ETB Deuteronomy 33:1-5,26-29

Session 13: God’s Power p.118

For many Christians, life is a struggle between believing God’s promises and surviving personal circumstances. God’s Word assures us that He will never abandon us (Heb. 13:5) and that He is working all things together for our good and for His glory (Rom. 8:28). [LifeWay Adults (2025). Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide, Fall 2025]

Ask: What is the connection between fear and insecurity? Between trust and security? (p. 109)

Are there any verses that you recite to yourself when these types of emotions or mental states begin to grow in you?

Understand the Context

As we have studied through Genesis, at the end of each of the patriarch’s lives they gather their family and pronounced a final blessing upon them. Moses, as the leader of this people he continues this tradition but expands it to each of the tribes, the names of which are derived from the sons of Jacob, one of whose blessings we read in Genesis.

Moses knew that his death was coming and that he would not enter Canaan (Num. 20:12). Consequently, chapter 33 contains Moses’s last recorded message to the Israelites. His final blessing over Israel included three parts. First, his blessing exalted God as Israel’s King (33:1-5). God had demonstrated His power in leading His people from Sinai to the promised land. Second, Moses addressed Israel’s twelve tribes by name (33:6-25). Each tribe had a special place in God’s purpose, and each would experience God’s blessings for obedience. Third, Moses again reminded Israel of God’s uniqueness (33:26-29). He was their dwelling place, and He would bring victory and provide security. [LifeWay Adults (2025). Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide, Fall 2025]

Our study text for today will be the first and third parts of this final blessing.

Explore the Text

Deuteronomy 33:1–5 ESV

1 This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. 2 He said, “The Lord came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran; he came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand. 3 Yes, he loved his people, all his holy ones were in his hand; so they followed in your steps, receiving direction from you, 4 when Moses commanded us a law, as a possession for the assembly of Jacob. 5 Thus the Lord became king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together.

Moses the man of God

Some scholars say that this title for Moses was added later by Joshua or another writer because it appears in other Scripture later. I cannot say definitively either way, but I do know that repeatedly Moses wrote “as the Lord commanded.” If God had told him to write it, he would have. There were many other and much more unpleasant things about himself that he wrote, so this would not have been bragging but obedience.

My questions are:

What title would someone, outside of this room, give you?

Would it have any spiritual connotations?

What can we do to make sure that we are remembered as “men of God?”

Deuteronomy 6:5–7 “5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Sinai… Seir… Paran

Mt. Sinai, Seir or Edom, and Mt. Paran are all places south of where the people are today. These are three different places that God has revealed His presence and power to the people - in the past. Moses is declaring the same power and blessings that happen to get them within those foreign lands will continue into the future when they cross over into the Promise Land.

Notice also the imagery of the verbs and their progression. First, He comes, then He dawns, and finally He shines. We talked briefly about this last week also that God’s revealed His Word to us through the people of Israel so that He and His commands are not hidden. Moses reminds the people that God has grown closer and continued to reveal more of Himself as they have traveled and obeyed His leading. He will do the same for us as we read, study, meditate, and apply His Word.

he came from the ten thousands of holy ones,

One of the more cryptic sayings in today’s passage. The single Hebrew word translated here as “holy ones” is used to describe many or sacred items in Scripture and is not exclusive to angelic beings. Regardless of the type of crowd that He came from, this verse points to the uniqueness of Yahweh compared to all the pantheon of gods that Egypt and Canaan had. He rose above this crowd of others to show His omnipotence and choose His people from all rest on the earth.

flaming fire at his right hand

ESV has “flaming fire” other English translations have “lightening,” “flashing lightening,” and “fiery law.” Depending on which one was used the interpretation of the verse shifts.

According to my Hebrew dictionary and other resources, the meaning of the Hebrew is unclear. The most literal translations break the possible compound word back to its recognizable roots and becomes “fire law.”

In the ancient mind, what did the “right hand” symbolize?

