Deuteronomy 33: 1 – 29
Cut from the team
33 Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2 And he said: “The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, nd He came with ten thousands of saints; From His right hand came a fiery law for them. 3 Yes, He loves the people; All His saints are in Your hand; They sit down at Your feet; Everyone receives Your words. 4 Moses commanded a law for us, a heritage of the congregation of Jacob. 5 And He was King in Jeshurun, when the leaders of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together. 6 “Let Reuben live, and not die, nor let his men be few.” 7 And this he said of Judah: “Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; Let his hands be sufficient for him, and may You be a help against his enemies.” 8 And of Levi he said: “Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one, Whom You tested at Massah, and with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah, 9 Who says of his father and mother, ‘I have not seen them’; Nor did he acknowledge his brothers, or know his own children; For they have observed Your word and kept Your covenant. 10 They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, and Israel Your law. They shall put incense before You, and a whole burnt sacrifice on Your altar. 11 Bless his substance, LORD, and accept the work of his hands; Strike the loins of those who rise against him, and of those who hate him, that they rise not again.” 12 Of Benjamin he said: “The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him, Who shelters him all the daylong; And he shall dwell between His shoulders.” 13 And of Joseph he said: “Blessed of the LORD is his land, with the precious things of heaven, with the dew, and the deep lying beneath, 14 With the precious fruits of the sun, with the precious produce of the months, 15 With the best things of the ancient mountains, with the precious things of the everlasting hills, 16 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush. let the blessing come ‘on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.’ 17 His glory is like a firstborn bull, and his horns like the horns of the wild ox; Together with them He shall push the peoples to the ends of the earth; They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.” 18 And of Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar in your tents! 19 They shall call the peoples to the mountain; There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness; For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas and of treasures hidden in the sand.” 20 And of Gad he said: “Blessed is he who enlarges Gad; He dwells as a lion, and tears the arm and the crown of his head. 21 He provided the first part for himself, because a lawgiver’s portion was reserved there. He came with the heads of the people; He administered the justice of the LORD, and His judgments with Israel.” 22 And of Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s whelp; He shall leap from Bashan.” 23 And of Naphtali he said: “O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full of the blessing of the LORD, possess the west and the south.” 24 And of Asher he said: “Asher is most blessed of sons; Let him be favored by his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil. 25 Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; As your days, so shall your strength be. 26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, and in His Excellency on the clouds. 27 The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, ‘Destroy!’ 28 Then Israel shall dwell in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone, in a land of grain and new wine; His heavens shall also drop dew. 29 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 majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall tread down their high places.”
There is nothing quite as emotionally excruciating and heartbreaking as watching your own child suffer through the process of getting cut from a team that they had their heart set on making. You’ve watched them practice over the years to get good in their sport. You saw how hard they worked to prepare for these tryouts. You know how desperate they were to make this team. You even shared their dream. You encouraged them to try hard and keep going despite minor setbacks, injuries and frustrations all along the way. You probably even helped them practice out in the backyard for more hours then you can remember now. You know just how important this sport has become to them. Heck, because of that it’s probably gotten just as important to you! You could feel their growing anxiety as these tryouts approached. Forget that! You were just as anxious if not more so than them! And then your heart soared when they came home after that very first day of tryouts with a big smile plastered all over their face and an enthusiastically positive report of how things went. You were hoping and praying that their coach shared this same optimistic assessment.
And things seemed to go just as well the remaining two days of tryouts as well which is why you were totally stunned to see the tear streaked face of that kid you love coming up the walkway towards the front door on the day that everyone was supposed to find out who made the cuts. His head was down and his shoulders slumped under the weight of what was obviously a crushing disappointment. It was in that moment, even before you knew exactly what had happened, that you had that protective and primal urge to beat the coach up for causing your child this pain. Through crocodile tears and half sobs he relates to you the heart breaking experience of rushing to the team bulletin board after school with a group of the guys to check to see whether their names had made the coach’s “list.” He was the only one of his friends who hadn’t made the team! The ONLY one! He was totally devastated and had all he could do to keep it together around his buddies. And now he’s standing in front of you broken and crying and all you can think about is how you can possibly take away all this pain and make the coach suffer.
