Jacob was about to die and be gathered to his fathers. Just prior to his death, however, he called his sons to himself and spoke a blessing over each one, some of which were more than little strange.
Out Of Order.
All of these blessings are 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 Zebulun, #10! Why did he do that? Can should have been next in line. What’s going on here?
Part of the reason is that these blessings tell of things that will happen “IN THE LAST DAYS.” They are prophetic. You see, the Holy Spirit, our Master Storyteller, is at it again. He loves to draw beautiful pictures for us! Hidden in all these blessings are things that foretell of our Lord Jesus. He hides these nuggets of truth for us to search our and find in order to bless us, like a treasure hunt. 😁
Secrets In The Hebrew Language.
All names in Hebrew have a meaning. Throughout the Bible are hidden messages in the meanings of names, places, and things. There are stories within stories, meanings in the Hebrew letters and meanings in numbers.
Meanings in the Hebrew numbers is a phenomenon long known to Hebrew rabbis, which they call, “Gematria.” Unlike other coutures. Hebrew uses the letters of their alphabet as numbers. For instance, 10 is the letter “Yod [י],” that teeny tiny little line. 10 also is a typology for thins like the Law (the 10 commandments), as well as the tithe. 5 is the letter “Hei [ה],” which is a picture of an open window. It also means “Grace” because that is from which God pours out His grace on us. For a more complete discussion on numbers, you may follow the link below to a short series on that topic:
Name Change.
Notice the name change in the opening passage? The Holy Spriit called him both Jacob and Israel. Why? Because Israel is his glorified name. He uses it every time Jacob operated in faith.
Jacob pronounced a blessing of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. So far so good. After all they were his first four sons in order of their birth. As I said before , Dan should have been next in line. Why did he give Zebulun the 5th place? Because Dan’s name means, “Judgment,” and is a picture of the Law. God is pointing out that Grace is replacing the Law! You see, under grace, we can “Zebul: Dwell” with God because Jesus paid our way!
Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. He came as Shepherd, not judge. When He returns to earth, He will come to judge the people and nations that rejected Him and the salvation that was freely offered. He will be riding on a white horse as the Lion of the tribe of Judah with His glorified, rapture Church in tow.
Tight 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” ♥️
The Meaning Of Zebulun.
Zebulun’s name means “Glorious Dwelling place” in Hebrew. His name is mentioned referring to him personally exactly FIVE TIMES in scripture. The number of Grace! The town of Nazareth, which was Jesus’ “Dwelling place” for most of His life, is in the region of Zebulun. Back then, it was a no-account backwater; a seedy and lawless little town.
Just by virtue of the fact that He was born there, Jesus brought great grace and honor to this place, which formerly had the worst of all reputations. It is now know as the town where our Lord Jesus grew up. That elevated it from the lowliest of places to high above all others! ♥️
You see, Church, no matter who you are, where you’ve come from, or what you did to mess up your life. Jesus loves you! He came to redeem and elevate you to the highest place of glory and honor. He takes great pleasure in using the “Foolish things in the world to confound the so-called wise.”
Leah’s Blessing.
Lean, Zebulun’s mother, spoke the following over him when he was born:
Genesis 30:19-20. 19 “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.”
Poor Leah! She was constantly vying for the love and attention of her husband. She knew that here younger sister, Rachael, was his favorite. After giving birth to this child she thought, “Now may he will :Zebul-dwell” with me.” Sadly, that didn’t happen. 😔 Aw, but don’t worry; by the end of his life, Abraham somewhere along the way had learned to love her as well and, in fact, specifically requested to be buried next to her.
Zebulun.
Leah also said after Zebulun was born that God given her a “Good Endowment.” Hmmm…..interesting choice of words! The word for endowment in Hebrew if “Zebed.” 😁
Below is Jacob’s blessing over him:
Genesis 49:13. “Zebulun Sakkara dwell by the have 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 the tribe Zebulun which is derived from “Zebed,” mentioned above.
Nazareth, Jesus’ home town, is located in the region of Zebulun. Zebulun and Naphtali make up the entire region of Galilee. {See map above.}
Naphtali.
Below is the blessing Jacob spoke of Naphtali:
Genesis 49:21. “Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.”
What is the Holy Spirit describing here? He is referring to a particular even in the live of Jesus and His disciples! 😮 The only ones who weren’t from Naphtali were James and John from Zebulun and Judas Ishcariot, who hailed from Judah, same as our Lord Jesus.
The “beautiful words” are the words of the Gospel, the GOOD NEWS, that the disciples preached. No wonder these men are like a deer let loose: Nothing sets people free like the Gospel!
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 of forsakes us. After “6 days,” as God courts 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 of this earth…..but you and I won’t be here. We’ll be sitting down at the marriage supper of the Lamb! 🙌🏻
Leah’s name in Hebrew means, “Wearied.” Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all ye who are WEARY and heavy laden, and I will given you rest.” Weary from what? From trying…..AND CONSTANTLY FAILING…..tor try and keep the law, of which Leah is a personification.
Zebulun, as the #10. Son, also depicts the Law. He is a picture of the portion of the end-time church hat 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.
Obedient By “Accident.”
Here’s the good news: “The Law has now been replaced by Grace!” We are no longer under the Big Ten with all its punishment for disobedience. The Holy Spirit now lives inside each believer, leading us into all truth.
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As a result, we not only DO NOT want to sin, we want to do everything we can to please Jesus because we are in love with Him. We actually end up being MORE obedient by Accident,” so to speak.
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You see, when you have the Man Inside, YOU DON’T NEED THE MAP:“ i.e., 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!!!
A Deer Let Loose.
The Church is also like Naphtali to the world. We are like “A DEER LET LOOSE WHO USE BEAUTIFUL WORDS” to tell others about this wonderful Jesus! ♥️
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 an even more effective witness for Christ than ever before!
What a wonderful, loving Father Who hides such beautiful pictures of our lovely Jesus and the Church in the blessing of these two sons of Jacob” Zebulun and Naphtali.
You may follow the link below to read about another of Jacob’s blessings prophetic of a future event in the life of the man who is arguably the greatest evangelist of all time: The Apostle Paul:
Emmaus Road Ministries 