God's Law, God's Kingdom Text: Deuteronomy 33:1-5
Introduction: The Final Word
We come now to the final words of Moses, the man of God. A man's last words are weighty. They are the final distillation of his life's wisdom, his final charge to those he is leaving behind. And Moses is not just any man. He is the lawgiver, the mediator of the old covenant, the man who spoke with God face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. As he stands on the precipice of the promised land, a land he will see but not enter, he does not leave Israel with a sentimental farewell. He leaves them with a blessing. But this is not a greeting card blessing. This is a covenantal declaration, a final, thunderous sermon that frames Israel's entire existence under the government of God.
This blessing is a bookend. The book of Genesis ends with Jacob's blessing of the twelve tribes, prophesying their future. Now, as the nation, forged in the wilderness and constituted by the law, is about to enter that future, Moses blesses them again. This is not a repetition; it is an escalation. It is a reaffirmation of their identity, their purpose, and their God. It is a reminder that their entire national life, their prosperity, their victories, and their very existence depend entirely on their relationship to the God who revealed Himself in fire and glory.
We live in an age that detests such particularity. Our culture wants a God of vague, sentimental platitudes, a God who blesses everyone indiscriminately, without conditions, without law, without judgment. But the God of the Bible is not a cosmic teddy bear. He is the sovereign King of heaven and earth, and He cuts covenants. He makes distinctions. He chooses a people for Himself and gives them His law as their most precious inheritance. These first five verses of Moses' blessing are a dense, poetic, and powerful summary of God's relationship with His people. They establish the foundation for everything that follows: God's glorious revelation, His covenant love, and His righteous reign. This is not just a history lesson for Israel; it is the blueprint for the kingdom of God.
The Text
Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death. And he said, "Yahweh came from Sinai, And He dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones; At His right hand there was flashing lightning for them. Indeed, He loves the people; All Your holy ones are in Your hand, And they followed in Your steps; Everyone is bearing up Your words. Moses commanded us with a law, A possession for the assembly of Jacob. And He was king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people were gathered, The tribes of Israel together."
(Deuteronomy 33:1-5 LSB)
The Theophany of the King (v. 1-2)
The blessing begins not with Israel, but with God. All true blessing flows from Him.
"Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death. And he said, 'Yahweh came from Sinai, And He dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones; At His right hand there was flashing lightning for them.'" (Deuteronomy 33:1-2)
First, notice the title: "Moses the man of God." This is a title of high honor, signifying his unique role as God's prophet and representative. His words carry divine authority. This isn't just Moses's opinion; this is a word from the Lord.
The blessing proper begins with a magnificent poetic description of a theophany, a glorious appearing of God. Moses recounts God's coming to His people as a brilliant, unstoppable sunrise. "Yahweh came from Sinai." This is the foundational event. Sinai is where God condescended to meet man, where He established His covenant, and where He gave His law. This was not a quiet, private affair. It was accompanied by fire, smoke, earthquake, and the blast of a trumpet. God came.
But the geography here is expansive. He "dawned on them from Seir" and "shone forth from Mount Paran." Seir is the land of Edom, and Paran is a wilderness region to the south. Moses is painting a picture of God's glory advancing across the entire southern horizon. This is not a localized, tribal deity peeking out from behind one mountain. This is the sovereign Lord of all the earth, whose glory fills the world. His coming is like the dawn, which no one can prevent and which illuminates everything. This is a polemic against the petty gods of the Canaanites, who were tied to specific locations. Yahweh's authority is universal.
He did not come alone. He "came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones." This refers to the angelic host, the armies of heaven. When God reveals Himself, He does so in royal majesty, attended by His court. This is the King arriving for His coronation. And what is in His hand? "At His right hand there was flashing lightning for them." The Hebrew is difficult here, but it likely means a "fiery law." The law is not a dry, dusty legal code. It is fire. It is powerful, purifying, illuminating, and dangerous. It proceeds from the right hand of God, the hand of power and authority. God's gift to His people, the very instrument of His blessing, is His fiery law.
The Covenant and the People (v. 3)
Verse 3 shifts from the majesty of God's coming to the intimacy of His relationship with His people.
"Indeed, He loves the people; All Your holy ones are in Your hand, And they followed in Your steps; Everyone is bearing up Your words." (Deuteronomy 33:3)
Here is the motive behind the fire and the glory: "Indeed, He loves the people." The foundation of the covenant is not Israel's inherent goodness, but God's sovereign, electing love. He did not choose them because they were great, but He made them great because He chose them. This is grace, from beginning to end. The law is not given as a means to earn God's love, but as a response to it. Because He loves them, He gives them His word to guide them into blessing.
