Deuteronomy 33:8 Study Bible: Of Levi he said, "Give to Levi your Thummim and your Urim to your faithful one, whom you proved at Massah, with whom you strove at the waters of Meribah;

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◄ Deuteronomy 33:8 ►

Concerning Levi he said: "Give Your Thummim to Levi and Your Urim to Your godly one, whom You tested at Massah and contested at the waters of Meribah.

Study Bible

About Levi he said
This phrase introduces the blessing specifically directed towards the tribe of Levi. Levi, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, was set apart for religious duties. Historically, the Levites were not given a portion of land like the other tribes but were instead assigned cities and the responsibility of serving in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. This introduction sets the stage for a unique blessing that acknowledges their special role in Israelite society.

Give to Levi your Thummim and Urim
The Thummim and Urim were sacred lots used by the high priest to discern God's will. The Hebrew roots of these words suggest meanings related to "perfection" and "light," respectively. These objects were kept in the breastplate of the high priest and were integral to the priestly function of seeking divine guidance. The mention of these items underscores the Levites' role as mediators between God and Israel, highlighting their responsibility to lead the people in spiritual matters with integrity and divine insight.

to your godly one
This phrase refers to the Levites as a whole, emphasizing their dedication and consecration to God. The Hebrew word used here can also be translated as "faithful" or "holy," indicating the Levites' commitment to their sacred duties. This designation as "godly" reflects their role in maintaining the spiritual health of the nation and their close relationship with God.

whom you tested at Massah
Massah, meaning "testing," refers to an event recorded in Exodus 17:1-7, where the Israelites quarreled with Moses over the lack of water. This testing was not just of the people but also of the leaders, including the Levites, who were called to trust in God's provision. The reference to this event serves as a reminder of the trials faced by the Levites and their need to remain steadfast in faith.

and contended with at the waters of Meribah
Meribah, meaning "quarreling," is another significant location where the Israelites challenged God's provision (Numbers 20:1-13). The Levites, as spiritual leaders, were involved in these events, which tested their faith and leadership. This phrase highlights the challenges and responsibilities of the Levites, who were called to guide the people through times of doubt and conflict, relying on God's faithfulness.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Levi
One of the twelve tribes of Israel, set apart for priestly duties and service to God. The Levites were responsible for the spiritual leadership and maintenance of the tabernacle.

2. Thummim and Urim
Sacred lots used by the high priest to discern God's will. These were kept in the breastplate of judgment worn by the high priest.

3. Massah
A place where the Israelites tested God by doubting His provision, as recorded in Exodus 17:7.

4. Meribah
Another location where the Israelites quarreled with Moses and tested God, leading to Moses striking the rock to bring forth water (Exodus 17:7, Numbers 20:13).

5. Moses
The leader of the Israelites who delivered this blessing to the tribes of Israel before his death.

Teaching Points

Divine Guidance
The Urim and Thummim symbolize the need for seeking God's guidance in our decisions. Just as the high priest sought God's will, we should seek His direction through prayer and Scripture.

Testing and Faithfulness
The events at Massah and Meribah remind us of the importance of trusting God even in difficult circumstances. Testing can reveal our faithfulness and reliance on God.

Priestly Role of Believers
As believers, we are called to be a "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9). Like the Levites, we have a responsibility to serve God and others, maintaining spiritual integrity and leadership.

Learning from Past Mistakes
The Israelites' experiences at Massah and Meribah serve as lessons for us to avoid grumbling and doubt. Instead, we should cultivate gratitude and trust in God's provision.

Bible Study Questions

1. How can we seek God's guidance in our daily decisions, similar to how the high priest used the Urim and Thummim?

2. Reflect on a time when you felt tested like the Israelites at Massah and Meribah. How did you respond, and what did you learn from that experience?

