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Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry |
D E U T E R O N O M Y
CHAP. XXXIII.
Yet Moses has not done with the children of Israel; he seemed to have
taken final leave of them in the close of the foregoing chapter, but
still he has something more to say. He had preached them a farewell
sermon, a very copious and pathetic discourse. After sermon he had
given out a psalm, a long psalm; and now nothing remains but to dismiss
them with a blessing; that blessing he pronounces in this chapter in
the name of the Lord, and so leaves them.
I. He pronounces them all blessed in what God had done for them
already, especially in giving them his law,
II. He pronounces a blessing upon each tribe, which is both a prayer
for and a prophecy of their felicity.
1. Reuben,
2. Judah,
3. Levi,
4. Benjamin,
5. Joseph,
6. Zebulun and Issachar,
7. Gad,
8. Dan,
9. Naphtali,
10. Asher,
III. He pronounces them all in general blessed upon the account of
what God would be to them, and do for them if they were obedient,
&c.
| Moses’s Blessing on Israel. | B. C. 1451. |
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1 And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God
blessed the children of Israel before his death.
2 And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir
unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten
thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for
them.
3 Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand:
and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy
words.
4 Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the
congregation of Jacob.
5 And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people
and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.
The
is the title of the chapter: it is a blessing. In the foregoing chapter
he had thundered out the terrors of the Lord against Israel for their
sin; it was a chapter like Ezekiel’s roll, full of lamentation, and
mourning, and woe. Now to soften that, and that he might not seem to
part in anger, he here subjoins a blessing, and leaves his peace, which
should descend and rest upon all those among them that were the sons of
peace. Thus Christ’s last work on earth was to bless his disciples
like Moses here, in token of parting as friends. Moses blessed them,
1. As a prophet–a man of God. Note, It is a very desirable
thing to have an interest in the prayers of those that have an interest
in heaven; it is a prophet’s reward. In this blessing Moses not
only expresses his good wishes to this people, but by the spirit of
prophecy foretels things to come concerning them.
2. As a parent to Israel; for so good princes are to their subjects.
Jacob upon his death-bed blessed his sons
(Gen. xlix. 1),
in conformity to whose example Moses here blesses the tribes that were
descended from them, to show that though they had been very provoking
yet the entail of the blessing was not cut off. The doing of this
immediately before his death would not only be the more likely to leave
an impression upon them, but would be an indication of the great
good-will of Moses to them, that he desired their happiness, though he
must die and not share in it.
He begins his blessing with a lofty description of the glorious
appearances of God to them in giving them the law, and the great
advantage they had by it.
I. There was a visible and illustrious discovery of the divine majesty,
enough to convince and for ever silence atheists and infidels, to
awaken and affect those that were most stupid and careless, and to put
to shame all secret inclinations to other gods,
v. 2.
1. His appearance was glorious: he shone forth like the sun when he
goes forth in his strength. Even Seir and Paran, two mountains at some
distance, were illuminated by the divine glory which appeared on Mount
Sinai, and reflected some of the rays of it, so bright was the
appearance, and so much taken notice of by the adjacent countries. To
this the prophet alludes, to set forth the wonders of the divine
providence,
Hab. iii. 3, 4; Ps. xviii. 7-9.
The Jerusalem Targum has a strange gloss upon this, that, “when God
came down to give the law, he offered it on Mount Seir to the Edomites,
but they refused it, because they found in it, Thou shalt not
kill. Then he offered it on Mount Paran to the Ishmaelites, but
they also refused it, because they found in it, Thou shalt not
steal; and then he came to Mount Sinai and offered it to Israel,
and they said, All that the Lord shall say we will do.” I would
not have transcribed so groundless a conceit but for the antiquity of
it.
2. His retinue was glorious; he came with his holy myriads, as Enoch
had long since foretold he should come in the last day to judge the
world,
These were the angels, those
chariots of God in the midst of which the Lord was, on that
holy place,
Ps. lxviii. 17.
They attended the divine majesty, and were employed as his ministers in
the solemnities of the day. Hence the law is said to be given by the
disposition of angels,
Acts vii. 53; Heb. ii. 2.
II. He gave them his law, which is,
1. Called a fiery law, because it was given them out of the
midst of the fire
(Deut. iv. 33),
and because it works like fire; if it be received, it is melting,
warming, purifying, and burns up the dross of corruption; if it be
rejected, it hardens, sears, torments, and destroys. The Spirit
descended in cloven tongues as of fire; for the gospel also is a fiery
law.
2. It is said to go from his right hand, either because he wrote
it on tables of stone, or to denote the power and energy of the law and
the divine strength that goes along with it, that it may not return
void. Or it came as a gift to them, and a precious gift it was, a
right-hand blessing.
3. It was an instance of the special kindness he had for them: Yea,
he loved the people
(v. 32),
and therefore, though it was a fiery law, yet it is said to go for
them
(v. 2),
that is, in favour to them. Note, The law of God written in the heart
is a certain evidence of the love of God shed abroad there: we must
reckon God’s law one of the gifts of his grace. Yea, he embraced the
people, or laid them in his bosom; so the word signifies, which
denotes not only the dearest love, but the most tender and careful
protection. All his saints are in his hand. Some understand it
particularly of his supporting them and preserving them alive at Mount
Sinai, when the terror was so great that Moses himself quaked; they
heard the voice of God and lived,
Or it denotes his forming them into a people by his law; he moulded and
fashioned them as a potter does the clay. Or they were in his hand to
be covered and protected, used and disposed of, as the seven stars were
in the hand of Christ,
Note, God has all his saints in his hand; and, though there are ten
thousands of his saints
(v. 2),
yet his hand, with which he measures the waters, is large enough, and
strong enough, to hold them all, and we may be sure that none can
pluck them out of his hand,
John x. 28.
III. He disposed them to receive the law which he gave them: They
sat down at thy feet, as scholars at the feet of their master, in
token of reverence, in attendance and humble submission to what is
taught; so Israel sat at the foot of Mount Sinai, and promised to hear
and do whatever God should say. They were struck to thy feet, so
some read it; namely, by the terrors of Mount Sinai, which greatly
humbled them for the present,
Every one then stood ready to receive God’s words, and did so again
when the law was publicly read to them, as
It is a great privilege when we have heard the words of God to have
opportunity of hearing them again.
