"13 Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall adjoin Sidon. 14 Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two burdens; 15 He saw that rest was good, and that the land was pleasant; he bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, and became a band of slaves. 16 Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider shall fall backward. 18 I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!" ~ Genesis 49:13-18
Today, we continue our study of Genesis 49 where Jacob, at the end of his earthly life, is delivering blessings upon his twelve sons. To this point, we have considered four of the twelve sons. Today, we will consider the next three. Each word in this passage is prophetic of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ to purchase fallen man back to God. In this we see that the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all things good and truthful. It was He who said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life! No one comes to the Father but through Me."
In v.13 of today's passage we read, "Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall adjoin Sidon."
Jacob, after blessing Judah, now turns his attention to his tenth-born son, Zebulun. Judah was the fourth son of Israel, so this seems out of place, but Zebulun was born to Leah, not to one of the maidservants. And so the blessing is upon her sons first. However, Zebulun has another brother, Issachar, who was born to Leah before he was. And yet, Jacob first blessed Zebulun before he blessed Issachar.
Zebulun means "Glorious Dwelling Place." The word "sea" was written in the plural here. Literally, it reads, "Zebulun at the shore of the seas shall dwell," implying is that this tribe would fill the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Zebulun's inheritance included a shore where ships unloaded revealing the people of Zebulun would be a people predominantly engaged in commerce next to the town of Sidon.
Sidon was the firstborn of Canaan and his territory was at the norther end of the land of Canaan.
Sidon means "catching fish" confirming that Zebulun would have a portion of coastal territory. As each son of Jacob so far has pointed us to the Lord Jesus Christ, this one does too. Zebulun describes that place where Christ brings all who trust in Him into the presence of God through His work on the cross.
In v.14-15 of today's passage we read, "14 Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two burdens; 15 He saw that rest was good, and that the land was pleasant; he bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, and became a band of slaves."
Issachar was Jacob’s ninth son, the fifth born to Leah. Issachar means "He is wages." In addition, he is called a strong donkey. This type of donkey is a service animal, used like an ox for plowing and other such heavy work. In addition, Issachar will be placed between two borders, the region of Syro-Phonecia on one side and Samaria on the other. The word translated here as "burdens" is used only twice in the Bible. The other time, it is translated as "sheepfolds" indicating Issachar would be like a servant animal who finds rest in a comfortable spot.
The word "rest" is the same word used to describe the still waters in Psalm 23. Due to his peaceful surroundings and his well-placed position between two areas where there is safety and rest, he will be willing to bear a heavy burden upon his shoulder in order to obtain what he desires. As Issachar means "He is wages" the idea is that in his future he will be a man of hire. In other words, his labors will be his pay; he will be a bondservant. No one but the Lord Jesus fits this bill.
In v.16-18 of today's passage we read, "16 Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider shall fall backward. 18 I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!"
In the final blessing today, that of Dan the fifth born son to Jacob and the first of four born to his two concubines. Dan was the first born to Bilhah, the maidservant of Rachel. Dan means "to plead the cause of." In Dan we see a most striking and clear picture of the work of the Lord Jesus.
In John 6:38 the Lord Jesus said, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." Then in John 9:39, He said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." Then, in John 10:10 He said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." In 1 John 2:1 we read, "And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
Jacob likened Dan to a serpent which is the same word used for the serpent in Genesis 3:1. Dan is likened to this serpent, which is the same word used in John 3:14-15 which reads, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." In addition, Jacob described Dan as a "viper" which comes from the Hebrew word which means "to bruise." In Genesis 3:15 we read, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."
At the end of v.18 of our passage today, we have the first usage of the name "Yeshua" in the Old Testament. Of course, Yeshua is Jesus. In Acts 4:12 we read, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." The name of whom Peter spoke that day was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the suffering Messiah predicted by the Psalmist a thousand years before His coming.
In Psalm 22 we read, "16 For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; 17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." The Lord Jesus could not have orchestrated these events if He were a mere man. This is one of many passages in the Old Testament which all point us to the One who is the God who became a Man in order to save us by paying our penalty on His cross.
