Deuteronomy 33 MOSES, THE MAN OF GOD - BLESSES The final public act of a leader has a certain significance that cannot be easily overlooked or forgotten. Moses was forty years old when he "chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." The next forty years of his life were spent learning practical lessons of faith from God as a shepherd and a servant. This training time would serve the man of God well in the years of service ahead. Survival in a wilderness is not possible without learning that even in inhospitable situations, God is there to preserve, protect and defend the man or woman of faith. The title, "man of God," is not one to be taken lightly. One who follows God is spite of discomfort in body, but with determination to please God in his spirit, and delight in his soul to go where God leads, can be called a man of God. The last forty years of Moses' life were a combination of leading God's people and serving God Himself by serving His people. That principle still remains. We serve God today when we serve His people. It will not always be appreciated and, on some occasions, your efforts will be rejected and you will be criticized unjustly. But service done for God is acknowledged by God, and His approval is all we need.
Moses had been with God's people long enough that he knew their idiosyncrasies and personality characteristics. There are certain traits to be found in people that are passed on from one generation to another. It was a remarkable thing that for four hundred years, each of Jacob's sons kept their tribal identity. There didn't seem to be much blending between the tribes even though they had spent years in close proximity when they were slaves in Egypt. Parents pass on genetic characteristics to their children, and they also model their convictions and lifestyle to the next two generations. Consequently, many children do things the same way their parents did. In assembly life spiritual habits and traits are passed on as well. Each assembly is a unique organism with certain identifiable features that mark them. Spiritual children will take things that their fathers taught and act upon them. They in turn will pass those on to succeeding generations.
When Moses blessed the Israelites as his last act for their good, he identified the different character traits and the results that would come from each. From the basic acts of survival of Reuben, to the fullness of Gad because they had successfully driven out the enemy, each tribe was identified in a personal way. Judah stands out as a leader, and Joseph as a successful people. Levi was faithful in spiritual service and Asher would prosper materially. The differences in people often affect where God chooses to place us and how He chooses to use us. We are not independent entities. even though we are different. God does not make us all alike but we all have one objective in view - the glory of God. The uniqueness of every person makes them fit properly in the body of Christ as well as in the local assembly. In the case of Israel, the variety of each tribe made them a potentially strong nation.
Differences in people are a positive thing. The variety of uses of different body parts make the body useful and able to accomplish the purpose for which it was made. It is important that each one of God's people understand who we are personally, and at the same time appreciate the value of the differences in our brothers and sisters. Scriptural assemblies are not a lot of franchises in different areas. Each one is a unique fellowship adapted by God to meet the needs in that particular location. There is never a reason for envy of the gifts that others have. Each person has been qualified by God to do what He wants. In Israel there was given to one tribe the best property and to another the safest place to live. One tribe brought food from the sea and another produced crops from the land. The nation needed them all to function in the way that was best for everyone. We need every gift God has given to a local assembly to be able to fill our purpose in a location and to bear testimony to the Lord's name.
It fell to the tribe of Gad to punish the enemies that had polluted the land of promise. Justice had to be carried out. It is not a pleasant task to deal with evil, but evil can not be left unchecked. There are times when we have no choice but to act scripturally and righteously for the benefit of all of God's people. Discipline is necessary to develop character in children. It is also necessary to maintain order in any group of people who are united in a common cause. In a military unit, discipline is needed for both offensive and defensive reasons. The same is true among God's people. A principle to follow in carrying out discipline is that it must be just. When it is possible to produce the result needed and yet be merciful, that too is acceptable.
An important thing to remember is that God is for His people. Even when we have to be corrected to change our wrong behavior, His discipline is also for our safety and security. He is our refuge and will do whatever is needed to bring us to be what He intends. Israel was different from all other nations. They stood alone; they were self-sufficient and secure in the place where God intended. It was never God's intention for them to adapt to the nations around nor be like them. They had been rescued and preserved by God and should have found their joy and satisfaction in being the kind of nation God wanted. It is the same for God's people today. God does not want us to adapt to the ways of the social, religious or political systems that please men. Our obligation is to do what we do as to the Lord and not to men. The political powers change often from one group to the next. What was illegal at one time is with the signing of a man's signature, changed to be legal. God's commands and laws are unchangeable. The social conduct of the majority of people is very different than the scriptures teach. Parental control, marital fidelity, family responsibility has had been taught in the scripture but changed in society. Religious practices have been changed to suit what the majority of people want now - something like a democratic society. But the truth of God does not change and we are not in the place of authority to change what God has decreed. Our commitment is to God and His word and must remain so. He is the eternal God and "underneath are the everlasting arms."