Of Benjamin he said: “The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him, who shelters him all the day long; and he shall dwell between His shoulders.” (Deuteronomy 33:12)
Most everyone knows that the Temple of God was established on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem which was in the heart of the land allotment given to the tribe of Judah. However, what some may not know is that the boundary between Judah and the tribe of Benjamin ran north to south right along the pinnacle of Moriah. While Jerusalem was primarily situated in Judah, the Temple itself sat in Benjamin’s territory, more specifically, the Sanctuary was in Benjamin while the courts were in Judah’s territory.
This is of interest to us because Moses said of Benjamin that the tribe was “beloved of the LORD” and would “dwell in safety by Him.” In other words, some how Moses knew that the Temple would be situated in this manner. When the Temple was eventually built and dedicated by Solomon, the Presence of God descended and filled the Temple, and in a sense, “sheltered” Benjamin. Though it was later destroyed and rebuilt only to be destroyed again, the central Sanctuary was never again moved to a different place suggesting God would continue to “dwell between his shoulders” – i.e. the rocky hills of Jerusalem in the territory of Benjamin.
What has this to say to us? Moses said that Benjamin was beloved of the LORD, and consequently, the LORD favored Benjamin with His abiding Presence. Therefore, shouldn’t we conclude that all who the LORD loves, have the assurance that He will cover them with His Presence? Through the Messiah’s sacrifice we see a demonstration of God’s love in that “while we were still sinners, Messiah died for us” (Romans 5:6-8). And so then, we should take comfort in knowing we dwell in safety because He shelters us all day, and every day, because He loves us. As is it written, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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