Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Waiting for a Blessing

 
Genesis 49:13-15

If I was the next in line to Judah, I would be somewhat upbeat, because as bad as it had been for Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, it had been that good for Judah.  I’m sure that Zebulun is thinking it’s all up hill, dad got the bad stuff out of the way and for the rest of us, it’s going to be good.  This is the blessing to Zebulun; “Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his brother shall be at Sidon.”

Only three times does Scripture address the life of Zebulun in the book of Genesis.  The first time we hear of him is his birth as the sixth son of Leah in Genesis 30:20, next is Genesis 35:23 and that is a listing of the sons of Jacob, and last in Genesis 49:13, where he is being blessed.  It is clear that much could have been written about what took place between birth and death, but God has not chosen to reveal that to us, but in Joshua 19:10-16, we have this account of the land his clans inherited. 

Zebuluns brother Issachar seems to have been standing next to him and Jacob/Israel goes to him almost without taking a breath. “Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds.  He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor.”  Henry Morris implies that Issachar may have been lazy and that the land that he moved to was very fertile and that often others raided it.  Issachar is also a son of Leah and Jacob, found in Genesis 30:18, and the next time his name shows up is in the list of sons of Jacob in Genesis 35:23.  Then we have the account of his blessing listed in verses 14-15, and once more in the inheritance for Issachar and his people, according to their clans, in Joshua 19:17-23.

Jeremiah 29:11 is a great promise that my dear friend Joyce Ray sent me at a big crossroad in my life, and it’s just a reminder that God has a plan for you, He knows the plan when we do not have a clue, He can be trusted to desire wholeness and not evil, a future and a hope.  That was His desire for these two brothers and He has not forgotten you, you are in His plans.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

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