Focus: The Blessing Of Dan

Text: Dt.33:22

"And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan."

As Moses blesses Israel tribe after tribe, it gets to Dan's turn to be blessed. I believe it's your turn and time to be blessed. I pray you never miss your turn to be blessed.

In this blessing of Moses, we can't find the name of Simeon. He misses out on the blessing. Everyone is getting blessed, but Simeon. What really happened? Why couldn't Moses utter a word of blessing to him? Could it be because Jacob in anger said that Simeon would be scattered as a tribe in Israel? Jacob says, "Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will scatter them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel" (Gen.49:7). Simeon lost out. He is everywhere and nowhere. I pray that in the day of blessing you shall not be missing. May your past not count against you in the future! May you be integrated, not scattered!

Let's get back to Dan. It's amazing how Moses blessed Dan differently from Jacob's. In Genesis 49, Jacob presents Dan as a serpent, a viper, and a horned-snake. He says, "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward" (Gen.49:17). Dan causes a stumbling block to the enemy. He schemes his way into victory. He is a military strategist. He is subtle. Right here in Deuteronomy 33, Moses presents him as a young lion or cub, one that is full of vigor and vibrancy, and ready to pounce on his prey. He maneuvers and bulldozes his way through, and subjugates his enemies. He is a predator. So we can see that Dan is both a serpent and a lion. He is one man with two sides to him. He is dangerous. He is a terror. He is warlike. He is as wise as a serpent and as bold and daring as a lion. He is not threatened by anything or anyone. He is fierce and forceful. He plots for the downfall of his enemies. He doesn't wait to be fought; he takes the initiative and makes the moves. He doesn't sit by with folded hands, waiting for a big fish in his frying pan. He doesn't wait for anyone to give him what he deserves; he fights for them.

He got his portion of land from Joshua, but he wasn't satisfied with it. So, from his southern location he went extreme north and conquered a territory, changed its name to Dan, and possessed it. The Scripture says, "And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father" (Josh.19:47). In other words, Dan breaks into new frontiers and expands his space. Dan will never settle for less. He is always going for more.

He leaps from Bashan. Bashan is like a den of lions. They spring forward from there to everywhere, catching their prey. Such is Dan. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in his book, My Vision, says, "With each new day in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, knowing he must outrun the fastest lion or perish. At the same time, a lion stirs and stretches, knowing he must outrun the fastest gazelle or starve. It is no different for the human race. Whether you consider yourself a gazelle or a lion, you simply have to run faster than others to survive." In the world's thinking, and sadly so, we are all in a race to outdo each other in this world. Dan, as a lion, must get rid of other people to establish himself. He lives by fighting. Samson is from the tribe of Dan. He judged and fought for Israel for years, and he fought to his death.

As for us, this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Our battle is against the flesh, the world, and the devil, and by faith in Christ we can win our battles. We are destined to victory. But we do not engage in outdoing each other. We compete with no one in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Our target is solely the enemy of our soul. Our armor is made up of faith, truth, the word of God, righteousness, peace, salvation, and prayer. As we make use of our God-given armor we are certain of victory. We are blessed to win and equipped to tear the enemy to pieces. We are as wise as a serpent and as bold as a lion, and as young and strong lions that we are, we have all the potentials of greatness in us. So let us use every ounce of God's energy in us to advance the purpose of Christ. Let us tear down worldly systems in the minds of men, and set up a tabernacle for God in this desert of a world. Always bear in mind that you are blessed to win your battles, and it is battle against the flesh, the world and the devil. These alone are our targets. Don't miss them. You have all it takes to win through Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter