Sunday's Blessing - 07/05/2026 - God of Jeshurun (Upright - a Name for Israel)
One of the first books I wrote was The Names of God. It has quite a few names (or phrases) describing God's character and and nature. Recently I started writing on this topic again. One of the most recent is God of Jeshurun. I wanted to share it here. Let me know your thoughts.
God of Jeshurun (Upright - a Name for Israel)
Deuteronomy 33:26 (ESV)There is none like God, O Jeshurun,who rides through the heavens to your help,through the skies in his majesty.
If there was ever a human who knew the character and nature of God, with the possible exception of Adam and Eve, Moses would be at the top of the list. God revealed Himself to Moses in so many ways during his lifetime: the fiery visits on Mt. Sinai, passing before him in the cleft of the rock, the face-to-face visits in the Tabernacle, and the list goes on.
The last time Moses spoke to Israel before his death, he gave a blessing to each tribe which made up the people of God, His Chosen People. While speaking to Asher (which means “happy one”), Moses said, “May Asher be the most blessed of sons; may he be the most favored among his brothers and dip his foot in oil.” Deuteronomy 33:24 (ESV). He followed that with the comment about “the God of Jeshurun” riding through the heavens to your aid.
Jeshurun is used four times in scripture to refer to Israel; three times in Deuteronomy and once in Isaiah. It means “upright one.” After all that had occurred the previous forty years in the wilderness, and the four hundred and thirty years before that in Egypt, God now refers to Israel as His “Upright One.” Shortly after this talk from Moses, Israel would finally cross the Jordan and take possession of the Promised Land. God, speaking through Moses, gave them a promise in the blessing for Asher that He would be their God and would come to their aid.
This blessing given to Asher was the last words Moses spoke. He ended the blessing with, “Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs.” Deuteronomy 33:29 (ESV)
The wonderful truth about this scripture is it applies to us, the Church, as well. We have not taken Israel’s place as the Chosen Ones, but through the blood of Jesus we have been made “Upright Ones” by redemption. The God of Jeshurun not only came to the aid of Israel, but He also comes to our aid to enforce the New Covenant which includes better promises. God no longer “rides through the skies in His majesty” to get to us because He indwells us by the Holy Spirit. He is ever-present to comfort, protect, guide, or empower – whatever is needed – in the life of His sons and daughters.
Let us live as Asher – the Happy One – as we are the most blessed because of the favor shown to us by our Lord, knowing the same God of Jeshurun is also our God. We have been “dipped” in the oil of the Holy Spirit, anointed for service of the King of kings and Lord of lords. We, too, have “the shield of your help and the sword of your triumph!” As Christians, we have the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, as described in Ephesians 6.
Seeing how God interacts with His people, Israel, and later His Church, shows so much about His character and nature. He loved Israel and would call them by different names to reflect the love He had for them then, and now us. We live from the position of knowing God considers us to be “upright” because of Jesus’ sacrifice. We have the freedom to be happy without the weight of guilt and condemnation now that we have been reconciled to the Father as His own.
Receive the blessing Moses gave to Asher as your own. The Father loves you so much!