What should you do when your child gets cut? What should you do when they come home with a broken heart? If only there was an easy solution to help them immediately feel better like there is with any other bump, scrape or cut. You put on antiseptic ointment and a band aid, wipe the tears away, give them a hug and everyone feels better. Unfortunately this kind of cut isn’t so easily or quickly healed. How you as a parent handle this painful experience with your child can help he /she begin to put it into perspective and grow from it.
Here’s some Do’s & Don’ts as guidelines:
LISTEN – Listen carefully to what your child has to say about his/her experience. Try to understand exactly what happened to them from their perspective. In order to do this you must remain silent inside while they share with you the events that led up to their getting cut. Gather as much accurate information from them as possible.
DON’T ASSUME ANYTHING – Remember, your child is reporting from a very emotional place. When they say that the coach did or said “such & such” to them do not automatically assume that this is what exactly happened. They may not be such an accurate reporter at this time. At some point you may need to directly consult with the coach to understand his/her perspective.
LET YOUR CHILD HAVE HIS/HER FEELINGS – One of the hardest things for a parent to do is to watch your child suffer. The natural, knee jerk reaction in this situation is to race in and try to make your child feel better immediately. Try to contain yourself. They are disappointed for a very good reason. They had their heart set on a goal and they failed to make it. Disappointment, discouragement, sadness, anger and other feelings all come with this package. Don’t rush in to save your child from these emotions. In fact, your child needs to experience these sometimes uncomfortable feelings in order to constructively work through the experience and put it behind them.
BE EMPATHIC – So instead of trying to make your child feel better, just reflect back your understanding of the difficult feeling that they are going through. Let them know that you can see their upset, disappointment, sadness, anger, frustration, etc. Really try to step inside their shoes and feel what they’re feeling, from their perspective. Empathy is the main thing that a child needs from a parent when that boy or girl is really hurting. Empathy is what they need when they’re dealing with strong emotions. Immediately after getting cut, when they are still very raw emotionally they might not be able to use your advice, suggestions or words of wisdom. What they will be able to make very good use of is your empathy. Being empathic oftentimes means that you don’t even need to say very much. You can let a child know non-verbally that you understand how they feel by how you interact with, look at and hold him/her.
DON’T LET YOUR OWN FEELINGS STEAL THE STAGE FROM YOUR SON/DAUGHTER – Keep in mind that everything about your child’s sport is for them, and NOT for you. If they have a disappointment it belongs to them. It’s not yours. They were cut and let down, not you. Do not distract your child from their disappointment with your own feelings and issues. I know this goes without saying but don’t get upset with them because they were cut. Do not blame them. It’s not their fault.
DON’T ENGAGE IN COACH-BASHING WITH YOUR CHILD – The natural reaction when a child is cut from a team is to respond with hurt, anger and blame for the coach. He was blind as a bat, terribly biased, had a vendetta against my kid, or was just plain dumb as rocks. While some or all of these accusations may actually be true in your child’s case, going there with your child is not helpful and will teach them the wrong lessons about their failure. Remember, most coaches are human, they have their strengths and weaknesses, they all have their “blind spots,” they either volunteer their time or work for peanuts and unfortunately, the vast majority of them are not well trained. If you have a serious concern with how you think your child was dealt with during tryouts, don’t complain to your child about all that was wrong with the coach. Go instead to the coach and when you do, leave your strong emotions at home.
ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO TURN HIS/HER FAILURE INTO A POSITIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE – No question that failing not only feels badly, but it flat out stinks. You want to help your child understand that these kinds of emotional setbacks can form the foundation for their later successes in life, both in and out of sports. Along these lines, teach them to view getting cut as providing them feedback on what their weaknesses are and on specifically what they need to work on to increase their chances of making the team the next year.