I have declared thy name, and will declare it. So Israel not
only had received the law, but should still receive it by their
prayers, and other lively oracles. The people are taught
(v. 4, 5),
in gratitude for the law of God, always to keep up an honourable
remembrance both of the law itself and of Moses by whom it was given.
Two of the Chaldee paraphrasts read it, The children of Israel said,
Moses commanded us a law. And the Jews say that as soon as a child
was able to speak his father was obliged to teach him these words:
Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation
of Jacob.
1. They are taught to speak with great respect of the law, and to call
it the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. They looked
upon it,
(1.) As peculiar to them, and that by which they were distinguished
from other nations, who neither had the knowledge of it
nor, if they had, were under those obligations to observe it that
Israel were under: and therefore (says bishop Patrick), “when the Jews
conquered any country, they did not force any to embrace the law of
Moses, but only to submit to the seven precepts of Noah.”
(2.) As entailed upon them; for so inheritances are to be transmitted
to their posterity. And,
(3.) As their wealth and true treasure. Those that enjoy the word of
God and the means of grace have reason to say, We have a goodly
heritage. He is indeed a rich man in whom the word of Christ dwells
richly. Perhaps the law is called their inheritance because it
was given them with their inheritance, and we so annexed to it that the
forsaking of the law would be a forfeiture of the inheritance. See
2. They are taught to speak with great respect of Moses; and they were
the more obliged to keep up his name because he had not provided for
the keeping of it up in his family; his posterity were never called the
sons of Moses, as the priests were the sons of Aaron.
(1.) They must own Moses a great benefactor to their nation, in that he
commanded them the law; for, though it came from the hand of
God, it went through the hand of Moses.
(2.) He was king in Jeshurun. Having commanded them the law, as
long as he lived he took care to see it observed and put in execution;
and they were very happy in having such a king, who ruled them, and
went in and out before them at all times, but did in a special manner
look great when the heads of the people were gathered together
in parliament, as it were, and Moses was president among them. Some
understand this of God himself; he did then declare himself their King
when he gave them the law, and he continued so long as they were
Jeshurun, an upright people, and till they rejected him,
But it seems rather to be understood of Moses. A good government is a
great blessing to any people, and what they have reason to be very
thankful for; and that constitution is very happy which as Israel’s,
which as ours, divides the power between the king in Jeshurun and the
heads of the tribes, when they are gathered together.
6 Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.
7 And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD,
the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands
be sufficient for him; and be thou a help to him from his
enemies.
Here is,
I. The blessing of Reuben. Though Reuben had lost the honour of his
birthright, yet Moses begins with him; for we should not insult over
those that are disgraced, nor desire to perpetuate marks of infamy upon
any, though ever so justly fastened at first,
v. 6.
Moses desires and foretels,
1. The preserving of this tribe. Though a frontier tribe on the other
side Jordan, yet, “Let it live, and not be either ruined by its
neighbours or lost among them.” And perhaps he refers to those chosen
men of that tribe who, having had their lot assigned them already, left
their families in it, and were now ready to go over armed before
their brethren,
Num. xxxii. 27.
“Let them be protected in this noble expedition, and have their heads
covered in the day of battle.”
2. Let it be a numerous tribe; though their other honours be lost, so
that they shall not excel, yet let them multiply.” Let Reuben live
and not die, though his men be few; so bishop Patrick, thinks it
may be rendered. “Though he must not expect to flourish
(Gen. xlix. 4),
yet let him not perish.” All the Chaldee paraphrasts refer this to the
other world: Let Reuben live in life eternal, and not die the second
death, so Onkelos. Let Reuben live in this world, and not die
that death which the wicked die in the world to come, so Jonathan
and the Jerusalem Targum.
II. The blessing of Judah, which is put before Levi because our Loud
sprang out of Judah, and (as Dr. Lightfoot says) because of the
dignity of the kingdom above the priesthood. The blessing
(v. 7)
may refer either,
1. To the whole tribe in general. Moses prays for, and prophesies, the
great prosperity of that tribe., That God would hear his prayers (see
an instance,
settle him in his lot, prosper him in all his affairs, and give him
victory over his enemies. It is taken for granted that the tribe of
Judah would be both a praying tribe and an active tribe. “Lord,” says
Moses, “hear his prayers, and give success to all his undertakings:
let his hands be sufficient for him both in husbandry and in
war.” The voice of prayer should always be attended with the hand of
endeavour, and then we may expect prosperity. Or,
2. It may refer in particular to David, as a type of Christ, that God
would hear his prayers,
Ps. xx. 1
(and Christ was heard always,
John xi. 42),
that he would give him victory over his enemies, and success in his
great undertakings. See
&c. And that prayer that God would bring him to his people seems
to refer to Jacob’s prophecy concerning Shiloh, That to him should
the gathering of the people be,
Gen. xlix. 10.
The tribe of Simeon is omitted in the blessing, because Jacob had left
it under a brand, and it had never done any thing, as Levi had done, to
retrieve its honour. It was lessened in the wilderness more than any
other of the tribes; and Zimri, who was so notoriously guilty in the
matter of Peor but the other day, was of that tribe. Or, because the
lot of Simeon was an appendage to that of Judah, that tribe is included
in the blessing of Judah. Some copies of the LXX. join Simeon with
Reuben: Let Reuben live and not die; and let Simeon be many in
number.
8 And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with
thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom
thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
9 Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen
him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own
children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.
10 They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law:
they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice
upon thine altar.
11 Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his
hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and
of them that hate him, that they rise not again.
In blessing the tribe of Levi, Moses expresses himself more at large,
not so much because it was his own tribe (for he takes no notice of his
relation to it) as because it was God’s tribe. The blessing of Levi has
reference.
I. To the high priest, here called God’s holy one
(v. 8),
because his office was holy, in token of which, Holiness to the
Lord was written upon his forehead.
