I please God to be with and bless
us this morning as we consider his word. Let us turn to the
book of Deuteronomy chapter 33 and the last four verses 26 to
29. That's the book of Deuteronomy
chapter 33 and reading verses 26 to 29. As we read these, it's important
to remember that these are the last recorded words of Moses. Whether he wrote them or whether
he dictated them and they were written for him, nonetheless
they are the last words which are written. And it's always
important to hear and remember the last words of people, especially
those indeed who are the children of God to realize what their
last words were. So here are the last words of
Moses from verse 26. 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 heaven shall drop down
due. 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 nine enemies
shall be found liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon their
high places. Well Moses here is addressing
Israel. He is addressing natural Israel,
He is also addressing spiritual Israel which the word of God
speaks to us today as spiritual Israel. This word Jeshurun is
really a poetical Hebrew word for Israel. So as we read this
word we can recognize that what Moses was speaking he was speaking
here now collectively to all the tribes. previously in this
chapter he had been addressing the tribes apart from Simeon
but they had all been addressed here individually and now he
comes in a general way and he speaks like this and how important
it is again let us not lose sight that these words were spoken
by a man who was shortly to leave this earth and to recognise under
the Holy Spirit of God He's able to come and make a testimony
like this. There is none like unto the God
of Jeshurun. There is none like unto the God
of Israel. Well, Moses had proved it through
his life, hadn't he? He had a most remarkable life
of 120 years. And he proved there wasn't any
other God like it. that God had been with him when
he was born and obeyed and preserved. And then taken into Pharaoh's
palace to live for 40 years, enjoying all the facilities of
a royal household, all the natural benefits there. And we see how
Moses is being equipped for the work of God in his life. But
we also recognise that Moses thought he was equipped after
40 years. But we realise he was not equipped. He had to be equipped much further.
And that equipment wasn't then to be brought in a wonderful
environment of an easy life in the palace. It was in the back
side of the desert. Yes it was a very opposite we
might say, but it was all part of the Lord's leading and directing
him and equipping him for the work of his life which was to
come and to be the leader of the Lord's people for those last
40 years. And therefore he had personal
evidence to be able to speak in these words. There is none
like unto the God of Jeshurun who rideth upon the heaven in
thy help and in his excellency on the sky. He's really giving
us a picture here of the greatness of God and the power of God and
how God is in every place. You see he's riding upon the
heavens for our help and his excellency is to be seen in the
sky. Moses had high views of his God. What a blessing if today we have
high views of our God, to know that He is able to do for us
far more exceedingly abundantly than we can ask or even think. You know again, Moses' life and
his testimony, just pause for a moment and think how amazing
it was that God had been with him and brought about wonderful
miracles, wonderful revelations, wonderful directions. Yes, when
the Lord appeared for him in that burning bush in the desert,
and when the Lord told him what he should do. And it's important
to realise that at that stage Moses was very low in his own
esteem. He didn't think he was as great
as he was 40 years ago. He was very low in his own esteem.
But what was the benefit? The benefit was this. He was
dependent on his God. He wasn't dependent on himself,
on his own skills. Which he had been before. The
work of the Spirit of God had brought him down. So now he was
dependent upon his God. Because he felt very inadequate. for the great work the Lord has
set before him. And so we have this picture of
Moses. He is able then to tell us, there
is none like unto the God of Jeshurun who rideth upon the
heaven in thy help and is in excellency on the sky. Again
he is desiring, we can see can we not, to exalt his God, to
raise his God up as the ever-living and true God, the great God.
He had high views of God. How important it is for us today
to have high views of our God. We're not worshipping a little
God and we're not worshipping the unknown God like the Athenians
were. My friends, by the grace of God,
we are worshipping the eternal God. We are worshipping the true
God. We're worshipping the God who
is the same yesterday, today and forever. It's one who is,
who rides upon the heavens. He is thy help. He is our help. Just think again the wonder of
this. The great almighty God is our
help. Your help, my help. Insignificant
as we are, small as we are, sinful as we are, perhaps feeling far
off as we are, perhaps feeling hard-hearted, nonetheless, He
is our help. What do we read? My help cometh
from the Lord. That's what the Psalmist said,
didn't he? Psalm 121. My help cometh from
the Lord. And that's a good testimony.
And that's a wonderful privilege. to have been brought to that
position, to know that that's where our help lies. It's the
Lord. And I believe when we're like
that then, we desire to raise the Lord up, high and lifted
up, as Isaiah saw Him. He had great views of his God.
