image courtesy publicdomainpictures.net

Deuteronomy 33:25-27 (KJV) 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. 25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. 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. 27 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.

Purpose of this sermon: To lead to Christ enduring disciples that will not fold at the slightest or strongest storm. To teach faith in God above all else.

God gives us strength for the day. That’s the promise that God gives us in this text.
“As thy days, so shall thy strength be”.

We look at everything differently from God. You can tell this from the very beginning of Scripture. When we think of “Day” we think of “Daylight”, not darkness. But how did God create days? We read in Genesis:

Genesis 1:5 (KJV) And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

The light is “Day” the darkness “Night”. But the two together … “the evening and the morning were the first DAY”. It’s proper to think of “Day” as having light, but a complete “Day” contains both darkness as well as light. We even recognize this in our modern world. Today is “Sunday”. It will be “Sunday” until midnight tonight. At 1 second past midnight – the darkest time there is – it will be “Monday”. When the sun rises it will have been Monday for about 6 hours.

Out of the darkness God brings light.

Moses was in a dark spot. He was soon to die. But before Moses went to be with the Lord (which is a far greater Promised Land than Canaan) he wanted to leave advice and blessing on each of the tribes of Israel. He wanted Israel to remember that God loved them.

Deuteronomy 33:3 (KJV) Yea, 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.

Before Israel enters the Promised Land Moses has some final words for the twelve tribes. One by one Moses spoke to each of them:

Reuben
Judah
Levi
Benjamin
Joseph (Ephraim & Manasseh)
Zebulun
Issachar
Gad
Dan
Naphtali

Then Moses came to the last tribe – the tribe of Asher¹. Last place. Last listed. And yet Moses spoke more blessing to Asher as a tribe than he did the other tribes. We’ll look at Moses’ blessing on Asher in a moment, but first …

Asher’s background

Was Asher a favorite child of Jacob’s favorite wife? No, not at all.
Asher was born in darkness, with less than a silver spoon in his mouth.

Jacob had two wives. He had the wife he LOVED, the one called Rachel. Then he had the wife that was forced on him by his father in law, the plain wife he TOLERATED. She was Leah.

Rachel was loved, but Leah was just there. She was a plain woman, and though she loved Jacob he did not care much for her. When the two women started having children Leah made a contest out of it. She thought if she had more children than Rachel maybe Jacob would love her. So Leah had her slave Zilpah go in to Jacob, and Zilpah had a son.

Genesis 30:12-13 (KJV)  And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a second son.  [13]  And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

We read over this text without thinking, but I want us to think about this for a moment. Zilpah was Leah’s SLAVE. Zilpah was forced … not given choice, but FORCED to go in to Jacob, and when she became with child Leah took her baby from her and made Asher her own. I watched a show on television called The Book Of Negroes which told of slavery, and that very thing happened to a slave woman. How she anguished over the child taken from her! How dark that must have been.

Leah was “happy” because in her contest with Rachel
on who would have the most children she was winning.
But I doubt Zilpah was happy.
Nevertheless Asher lived up to his name.

The Bible doesn’t tell us how young Asher grew up, but despite his dark start he was accepted as one of the twelve sons of Jacob (which would be Israel). I believe that Asher lived up to his name. When his father Jacob lay dying he blessed Asher, saying:

Genesis 49:20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat,
and he shall yield royal dainties.

When you read this … “His bread shall be FAT”

You may be thinking “What in the world does this mean?” Who eats fat bread, or bread with fat as its main meat? In order to understand FAT you need to study your Bible. In ancient Israel when a sacrifice was made to God both the FAT as well as the BLOOD were to be put on the altar.

The BLOOD Of The Sacrifice Symbolized The PROPITIATION Of God,
The Fact That The Messiah Would Come And PAY For Our Sins.

1 John 2:1-2 (KJV)1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

A PROPITIATION is a payment made that is accepted by God, a satisfactory payment. The blood of the animal sacrificed pointed to the day when Christ our Lord would come and, as the “Lamb of God take away the sin of the world” (John 1:29,36). In the Old Testament the blood of the animal taught the people that sin must be paid for. It looked forward to the day when Christ would come,

Romans 3:23-25 (KJV) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

The blood on the altar spoke of the Coming Christ. But what did the Fat speak to?

The FAT Symbolized The PROVISION Of God For His Children
On Those Who Are Under The Blood Of Christ!

God told “His bread shall be FAT” because He blesses those who trust in Him. Asher – the Happy and joyful believer – would be rich with blessings from God.

Genesis 49:20 (KJV)  Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

Not only would Asher be blessed, but the Asher believer would bless others around them. “He shall yield royal dainties”. The Lord tells us who are His:

Matthew 6:25-33 (KJV) Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why {do you worry about clothing}? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Asher was not the largest tribe of Israel – it was mid-range. Asher was not the firstborn nor the strongest of Jacob’s children. He was average, the eighth child born. But Asher – the Happy Believer – had something his brothers didn’t have. He found his joy in not his circumstances, but in the Lord Who loved him.

Our text today is the last words of Moses, a great man of God. Moses had been leading the children of Israel for 40 years. The first generation of Israel – the disobedient ones who would not go into the Promised Land – had all died out. Now their children prepare to enter the Promised Land.