1. He seems to acknowledge that God might justly have displaced Aaron
and his seed, for his sin at Meribah,
which might be very remarkable, and which God might have an eye to in
conferring the priesthood upon him, though no mention is made of it
there. All the Chaldee paraphrasts agree that it was a trial in which
he was found perfect and faithful, and stood in the
trial; therefore not that,
He prays that the office of the high priest might ever remain: Let
thy thummim and thy urim be with him. It was given him for some
eminent piece of service, as appears,
“Lord, let it never be taken from him.” Notwithstanding this blessing,
the urim and thummim were lost in the captivity, and never restored
under the second temple. But this prayer has its full accomplishment
in Jesus Christ, God’s Holy One, and our great high priest, of whom
Aaron was a type: with him who had lain in the Father’s bosom from
eternity the urim and thummim shall remain; for he is the wonderful and
everlasting counsellor. Some translate the thummim and urim
appellatively, the rather because the usual order is here inverted, and
here only. Thummim signifies integrity, and Urim
illumination: Let these be with thy holy one, that is, “Lord, let
the high priest ever be both an upright man and an understanding man.”
A good prayer to be put up for the ministers of the gospel, that they
may have clear heads and honest hearts; light and sincerity make a
complete minister.
II. To the inferior priests and Levites,
1. He commends the zeal of this tribe for God when they sided with
Moses (and so with God) against the worshippers of the golden calf
&c.), and, being employed in cutting off the ring-leaders in that
wickedness, they did it impartially: the best friends they had in the
world, though as dear to them as their next relations, they did not
spare if they were idolaters. Note, Our regard to God and to his glory
ought always to prevail above our regard to any creature whatsoever.
And those who not only keep themselves pure from the common iniquities
of the times and places in which they live, but, as they are capable,
bear testimony against them, and stand up for God against the
evil-doers, shall have special marks of honour put upon them.
Perhaps Moses may have an eye to the sons of Korah, who refused to join
with their father in his gain-saying,
Also to Phinehas, who executed judgment, and stayed the
plague. And indeed the office of the priests and Levites, which
engaged their constant attendance, at least in their turns, at God’s
altar, laid them under a necessity of being frequently absent from
their families, which they could not take such care of, nor make such
provision for, as other Israelites might. This was the constant
self-denial they submitted to, that they might observe God’s
word, and keep the covenant of priesthood. Note, Those that
are called to minister in holy things must sit loose to the relations
and interests that are dearest to them in this world, and prefer the
gratifying of the best friend they have,
Our Lord Jesus knew not his mother and his brethren when they would
have taken him off from his work,
2. He confirms the commission granted to this tribe to minister in holy
things, which was the recompence of their zeal and fidelity,
(1.) They were to deal for God with the people: “They shall teach
Jacob thy judgments and Israel thy laws, both as preachers in thy
religious assemblies, reading and expounding the law
and as judges, determining doubtful and difficult cases that were
brought before them,”
The priests’ lips kept this knowledge for the use of the people, who
were to ask the law at their mouth,
Even Haggai, a prophet, consulted the priests in a case of conscience,
&c. Note, Preaching is necessary, not only for
the first planting of churches, but for the preserving and edifying of
churches when they are planted. See
(2.) They were to deal for the people with God, in burning incense to
the praise and glory of God, and offering sacrifices to make atonement
for sin and to obtain the divine favour. This was the work of the
priests, but the Levites attended and assisted in it. Those that would
have benefit by their incense and offerings must diligently and
faithfully observe their instructions.
3. He prays for them,
(1.) That God would prosper them in their estates, and make that which
was allotted them for their maintenance comfortable to them. Bless,
Lord, his substance. The provision made for them was very
plentiful, and came to them easily, and yet they could have no joy of
it unless God blessed it to them; and, since God himself was their
portion, a particular blessing might be expected to attend this
portion. Bless, Lord, his virtue; so some read it. “Lord,
increase thy graces in them, and make them more and more fit for their
work.”
(2.) That he would accept them in their services: “Accept the work
of his hands, both for himself and for the people for whom he
ministers.” Acceptance with God is that which we should all aim at, and
be ambitious of, in all our devotions, whether men accept us or no
(2 Cor. v. 9),
and it is the most valuable blessing we can desire either for ourselves
or others.
(3.) That he would take his part against all his enemies: Smite
through the loins of those that rise against him. He supposes that
God’s ministers would have many enemies: some would hate their persons
for their faithfulness, and would endeavour to do them a mischief;
others would envy them their maintenance, and endeavour sacrilegiously
to deprive them of it; others would oppose them in the execution of
their office and not submit to the sentence of the priests; and some
would aim to overthrow the office itself. Now he prays that God would
blast all such attempts, and return the mischief upon the heads of the
authors. This prayer is a prophecy that God will certainly reckon with
those that are enemies to his ministers, and will keep up a ministry in
his church to the end of time, in spite of all the designs of the gates
of hell against it. Saul rose up against the Lord’s priests
and this filled the measure of his sin.
12 And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall
dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the
day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.
13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land,
for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep
that coucheth beneath,
14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and
for the precious things put forth by the moon,
15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for
the precious things of the lasting hills,
16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness
thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush:
let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top
of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his
horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push
the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the
ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of
Manasseh.
Here is,
I. The blessing of Benjamin,
Benjamin is put next to
Levi, because the temple, where the priests’ work lay, was just upon
the edge of the lot of this tribe; and it is put before Joseph because
of the dignity of Jerusalem (part of which was in this tribe) above
Samaria, which was in the tribe of Ephraim, and because Benjamin
adhered to the house of David, and to the temple of the Lord, when the
rest of the tribes deserted both with Jeroboam.
1. Benjamin is here called the beloved of the Lord, and the
father of this tribe was Jacob’s beloved son, the son of his right
hand. Note, Those are blessed indeed that are beloved of the Lord.
Saul the first king, and Paul the great apostle, were both of this
tribe.
2. He is here assured of the divine protection: he shall dwell
safely. Note, Those are safe whom God loves,
3. It is here intimated that the temple in which God would dwell should
be built in the borders of this tribe. Jerusalem the holy city was in
the lot of this tribe
and though Zion, the city of David, is supposed to belong to Judah, yet
Mount Moriah, on which the temple was built, was in Benjamin’s lot. God
is therefore said to dwell between his shoulders, because
the temple stood on that mount, as the head of a man upon his
shoulders. And by this means Benjamin was covered all the day long
under the protection of the sanctuary
(Ps. cxxv. 2),
which is often spoken of as a place of refuge,
Benjamin, dwelling by the temple of God, dwelt in safety by him.
