One of the great privileges God's people have is the opportunity to bless people. We have the joy of being the means by which God brings grace into their lives. These blessings are rooted in God's grace which He has chosen to mediate through human beings. Blessings can be pronounced on numerous occasions from birthdays or dedications to a new responsibility, even in preparation for death. The characteristic parting words of Christians to others are, ″God bless you″, which summarise the wish we have for people.

Moses' last acts as a leader focus on blessing the people and seeking their welfare, not on their recognition and appreciation of his own achievements. He pronounces the blessings that God will give the individual tribes (Deuteronomy 33). Though Moses pronounces the blessing, it is God who gives the blessing. He begins by reciting how God led the people in their recent history (vv. 1-5). Israel is once again called ″Jeshurun″, ″the upright one,″ possibly hinting that to receive God's blessing they need to be an upright people.

Like other biblical blessings, these words of Moses were carefully thought through, and specifically appropriate to the groups being addressed. Moses spoke of special callings of some tribes, like the warriors of Judah and the priests of Levi (vv. 7, 8-11). There is praise for Levi for not sparing family members when punishing them after the golden calf incident (v. 9). There is a prayer for the skill and protection of the Levites (v. 11). There is acknowledgement of the special geographic and agricultural provisions for Naphtali and Asher (vv. 23-25). There are also prophetic words about the future prosperity of Zebulun and Issachar (vv. 18-19), and the growth of the small tribe of Dan (v. 22).

These are some of the elements that we, too, can use when we pray for or pronounce blessing on others. Before we do so, we can think carefully and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us to use words that will communicate God's will for the people.

The last recorded words of Moses in Deuteronomy (vv. 26-29) are an outburst of praise, not for what God did through him but for God's absolute reliability. It is God's character that gives confidence that Israel's future is secure. Moses' disappointment over not being able to go to the land (32:51-52) is not mentioned here, perhaps in light of the deeper reality of the God who was Moses' companion throughout his challenging life. He takes confidence in the fact that the absolutely unique, eternal God will secure a bright future for the people whom he had passionately led for so long.

May our dying thoughts also be loaded with praise to God and with concern for those we leave behind.