HELP YOUR CHILD UNDERSTAND THAT GETTING CUT DOES NOT MAKE HIM/HER A FAILURE – When kids (and even adults for that matter) fail, it’s always easy to fall into the trap of feeling like a failure. You want to help your child understand that failing is an integral part of the learning process. It is NOT a static thing. It does NOT define who you are as a person. And it’s not like there’s only one tryout ever and that this particular tryout determines a child’s success or failure in their sport or life. Certainly your child my actually feel this way right after they get cut but it’s your job to help them see otherwise. Failing is something that happens to us on the road to success. Failing does not define whether we are adequate or not. Failure is feedback and you can’t learn, grow or get better at anything without enough of this kind of feedback in your life.
ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO CONTINUE TO PURSUE HIS/HER DREAMS – Along these same lines, you want to teach your children that failing and disappointments are nothing more than bumps in the road. When they hit one, stumble and fall, their job is to get back up and keep plugging along. Encourage your child to fight through their disappointment, to not give up on their dream, and instead, to work even harder towards that goal. Your timing with this information is important. Your child will not be able to hear this message right away after getting cut. Give them ample enough time to feel sad and discouraged. Listen to them, be empathic and don’t take their feelings away. Perhaps later that night, the next day or even the next week or two you can begin to introduce the idea of and encouragement for continuing to go after that dream.
There are many examples of people who were cut from a team and did not just quit but continued to work hard to overcome. Michael Jordan believe it or not was cut from his high school basketball team yet he went on to be one of the most valuable professional basketball players.
MODEL APPROPRIATE RESPONSES TO FAILURE – You can directly teach your child the healthy ways to respond to failure by how you interact with them around their experience of getting cut. Kids learn their most powerful lessons not so much from what we say as much as from how we say it and how we then act. Conduct yourself like an adult and provide your child with a powerful model for handling setbacks. When it’s appropriate, time-wise, share with your child some of your heartbreaking setbacks and what you did with them to turn them around. Let your child know that he/she is not alone in their disappointment and that it’s a common experience in life.
In today’s scripture we are going to see one of Jacob’s sons Simeon being left off Moses’ team roster. So, putting emotion aside we will find out the reason for this action.
The dying words of a righteous man were seen as having special significance. It was recognized that at such a time a man might receive unusual insights, and his words were indeed seen as actually affecting that future in some way. We are given no context for the blessing which is simply slipped in here as the final words of Moses.
33 Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
Between the revelations of Yahweh’s glory and power at beginning and end we are going to see detailed blessings on the tribes. The detail concerning the tribes has Jacob’s last words in Genesis 49 very much in mind, but is varied as a result of Moses' own experiences with the tribes. As the years had gone by he had seen them for what they were, their weaknesses and their strengths, and he had in his prophetic instinct some understanding of what their future could be if they were obedient to Yahweh.
It will be clear that he had outwardly more enthusiasm for some than for others. He had observed them all over the years and knew them intimately, but he only waxes eloquent over two, Levi who is exalted because of its vital place in God's work on behalf of His people, and Joseph.
It will be noted immediately that there is no mention of Simeon among the twelve tribes. For us that is but a technicality requiring explanation, but for the tribe of Simeon it must have been devastating. To be left out of such a blessing would have been seen as very significant. Why then were they omitted?
Remember back in the book of Numbers where Balaam instructed Balak how to get Yahweh to turn away from His people. The evil plan was to get his young women to go into the camp and seduce the young Israelite men. Their act was successful in getting our Holy God to punish the perpetrators.
We learn of two counts being taken of young men who were fighting age – chapter 1 and then again in chapter 26. Please take a look at the numbers of both and you will note that Simeon lost a lot of men in the second count. Compared to the other tribes it is evident that the young men of Simeon were the main culprits who compromised their allegiance to Yahweh and fell into sexual sin with Balak’s young women. Don’t forget Moses was around as leader during this time in the Wilderness.