Moses will not enter the Promised Land with Israel.
Asher will enter, but Moses will not. Why?
At Kadesh Moses disobeyed the Lord.
Rather than be joyful in the Lord – being an ASHER believer,
He allowed the murmuring Israelites to rob him of his joy.

The Lord told Moses to “speak to the Rock and water will come out” to satisfy the thirst of Israel. But instead we read:

Numbers 20:10-11 (KJV) Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

Because Moses did not glorify the Lord and do as He said he would not enter the Promised Land with Israel. He did not finish well, Beloved. It is good to run for the Lord, but best to finish well. To honor the Lord to the end. Moses learned of this too late. But Moses wanted us to know how to be blessed as believers. We are to be Asher believers. We are to love and serve the Lord, and to love and serve others. Jesus said …

John 13:17 (KJV) If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

The Asher believer is the DOING believer. We do what our Lord bids us do. We put Him first.

When We Put God First As Dear Children
The Lord Blesses

As Moses blesses Asher – the Happy Believers – he says:

• Moses blessed Asher with children. “Let Asher be blessed with children”. As a tribe children guaranteed that their name would continue on.

Have you ever walked in a graveyard and wondered “Who is that?”. Many people live their lives in such a way that they are not remembered – or if remembered, people are glad they are gone. I’ve never been to Hitler’s grave but he has a name we know and are glad is gone. Asher had a good name, a precious name that would live on. Many were blessed because of Asher. Asher was blessed with children.

• Moses blessed Asher with family harmony. “Let him be acceptable to his brethren”. Unity is so important to a people. Those who will not get along will not last long. Asher would be a blessing to his fellow believers, an enabler, not a discourager.

Psalms 133:1-3 (KJV) … Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; 3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

• Moses Blessed Asher With An Anointed Walk With God. “Let him dip his foot in oil”. Some have said that this was a prophecy of that tribe discovering oil wells in Israel, but that is a foolish supposition. Olive Oil was used in Scripture to anoint the High Priest and his descendants, kings and prophets.

In the New Testament those who were sick were told to “Call for the elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14).

Oil symbolized the blessing and mark of God on a life.
Asher was to be marked by a walk with God that was anointed,
a walk that every believer should strive toward.

Galatians 5:25-26 (KJV) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Ephesians 5:2 (KJV) And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.

• Moses Blessed Asher With A Patient Strength Against The Enemy. He said “Thy shoes shall be iron and brass”. Asher would not have a lite faith or a little faith, but a faith built on the Rock which is God. As the old song says:

Glory hallelujah, I shall not be moved

Anchored in Jehovah, I shall not be moved

Just like the tree that’s planted by the waters

I shall not be moved

In His love abiding, I shall not be moved

And in Him confiding, I shall not be moved

Just like the tree that’s planted by the water

I shall not be moved

I shall not be, I shall not be moved

I shall not be, I shall not be moved

Just like the tree that’s planted by the waters

I shall not be moved

Though all Hell assail me, I shall not be moved

Jesus will not fail me, I shall not be moved

Just like the tree that’s planted by the water

I shall not be moved

Every day of his life Asher would have strength enough for that day.
God would be with Asher.

Deuteronomy 33:25 (KJV)… and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

The Power Is In God, Not Asher

How can I be an Asher Christian? The Lord told Asher – as well as all his brothers:

Deuteronomy 33:26-27 (KJV) There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. 27 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.

One of the titles of God is

God of JESHURUN, or
God of The Upright

To those who have trusted in Christ for salvation and who look to Him for guidance there is blessing. The Bible tells us in ..

1 John 5:18-19 (KJV) We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. 19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

Those who are born again by faith in Christ are born into the family of God. Though we all have a propensity to sin we strive not to … and when we do we confess our sin, knowing that our Father is faithful to forgive us for Christ’s sake (1 John 1:8-10). We who are His are “the Upright” because we rest in Him, we love Him, we serve Him. We are saved by faith and trust in Him, believing the Word of Faith:

Romans 10:8-10 (KJV) …. the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

For us who are saved: The Eternal God Is Our Refuge

He Is Our Hiding Place

Psalms 32:7 (KJV) Thou (O Lord) art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

Psalms 119:114 (KJV) Thou (precious God) art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.

God is our Refuge, our Strength. Because of Christ we can say “underneath are the everlasting arms”. Our God stands ready to catch us when we fall. Though we have many enemies in this life, Christ will overcome them all, for He has overcome the world. So we do not despair. When fear comes, we run to His arms. When despair strikes, we call to Him and there He is. The Word promises us:

Lamentations 3:22-25 (KJV) It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

The Lord does not promise us a perfect life, but He promises us His perfect companionship every day. God is my Portion. It is Him that I will seek.

In Conclusion

Asher is mentioned 42 times in the Bible, and one of those times hidden in the King James translation of the New Testament. The Bible says:

Luke 2:36-37 (KJV)36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of {Asher}^KJV=Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

This precious woman – if you add up her 7 year marriage and her 84 year widowhood – was 91 years old. Most of her life had been spent without the man she loved. And yet, she was not in despair. She was not gloomy. She “served God with fastings and prayers night and day”. And then one day she saw Jesus. The Bible says that when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple to be dedicated …

Luke 2:38 (KJV) And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

She saw Jesus. She saw the baby Redeemer. Christ was born once so that we could be born again. She saw Him, and told everyone she knew about Him.

She was an Asher Christian!

May God touch your hearts with His Word.