（申33）摩西的祝福 (Deuteronomy 33) Moses’s Blessing
(Translation from Chinese assisted with ChatGPT, 中文在后面)
Ecclesiastes 12:7 states, “And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”
The human soul originates from the Creator and returns to the Creator. Coming here is like going on a business trip; there is a mission on Earth during the journey. Completing this mission well during the journey results in a reward when returning home.
As we conclude the reading of the Bible with the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses departed from this world. He arrived one hundred and twenty years ago, and now he has left. However, this world has also changed because of him, in accordance with the Creator’s will. The Creator used him to bring about many changes:
- He “brought calamities” to the nations at that time (Egypt, Midian, Amorites, Bashan, according to what they deserved).
- He led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery.
- He guided the Israelites to accept the Creator’s commandments, teaching them to learn and obey.
- According to the Creator’s instructions, he obtained water from a rock in the wilderness for the Israelites.
- He conquered the lands of the Amorites and Bashan, east of the Jordan River.
- He transformed his father-in-law Jethro’s family, turning them away from idolatry to faith in the Creator.
- He transformed his brother Aaron’s family, making them priests to serve the Creator for generations.
- He prepared his student Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.
- He changed the identity of the Israelite nation, leading them to make a covenant with the Creator at Mount Sinai, becoming the Creator’s people.
- He wrote the Five Books of Moses, which have been read by billions of people over thousands of years.
- The scriptures he wrote also changed us, enabling us to learn and follow the Creator’s commandments thousands of years later.
Just before the conclusion of the Five Books of Moses, there is one more thing mentioned. This is what Moses did on the last day of his one hundred and twenty-year journey on Earth, at the Creator’s command:
Moses’ parting blessing also changed the fate of his own tribe, the Levites. According to their ancestor Jacob’s blessing, the Levites were originally destined to be scattered among the tribes (Genesis 49:7, “I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel”). Moses, in response to this seemingly unfavorable fate, provided a positive interpretation, giving the Levites a noble role in their dispersion, to teach the people of various tribes the Scriptures:
(Deuteronomy 33:10) “They shall teach Jacob your rules and Israel your law…”
(Jewish tradition completes the reading of Deuteronomy 33-34 this week, concluding the previous year’s reading of the Five Books of Moses and immediately starting the next year’s progression from the Book of Genesis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simchat_Torah)
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传道书12:7 说，“尘 土 仍 归 于 地 ， 灵 仍 归 于 赐 灵 的 神 。”
人的灵魂来自造物主，也归回造物主。来这里，就像是出差，在地上有使命；旅程中完成好使命，回家才有奖赏。
圣经读到申命记的结束，摩西离开了这个世界。一百二十年之前他来了，现在他又走了，但是这世界也因他从此改变了，按照造物主的旨意。是造物主使用他，让世界发生了很多变化：
他给当时的外邦人“带来了灾难”（埃及，米甸，亚末利，巴珊, 按他们所应得的)；
他带以色列人脱离了埃及的奴役；
他带以色列人接受了造物主的诫命，教导他们学习和遵行；
他在旷野按造物主的吩咐为以色列人从磐石取水；
他占领了约旦河东亚末利，巴珊两国的土地：
他改变了他岳父叶忒罗家，让他们离弃迷信，改信造物主；
他改变了他哥哥亚伦家让他们世世代代作祭司，侍奉造物主；
他改变了他的学生约书亚，让他带以色列人进入应许之地；
他改变了以色列民族的身份，带他们到西奈山立约成为造物主的子民，
他书写了摩西五经，几千年来至少已经有几十亿人阅读；
他写下的经书也改变了我们，让我们几千年后还能学习和遵行造物主的诫命。
摩西五经结束前还提到一件事，这是造物主让摩西在他地上百廿年旅程最后一天所做的事：
摩西临别时的祝福，还改变了他本部落利未人的命运。按祖先雅各的祝福，利未人本来是要散居各部落中的（创49:7， “… 我 要 使 他 们 分 居 在 雅 各 家 里 ， 散 住 在 以 色 列 地 中 。”）。摩西针对这个看似不好的命运，作了一个正面的诠释，让利未人有了一个上好的职分，可以在散居之地教导各部落的人学习圣经：
（申33:10）“他 们 要 将 你 的 典 章 教 训 雅 各 ， 将 你 的 律 法 教 训 以 色 列 。…”
（犹太传统在本周读完申33-34，结束上一年的摩西五经读经进度，并立刻开始下一年的进度，从创世纪开始。https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simchat_Torah）
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