Simeon were not to see from it that they were totally rejected, that they were blotted out of Israel, but rather that they were out of favor and in need of repentance and contrition. It was a warning of what they had lost and that they needed to be careful in the future if they were to be restored to favor. It was a warning of the danger of being blotted out. They had to recognize that in order to be named in Israel they must prove themselves worthy. And the same message would go over to the whole congregation of Israel.
2 And he said: “The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, nd He came with ten thousands of saints; From His right hand came a fiery law for them. 3 Yes, He loves the people; All His saints are in Your hand; They sit down at Your feet; Everyone receives Your words.
This is a vivid description of Yahweh in His glory coming to His people on Mount Sinai. Seir is Edom in which Mount Sinai is found, Paran the rough area in which it is, so that it, or a related mountain, could be called Mount Paran.
He came to His people from the multitudes of angels who formed His court, ‘ten thousands of holiness’, an indefinitely large number. And at His right hand He had a law written in fire, a heavenly Law, the law of the One Who appeared in fire, Who was like a flaming fire. And He came because of His love for His people, who were at that stage ‘peoples’ including a mixed multitude from many nations (Exodus 12.38).
A point I want you to note here is in regards to the book of Revelation. Some teachers try to use this verse in explaining our Lord Jesus’ Second Coming with His bride from Heaven after the Tribulation is over. Take a look at the verses again. This is talking about the Lord’s angels accompanying Him to Mount Sinai not the 2nd Coming.
4 Moses commanded a law for us, a heritage of the congregation of Jacob. 5 And He was King in Jeshurun, when the leaders of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together.
A question that needs to be addressed is the statement ‘He was king in Jeshurun.’
Jeshurun means ‘the upright one’ and is referring to Yahweh as King over His people, with His throne as the Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh. The people saw themselves as a theocratic people with Yahweh ruling over them. It would be a way by which Moses could assure them that their future was secure. Yahweh was their everlasting King.
Moses then, with the prophetic instinct of a dying prophet, spoke of the future of God’s people.
6 “Let Reuben live, and not die, nor let his men be few.”
The first to be dealt with is the firstborn Reuben. Reuben’s future was destined to be that they would wither as a nation, but would survive. As Jacob had said in his dying blessing, unstable as water he would not excel (Genesis 49.4). As Reuben had not been executed for his misdeed, the tribe were not doomed to final execution because of his having taken his father’s concubine - Genesis 35.22, (as the law now required - Leviticus 20.11), but nevertheless they would suffer a lesser penalty in that they would not be fruitful (Leviticus 20.20-21). They would eventually become a depleted tribe. Moses recognized the inevitable divine consequence of Reuben’s behavior, and that the mills of God grind slowly. He may also have seen as significant that they settled by request in land which Moab and Ammon still claimed as their own (Judges 11.13), and were therefore especially vulnerable once those nations grew strong.
‘7 And this he said of Judah: “Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; Let his hands be sufficient for him, and may You be a help against his enemies.”
Judah would tend to be a loner but must be welcomed as part of the greater confederacy. As a proud tribe they did later stand almost alone, which they could do because of their great size and power, which would already have been evident at this stage. This was seemingly apparent to Moses from the beginning, for he set them in the vanguard of the advance (Numbers 2.9). They will tend to stand on their own, he declares, and will triumph with God’s help. But they would still need Yahweh’s help against their adversaries.
8 And of Levi he said: “Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one, Whom You tested at Massah, and with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah,
Central to the ministry of the Levites to the people of Israel was that their leader, ‘the Priest’ (the High Priest), dispensed Yahweh’s will through the Urim and Thummim. We could describe these as ‘holy lots’ through which the divine will could be discovered
9 Who says of his father and mother, ‘I have not seen them’; Nor did he acknowledge his brothers, or know his own children; For they have observed Your word and kept Your covenant.
