There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun,
who rideth upon the heaven in thy help,
and in his excellency on the sky.
The eternal God is thy refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms:
and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee;
and shall say, Destroy them.
Israel then shall dwell in safety alone:
the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine;
also his heavens shall drop down dew.
Happy art thou, O Israel:
who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD,
the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

Deuteronomy 33:26-29

Moses the old prophet of Israel is almost at the end of the journey. He is bringing his final words, his closing remarks – he is signing off and making way for Joshua the new leader of God’s people.

After pronouncing personal blessings upon the tribes of Israel he closes with a general benediction. These are triumphant words with which to vacate the stage of history.

These words concern the God of Israel and the relationship that the people had with Him as their God. In Psalm 148:14 Israel is described as a people near unto God. Moses teaches us just how near they were to God.

Likewise we are taught our closeness with God. The God of Israel is our God. We are blessed in that our relation with Him is personal.

What is striking about this passage is the all encompassing nature of God’s character in His relationship with us.

The ancient Celtic Church of Britain and Ireland understood this completely. One of the great examples of spirituality to have been passed down from that movement is the prayer known as “St Patrick’s Breastplate” which contains these memorable words:

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

Moses in his remarks, his signing off speech does something similar. And from this we can take comfort.

GOD ABOVE ME

There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun,
who rideth upon the heaven in thy help,
and in his excellency on the sky.

Jeshurun and Israel are used interchangeably. God is unique in that He rides the heaven and occupies the sky. God is above me.

The sky is sometimes referred to as the seat of Satan’s power. He is “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).

It is comfort to know, however, that God is the ultimate ruler and Governor of the heavens. He is supreme over Satan. As Michael and his angels triumphed over Satan in the war waged in the heaven in Revelation 13, so Christ will continue to dominate the devil and his schemes.

As we pray, our prayers pass beyond the atmosphere and stratosphere entering the third heaven where the throne of grace is occupied by Christ our Saviour. Buddhism has its prayer wheels and prayer flags taking prayers into the winds. We have the Holy Spirit, however, the wind of God, who carries our prayers to a Saviour who never ceases to pray for us. Christ above me.

But the God who reigns above also stoops low with a love that reaches down and gathers us up.

GOD BENEATH ME

The eternal God is thy refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms:

These are remarkable words which highlight the intimacy of the Christian’s relationship with God.

Hinduism has one billion gods to choose from and not one is unique. Followers of this religion are constantly paying homage to the gods, placating them with gifts and sacrifices. Islam has one god they call Allah. He is impersonal – there is no relationship of love. They will never call him father.

Our God, by contrast, wraps his arms around his frail weak creatures and never leaves us alone. We are weak but there is strength in those arms. The arms of God will never let us fall. As the eternal God He is unchanging in His ways and in His covenant promises. These promises are precious, they are worth clinging onto.

The inseparable nature of the love of God is here set before us using the illustration, the anthropomorphism of God’s arms. What Paul would later articulate in Romans 8 is wonderfully described by Moses. We are “safe in the arms of Jesus”. What parent would harm a child? What father would let the child fall. We are bound to God by these amazing assurances. Christ beneath me.

The eternity and spirituality of the divine essence ensures that God is also before us.

GOD BEFORE ME

and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee;
and shall say, Destroy them.

It is such an amazing comfort to know that the future has already been written.

God promised to go before Israel, meet their enemies head on and sweeping them aside in the process.

God is in the future before it becomes our present. We meet nasty surprises in the form of unforeseen problems but there are no surprises with God.

The God of the future has planned the future. He has it all under control.

The God of the future will meet us in that place. He is there to greet us. We rise each morning to be greeted by the Lord’s smile. When the pain comes and the teardrops start he will be there to console and encourage.

Christ as man has already met every form of pain and sorrow. As the man of sorrows he empathises with us in our distress.

We will now turn our minds to the present and the abiding presence of God with us.

GOD WITH ME

Israel then shall dwell in safety alone:
the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine;
also his heavens shall drop down dew.

God promised Israel peace and prosperity. Harvests would not fail and the people would not hunger. God was guiding his people to a land of milk and honey. He would be with them in the land. He would not fail.

In every circumstance God is with us. He is our Immanuel who never will leave nor forsake.

His presence is not only around but within, in the hearts of all who call Jesus Lord.

GOD WITHIN ME

Happy art thou, O Israel:
who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD,
the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency!

The reason why the people were promised happiness was the Spirit of God in their hearts. To be saved is the greatest happiness in life. God gives His people the Comforter who abides with us forever. His presence guarantees glory. He is the Spirit of assurance who bears witness with our spirits that we are born of God.

The One within is also without lifting us up, as He rescued Bunyan’s pilgrim from the Slough of Despond.

GOD LIFTING ME

and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee;
and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

David in Psalm 3 echoed Moses closing words to Israel:

But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

He lifts us up by answering prayer and inspiring confidence and faith. Ultimately one day He will lift us up to heaven where we will live with Him eternally.

EPILOGUE

Moses, after making his greatest speech, turned to climb the lonely mountain from which he would enter the everlasting state. He left the people with his words. By contrast, our Christ has given us more than words — He has given us His very presence, the same yesterday, today, and forever