Note, It is a happy thing to be in the neighbourhood of the temple.
This situation of Benjamin, it is likely, was the only thing that kept
that tribe in adherence with Judah to the divine institutions, when the
other ten tribes apostatized. Those have corrupt and wicked hearts
indeed who, the nearer they are to the church, are so much the further
from God.
II. The blessing of Joseph, including both Manasseh and Ephraim. In
Jacob’s blessing
that of Joseph is the largest, and so it is
here; and thence Moses here borrows the title he gives to Joseph
(v. 16),
that he was separated from his brethren, or, as it might be
read, a Nazarite among them, both in regard of his piety,
wherein it appears, by many instances, he excelled them all, and of his
dignity in Egypt, where he was both their ruler and benefactor. His
brethren separated him from them by making him a slave, but God
distinguished him from them by making him a prince. Now the blessings
here prayed for, and prophesied of, for this tribe, are great plenty
and great power.
1. Great plenty,
In general: Blessed of the Lord be his
land. Those were very fruitful countries that fell into the lot of
Ephraim and Manasseh, yet Moses prays they might be watered with the
blessing of God, which makes rich, and on which all fruitfulness
depends. Now,
(1.) He enumerates many particulars which he prays may contribute to
the wealth and abundance of those two tribes, looking up to the Creator
for the benefit and serviceableness of all the inferior creatures, for
they are all that to us which he makes them to be. He prays,
[1.] For seasonable rains and dews, the precious things of
heaven; and so precious they are, though but pure water, that
without them the fruits of the earth would all fail and be cut off.
[2.] For plentiful springs, which help to make the earth fruitful,
called here the deep that coucheth beneath; both are the
rivers of God
(Ps. lxv. 9),
and he made particularly the fountains of waters,
Rev. xiv. 7.
[3.] For the benign influences of the heavenly bodies
(v. 14),
for the precious fruits (the word signifies that which is most
excellent, and the best in its kind) put forth by the quickening heat
of the sun, and the cooling moisture of the moon. “Let them have the
yearly fruits in their several months, according to the course of
nature, in one month olives, in another dates,” &c. So some understand
it.
[4.] For the fruitfulness even of their hills and mountains, which in
other countries used to be barren
(v. 15):
Let them have the chief things of the ancient mountains; and, if
the mountains be fruitful, the fruits on them will be first and best
ripened. They are called ancient mountains, not because prior in time
to other mountains, but because , like the first-born, they were
superior in worth and excellency; and lasting hills, not only because
as other mountains they were immovable
(Hab. iii. 6),
but because the fruitfulness of them should continue.
[5.] For the productions of the lower grounds
(v. 16):
For the precious things of the earth. Though the earth itself
seems a useless worthless lump of matter, yet there are precious things
produced out of it, for the support and comfort of human life.
Out of it cometh bread, because out of it came our bodies, and
to it they must return. But what are the precious things of the
earth to a soul that came from God and must return to him? Or what
is its fulness to the fulness that is in Christ, whence we receive
grace for grace? Some make these precious things here prayed for to be
figures of spiritual blessings in heavenly things by Christ, the
gifts, graces, and comforts of the Spirit.
(2.) He crowns all with the good-will, or favourable acceptance, of him
that dwelt in the bush
(v. 16),
that is, of God, that God who appeared to Moses in the bush that burned
and was not consumed
(Exod. iii. 2),
to give him his commission for the bringing of Israel out of Egypt.
Though God’s glory appeared there but for a while, yet it is said to
dwell there, because it continued as long as there was occasion for it:
the good-will of the shechinah in the bush; so it might be read,
for shechinah signifies that which dwelleth; and, though
it was but a little while a dweller in the bush, yet it continued to
dwell with the people of Israel. My dweller in the bush; so it
should be rendered; that was an appearance of the divine Majesty to
Moses only, in token of the particular interest he had in God, which he
desires to improve for the good of this tribe. Many a time God has
appeared to Moses, but now that he is just dying he seems to have the
most pleasing remembrance of that which was the first time, when his
acquaintance with the visions of the Almighty first began, and his
correspondence with heaven was first settled: that was a time of love
never to be forgotten. It was at the bush that God declared himself
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and so confirmed the
promise made to the fathers, that promise which reached as far as the
resurrection of the body and eternal life, as appears by our Saviour’s
argument from it,
So that, when he prays for the good-will of him that dwelt in the
bush, he has an eye to the covenant then and there renewed, on
which all our hopes of God’s favour must be bottomed. Now he concludes
this large blessing with a prayer for the favour or good-will of God,
[1.] Because that is the fountain and spring-head of all these
blessings; they are gifts of God’s good-will; they are so to his own
people, whatever they are to others. Indeed when Ephraim (a descendant
from Joseph) slid back from God, as a backsliding heifer, those
fruits of his country were so far from being the gifts of God’s
good-will that they were intended but to fatten him for the slaughter,
as a lamb in a large place,
Hos. iv. 16, 17.
[2.] Because that is the comfort and sweetness of all these blessings;
then we have joy of them when we taste God’s good-will in them.
[3.] Because that is better than all these, infinitely better; for if
we have but the favour and good-will of God we are happy, and may be
easy in the want of all these things, and may rejoice in the God of our
salvation though the fig-tree do not blossom, and there be no fruit
in the vine,
Hab. iii. 17, 18.
2. Great power Joseph is here blessed with,
Here are three instances of his power foretold:
(1.) His authority among his brethren: His glory is like the
firstling of his bullock, or young bull, which is a stately
creature, and therefore was formerly used as an emblem of royal
majesty. Joshua, who was to succeed Moses, was of the tribe of Ephraim
the son of Joseph, and his glory was indeed illustrious, and he was an
honour to his tribe. In Ephraim was the royal city of the ten tribes
afterwards. And of Manasseh were Gideon, Jephthah, and Jair, who were
all ornaments and blessings to their country. Some think he is compared
to the firstling of the bullock because the birthright which Reuben
lost devolved upon Joseph
and to the firstling of his bullock, because Bashan, which was
in the lot of Manasseh, was famous for bulls and cows,
(2.) His force against his enemies and victory over them: His horns
are like the horn of a unicorn, that is, “The forces he shall bring
into the field shall be very strong and formidable, and with them he
shall push the people,” that is, “He shall overcome all that stand
in his way.” It appears from the Ephraimites’ contests, both with
Gideon
and with Jephthah
(Judg. xii. 1),
that they were a warlike tribe and fierce. Yet we find the children of
Ephraim, when they had forsaken the covenant of God, though they were
armed, turning back in the day of battle
for, though here pronounced strong and bold as unicorns, when
God had departed from them they became as weak as other men.