And I believe as the Spirit of God works in our heart, it is
then, you see, we have high views of our God. Then realise, This
God can do for us far more exceedingly abundantly than we can ask or
even think. This is the true God. May this be the God who we really
bow down to and worship and are able to confirm the truth of
Moses' words here. Yes, there is none like unto
the God of Jeshurun who rideth upon the heaven in thy help and
in his excellency on the sky and then he comes down and says
the eternal God is thy refuge well none less than the eternal
God we need a place don't we sometimes a refuge to go to in
our times of need be sure of this we do have times of need
in our life perhaps we have many times of need and Where should
we go in our times of need? Should we look here? Should we
look there? Try and find help here? Try and
find help there? Oh, the blessing is to realise
such a truth as this. The eternal God, the eternal
God is thy refuge. What a wonderful thing it is
to have a God like that, a God who is indeed our refuge. Remember, the words of the psalmist
which are very wonderful and very beautiful really he comes
and says God 46th Psalm God is there isn't any doubt about it
God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble
that's when we need God's help isn't it that's when we want
him to be a refuge for us in time of trouble When everything
is nice and smooth and plain sailing, we don't come, we don't
need this refuge. But when we face difficulties,
when we face trials, temptations, oppositions in our life, then
it is to come and bless God that we have such a refuge. And as the psalmist was able
to say and testify, God is our refuge and strength, a very present
help in trouble. Therefore, will not we fear? He wasn't fearing because this
God was his refuge. God, the eternal God, is thy
refuge. And if that eternal God is truly
our refuge, then what do we have to fear? What do we have to fear? If God before us, who can be
against us? See, everyone can rise up and
be against us. But if God is for us, who can
be against us? Therefore will not we fear, though
the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into
the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be
troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.
We get a little picture here, don't we? Of great opposition. Positioned like this. The mountains
being carried away in the midst of the sea. The raging waters
swelling up. Everything seems against us.
The consolation is the eternal God is thy refuge. The eternal God. What a wonderful
blessing it is to realise that we have such a God. The God who
is mindful of us. You know the end of this 46th
Psalm, we read, be still, oh there may be a raging storm,
be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among
the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us. This is not just man, this is
God. This is the eternal God who is
our refuge. The Lord of hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge. A refuge for sinners. The gospel
makes known, it is known, it is found in the merits of Jesus
alone. What a refuge that will be. to come and cast yourself upon
Christ. What a refuge that is. The eternal
God is thy refuge. Yes, Christ, my friends, is a
wonderful refuge. And wonderful it is when we are
able to leave everything and come simply, in the words of
the hymn, simply to thy cross I cling. No other place will
be of sufficiency for us. Everything else will be a dry
situation. Nothing else will soothe our
soul, but to come, casting all our care upon Him, because He
cares for us. The Eternal God is thy refuge. The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal
God, what a wonderful favour it is to have some blessed spiritual
hope in a saviour. Yes, to be able to look to Him,
as I say sometimes, that beautiful word in Isaiah, look unto me,
Be ye saved o'er the ends of the earth, for I am God, and
there is none else. None else. We are to look to
the Lord Jesus Christ as our only refuge, our only hope of
salvation. No one else. Man fails. Everyone fails. But to know the
great strength of this word, the eternal God, Here's thy refuge. And the blessing is this. You
see, we can come to God and we can tell God things that we can't
tell other people. We're encouraged. Pour out your
soul unto God. Tell Him everything. And why? Because He understands. You see, people may not understand.
You may tell your case, your situation to people and if they
haven't walked that way they won't understand it. You won't
find much encouragement. Remember that Lord Jesus was
tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. The Lord Jesus understands us. You might say, really? Yes. You
may say, well I can't seem to believe the Lord understands.
The Lord's been there. Tempting all points. That's the
word of God. That's the truth of God's word.
This is why such a statement like this is true. The eternal God is thy refuge. Yes, the place where we can go
in every time of need. We fail don't we so often. We
struggle ourselves. We try to find this way and that
way to solve this problem and that problem. How blessed it
would be if we're given, which it is, living faith to come like
this and realise the eternal God is thy refuge. It's very humbling isn't it?
to think of that, that this great God, the God who created all
things is our refuge. Wonderful thing, isn't it? The
eternal God is our refuge. And Moses goes on and he says,
and underneath are the everlasting arms. This isn't just to one
person, this is to the whole church of God. It's to you and to me. The Lord's
arms are underneath us, to hold us up. This we should sink. And underneath, underneath are
the everlasting arms. It's a wonderful phrase, isn't
it? It's never further, always there. Everlasting to hold us
up when perhaps we think we're sinking. sinking perhaps under
a load of sin, sinking perhaps under an evil heart of unbelief,
to come and realise the Lord is there to support me. Yes, I'm so weak in myself. I'm
so fevered in myself. And by nature we are. And what
a blessing it is. You see, Moses knew, didn't he?
