Blessings Of Jacob Over Zebulun And Naphtali.

All these blessings are all recorded in Genesis 49.  But there is something quite puzzling here, not only in the blessings themselves, but the order in which he prays for them.

For instance, after blessing the 4th son, Judah, Jacob bypassed sons 5,6,7,8, and 9 to bless #10: Zebulun.  Dan should have been next in line. Why? 🤔

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All names in Hebrew have a meaning.  Throughout the Bible are hidden messages in names, places, and things.  There are stories within stories and meanings in the Hebrew letters as well as numbers.

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The meaning in numbers is a phenomenon that has been known to the Jewish Rabbis for centuries. They call it, “Gematria.”  You see, unlike in other cultures, Hebrew uses letters of their alphabet as numbers. For instance, 10 is the letter “yod. [י],” that teeny tiny little line.  The number 10 is a typology for other things as well. It can refer to the Law or the tithe.  5 is the letter “hei [ה],” which means “Grace.” For a more complete discussion on why this is so you may refer to the link below:

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Name Change.

Notice the name change in the opening passage?  The Holy Spirit called him both Jacob and Israel. Why? Because that is his glorified name.  He uses it every time Jacob operated in faith. 

Jacob pronounced a blessing over Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. So far so good. After all, they were his first four sons in order of their birth. Dan should have been next in line, but for some reason he was displaced.  Instead of blessing Dan, Jacob turned to son #10, Zebulun, and gave him the #5 spot.  In other words, he blessed the 10th in place of the 5th. Why? 🤔

God is pointing out that Grace is replacing the Law! 💖

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You see, Dan’s name means, “Judgment.”  Since all these things are pictures of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is pointing out that Jesus, in His first appearing, came as the Lamb of God.  He did not come to judge; He came to save!  He came as Shepherd.

(For more on that topic, you may follow the link below:

https://emmausroadministries.international/2016/09/12/transfiguration/)

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When He returns to earth in His second coming, different story! He’ll be riding on a white horse with the Church in tow as Judge, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.  Those outside of Christ will be judged AT THAT TIME…..AND NOT ONE MINUTE BEFORE.

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Right now, the door of salvation is still wide open, freely offered to whosoever will.  The Father is delaying Jesus’ return for as long as possible because He is willing that NONE should perish! 💖

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Leah’s Blessing.

Zebulun’s mother, Leah, spoke the following over him when he was born:

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Genesis 30:19-20
“Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son {her 6th, Jacob’s 10th}
20 And Leah said,“God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell {zebul} with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.”

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Leah also said after Zebulun was born that God gave her a “Good endowment.” Hmmm…..Interesting choice of words. The word for endowment in Hebrew is “Zebed.” 😁

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Below is Jacob’s blessing over him:

Gen 49:13
“Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.” Remember James and John, the sons of “Zebed-ee?”  They were from “Zebulun,” which is derived from, “Zebed,” mentioned above.

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Nazareth, Jesus’ home town, is located in the region of Zebulun.  Zebulun and Naphtali make up the entire region of Galilee. {See map above}

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Naphtali.

Below is the blessing spoken by Jacob over Naphtali:

Genesis 49:21  “Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.”

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What is the Holy Spirit is describing here?  He is referring to a particular event in the lives of Jesus and His disciples!  Most of them were from the tribe of Naphtali. 😮 The only ones who weren’t were James and John of Zebulun, and Judas, who hailed from the tribe of Judah, same as our Lord Jesus.

The “beautiful words” are the the words of the Gospel, the GOOD NEWS, that the disciples preached.  No wonder these men are like a deer let lose:  Nothing sets people free like the Gospel!

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“In The Last Days.”

We are living in the last days. Zebulun, the 6th son of Leah, 10th son of Jacob, tells a story of the Church.

As believers, Jesus has come into our hearts and He “DWELLS” with us. He never leaves or forsakes us. After “6 days,” as God counts time, Jesus will call us out of this world and we will “ZEBUL: DWELL” with Him forever! At that time, the judgment of the Great Tribulation will descend on this earth. But you and I won’t be here. We’ll be sitting down at the marriage supper of the Lamb! 🙌🏻

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Leah’s name in Hebrew means, “Wearied.”  Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all ye who are WEARY and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  Weary from what?  From trying…..AND CONSTANTLY FAILING…..to try and keep the law, of which Leah is a personification.

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Zebulun, as the #10 son, also depicts the Law.  He is a picture of the portion of the end-time church that is stuck on still trying to obey the Law in order to be acceptable to God. They teach grace but mix the law in with it.  Though believers, they still teach that one must obey the Law or suffer its consequences.

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Obedient By “Accident.”

Here’s the problem: The law has been replaced by grace. We are no longer under the law with all it’s punishments for disobedience.  The Holy Spirit, Who now lives inside, leads us into all truth.  As a result, we not only DO NOT want to sin, we want to everything we can to please Jesus. We actually end up being MORE obedient by “Accident,” so to speak. You see, when you have the Man Inside, YOU DON’T NEED THE MAP: the Law.” 💖

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ALL the consequences and curses of the law fell on Jesus at the cross. They are no longer our heritage.  Even though such believers are so hobbled, they will still have great effect on the world, spreading the Gospel to its four corners. But how much more effective the Church will be when she has shed herself of her Galatianism. HALLELUJAH! 💖

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A Deer Let Loose!

The Church is also like Naphtali to the world. We are like a “DEER LET LOOSE WHO USES BEAUTIFUL WORDS” to tell others about this wonderful Jesus! 💖

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Naphtali’s name in Hebrew means, “To twist or contort.” The segment of the Church mixing law and grace is also, initially, a little confused over the place of the law in our lives. Even so, that will not hinder them from spreading the Gospel to the whole world. Eventually, she will be set free from her preoccupation with the law and be a more effective witness for Christ than ever before! 💖

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What a wonderful, loving Father Who hides such beautiful pictures of our lovely Jesus and and the Church in the blessings of these two sons of Jacob:  Zebulun and Naphtali.

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To read more about Jacob’s blessings over his sons, you may follow the links below:

Paul And Ananias.

https://emmausroadministries.international/2016/05/27/jacobs-blessings-over-reuben-simeon-and-levi/