Zebulun, Issachar

2/12/2008 9:02 PM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Zebulun, Issachar

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Genesis 49:13-15

            Message of the verses:  13 ¶  "Zebulun will settle on the shores of the sea and will be a harbor for ships; his borders will extend to Sidon.  14  "Issachar is a strong beast of burden, resting among the sheepfolds.  15  When he sees how good the countryside is, how pleasant the land, he will bend his shoulder to the task and submit to forced labor.”

            Jacob speaks of Zebulun being close to the sea, but they were not on the coast of the Mediterranean coast but were not to far from it.  There were great trading routes that went through their land.  They were a tough people as Deborah and Barak praised them for rallying to the cause of and fighting Sisera.

            Issachar’s people were very hard working people who were mostly farmers and although they did not have any great hero’s coming from their tribe they were not like the first three sons that Jacob and Leah had that missed blessing because of their sins.  These first  three sons of Leah remind me that purity and self control are essential to godly character, and the people of Zebulun and Issachar are the kind of people needed to make a nation strong, hard working and brave.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  If I had a choice of the kind of person I would want to be it would be like the people of Issachar, for they were very hard working and the sort of people that are not great heroes, but they were not the trouble makers either.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to teach me contentment through the trials and tests He is leading me through.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 1:9-11

9. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real love and all discernment,
10. so that you may prove the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;
11. having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.