In our most recent study we began to expound the death bed blessings/prophecies concerning the twelve sons (and tribes) of Israel. As we noted, this is the first time in Scripture that this now familiar title was used in Scripture (v.28).

These predictions concerning the personal characteristics (and in some cases the geographical locations) of future descendents are remarkable as indeed they all came to pass. Of course the most remarkable of these is the prophecy concerning the eventual arrival of the promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ through the tribe of Judah. It is an amazing account of God’s amazing grace. I trust that we can all identify with this, personally.

As we continue through this chapter in this study we will take a bird’s eye look at the prophecies concerning four more of the brothers, with special reference to the major characteristic that was predicted of each.

As we do so we need to keep before us that these predictions regarding the future nation of Israel have great relevance for we who are the “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16). In fact the characteristics that we read regarding Israel of old are still found today in the Israel of the New Testament church. It is for this reason that I believe that this entire chapter is an accurate description of church life.

The apostle Paul wrote that Israel of old has much to teach the new Israel (1 Corinthians 10:1-13) and thus as we study this passage I trust that we will be challenged to avoid their follies as well as to embrace their faithfulness and fruitfulness. Yes, this 4,000-year-old account has much to say to us today.

But above and beyond these relevant applications is the most relevant one. That is, these Scriptures point us to the Lord Jesus and in this sense these were Christ-centred blessings. May the Holy Spirit illumine our understanding that we may be blessed as we focus on the Lord Jesus.

The Sons of Leah

As we return to the deathbed scene of Jacob we will remember that Reuben was characterised as one who had had an unappreciated privilege; Simeon and Levi as being guilty of unbridled passion; and Judah as being blessed with unconditional pre-eminence. What will characterise the other “church members,” and with whom can you identify?

Next in line after Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah are the two remaining sons of Leah, Zebulun and Issachar.

The Blessing of Zebulun: Unlikely Potential

As Zebulun awaited the blessing from his father Jacob, perhaps he did so a bit anticlimactically. After all, how could any blessing ever match that given to Judah? The long awaited Promised Seed, who would crush the serpent’s head, was clearly going to come through Judah. With such pre-eminence could there be any blessing left for him? As we shall see, indeed there was: “Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon” (v. 13).

Zebulun’s blessing was primarily one of geographic proportions. There was no prophecy of rule, royalty or reign as there was for Judah; and in fact, on the surface, it appeared to be pretty mundane. The blessing was one of location. Jacob prophesied that Zebulun’s descendents would settle in a region that would become a major trade route to the sea. In a very real sense, as we shall see, the blessing was one of unlikely potential.

If you locate the settlement of Zebulun in Canaan on a map you might be surprised by where they ended up, and you might even be tempted to say that this prophecy was not fulfilled.

The prophecy seems to indicate that Zebulun would settle right on the coast, like Durban. And yet his descendents actually settled in a place like Pietermaritzburg. How can this be explained?

We need to remember that things are not always as they seem. History attests that the region of Zebulun became a major thoroughfare for trade. It became the principle region on the trade route to the sea and through this the tribe was greatly enriched. She experienced unlikely prosperity in an unlikely position. There was far more potential than any surface assessment would have indicated.

The Lord often does this in the lives of His people. Let’s be frank: Most of us will never be like Judah. We will not be pre-eminent in the big scheme of things. In fact, we may be the ones who are chosen last for the game. We may be an unappreciated employee. We may feel like insignificant church members. And yet little is much when God is in it. Better yet, if we are located in Christ then our position puts us right in the middle of blessings untold!

Brackenhurst Baptist Church will probably never be a Bethlehem Baptist Church, a Grace Community Church or for that matter, a Honeyridge Baptist Church. Our location is not ideal and we will never compare to the big boys in the church at large. And yet we have, and can expect to continue to experience prosperity in Christ. In Christ the unlikely have great potential for good. Was it not with a boy’s simple lunch that Jesus fed 5,000?