Having God bring “His Law” to the people in His right hand would therefore give it double authority. Fire is also a symbol for God’s presence in Scripture, so this imagery and translation give the most authority and power to God’s Word, so I’m going to go with it.

He loved his people

Does He still love His people?

God does not change in His character or nature. Verb tenses in Scripture, especially when talking about God, are really for the reader’s benefit. God has never at any time not “loved” His people. He has loved, He is loving, and He will love His people always into eternity past and forever into eternity future.

What is encouraging for us about this verse is that the boundaries of who “His people” are has expanded to include us as believers in His Son, Jesus. Therefore, if a=b, and b=c, then a=c. If God loved His people, and we are now His people, then God loves us.

Eph 2:4-5 reminds of what state we were in when God chose to love us. We were not in bondage to Egyptian rule, but we were still enslaved to the ruler and powers of this world, and yet He still loved, continues to love, and will forever love us.

Since God loves us, let us be included in the group mentioned in the last part of the verse.

they followed in your steps

They followed in “Your” or “His” steps.

The Christophany of the pillar of cloud and fire that lead them for 40 years to this place where Moses is speaking, is a symbol of Christ leading His disciples for 3+ years through the land. Now after His resurrection, we have His complete Word to guide us like that pillar, if we are willing to follow it.

Were the children of Israel faithful to follow “every step?” Will we “wander off” God’s directions for us? Absolutely, but even when they disobeyed, the pillar was still there to guide them back. God’s Word will do the same for us if we are willing to confess and repent so that He can forgive, cleanse, and restore us His fellowship (1John 1:9).

a possession for the assembly

God’s Word or Torah was being written down by Moses and was a tangible item for the entire nation to claim as their own. Although only a few could probably read it, they had heard what it said and heard God speak parts of it to them directly.

When they left Egypt, what did they get to take with them? Was there anything “non-Egyptian?”

This was their first truly unique-to-them possession, and it came directly from God’s provision through Moses. They were the first to have it, and we now have copies of it because of God’s love through them for all humankind.

the Lord became king of Jeshurun

I think the book comments on the use of the title Jeshurun.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Jeshurun

Poetical name for Israel, possibly derived from the Hebrew root meaning “upright,” but according to many scholars a diminutive of Israel. The name Jeshurun is mentioned in

How does one become a King?

What does this authority provide?

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible King, Kingship

As in other Near Eastern societies, kings are suzerains (overlords) whose vassals comprise their own peoples, others whom they conquer or who willfully join allegiance, and at times lesser kings and kingdoms. Kings are responsible for

When did God begin showing these attributes to Israel?

Why do you think the Bible portrays God in so many ways, such as a Warrior, King, and Shepherd? [ETB:PSG Fall '25] (p. Page 122).

Which biblical portrait or title comes to mind first when you think of Him and why?

The book now skips over verses 6-25 that record Moses’ personal blessings upon the different tribes of Israel. In my notes this week I listed out the names in the order that Moses’ recorded them here. Then next to that how he was told record them as Jacob had spoken his blessing over his sons, from which the tribal names are derived. Next to that list I put the tribal names in order of the procession when they broke camp and began moving with the tabernacle. What is interesting is that none of them are the same order or include all the same sons/tribes. What stuck out to me the most was that even though Simeon is “numbered” in the camp and the procession, Moses does not pronounce a blessing upon that group.

Why do you think that is?

One suggestion is that because neither Levi or Simeon were to have a land inheritance of their own because of Jacob’s blessing in Gen 49 when he says to both of the brothers:

Genesis 49:7 “7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.”

It appears however that is not an easy question to answer.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised Simeon

The Hebrew text of the blessing of Moses (

Our lesson text begins again in verse 26 and Moses now completes his blessing over the entire nation of Israel.

Deuteronomy 33:26–29 ESV

26 “There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. 27 The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy.’ 28 So Israel lived in safety, Jacob lived alone, in a land of grain and wine, whose heavens drop down dew. 29 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 triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs.”