He was brought to that condition to realise his weakness. and
to look at himself to Christ and that's the blessing in the
gospel and that's where the Lord leads us away from ourselves
and look to him and to realise yes in him is all that I need
he is my all sufficiency and underneath me to support me and
hold me up are these everlasting arms oh what strength there is
in the arms of our God. My friends, they're never weary.
They're never weary. You and I are weary, aren't we?
We're weary in our way. We're weary in the path. The
Lord never wearies. His arms are always there. They
are strong to hold us up. That's why Paul was able to say,
I can do all things through Christ and that strengthens me. You
see if in our weakness we're strengthened underneath we don't
see them but the arms are there and they're helping us sometimes
you know we think we need some wonderful revelation some perhaps
particular observance the thing is when God blesses us with living
faith To know that notwithstanding all underneath, supporting us
are these everlasting arms. Oh what a relief that will be.
And what is the word, I believe it's like this. Safe in the arms
of Jesus. And there is no safety anywhere
else. But there is safety in Christ. Yes, safe in the arms of Jesus. What a wonderful truth it is.
And may we bless God for it. Bless God. Remember here, these
are the last words of Moses. Yes, he knows he's going to be
taken from them very shortly. And therefore he's leaving on
record these great and important truths to encourage the whole
Church of God. It's not written for just a certain
individual. It's written for all the individuals
who form part of God's great and glorious family in Christ.
The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting
arms. Now you see, with that support,
with that blessing, with that understanding, how strengthening
it is. And he goes on and says, and
he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee and shall say,
destroy them. Perhaps the enemy has been very
active. The devil is very active. The devil doesn't want you and
me to have any joy in the Lord. He doesn't want you and me to
have any peace. My friends, he wants us to cast doubt upon everything
that God has done. He wants us to be in turmoil
so that if possible we should throw religion overboard and
give it all up. But the word of God is such. Moses had proved it and he tells
us and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee. Again
we might think from a physical position Moses was able to tell
us The enemy of the Egyptians, how great they'd been. Intransigent, weren't they? Pharaoh would not let the people
go. And my friend, the devil won't
want to let you go either. But you know, there was a wonderful
occasion in the history of Israel. And you know what was the real
outcome and why Israel were let go? It was not until the lamb was slain and the blood
was put on the door post and the lintels. It wasn't until,
put it this way, it wasn't until Christ had been revealed. And when Christ has been revealed,
you see the people will let go. I believe that's so true in our
natural, in our spiritual life rather. It's when Christ is revealed
to our souls, then it is that the enemy is thrust out. The devil is thrust out, because
the devil cannot face Christ. He knows He is the Saviour. He
knows He is the Redeemer of His Church. And He shall thrust out the enemy
from before thee, and shall say, Destroy them. The devil is a vanquished foe. Why is he a vanquished foe? Because
when Christ died upon Calvary's cross, He destroyed the devil. He conquered him. He rose from
the dead, a conqueror over sin, death, hell and the grave. What a terrible day it was for
the devil. What a glorious day it was for
the Church of God. And so, as we think of this this
morning to realise, what is this really doing to us? It's directing
us to Christ, which you always must do. And he shall thrust out the enemy
from before thee. You see, he thrusts the devil
out. You won't be able to. He is too
strong for you. The devil is very cunning. He deceived Adam
and Eve in that wonderful environment. Don't think he won't be stronger
than you are. My friends, by nature he is,
but thanks God. Thank God. Remember those words. We are more than conquerors.
through Him that loves us, through His death, through His resurrection. Can we not bless God this morning
then with such truths as we have here and realise, yes, and He
shall thrust out the enemy from before thee and shall say, destroy
them. Israel went out with a high hand. As the word of God tells us,
there wasn't a hoof left behind, I mean there wasn't any animal
left behind. Everything came out. God is faithful. God delivered them. God brought
them out. Moses is a witness of it. And
of course he didn't stop there, did he? He saw God's wonderful
appearing for all of them, and the Red Sea, and the provision
of water, and the provision of food. And so it will be, I believe,
in our spiritual life we shall see the wonderful provision that
God provides us with, the water of life and the bread of life,
which are in Christ Jesus the Lord. Then he says, Israel then shall
dwell in safety alone. The fountain of Jacob shall be
upon the land of corn and wine, also as heavens shall drop down
to you. Where is the safety? It's in
Christ. That's when we dwell safely,
when we're in Christ. When the blessed spirit of God
comes, and it is a blessed spirit and it comes, casts out the enemy, touches our heart, gives us faith
to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then It's safety. And then, shall dwell in safety
alone. Church of God, dwelling in safety. No safety outside of Christ,
my friends. It's a glorious safety in Christ.