(3.) The numbers of his people, in which Ephraim, though the younger
house, exceeded, Jacob having, in the foresight of the same thing,
crossed hands,
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and the thousands of
Manasseh. Jonathan’s Targum applies it to the ten thousands of
Canaanites conquered by Joshua, who was of the tribe of Manasseh. And
the gloss of the Jerusalem Targum upon the former part of
is observable, that “as the firstlings of the bullock were never to be
worked, nor could the unicorn ever be tamed, so Joseph should continue
free; and they would have continued free if they had not by sin sold
themselves.”
18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out;
and, Issachar, in thy tents.
19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they
shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of
the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.
20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he
dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the
head.
21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there,
in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with
the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and
his judgments with Israel.
Here we have,
I. The blessings of Zebulun and Issachar put together, for they were
both the sons of Jacob by Leah, and by their lot in Canaan they were
neighbours; it is foretold,
1. That they should both have a comfortable settlement and employment,
Zebulun must rejoice, for he shall have cause to rejoice; and Moses
prays that he may have cause in his going out, either to war (for
Zebulun jeoparded their lives in the high places of the field,
Judg. v. 18),
or rather to sea, for Zebulun was a haven of ships,
Gen. xlix. 13.
And Issachar must rejoice in his tents, that is, in his business at
home, his husbandry, to which the men of that tribe generally confined
themselves, because they saw that rest was good, and when the sea was
rough the land was pleasant,
Observe here,
(1.) That the providence of God, as it variously appoints the bounds of
men’s habitation, some in the city and some in the country, some in the
seaports and some in the inland towns, so it wisely disposes men’s
inclinations to different employments for the good of the public, as
each member of the body is situated and qualified for the service of
the whole. The genius of some men leads them to a book, of others to
the sea, of others to the sword; some are inclined to rural affairs,
others to trade, and some have a turn for mechanics; and it is well it
is so. If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing?
1 Cor. xii. 17.
It was for the common good of Israel that the men of Zebulun were
merchants and that the men of Issachar were husbandmen.
(2.) That whatever our place and business are it is our wisdom and duty
to accommodate ourselves to them, and it is a great happiness to be
well pleased with them. Let Zebulun rejoice in his going out; let him
thank God for the gains and make the best of the losses and
inconveniences of his merchandise, and not despise the meanness, nor
envy the quietness, of Issachar’s tents. Let Issachar rejoice in his
tents, let him be well pleased with the retirements and content
with the small profits of his country seats, and not grudge that he has
not Zebulun’s pleasure of travelling and profit of trading. Every
business has both its conveniences and inconveniences, and therefore
whatever Providence has made our business we ought to bring our minds
to it; and it is really a great happiness, whatever our lot is, to be
easy with it. This is the gift of God,
Eccl. v. 19.
2. That they should both be serviceable in their places to the honour
of God and the interests of religion in the nation
(v. 19):
They shall call the people to the mountain, that is, to the
temple, which Moses foresaw should be built upon a mountain. I
see not why this should be confined (as it is by most interpreters) to
Zebulun; if both Zebulun and Issachar received the comforts of their
respective employments, why may we not suppose that they both took care
to give God the glory of them? Two things they shall do for God:–
(1.) They shall invite others to his service. Call the people to the
mountain.
[1.] Zebulun shall improve his acquaintance and commerce with the
neighbouring nations, to whom he goes out, for this noble purpose, to
propagate religion among them, and to invite them into the service of
the God of Israel. Note, Men of great business, or large conversation,
should wisely and zealously endeavour to recommend the practice of
serious godliness to those with whom they converse and among whom their
business lies. Such are blessed, for they are blessings. It were well
if the enlargement of trade with foreign countries might be made to
contribute to the spreading of the gospel. This prophecy concerning
Zebulun perhaps looks as far as the preaching of Christ and his
apostles, which began in the land of Zebulun
then they called the people to the mountain, that is, to the
kingdom of the Messiah, which is called the mountain of the Lord’s
house,
Isa. ii. 2.
[2.] Issachar that tarries at home, and dwells in tents, shall call
upon his neighbours to go up to the sanctuary at the times appointed
for their solemn feasts, either because they should be more zealous and
forward than their neighbours (and it has been often observed that
though those that with Zebulun dwell in the haven of ships, which are
places of concourse, have commonly more of the light of
religion, those that with Issachar dwell in tents in the country have
more of the life and heat of it), and may therefore with
their zeal provoke those to a holy emulation that have more knowledge
(Ps. cxxii. 1);
or because they were more observant of the times appointed for their
feasts than others were. One of the Chaldee paraphrasts reads the
foregoing verse, Rejoice, Issachar, in the tents of thy schools,
supposing they would many of them be scholars, and would use their
learning for that purpose, according to the revolutions of the year, to
give notice of the times of the feasts; for almanacs were not then so
common as they are now. And Onkelos more particularly, Rejoice,
Issachar, when thou goest to compute the times of the solemnities at
Jerusalem; for then the tribes of Israel shall be gathered to
the mountain of the house of the sanctuary. So he reads the
beginning of this verse; and many think this is the meaning of that
character of the men of Issachar in David’s time, That they had
understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do,
1 Chron. xii. 32.
And the character which follows
(v. 33)
of the men of Zebulun, that they were such as went forth to battle,
expert in war, perhaps may explain the blessing of that tribe here.
Note, Those that have not opportunity as Zebulun had of bringing into
the church those that are without may yet be very serviceable to its
interest by helping to quicken, encourage, and build up, those that are
within. And it is good work to call people to God’s ordinances, to put
those in remembrance that are forgetful, and to stir up those that are
slothful, who will follow, but care not to lead.