Moses’s profession that there is none like God, O Jeshurun proclaimed what God’s people should have understood clearly. They had seen His great miracles in Egypt and in the wilderness. The unbelieving generation had died (Num. 14:28-35; 26:65), and now their descendants were about to receive the promise. No god of any other nation was like the God of Israel, and no other god had given its people instructions like Israel had received. The Lord was not merely one option among the many gods. He was the only God and only option. [ETB:ALG Fall '25]

who rides through the heavens

When I read this, one of my questions was, “What does God ride on?”

Turns out, the Bible lists at least four things: A chariot, as with Elijah when He took him up in front of Elisha, a cloud as in Isa 19:1, in the New Testament He comes into Jerusalem on a donkey, then in Revelation 19:11 He comes back to earth riding on a white horse as the final conqueror.

Which of these do you think that the prophet Moses was speaking about in this final portion of his blessing over Israel?

The NIV Application Commentary on the Bible Deuteronomy 33:1–29

This imagery recalls Canaanite myths of the storm god Baal, one of whose stock epithets was “rider of the clouds.” By claiming these epithets for Yahweh, Moses declares his jurisdiction over all the spheres that Canaanites had distributed among the gods.

eternal God

This expression connotes the Lord’s presence from throughout time. He spoke the world into existence and existed long before He called Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3). The prophet Habakkuk also used this Hebrew word to affirm God’s agelessness (Hab. 1:12), while Micah used it to describe Jesus the Messiah (Mic. 5:2) [ETB:ALG Fall '25]

But not only is He eternal, but also, He...

is your dwelling place

This is very similar to God’s Word through Moses last week when he wrote “He is your life.” But this time, it is eternal life. Depending on how you interpret the previous verse as either near future or final future, this could be a reference to an earthly state of God’s redemption, or the eternal redemption when we all get to dwell with Him permanently.

Part of the blessing that we looked at in some of the past few times together included protection from enemies and abundance of provisions.

The statement lived in safety may confirm Israel’s present state or the peace God’s people would enjoy once they settled the land. Moses may have been looking ahead to the end result, when God’s purposes for Israel were accomplished, and they found rest in Him.

References to grain and wine suggest a time when Israel would be established. These images often denote fertility and richness in the Old Testament. Solomon described wine as part of the harvest blessing that resulted from honoring the Lord with the firstfruits (Prov. 3:9-10). Skies that drop down dew also emphasize God’s abundant blessing, especially in a land where rainfall could be sparse during summer months [ETB:ALG Fall '25]

Moses finishes with one final reminder of what God has done.

Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord,

This is a declarative statement of what their attitudes should be, but since “happy” could also be translated as “blessed” it is also a statement of their current position in life.

Paul tells the Philippians something similar Philippians 4:4 “4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Paul says it in a negative form to the Corinthians 1 Corinthians 15:19 “19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.”

Sometimes I think we forget just how blessed we are and respond to life more life Paul’s “pitied” people, even though we are not. We often act and respond to life’s interruptions as if we have no hope in Christ, even though Moses and Paul, both tell us that is inaccurate for we are very blessed.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 “13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”

Apply the Text

Are there and areas in your life today that you are feeling anxious or uncertain about, maybe coming up in the next week?

Let us all commit to lift these concerns up to the Lord this week and we the enemy tries to stir up those concerns to a sinful level; we will have this commitment and assurance of God’s intervention. We can trust God loves us, and because He is sovereign, we will only find our security both real and perceived in Him and His Word.

Pray:

From the ETB Adults Prayer Guide Fall 2025

Thank God for His love (v. 3).

Praise God that He holds His people in His hand and in His arms that are an unshakeable refuge (vv. 3,27).

Thank God that He is your dwelling place, pray that He would help you to find rest in Him (v. 27).

Thank God that He is the shield that protects you, and pray that you would find your security in Him alone (v. 29).

Pray for those who are struggling and need God’s help, that they would find their help in Him (v. 29).