The Blessing of Issachar: Unutilised Potential

Issachar’s descendents were given both a commendation and a criticism: “Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: and he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute” (vv. 14-15).

First, they would have great potential because they would be a strong people.

To be called a “donkey” in our culture is not usually deemed a compliment and yet in Jacob’s age it was a commendation indeed. The donkey was a strong and tireless beast of burden. In fact royalty often rode on such animals. (Verse 11 speaks of Messiah on a donkey.) Thus Issachar’s descendents were prophesied to be a noble and strong people. Some of David’s mighty men would one day be from this tribe and they would be “men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32).

They had great potential. Yet sadly, they would become guilty of not utilising it. The prophesied result of this would be that rather than ruling, they would be ruled by others. Instead of being masters, they would become slaves.

Issachar is said to be “couching down between two burdens.” More modern translations speak of him “crouching between the sheepfolds.” Thus, although there was great potential on either side (“sheepfolds”) of this “strong ass,” he preferred to lazily rest between them. He was intelligent, but indolent.

Alas all too often this is the condition of many a believer: so much potential and yet so little productivity. They have much strength for prosperity and yet they become slaves to counterproductive passions. They are capable but impotent through the wrong companions. In other words, many a Christian could be a donkey but they end up being a mule: stubborn and sterile.

Before we move onto the blessings of Dan and Gad, let us make one more observation about these two tribes. One day the region in which these tribes settled would be known as “Galilee of the Gentiles.” In other words, their region would become dominated by Gentiles who in a very real sense would enslave Issachar and Zebulun. But, as is often so true with God, He would turn this to His purposes, for it would be from this very region that the Lord Jesus would one day select the vast majority of His disciples. It is thus interesting that, though these two sons did not receive the same glorious blessing of Judah, it was through their descendents that the Lion of the tribe of Judah would begin to conquer the world.

Let us take heart that in our smallness God has great plans. Let us use the strength of both position (Zebulun) and power, potential (Issachar) to the best of our ability and trust God to honour His Son through us.

The Sons of the Concubines

Dan, Gad, Asher and Naphtali were the sons whom Jacob fathered through Bilhah and Zilpah, the handmaidens of his two wives. Having addressed the sons of Leah, Jacob now turns his attention to the sons of the concubines.

One gets the impression that these men were standing together in the tent. Perhaps they had always enjoyed a special relationship due to the fact that they may have felt a bit disconnected from the rest of their brothers. The very fact that Jacob addressed his sons by the order of their birth-mother rather than by sibling birth order may be significant in this realm. In other words, perhaps they felt like outcasts. Regardless, they were all to receive blessings, prophetic words concerning how the Lord would melt them into His purposes for the nation of Israel.

The Blessing of Dan: Unique Privilege and Unrepentant Peril

This particular tribe would be both famous and infamous. They would enjoy a unique privilege, yet would squander it and become unrepentantly perilous. Consider: “Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD” (vv. 16-18).

Dan would inherit one of the smallest pieces of territory and would be located in the vulnerable south-western section of the holy land. It would one day produce a judge: Samson. And from this prophecy (“Dan shall judge his people”) we can assume that there were several such leaders from this small tribe. Though he was the son of a concubine, Dan was still considered to be “one of the tribes of Israel.” And he would have the unique privilege of being a “judge” of the Lord’s people. Sadly, the privilege of judgeship would be countered by his serpentine nature.

Dan, the judge, would also be “a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.” Significantly, as he was a judge “as one of the tribes of Israel” so his serpentine nature would also be in relation to his identity as an Israelite.

Serpents (or snakes) are not always evil in the Bible. The word is sometimes used positively. For example, Jesus told His disciples to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). This was in the context of them being sent “forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.” Serpents are wise in that, as far as possible, they avoid direct confrontation. And thus there was nothing negative in Jesus’ injunction to be “wise as serpents.”