(2.) They shall not only invite others to the service of God, but they
shall abound in it themselves: There they shall offer sacrifices of
righteousness. They shall not send others to the temple and stay at
home themselves, under pretence that they cannot leave their business;
but, when they stir up others to go speedily to pray before the
Lord, they shall say, We will go also, as it is
Note, The good we exhort others to we should ourselves be examples of.
And, when they come to the temple, they shall not appear before the
Lord empty, but shall bring for the honour and service of God according
as he has prospered them,
[1.] It is here foretold that both these tribes should grow rich.
Zebulun that goes abroad shall suck of the abundance of the
seas, which are full breasts to the merchants, while Issachar, that
tarries at home, shall enrich himself with treasures hid in the
sands, either the fruits of the earth or the underground treasures
of metals and minerals, or (because the word for sand here signifies
properly the sand of the sea) the rich things thrown up by the sea, for
the lot of Issachar reached to the sea-side. Perhaps their success in
calling the people to the mount is intimated by their sucking
of the abundance of the seas, for we have a like phrase used for
the bringing in of the nations to the church
(Isa. lx. 5),
The abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, and
(v. 16),
Thou shalt suck the milk of the Gentiles. It is foretold,
[2.] That these tribes, being thus enriched, should consecrate their
gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole
earth,
Mic. iv. 13.
The merchandise of Zebulun, and the hire of Issachar,
shall be holiness to the Lord
for thereof they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness, that
is, sacrifices according to the law. Note, We must serve and honour God
with what we have; and where he sows plentifully he expects to reap
accordingly. Those that suck of the abundance of the seas, and of
the treasures hid in the sand, ought to offer sacrifices of
righteousness proportionable.
II. The blessing of the tribe of Gad comes next,
This was one of the tribes that was already seated on that side Jordan
where Moses now was. Now,
1. He foretels what this tribe would be,
(1.) That it would be enlarged, as at present it had a spacious
allotment; and he gives God the glory both of its present and of its
future extent: Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad. We find how
this tribe was enlarged by their success in a war which it seems they
carried on very religiously against the Hagarites,
Note, God is to have the glory of all our enlargements.
(2.) That it would be a valiant and victorious tribe, would, if let
alone, dwell secure and fearless as a lion; but, if provoked, would,
like a lion, tear the arm with the crown of the head; that is,
would pull in pieces all that stood in his way, both the arm (that is,
the strength) and the crown of the head (that is, the policy and
authority) of his enemies. In David’s time there were Gadites whose
faces were as the faces of lions,
1 Chron. xii. 8.
Some reckon Jehu to be of this tribe, because the first mention we have
of him is at Ramoth Gilead, which belonged to Gad, and they think this
may refer to his valiant acts.
2. He commends this tribe for what they had done and were now doing,
(1.) They had done very wisely for themselves, when they chose their
lot with the first, in a country already conquered: He provided the
first part for himself; though he had a concern for his brethren,
yet his charity began at home, and he was willing to see himself first
served, first settled. The Gadites were the first and most active
movers for an allotment on that side Jordan, and therefore are still
mentioned before the Reubenites in the history of that affair,
And thus, while the other tribes had their portion assigned them by
Joshua the conqueror, Gad and his companions had theirs from Moses the
law-giver, and in it they were seated by law; or (as the word is)
covered or protected by a special providence which watched over
those that were left behind, while the men of war went forward with
their brethren. Note, Men will praise thee when thou doest well for
thyself (when thou providest first for thyself, as Gad did),
And God will praise thee when thou doest well for thy soul, which is
indeed thyself, and providest the first part for that in a portion from
the law-giver.
(2.) They were now doing honestly and bravely for their brethren; for
they came with the heads of the people, before whom they went
armed over Jordan, to execute the justice of the Lord upon the
Canaanites, under the conduct of Joshua, to whom we afterwards find
they solemnly vowed obedience,
This was what they undertook to do when they had their lot assigned
them,
This they did,
And, when the wars of Canaan were ended, Joshua dismissed them with a
blessing,
Note, It is a blessed and honourable thing to be helpful to our
brethren in their affairs, and particularly to assist in executing the
justice of the Lord by suppressing that which is provoking to him: it
was this that was counted to Phinehas for righteousness.
22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap
from Bashan.
23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour,
and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and
the south.
24 And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with
children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip
his foot in oil.
25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so
shall thy strength be.
Here is,
I. The blessing of Dan,
Jacob in his blessing had compared him to a serpent for subtlety; Moses
compares him to a lion for courage and resolution: and what could stand
before those that had the head of a serpent and the heart of a lion?
He is compared to the lions that leaped from Bashan, a mountain noted
for fierce lions, whence they came down to leap upon their prey in the
plains. This may refer either,
1. To the particular victories obtained by Samson (who was of this
tribe) over the Philistines. The Spirit of the Lord began to move
him in the camp of Dan when he was very young, as a lion’s
whelp, so that in his attacks upon the Philistines he surprised
them, and overpowered them by main strength, as a lion does his prey;
and one of his first exploits was the rending of a lion. Or,
2. To a more general achievement of that tribe, when a party of them,
upon information brought them of the security of Laish, which lay in
the furthest part of the land of Canaan from them, surprised it, and
soon made themselves masters of it. See
And, the mountains of Bashan lying not far from that city, probably
thence they made their descent upon it; and therefore are here said to
leap from Bashan.
II. The blessing of Naphtali,
He looks upon this tribe with wonder, and applauds it: “O Naphtali,
thou art happy, thou shalt be so, mayest thou be ever so!” Three things
make up the happiness of this tribe:–
1. Be thou satisfied with favour. Some understand it of the
favour of men, their good-will and good word. Jacob had described this
tribe to be, generally, courteous obliging people, giving goodly words,
as the loving hind,
Now what should they get by being so? Moses here tells them they
should have an interest in the affections of their neighbours, and be
satisfied with favour. Those that are loving shall be beloved. But
others understand it of the favour of God, and with good reason; for
that only is the favour that is satisfying to the soul and puts true
gladness into the heart. Those are happy indeed that have the favour of
God; and those shall have it that place their satisfaction in it, and
reckon that, in having that, they have enough and desire no more.