As Yahweh’s holy ‘Priest’ Aaron was forbidden to enjoy the usual family relationships. He was in some ways separated off from his family. When any of his family died, whether father, mother, brother, sister, son, or whoever, he was not to touch their dead bodies nor even leave the tabernacle while serving there, in the event that they were to die suddenly (Leviticus 21.11). As God’s supreme representative on behalf of Israel he had to be impervious to all family loyalty. This was proof of Aaron’s dedication and his especially holy position.
10 They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, and Israel Your law. They shall put incense before You, and a whole burnt sacrifice on Your altar.
The ministry of all the sons of Levi, the Levites and the priests, is now described. They were to observe His word and guard His covenant, as they had already done when rallying round Moses in the case of the molten calves (Exodus 32.26-29), and as they did now by their tents surrounding the Sanctuary. They were to teach ‘Jacob’ God’s ordinances, and ‘Israel’ His law. They were to offer incense before Yahweh and whole burnt offerings on His altar. They were to be ‘divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel’ in a way that Jacob did not probably expect when he gave his blessing (Genesis 49.7)). The priests and Levites were to be very influential throughout the land in the Judges period, and while some overstepped the mark, in general they held Israel to the faith (Judges 17.11; 19.1).
11 Bless his substance, LORD, and accept the work of his hands; Strike the loins of those who rise against him, and of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”
In the light of this Moses calls for Yahweh’s protection on them. He asks Him to bless the substance of the tribe of Levi, their cities, their fields, and all the tithes and their part in the sacrifices, and to accept from their hands the work that they will do. For if Yahweh does not accept their work, of what use will it be? He also asks that all who rise up against them, and also those who hate them, will be smitten where it most hinders them so that they do not rise again. The Levites were to be under His special protection. This was what made sin against them so heinous. The prayer is that any who opposed them be dealt with by Yahweh, because they could not protect themselves..
12 Of Benjamin he said: “The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him, Who shelters him all the daylong; And he shall dwell between His shoulders.”
As Benjamin had been the beloved son of Jacob (Genesis 42.4), his tribe was likewise the beloved of Yahweh. He would dwell in safety near God. God would cover him all day long and sit him on His shoulders. Like the young Benjamin in Jacob’s family he would be a great favorite.
13 And of Joseph he said: “Blessed of the LORD is his land, with the precious things of heaven, with the dew, and the deep lying beneath, 14 With the precious fruits of the sun, with the precious produce of the months, 15 With the best things of the ancient mountains, with the precious things of the everlasting hills, 16 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush. let the blessing come ‘on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.’ 17 His glory is like a firstborn bull, and his horns like the horns of the wild ox; Together with them He shall push the peoples to the ends of the earth; They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
When he comes to Joseph, he is given an extended blessing. The heavy dews that fell from Heaven in the summer were a vital part of Israel’s prosperity, together with the former and latter rains, and the waters that came up from below in springs were used for drinking, for satisfying the thirst of the cattle, and for irrigation. While they were not aware of the significance of the water table as such, they knew that below the ground was plentiful water. It came up in springs, and they could dig for it and find it. These were to be the blessings of Yahweh on Joseph’s lands.
So this is a prayer for prosperity to come on Joseph, water from above and below, fruit produced by the sun, and the harvests moon by moon, productivity and blessing in the hills and in all the land, and above all the goodwill of the One of the Bush (Exodus 3.4). They are to be a fruitful bough (Genesis 49.22). Joseph’s separation from his brothers is a reminder of Joseph’s distinctive career.
18 And of Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar in your tents! 19 They shall call the peoples to the mountain; There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness; For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas and of treasures hidden in the sand.”