3. In what ways can we fulfill our role as a "royal priesthood" in our communities and churches today?

4. How can the events at Massah and Meribah inform our understanding of faith and obedience in challenging times?

5. What practical steps can we take to ensure we are learning from past mistakes and growing in our trust in God?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Exodus 28:30
This verse describes the Urim and Thummim being placed in the breastplate of judgment, highlighting their role in seeking divine guidance.

Numbers 20:13
This passage recounts the events at Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with God, and Moses struck the rock to bring forth water.

Psalm 106:32-33
Reflects on the rebellion at Meribah and its consequences, emphasizing the importance of obedience and trust in God.

Sermons

Watchwords for the Tribes	R.M. Edgar	Deuteronomy 33:6-25
Levi	T. G. Rooke, B. A.	Deuteronomy 33:8-11
Levi	J. Orr	Deuteronomy 33:8-11
The Priestly Tribe	D. Davies	Deuteronomy 33:8-11
Urim and Thummim	T. G. Rooke, B. A.	Deuteronomy 33:8-11

People

Asher, Benjamin, Dan, Gad, Israelites, Issachar, Jacob, Joseph, Levi, Manasseh, Moses, Naphtali, Reuben, Seir, Zebulun

Places

Bashan, Massah, Meribah, Moab, Mount Paran, Seir, Sinai

Topics

Angry, Belong, Contended, Favored, Godly, Hast, Holy, Levi, Loved, Massah, Meribah, Mer'ibah, Pious, Prove, Proved, Strive, Strove, Test, Tested, Thummim, Tried, Urim, Waters

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Deuteronomy 33:8

     5924   quarrelsomeness
     7377   high priest, OT
     7392   lots, casting of
     8832   testing

Deuteronomy 33:1-11

7266 tribes of Israel

Deuteronomy 33:1-29

8638 benedictions

Deuteronomy 33:8-11

5731 parents

Library

Israel the Beloved
'The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between His shoulders.'--DEUT. xxxiii. 12. Benjamin was his father's favourite child, and the imagery of this promise is throughout drawn from the relations between such a child and its father. So far as the future history of the tribes is shadowed in these 'blessings' of this great ode, the reference of the text may be to the tribe of Benjamin, as specially distinguished by Saul …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Shod for the Road
'Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.' DEUT. xxxiii. 25. There is a general correspondence between those blessings wherewith Moses blessed the tribes of Israel before his death, and the circumstances and territory of each tribe in the promised land. The portion of Asher, in whose blessing the words of our text occurs, was partly the rocky northern coast and partly the fertile lands stretching to the base of the Lebanon. In the inland part of their territory …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

God and his Saints
'He loved the people; all His saints are in Thy hand: and they sat down at Thy feet; every one shall receive of Thy words.'--DEUT. xxxiii. 3. The great ode of which these words are a part is called 'the blessing wherewith Moses blessed the children of Israel before his death.' It is mainly an invocation of blessing from Heaven on the various tribes, but it begins, as the national existence of Israel began, with the revelation of God on Sinai, and it lays that as the foundation of everything. It …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Shoes of Iron, and Strength Sufficient: a New Year's Promise
"And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be."--Deuteronomy 33:24-25. I once heard an old minister say that he thought the blessing of Asher was peculiarly the blessing of ministers; and his eyes twinkled as he added, "At any rate, they are usually blessed with children, and it is a great blessing for them if they are acceptable to their …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 35: 1889

"As Thy Days, So Shall Thy Strength Be"
In addressing you this morning, I shall first have to notice the self-weakness which is implied in our text; secondly, I shall come to the great promise of the text; and then I shall try and draw one or two inferences from it, ere I conclude. I. First, the SELF-WEAKNESS HINTED AT IN THE TEXT. To keep to my figure, if this promise be like a star, you know there is no seeing the stars in the daytime when we stand here upon the upper land; we must go down a deep well, and then we shall be able to discover …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