2. Be thou full with the blessing of the Lord, that is, not only
with those good things that are the fruits of the blessing (corn, and
wine, and oil), but with the blessing itself; that is, the grace of
God, according to his promise and covenant. Those who have that
blessing may well reckon themselves full: they need nothing else to
make them happy. “The portion of the tribe of Naphtali” (the Jews say)
“was so fruitful, and the productions so forward, though it lay north,
that those of that tribe were generally the first that brought their
first-fruits to the temple; and so they had first the blessing from the
priest, which was the blessing of the Lord.” Capernaum, in which Christ
chiefly resided, lay in this tribe.
3. Be thou in possession of the sea and the south; so it may be
read, that is, of that sea which shall lie south of thy lot, that was
the sea of Galilee, which we so often read of in the gospels, directly
north of which the lot of this tribe lay, and which was of great
advantage to this tribe, witness the wealth of Capernaum and Bethsaida,
which lay within this tribe, and upon the shore of that sea. See how
Moses was guided by a spirit of prophesy in these blessings; for before
the lot was cast into the lap he foresaw and foretold how the disposal
of it would be.
III. The blessing of Asher,
Four things he prays for and prophecies concerning this tribe, which
carries blessedness in its name; for Leah called the father of it
Asher, saying Happy am I,
Gen. xxx. 13.
1. The increase of their numbers. They were now a numerous tribe,
“Let it be more so: Let Asher be blessed with children.” Note,
Children, especially children of the covenant, are blessings, not
burdens.
2. Their interest in their neighbours: Let him be acceptable to his
brethren. Note, It is a very desirable thing to have the love and
good-will of those we live among: it is what we should pray to God for,
who has all hearts in his hand; and what we should endeavour to gain by
meekness and humility, and a readiness, as we have ability and
opportunity, to do good to all men.
3. The richness of their land.
(1.) Above ground: Let him dip his foot in oil, that is, “Let
him have such plenty of it in his lot that he may not only anoint his
head with it, but, if he please, wash his feet in it,” which was not
commonly done; yet we find our blessed Saviour so acceptable to his
brethren that his feet were anointed with the most precious ointment,
(2.) Under ground: Thy shoes shall be iron and brass, that is,
“Thou shalt have great plenty of these metals (mines of them) in thy
own ground, which by an uncommon blessing shall have both its surface
and its bowels rich:” or, if they had them not as the productions of
their own country, they should have them imported from abroad; for the
lot of this tribe lay on the sea-coast. The Chaldee paraphrasts
understand this figuratively: “Thou shalt be strong and bright, as iron
and brass.”
4. The continuance of their strength and vigour: As thy days, so
shall thy strength be. Many paraphrase it thus, “The strength of
thy old age shall be like that of thy youth; thou shalt not feel a
decay, nor be the worse for the wearing, but shalt renew thy youth; as
if not thy shoes only, but thy bones, were iron and brass.” The day is
often in scripture put for the events of the day; and, taking it so
here, it is a promise that God would graciously support them under
their trials and troubles, whatever they were. And so it is a promise
sure to all the spiritual seed of Abraham, that God will wisely
proportion their graces and comforts to the services and sufferings he
calls them out to. Have they work appointed them? They shall have
strength to do it. Have they burdens appointed them? They shall have
strength to bear them; and never be tempted above that they are
able. Faithful is he that has thus promised, and hath caused us to
hope in this promise.
26 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth
upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the
everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before
thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
28 Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of
Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens
shall drop down dew.
29 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O
people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is
the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found
liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
These are the last words of all that ever Moses, that great writer,
that great dictator, either wrote himself or had written from his
dictation; they are therefore very remarkable, and no doubt we shall
find them very improving. Moses, the man of God (who had as much reason
as ever any mere man had to know both), with his last breath magnifies
both the God of Israel and the Israel of God. They are both
incomparable in his eye; and we are sure that in this his judgment of
both his eye did not wax dim.
I. No God like the God of Israel. None of the gods of the nations were
capable of doing that for their worshippers which Jehovah did for his:
There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun,
v. 26.
Note, When we are expecting that God should bless us in doing well for
us we must bless him by speaking well of him: and one of the most
solemn ways of praising God is by acknowledging that there is none like
him. Now,
1. This was the honour of Israel. Every nation boasted of its god; but
none had such a God to boast of as Israel had.
2. It was their happiness that they were taken into covenant with such
a God. Two things he takes notice of as proofs of the incontestable
pre-eminence of the God of Jeshurun above all other gods:
(1.) His sovereign power and authority: He rides upon the
heavens, and with the greatest state and magnificence on the skies.
Riding on the heavens denotes his greatness and glory, in which he
manifests himself to the upper world, and the use he makes of the
influences of heaven, and the productions of the clouds, in bringing to
pass his own counsels in this lower world: he manages and directs them
as a man does the horse he rides on. When he has any thing to do for
his people he rides upon the heavens to do it; for he does it
swiftly and strongly: no enemy can either anticipate or obstruct the
progress of him that rides on the heavens.
(2.) His boundless eternity; he is the eternal God, and his arms are
everlasting,
v. 27.
The gods of the heathen were but lately invented, and would shortly
perish; but the God of Jeshurun is eternal: he was before all worlds,
and will be when time and days shall be no more. See
II. No people like the Israel of God. Having pronounced each tribe
happy, in the close he pronounces all together very happy, so happy in
all respects that there was no nation under the sun comparable to them
(v. 29):
Happy art thou, O Israel, a people whose God is the Lord, on
that account truly happy, and none like unto thee. If Israel
honour God as a non-such God, he will favour them so as to make them a
non-such people, the envy of all their neighbours and the joy of all
their well-wishers. Who is like unto thee, O people? Behold, thou
art fair, my love, says Christ of his spouse. To which she
presently returns, Behold thou art fair, my beloved. What one
nation (no, not all the nations together) is like thy people
Israel?
2 Sam. vii. 23.
What is here said of the church of Israel and the honours and
privileges of it is certainly to be applied to the church of the
first-born, that are written in heaven. The Christian church is the
Israel of God, as the apostle calls it
(Gal. vi. 16),
on which there shall be peace, and which is dignified above all
societies in the world, as Israel was.