Zebulun and Issachar could rejoice in their expansion (their going out) and in their oneness in alliance and brotherhood (‘in your tents’). They would be a godly people and encourage their brethren to worship Yahweh. They would rejoice in this way because of their abounding prosperity, through trade by both sea (the abundance of the seas) and land (the hidden treasures of the sand, trade through the desert or the hidden harvests of the seashore), which would explain the multitude of their thanksgiving and freewill offerings.
20 And of Gad he said: “Blessed is he who enlarges Gad; He dwells as a lion, and tears the arm and the crown of his head. 21 He provided the first part for himself, because a lawgiver’s portion was reserved there. He came with the heads of the people; He administered the justice of the LORD, and His judgments with Israel.”
God will enlarge Gad and prosper them. They will be a triumphant predator, seizing the arms of the enemy, and tearing their heads, as a lion seizes its prey. By their prominence in leadership they will be looking first after their own interests, and then after the interests of all the tribes, and will be prominent in the confederacy. They will always be among the leaders, and will have a concern for the carrying out of the righteousness of Yahweh, and the bringing about of His ordinances.
22 And of Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s whelp; He shall leap from Bashan.”
Moses finds little inspiration in some of the tribes and cannot arouse any prophetic enthusiasm about them. In Jacob’s blessing Dan was the snake.
23 And of Naphtali he said: “O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full of the blessing of the LORD, possess the west and the south.”
Naphtali is to be blessed, satiated with Yahweh’s favor and blessing. Naphtali would later be famous for its olives. They are to possess ‘the west and the south’, or equally possibly ‘the sea and the south wind’. Naphtali would in fact be situated in the extreme North of Israel. The sea’ would naturally bring to mind at this stage the Mediterranean. The thought is probably of two sources of trouble and distress, the troubled sea (Isaiah 57.20) and the tempestuous south wind (Isaiah 21.1). Naphtali would rise above them both.
So Naphtali will prosper through God’s help and will have their share in the possessions to come. The directions are general rather than specific, and may simply indicate prosperity in agriculture and trade, or by tribal expansion. Their expansion may result from their diplomacy, their ‘goodly words’ (Genesis 49.21).
24 And of Asher he said: “Asher is most blessed of sons; Let him be favored by his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil. 25 Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; As your days, so shall your strength be.
Asher is the last to be mentioned. Asher means ‘blessed’. The Hebrew may be a request that he be blessed above his brethren that is mightily blessed in accordance with his name. Then ‘the favored among his brethren’ would imply the same thing.
Moses prays that they will be blessed with children, blessed with the support of their brethren, blessed in olive growing (dipping their feet in oil), blessed in security (bars of iron and bronze), and blessed with good health.
26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, and in His Excellency on the clouds.
Israel is now assured that that what Moses has spoken of will be theirs, for there is no god like their God. He is king in Jeshurun, and now He Is their God. He Is supreme and alone in majesty. He rules them from above and can come to their help from there at any time.
27 The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, ‘Destroy!’
He does not just ride above them as their Deliverer, as the eternal God He Is also a dwelling place for them, and His everlasting arms are upholding them. Thus, as He has for them in the past, He will thrust forth the enemy from them and then say to them, ‘Destroy’, because their enemies are in flight. God will defeat their enemies but Israel have to play their part, and thus recognize the judgment of God on sin.
28 Then Israel shall dwell in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone, in a land of grain and new wine; His heavens shall also drop dew.
Because of this, Israel, once they had driven out their enemies and are alone in the land, will dwell in safety and prosperity, having reached the land of grain and new wine, whose heavens drop down dew (which helps to produce the grain and new wine).
29 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 majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall tread down their high places.”
He finishes his address in confidence. What a happy position Israel are in, for they are unique among nations, they have been delivered by Yahweh. He Is to them a shield and a sword, a shield to help and protect them and with which to thrust back the enemy, and a sword to fight on their behalf so that they might be triumphant. Thus will their enemies submit to them and their high places be trodden down.
