“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 an help to him from his enemies.”
(Deuteronomy 33:7)
Today’s verse passage is part of a lengthy series of inspired blessings that Moses pronounced upon Israel just prior to his death. God’s man was moved to address each tribe in turn, granting each a special word and a special blessing. This is yet another reminder from the Scriptures that God does not craft “cookie cutter” people. Just as stars differ in glory and as each seed has its own body (1 Corinthians 15:38, 41), so too each of us has been granted a unique set of attributes, abilities, gifts and capacities. God has given us our very identities (1 Corinthians 4:7); in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Moses’ specific address to Judah is far deeper than we might realize at first glance. In the light of New Testament revelation, we understand that Jesus Christ is the preeminent representative of the whole tribe (Revelation 5:5). Whereas kings from the line of Judah prayed for deliverance and forgiveness for God’s covenant nation (cf. 2 Kings 19:15-37; 2 Chronicles 30:18-20) Jesus made intercession even for those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34 cf. Isaiah 53:12). Praise God, He hears the voice of the One who makes continual intercession for us who believe (Hebrews 7:25). “Bring him to his people,” Moses requested, and God graciously heard. In the fullness of time, God brought His Son to His people through the mystery of incarnation (Hebrews 10:5-8; John 1:11; Galatians 4:4; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Timothy 3:16). Amazingly, our Lord identified with us so completely that our enemies became His enemies. God heard Moses’ special request and Judah’s ultimate representative defeated His—and mankind’s—most hated and feared enemies. Death itself, and he who had the power of death, the devil, were soundly defeated at the cross (Colossians 2:14-15; Hebrews 2:14-15). His return to the land of the living when He was raised to glory marks another way in which Christ was brought to His people. He was also brought to them, and to the rest of the world, through the preaching of the apostolic witness, and in the Person of the Blessed Holy Spirit, Whose mind and ministry so reflect Christ He is referred to as Christ in the sacred text (Romans 8:9-11). Let us praise and serve our God Who has shown such favor to His fallen image-bearers. As an expression of divine grace, He has defeated our enemies on our behalf and has “blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Now that is a God worthy to be praised, worthy to be obeyed, worthy to be shared with others.
God bless,
Pastor John
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