2D Day. Needful Grace.
"He is Faithful that Promised." "As thy days, so shall thy strength be."--DEUT. xxxiii. 25. Needful Grace. God does not give grace till the hour of trial comes. But when it does come, the amount of grace, and the nature of the special grace required is vouchsafed. My soul, do not dwell with painful apprehension on the future. Do not anticipate coming sorrows; perplexing thyself with the grace needed for future emergencies; to-morrow will bring its promised grace along with to-morrow's trials. …
John Ross Macduff—The Faithful Promiser

Covenanting Predicted in Prophecy.
The fact of Covenanting, under the Old Testament dispensations, being approved of God, gives a proof that it was proper then, which is accompanied by the voice of prophecy, affording evidence that even in periods then future it should no less be proper. The argument for the service that is afforded by prophecy is peculiar, and, though corresponding with evidence from other sources, is independent. Because that God willed to make known truth through his servants the prophets, we should receive it …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Within what Tribe the Lake of Gennesaret Was.
By comparing the maps with the Talmudic writers, this question ariseth: for there is not one among them, as far as I know, which does not altogether define the sea of Gennesaret to be without the tribe of Naphthali; but the Talmudists do most plainly place it within. "The Rabbins deliver: The sea of Tiberias is in the portion of Naphtali; yea, it takes a full line for the nets on the south side of it: as it is said, 'Possess the sea and the south,' Deuteronomy 33:23." The Gloss is; "(Naphtali) had …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

1872 the Need of a Home Further West --Burning of the Marchmont Home --Home Restored by Canadian Gifts --Miss Macpherson and Miss Reavell Arrive in Canada
The need of a Home further West--Burning of the Marchmont Home--Home restored by Canadian gifts--Miss Macpherson and Miss Reavell arrive in Canada--First visit to Knowlton in the East--Belleville Home restored by Canadian friends--Help for the Galt Home--Miss Macpherson returns to England--Miss Reavell remains at Galt. In her first letter on returning to England Miss Macpherson writes:-- "BELOVED FELLOW-WORKERS,--Once more at home among the old familiar scenes in the East of London, the sadness …
Clara M. S. Lowe—God's Answers

Second Part
Aphrahat the Persian Sage. 1. Name of Author of Demonstrations long Unknown.--The author of the Demonstrations, eight of which appear (for the first time in an English version) in the present volume, has a singular literary history. By nationality a Persian, in an age when Zoroastrianism was the religion of Persia, he wrote in Syriac as a Christian theologian. His writings, now known to us as the works of Aphrahat, were remembered, cited, translated, and transcribed for at least two centuries …
Ephraim the Syrian—Hymns and Homilies of Ephraim the Syrian

With Israel's God who Can Compare?
…
John Newton—Olney Hymns

On Deut. xxxiii. Ii
On Deut. xxxiii. II Hippolytus, the expositor of the Targum, has said that Moses, when he had finished this prophecy, also pronounced a blessing upon all the children of Israel, by their several tribes, and prayed for them. Then God charged Moses, saying to him, Go up to Mount Nebo, which indeed is known by the name of the mount of the Hebrews, which is in the land of Moab over against Jericho. And He said to him: View the land of Chanaan, which I am to give to the children of Israel for an inheritance. …
Hippolytus—The Extant Works and Fragments of Hippolytus

The Best Things Work for Good to the Godly
WE shall consider, first, what things work for good to the godly; and here we shall show that both the best things and the worst things work for their good. We begin with the best things. 1. God's attributes work for good to the godly. (1). God's power works for good. It is a glorious power (Col. i. 11), and it is engaged for the good of the elect. God's power works for good, in supporting us in trouble. "Underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. xxxiii. 27). What upheld Daniel in the lion's den? …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

