush show favor to the descendants of Joseph. I think this is the highest honor Moses can ask of the Lord, for it was at the burning bush that the Lord commissioned him to deliver Israel from Egypt. It was at the burning bush that Moses and the Lord first spoke face to face, though they spoke many times face to face over the years according to Exodus 33:11 where we are told the Lord would speak to Moses "face to face as one speaks to a friend". I think Moses is saying to the Lord something like this: "Lord, be as real to the descendants of Joseph as You have been to me. Help them to hear and understand Your precepts. Help them to remain in close relationship with You just as You have enabled me to remain close to You all these years."
I believe Jacob would have been pleased with Moses' request on behalf of the descendants of his son Joseph, for Joseph was his favorite and the one whom he'd have liked to have been his firstborn and the heir of the double portion which is the birthright of the firstborn. In a sense, Jacob bestowed upon Joseph a double portion because he adopted Joseph's two sons as his own, thus making of Joseph two tribes. In the Bible we find Ephraim and Manasseh counted as two separate tribes, not as one tribe called by the name of Joseph.
Just as Jacob predicted the younger son of Joseph would become a greater tribe than that of the elder son in Genesis 48:13-19, Moses predicts that the tribe of Ephraim will outnumber the tribe of Manasseh. "In majesty he is like a firstborn bull; his horns are like the horns of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even those at the end of the earth. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim; such are the thousands of Manasseh." (Deuteronomy 33:17)
"About Zebulun he said: 'Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and you, Issachar, in your tents. They will summon peoples to the mountain and there offer the sacrifices of the righteous; they will feast on the abundance of the seas, on the treasures hidden in the sand.'" (Deuteronomy 33:18-19) The tribe of Zebulun was given territory at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee. The tribe of Issachar dwelled along the west of the Jordan River and at the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee. Their closeness to water may be what Moses is referencing when he says "they will feast on the abundance of the seas".
Jacob said in his prediction about Zebulun, "Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon." (Genesis 49:13) About Issachar Jacob said, "Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens. When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor." (Genesis 49:14-15) Issachar's tribe was strong in number but preferred agricultural pursuits to military pursuits. Comparing Issachar to a donkey was likely Jacob's way of calling Issachar a "beast of burden" (a farm animal that pulls a cart or carries a load on its back) who would fail to completely drive out the heathens of their territory when they receive it and who will be happy enough to work the land even if that means paying tribute to others. It is believed by many scholars that the territory of Issachar was often attacked by raiders and other tribes and that the people did not fight back against their attackers but were content to use the land even if that meant being subjects of some other tribe or some other king.
"About Gad he said: 'Blessed is he who enlarges Gad's domain! Gad lives there like a lion, tearing at arm or head. He chose the best land for himself; the leader's portion was kept for him. When the heads of the people assembled, he carried out the Lord's righteous will, and His judgments concerning Israel.'" (Deuteronomy 33:20-21) Like a lion, Gad takes what he wants. Like a lion, Gad is strong and charges ahead. At the time Moses pronounces this blessing, the tribe of Gad (along with the tribe of Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh) already has their land on the east side of the Jordan River but the soldiers of Gad will help the tribes who are to inherit land west of the Jordan River to take the land from its heathen occupants. This may be why Moses says the men of Gad "carried out the Lord's righteous will and His judgements concerning Israel". Gad will not sit back and enjoy the land he's already taken for his own---the land that he said was "suitable for livestock" in Numbers 32:1-4---but will help his fellow Israelites get what was promised to them.
Gad was bold and did not shrink back from asking for what he wanted, so Moses says he "lives there like a lion" and "he chose the best land for himself". Jacob said of his son Gad's descendants, "Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels." (Genesis 49:19) Jacob foresaw the offspring of Gad as strong and triumphant, rushing in upon their enemies like a lion upon its prey. Later in the Bible we'll find the Gadites coming to the aid of David, supplying many troops to him and being "brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear" with faces like "the faces of lions". (1 Chronicles 12:8)
Join us tomorrow as we study the blessings Moses pronounces upon the tribes of Dan, Naphtali, and Asher. These will make up the final three of the twelve tribes, for Joseph's tribe is counted as two: Ephraim and Manasseh, so as we conclude today's portion of Deuteronomy 33 we've studied the blessings of nine of the twelve tribes.
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