But it cannot be denied that serpents are sometimes spoken of negatively in Scripture. Thus, when we read of Dan as “a serpent by the way” we must ask whether it is intended positively or negatively. I suggest that it is to be understood negatively.

Perhaps what is best known about Dan is their influencing of the nation of Israel into idolatry. It was the Danites who in Judges 18 stole the idols of the Levite and took them back to their home in the south-western part of the land. Through this the nation as a whole was introduced to idolatry. Later, after Dan had taken territory in the north-eastern part of the Promised Land, King Jeroboam II set up a golden calf in their territory, thus reintroducing the northern tribes to idolatry (1 Kings 12:28-30). And so this tribe indeed became venomous in their relationship with their brothers, with the result that the nation was eventually judged.

We should note that the listing of the tribes in Revelation 7:4-8 excludes Dan. It is quite likely that this was in fulfilment of the curse pronounced upon those guilty of introducing idolatry as recorded in Deuteronomy 29:16-21. According to that text, “the LORD will not spare him [i.e. the one who introduces idolatry to Israel], but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven. And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law.” This happened quite literally to Dan, and thus his descendents went from being gifted with the wisdom to lead to experiencing the wrath of the Judge. A uniquely privileged people became an unholy people, which resulted in their becoming an unwelcomed people. They became unrepentantly perilous.

Let me pause to apply this. Are you on the verge of becoming like Dan? Have you been gifted by God and yet you are using your leadership skills to lead others down the garden path? Have you been placed in a position of prominence by God’s grace only to be guilty of abusing it? Have you been so foolish to think that you have overcome a position of vulnerability on your own? And has this created a sense of sinful pride that you can go it alone? Have you embraced the idols of the age and are you influencing others, intimidating others in this downward slide? Are you seeking some hired priest to justify your ungodly behaviour? In other words, have you lost sight of Christ, the true Rock? And thus will you continue on in such a fashion that one day you will hear, “Depart from me” (Matthew 25:41)? I suppose that all of these questions can be summed up by this one: Are you a snake?

Recently I had a discussion with some elders about the realities of church life and the question was asked, why do some people stay in a church when they clearly are not happy? Why do some continue to keep their membership who really have no intention of involving themselves in the life of the church? What keeps such from completely quitting? I am sure that there are several possible answers to such a situation, for this can be a rather complex issue.

For example, there are oftentimes people in a church who are disconnected because they are scarred and thus scared and sceptical; others are shy; some battle with selfishness more than others; many simply struggle with faithfulness; still others are just slow!

But having allowed for all possible benefits of the doubt it is often the case that such individuals remain in the membership simply because they are snakes; serpents who are used of the devil to inject venom into the spiritual bloodstream of the flock. In other words, wherever you find a Judah, you can be sure to find a Dan. And the wise are aware of the possibility of their presence in the congregation.

As noted, the Lord Jesus admonished His disciples to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. The believer must be as discerning as a serpent, but not as destructive as one. This calls for the church to be aware that Dan-like creatures may slither in (see Jude 4). We need to be aware and keep our eye out for the sheep who are in danger of being bitten with the venom. The seducer will eventually slay. Let’s be alert to the one who appears to be a gifted judge but in the end proves to be an executioner. Be aware of those who appear so “wise” but who in reality are only purveyors of deadly foolishness—and by their tongue they are often revealed. Judas was one such snake, and it was he who immediately objected that the woman’s act of worship could have been better used in another manner (John 12:1-8).

I fear that today’s church, generally speaking, is all too often characterised by a softness when it comes to such issues. There seems to be an aversion to antithetical watch-care. Rather than being naysayers we are overly committed to not rocking the boat. And the sad result is often bloated memberships, the wrong men in powerful positions, and a general ethos that the church is feminine rather than masculine. If we will keep on the path of following Christ then we will need to be aware of snakes on the trail, and to protect our horse (church) from any attempts to kill her. When the situation demands it, we must be prepared to crush the head of the infiltrated enemy. This is probably what lies behinds Jacob’s triumphant, yet humble declaration in v. 18.