1. Never were people so well seated and sheltered
(v. 27):
The eternal God is thy refuge. Or, as the word signifies, “thy
habitation, or mansion-house, in which thou art safe, and
easy, and at rest, as a man in his own house.” Every Israelite indeed
is at home in God; the soul returns to him, and reposes in him as its
resting-place
(Ps. cxvi. 7),
its hiding-place,
And those that make him their habitation shall have all the comforts
and benefits of a habitation in him,
Moses had an eye to God as the habitation of Israel when they were
wandering in the wilderness
(Ps. xc. 1):
Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations. And
now that they were going to settle in Canaan they must not change their
habitation; still they will need, and still they shall have, the
eternal God for their dwelling-place; without him Canaan itself would
be a wilderness, and a land of darkness.
2. Never were people so well supported and borne up: Underneath are
the everlasting arms; that is, the almighty power of God is engaged
for the protection and consolation of all that trust in him, in their
greatest straits and distresses, and under the heaviest burdens. The
everlasting arms shall support,
(1.) The interests of the church in general, that they shall not sink,
or be run down; underneath the church is that rock of ages on which it
is built, and against which the gates of hell shall never prevail,
(2.) The spirits or particular believers, so that, though they may be
oppressed, they shall not be overwhelmed by any trouble. How low soever
the people of God are at any time brought, everlasting arms are
underneath them to keep the spirit from sinking, from fainting, and the
faith from failing, even when they are pressed above measure. The
everlasting covenant, and the everlasting consolations that flow from
it, are indeed everlasting arms, with which believers have been
wonderfully sustained, and kept cheerful in the worst of times; divine
grace is sufficient for them,
3. Never were people so well commanded and led on to battle: “He
shall thrust out the enemy from before thee by his almighty power,
which will make room for thee; and by a commission which will bear thee
out he shall say, Destroy them.” They were now entering upon a
land that was in the full possession of a strong and formidable people,
and who, being its first planters, looked upon themselves as its
rightful owners; how shall Israel justify, and how shall they
accomplish, the expulsion of them?
(1.) God will give them a commission to destroy the Canaanites, and
that will justify them, and bear them out in it, against all the world.
He that is sovereign Lord of all lives and all lands not only allowed
and permitted, but expressly commanded and appointed the children of
Israel both to take possession of the land of Canaan and to put the
sword to the people of Canaan, which, being thus authorized, they might
not only lawfully but honourably do, without incurring the least stain
or imputation of theft by the one or murder by the other.
(2.) God will give them power and ability to destroy them; nay, he will
in effect do it to their hands: he will thrust out the enemy from
before them; for the very fear of Israel shall put them to flight.
God drive out the heathen to plant his people,
Ps. xliv. 2.
Thus believers are more than conquerors over their spiritual enemies,
through Christ that loved them. The captain of our salvation thrust
out the enemy from before us when he overcame the world and spoiled
principalities and powers on the cross; and the word of command to us
is, “Destroy them; pursue the victory, and you shall divide the
spoil.”
4. Never were people so well secured and protected
(v. 28):
Israel shall then dwell in safety alone. Those that dwell in
God, and make his name their strong tower, dwell in safety; the
place of their defence is the munitions of rocks,
Isa. xxxiii. 16.
They shall dwell in safety alone.
(1.) Though alone. Though they contract no alliances with their
neighbours, nor have any reason to expect help or succour from any of
them, yet they shall dwell in safety; they shall really be safe, and
they shall think themselves so.
(2.) Because alone. They shall dwell in safety as long as they
continue pure, and unmixed with the heathen, a singular and peculiar
people. Their distinction from other nations, though it made them
like a speckled bird
(Jer. xii. 9),
and exposed them to the ill-will of those about them, yet was really
their preservation from the mischief their neighbours wished them, as
it kept them under the divine protection. All that keep close to God
shall be kept safely by him. It is promised that in the kingdom of
Christ Israel shall dwell safely,
Jer. xxiii. 6.
5. Never were people so well provided for: The fountain of Jacob
(that is, the present generation of that people, which is as the
fountain to all the streams that shall hereafter descend and be derived
from it) shall now presently be fixed upon a good land. The eye of
Jacob (so it might be read, for the same word signifies a fountain
and an eye) is upon the land of corn and wine, that is, where
they now lay encamped they had Canaan in their eye, it was just before
their faces, on the other side the river, and they would have it in
their hands and under their feet quickly. This land upon which they had
set their eye was blessed both with the fatness of the earth and the
dew of heaven; it was a land of corn and wine, substantial and
useful productions: also his heavens (as if the heavens were
particularly designed to be blessings to that land) shall drop down
dew, without which, though the soil were ever so good, the corn and
wine would soon fail. Every Israelite indeed has his eye, the eye of
faith, upon the better country, the heavenly Canaan, which is richly
replenished with better things than corn and wine.
6. Never were people so well helped. If they were in any strait, God
himself rode upon the heavens for their help,
v. 26.
And they were a people saved by the Lord,
v. 29.
If they were in danger of any harm, or in want of any good, they had an
eternal God to go to, an almighty power to trust to; nothing could hurt
those whom God helped, nor was it possible that the people should
perish which was saved by the Lord. Those that are added to the
gospel Israel are such as shall be saved,
Acts ii. 47.
7. Never were people so well armed. God himself was the shield of their
help by whom they were armed defensively, and sufficiently guarded
against all assailants: and he was the sword of their
excellency, by whom they were armed offensively, and made both
formidable and successful in all their wars. God is called the sword
of their excellency because, in fighting for them, he made them to
excel other people, or because in all he did for them he had an eye to
his sanctuary among them, which is called the excellency of
Jacob,
Eph. vi. 16, 17.
8. Never were people so well assured of victory over their enemies:
They shall be found liars unto thee; That is, “shall be forced
to submit to thee sorely against their will, so that it will be but a
counterfeit submission; yet the point shall be gained, for thou shalt
tread upon their necks” (so the LXX.), which we find done,
“Thou shalt tread down their strong-holds, be they ever so high, and
trample upon their palaces and temples, though esteemed ever so sacred.
If thy enemies be found liars to thee” (so some read it),
“thou shalt tread upon their high places; if they will not be
held by the bonds of leagues and treaties, they shall be broken by the
force of war.” Thus shall the God of peace tread Satan under the feet
of all believers, and shall do it shortly,
Rom. xvi. 20.
Now lay all this together, and then you will say, Happy art thou, O
Israel! Who is like unto thee, O people! Thrice happy the people
whose God is the Lord.
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