Day 610: Blessed like Benjamin - Deuteronomy 33 vs 12 - 17

12 Of Benjamin Moses said, “The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety. The High God surrounds him all day long, and dwells between his shoulders.

13-16 And of Joseph he said, “Blessed by the Lord be his land, with the choicest gifts of heaven above, and of the deep that crouches beneath, with the choicest fruits of the sun and the rich yield of the months, with the finest produce of the ancient mountains and the abundance of the everlasting hills, with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favour of him who dwells in the bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of him who is prince among his brothers. 17 A firstborn bull - he has majesty, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he shall gore the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth; they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. Deuteronomy 33:12-17 (English Standard Version)

Although Joseph and Benjamin were the last of Jacob's 12 sons, they were born to Rachel, the wife he had sought and most loved. In the blessing he gave to his children he kept these two 'favourites' till last. But we see that Moses promotes them up the list and puts them before Simeon. Simeon was Jacob's second born who was next in line for the birth right blessing. Reuben, the firstborn, had lost out on that because he had committed adultery with Jacob's concubine. The descendants of Benjamin eventually settled near to Jerusalem and remained more faithful to God than the other tribes who later broke away to set up a separate Northern Kingdom. The tribe of Benjamin experienced a great measure of God's love and care.

Joseph had been Rachel's firstborn child. What was the blessing Moses now pronounced upon Joseph’s descendants? (vs 13-16)

In many ways it was a physical blessing of abundant harvests. We should view all material blessings from God as something that leads to thanksgiving. He is still the one who sends rain upon the earth for crops to grow. But we see that Moses also refers to Joseph as 'a prince among his brothers'. This was probably a reference to when Joseph the man had been set up by God as a mighty Prince in Egypt to save his brothers when great famine had fallen on the earth. But how does Moses expand on that blessing in vs 17?

The tribe of Joseph is seen as growing in majesty and in numbers. They are likened to a powerful bull scattering other nations. That happened as they conquered the land God gave to Israel. We see also that they were given a double portion in the land. They became two regions, called Ephraim and Manasseh, and Manasseh was even further spread over two large areas on either side of the Jordan river. A deeper blessing was that, for many years after they entered the land, Ephraim was the region where the holy meeting place (the Tabernacle) was situated, at a place called Shiloh.

A lesson we can take here is that God views things differently from how we often see them. We often favour those who seem top of the pile in life, whether it's privileged birth, great wealth, or special physical abilities. But God looks beyond these things. Young David was chosen to be King rather than any of his older brothers. So Jesus startled people when He said it would be difficult for rich people to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The disciple Peter said how he and the other disciples had left all to follow Jesus, and Jesus replied: “All of you have become my followers and in the future world - when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne - I promise that you will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And all who have given up home, or brothers and sisters, or father and mother, or children or land for me, will be given a hundred times as much. They will also have eternal life. But many who are now first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” (Matthew 19:28-30)

May we be those who put Christ first in our life. May we prize God's Kingdom more than any and all of the material blessings of this world. We might end up at the end of the queue of popularity in the world, but how great our joy will be if, like Benjamin in vs 12, we are 'beloved of the Lord', and live in His safekeeping.