In this concluding message we will consider the blessing of Moses (33:1-29) and also the death of Moses, and his successor (32:48-52; 34:1-12).
In 33:1-29 we have the blessing of Moses. Whereas a young man may not have the heart to bless others, a mature man always gives people a blessing at the end of his conversation.
Verses 1 through 5 are the introductory word. Verse 1 says that this is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel before his death. In this introductory word, Moses said that Jehovah came and dawned upon the children of Israel and approached them with a fiery law, loving the people who were in His hand, sat at His feet, and received of His words, and to whom a law was commanded as their possession, and in whose congregation He was king (vv. 2-5).
Verses 6 through 25 are the blessing itself. Moses' word here is a kind of prediction with blessing.
Reuben, as the first son of Jacob, should have received the birthright, but he did something sinful and lost the birthright. Because of that sin, the tribe of Reuben was nearly reduced to nothing. But Moses was merciful and prayed that Reuben would live and not die and that his men would not be few (v. 6). This means that the blessing upon Reuben would be the blessing of increase.
Concerning Judah (v. 7), Moses asked that Jehovah would hear the voice of Judah and bring him to his people. This was a prayer for Judah, a tribe accustomed to fighting for the people, to be brought back from the battlefield. In verse 7 Moses went on to say that with his hands Judah contended for his people. Those who contended in this way have included Caleb and David. Finally, Moses prayed that Jehovah would be a help against Judah's adversaries. Enemies come from the outside, but adversaries arise from within. For example, Absalom became an adversary to David.