It's an eternal safety. Because what Christ has done,
is done forever. It's not something that will
finish. It's not something that will
fade away. It is the blessing of God which is done forever. So Israel then shall dwell in
safety alone. The fountain of Jacob shall be
upon a land of corn and wine. Speaking here about Israel. The
fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine. That
means they shall feed abundantly. They shall feed upon Christ. He'll be real to them. It'll
be precious to them. It'll mean something. There'll
be a spiritual growth. It shall be upon a land of corn
and wine. Also as heavens shall drop down
to you. I believe it's a picture really
of the child of God walking in union with the Lamb from condemnation
free. Yes, that the freedom which that's
before us in the Word of God, where the Spirit of the Lord
is there is liberty. And as the Spirit of the Lord
may come and open our eyes to behold the beauty and the glory
in Christ, then there is that wonderful liberty and there will
be that going forth well in safety alone. The fountain of Jacob
shall be upon a land of corn and wine. Also his heavens shall
drop down due. Now that's the picture isn't
it? That's a wonderful picture of
the living church of God. And so then what does Moses come
down and say? Happy art thou O Israel. True isn't it? Those who are
here blessed and found in Christ. Those who truly desire to be
found in Christ. Those who long to be found in
Christ. My friends, a true longing emanates
from the Spirit of God. The devil doesn't give you that
longing. The devil wants you to hate it. It's a movement of
the Spirit of God. That gives a longing to know
that you are safe in Christ. And therefore this is the expression,
happy art thou O Israel. Who is like unto thee? O people
saved by the Lord. These are the happy people. The
church of God are the happy people. The happy in the knowledge that
their soul is secure. The happy in the knowledge that
Christ has come to them. The Blessed Spirit has revealed
to them their lost condition and directed them to the Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ. What a happy people. What a glorious
people. Who is like unto thee, O people?
Saved by the Lord. You didn't save yourself, did
you? Saved by the Lord. The Lord stretched
out his arm, his hand and took you as it were as a brand plucked
from the burning, there you were perhaps appearing to be burnt
up with the putrid things of this world. The Lord came and
plucked you out as a brand from the burning and blessed you with
faith to believe in the eternal God as your refuge. And so you
come and now recognize, O people, saved by the Lord. It's the Lord's
work. It's not your work. It never
was and never will be. If it was, you wouldn't glory
God. But bless God, because of His
work in your heart, surely there must be praise to God for what
He's done. O people, saved by the Lord. Lovely words, aren't they? Saved. To be saved from ourselves. Saved
from sin. Delivered from the curse. Through
what Christ has done. Happy art thou, O Israel. Who is like unto thee, O people
saved by the Lord. Do we rejoice this morning to
think that we are a blessed people. As Moses says, there is none
like unto the God of Jeshurun. None under the God of his people
has come and saved them out of their sins, given them hope in
his mercy. O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help
and who is the sword of thy excellency. Thine enemies shall be found
liars unto thee. and thou shalt tread upon our
high places. There is, you see here, a complete
and a wonderful deliverance and our eternal safety is secure. Our eternal safety is secure
because what God has done can never be destroyed. The devil
may try and destroy it. My friends, don't give up your
little hope which has great recompense with God. It's the work of God. It cannot be destroyed. The devil
may try to. He will not be able to. Because
it's the work of God. And the Lord, the shield of our
help, the Lord gives us that shield. He gives us that help.
And the sword of His Excellency. And I believe the sword of His
Excellency is this. the sword of the spirit, which is the word
of God. The Lord gives us those words,
those encouraging statements from his word to be able to resist
the devil, as he comes in sometimes like a flood and endeavours to
overflow us and overturn us, to be able to come and point
at the word of God and say, Thou hast said. Devil, the Lord has
said. There's my rest. There's my hope. And what is it? comes down like
this, isn't it? My hope, my hope, what is your
hope? The hymn writer tells us, my
hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. That's where the sinner's hope
is. And that's why it is, the shield
of thy help and the sword of thy excellency is based upon
what Christ has done. And thine enemies shall be found
liars. The devil has always been a liar. He always will be. Don't
believe him. Believe God's Word. May God give
us faith to believe His Word. So we can rejoice in what God
has said. The Word of the Lord. May it
come with power into our hearts. So that may all the accusations
or the temptations of the enemy of our soul, be found indeed
to be liars. And thine enemies shall be found
liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon our high places. This means the Lord will be with
us. Yes, the Lord will go before us. The Lord will make the crooked
things straight, the rough places plain. and his name will receive
all the honour and all the glory and we will be able to come and
understand what dear Moses said. Happy art thou O Israel. 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 heaven shall drop down
to you happy art thou 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 thy enemies shall be found liars unto thee,
and thou shalt tread upon their high places. The last words of
Moses, Amen.