Subterraneous Places. Mines. Caves.
Thus having taken some notice of the superficies of the land, let us a little search into its bowels. You may divide the subterraneous country into three parts: the metal mines, the caves, and the places of burial. This land was eminently noted for metal mines, so that "its stones," in very many places, "were iron, and out of its hills was digged brass," Deuteronomy 8:9. From these gain accrued to the Jews: but to the Christians, not seldom slavery and misery; being frequently condemned hither by …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Wesley's Hymns Reconsidered
Bernard Manning A paper read before the Cambridge University Methodist Society on February 9, 1939. SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE, sometime Scholar of Jesus College in the University of Cambridge, once wrote some ingenious verses {Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy.} to help his sons to remember the chief sorts of metre. If Coleridge had been a Methodist instead of a pilgrim from Anglicanism to Unitarianism and back again, he would have needed to do no such thing: he would have needed only to advise his boys …
Bernard L. Manning—The Hymns of Wesley and Watts: Five Papers

The Covenant of an Everlasting Priesthood
"That My covenant might be with Levi. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared Me, and was afraid before My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips; he walked with Me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity."--MAL. ii. 4-6. ISRAEL was meant by God to be a nation of priests. In the first making of the Covenant this was distinctly stipulated. "If ye will obey My voice, and keep My covenant, …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

An Exposition on the First Ten Chapters of Genesis, and Part of the Eleventh
An unfinished commentary on the Bible, found among the author's papers after his death, in his own handwriting; and published in 1691, by Charles Doe, in a folio volume of the works of John Bunyan. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR Being in company with an enlightened society of Protestant dissenters of the Baptist denomination, I observed to a doctor of divinity, who was advancing towards his seventieth year, that my time had been delightfully engaged with John Bunyan's commentary on Genesis. "What," …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Manner of Covenanting.
Previous to an examination of the manner of engaging in the exercise of Covenanting, the consideration of God's procedure towards his people while performing the service seems to claim regard. Of the manner in which the great Supreme as God acts, as well as of Himself, our knowledge is limited. Yet though even of the effects on creatures of His doings we know little, we have reason to rejoice that, in His word He has informed us, and in His providence illustrated by that word, he has given us to …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Jesus Works his First Miracle at Cana in Galilee.
^D John II. 1-11. ^d 1 And the third day [From the calling of Philip (John i. 43). The days enumerated in John's first two chapters constitute a week, and may perhaps be intended as a contrast to the last week of Christ's ministry ( John xii. 1). It took two days to journey from the Jordan to Cana] there was a marriage [In Palestine the marriage ceremony usually began at twilight. The feast after the marriage was at the home of the bridegroom, and was sometimes prolonged for several days (Gen. xxix. …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Adam's Sin
Q-15: WHAT WAS THE SIN WHEREBY OUR FIRST PARENTS FELL FROM THE ESTATE WHEREIN THEY WERE CREATED? A: That sin was eating the forbidden fruit. 'She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband.' Gen 3:3. Here is implied, 1. That our first parents fell from their estate of innocence. 2. The sin by which they fell, was eating the forbidden fruit. I. Our first parents fell from their glorious state of innocence. God made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.' Eccl …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Mount Zion.
"For ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them: for they could not endure that which was enjoined, If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned; and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake: but ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto …
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

Notes on the Third Century
Page 161. Line 1. He must be born again, &c. This is a compound citation from John iii. 3, and Mark x. 15, in the order named. Page 182. Line 17. For all things should work together, &c. See Romans viii. 28. Page 184. Lines 10-11. Being Satan is able, &c. 2 Corinthians xi. 14. Page 184. Last line. Like a sparrow, &c. Psalm cii. Page 187. Line 1. Mechanisms. This word is, in the original MS., mechanicismes.' Page 187. Line 7. Like the King's daughter, &c. Psalm xlv. 14. Page 188. Med. 39. The best …
Thomas Traherne—Centuries of Meditations

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Text: Romans 13, 8-10. 8 Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; love therefore is the fulfilment of the law. CHRISTIAN LOVE AND THE COMMAND TO LOVE. 1. This, like the two …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

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