Because of this love, His people are secure. "All Your holy ones are in Your hand." The "holy ones" here are the people of Israel, set apart by God. They are held securely in His sovereign grip. This is a picture of preservation and protection. The world is a dangerous place, but the saints are kept by the power of God.
And what is the posture of these protected people? "They followed in Your steps; Everyone is bearing up Your words." The image is of disciples sitting at the feet of a master teacher. They follow His lead, and they receive His instruction. The Christian life is one of perpetual discipleship. We are always at His feet, receiving His words. The one who is held in God's hand is the one who holds to God's Word. The two are inseparable. Security is found in submission.
The Law as Inheritance (v. 4)
Moses now explicitly identifies the great gift that God has given to His beloved people.
"Moses commanded us with a law, A possession for the assembly of Jacob." (Deuteronomy 33:4)
Moses, speaking for the people, identifies himself as the mediator. "Moses commanded us with a law." But this law is not a burden; it is a "possession." This is a staggering statement. In a world where nations prided themselves on their military might, their wealth, or their territory, Israel's unique treasure, their most precious inheritance, was the law of God. This was their wisdom and their understanding in the sight of the peoples (Deut. 4:6). The law was not a set of arbitrary rules designed to stifle human flourishing. It was the manufacturer's instructions for human flourishing.
Our secular world sees law as the enemy of freedom. The Bible sees God's law as the foundation of true freedom. To be without God's law is not to be free; it is to be enslaved to sin, to chaos, and to the tyranny of other men. God's law is a gift, a treasure, an inheritance. It is the constitution of our liberty. For a nation to have the righteous statutes and judgments of God is the greatest possible blessing. This is why the Psalmist can say, "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day" (Psalm 119:97).
The King in Jeshurun (v. 5)
The culmination of this foundational statement is the declaration of God's kingship.
"And He was king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people were gathered, The tribes of Israel together." (Deuteronomy 33:5)
Who is the "He" who was king? It is Yahweh Himself. God is the king. Israel was not, in the first instance, a democracy or a monarchy under a man. It was a theocracy. God was their direct ruler. "Jeshurun" is a poetic, affectionate name for Israel, meaning "the upright one." It speaks of Israel's ideal character as a people walking rightly before their God. God became their king, He was formally recognized as such, at Sinai, "when the heads of the people were gathered, the tribes of Israel together."
This is the central political claim of the Bible. God is king. Not just of Israel, but of all the nations. The assembly at Sinai was the formal establishment of His kingdom on earth. All human authorities, whether they be presidents, prime ministers, or kings, are delegates. They rule under God, and they will be judged by His law. The modern secular project is a rebellion against this fact. It is an attempt to govern man without reference to God, to have a kingdom without a king. But this is doomed to failure. You cannot have the fruit of God's order without submitting to God's rule.
When the people of God gather, united under their leaders, with the law of God as their possession, God Himself is their king. This is the pattern for the church. When we gather as the people of God, with our elders leading us, submitted to the Word of God, we are an outpost of the kingdom of heaven. We are demonstrating to the world what true government, true order, and true freedom look like. It is found not in the ballot box or the palace, but in the joyful submission to King Jesus.
Conclusion: From Sinai to Zion
This blessing of Moses is not a relic of the past. It is a prophecy of the future. The God who came in fire from Sinai is the same God who has come in grace from Zion. The writer to the Hebrews makes the connection for us. We have not come to a mountain that can be touched, to blazing fire and darkness and gloom (Heb. 12:18). We have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant (Heb. 12:22-24).
The pattern holds. God still reveals Himself in glory, not in a terrifying earthly fire, but in the glorious face of His Son, Jesus Christ. He still loves His people with an everlasting love, a love demonstrated at the cross. He still holds His saints securely in His hand, a hand pierced for our transgressions. He still gives us His law, not written on tablets of stone, but on our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And He is still king. The gospel is not first a plan of salvation; it is a royal announcement. The king has come. Jesus is Lord.
Therefore, our response must be the same as that of Jeshurun at the foot of Sinai. We must gather as the people of God, the tribes of the new Israel from every nation, under the headship of our elders. We must receive His words, treasuring His law as our most precious possession. And we must bow the knee, confessing that He, and He alone, is king. This is our blessing, this is our inheritance, and this is our mission to the world: to declare the kingship of Jesus Christ over every square inch of His creation.