I agree with other interpreters that this exclamation by Jacob—“I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD”—is more a victorious sigh on his part than a part of Dan’s blessing. In other words, after the foreboding pronouncement of vv. 16-17, upon reflection of the apostasy that would enter Israel through Dan, Jacob had a sudden flash of joyful and confident insight: “The Lord will deliver!” As he mentioned the serpent in his prophecy he was perhaps blessed by the thought of the promise of Genesis 3:15. Though the devil may prevail temporarily, Messiah would prevail ultimately as He would crush the serpent’s head. And as he contemplated this he was overcome with faith-filled exultation.

I must admit that I know the feeling. I was recently having a discussion with a particular group in our church and I commented that I have not had half the problems that some other pastors have had in their churches. My comment aroused a chuckle from the class, and when I asked why they were laughing they reminded me of some of the attacks that have been levelled against our church during my ministry. “Surely you remember such-and-such a situation?” they asked. But, to be quite honest, I had to think about it and admit that I had forgotten. And one reason I had forgotten, I am certain, is that I am absolutely convinced that the Seed of the woman will ultimately conquer all the serpents that attack us.

Let us learn from this that in spite of the serpents that bite at the heels of the church, she will prevail for Jesus has already prevailed! He will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

The Blessing of Gad: Unstoppable Perseverance

Gad’s blessing was a beautiful prophecy, especially in light of what had gone before concerning Dan. This prophecy was the blessing that Gad’s descendents would be characterised by unstoppable perseverance. Regardless of the attempts to overthrow this people they would refuse to admit defeat. They would persevere to the end! “Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last” (v. 19).

As Jacob finished with his words regarding Dan he turned to Gad and continued the warlike metaphor. In essence, his words might be rendered, “You will be attacked by a band of thugs but you will trip them up by attacking them at their heels.” In other words, he would suffer but would ultimately succeed. 1 Chronicles 12:8 gives a glowing testimony concerning these peoples: “And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains.” Indeed they may have been small and vulnerable but they were tough!

You may remember that Gad was one of the tribes that settled east of Jordan and thus this prophecy did come to pass as the Ammonites and Moabites attacked them once they settled there. The tribes on the east of Jordan were always the first target for invaders. We will conclude our consideration of Gad in our next study, but let me leave you with a closing consideration.

In the words of James Boice, this tribe “was able to give as well as to take.” Such a disposition is necessary for the Christian who will persevere. There are plenty of battles along the way; we can expect to suffer. But don’t take it lying down. Respond by fighting the good fight of faith. Don’t be intimidated by a godless world system; rather fight back by taking your stand in the Lord. When you do so, you have Him as your defence. Don’t be a pansy; be strong in Christ!

The church needs to be filled with those who know how to fight. Those who hold back their sword from blood may be comfortable but they certainly are not being conformed to Christ. Let us not be like another tribe of whom it will be recorded that they “being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in His law; and forgot His works, and His wonders that He had showed them” (Psalm 78:9-11).

Don’t take attacks upon your faith lying down. Don’t give up the battle because the world seems to be winning. Get back up and wield the Sword of the Spirit to the glory of God, thereby conquering new territory for Him. The church is at war and we need to stand as undaunted soldiers.

And so I ask, with whom do you identify the most? Are you perhaps a Zebulun, striving to be faithful to the Lord all the while realising your unlikely potential? Are you perhaps an Issachar, who recognises the potential that God has given you but who refuses to use it? Are you a Dan, who despite your unique privileges are in fact a snake in the midst of God’s people? Or are you a Gad, unstoppable in your perseverance in the face of opposition?

If you are honest, you will surely be able to identify with one of these men. May God by His grace grant that we be done in our lives with the negative aspects of these men’s characters, and that we instead exemplify all that is positive in them, for God’s glory alone.