To conclude the month of May we carry on with my series on The Twelve Tribes of Isreal. This month, we see Jacob break away from addressing his sons in chronological order and so we take a look at the tribe of Zebulun.
I pray this study is a blessing to you! Love Lucy x
The Tribe Of Zebulun
Key Facts
Order of birth- Tenth.
Order of blessing- Fifth.
Mother- Leah.
Meaning of name- Dwelling.
Character details- Played a part in the selling of his younger brother Joseph, present at their reunion and restoration later.
Tribe details- Dwelled by the sea, became traders and sailors, profited greatly by seagoing trade, faithful to King David in battle (1 Chronicles 12:33), closely associated with the tribe of Issachar. Symbol of tribe- Boat or Ship.
Land allocation- Territory between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee.
Relevant Scriptures
Genesis 30:14-20
“Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?”
And Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”
When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night.
And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar. Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.”
Genesis 49:1 & 13
“And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:
“Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.”
Genesis 37:28
“Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.”
Genesis 45:4-5
“And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.”
ZebulunThe Tribe Of Zebulun
Key Facts
Order of birth- Tenth.
Order of blessing- Fifth.
Mother- Leah.
Meaning of name- Dwelling.
Character details- Played a part in the selling of his younger brother Joseph, present at their reunion and restoration later.
Tribe details- Dwelled by the sea, became traders and sailors, profited greatly by seagoing trade, faithful to King David in battle (1 Chronicles 12:33), closely associated with the tribe of Issachar. Symbol of tribe- Boat or Ship.
Land allocation- Territory between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee.
Relevant Scriptures
Genesis 30:14-20
“Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?”
And Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”
When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night.
And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar. Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.”
Genesis 49:1 & 13
“And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:
“Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.”
Genesis 37:28
“Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.”
Genesis 45:4-5
“And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.”
Twelve tribes of Israel from twelve different brothers,
All the sons of Jacob, but from four different mothers.
Leah bore him six of them, while two came from Zilpah.
Rachel bore another two, and two more came from Bilhah.
Zebulun was tenth, and this brother’s name means “Dwelling”,
Which shows the sisters’ rivalry was still in need of quelling!
Though previously, Leah praised her Lord and God, divine,
This birth shows that her bitterness had festered over time.
It seems that her resentment was never to depart,
And Leah hoped her many sons would win her husband’s heart.
His name was yet another call, a message to her love;
That he should dwell with her and gain God’s blessings from above.
The birth of Zebulun revealed their strife; it’s clear to see.
Yet Jacob’s blessing showed this tribe would settle by the sea.
Though Zebulun had played a part in selling off his brother,
God’s greater plan would mean they’d be restored to one another.
It also meant his people could be blessed within the land;
His tribe would profit mightily by Yahweh’s gracious hand.
This story can uplift us, for in spite of human flaw—
God’s sovereignty can overrule and fill our hearts with awe.
Ephesians 4:31
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Insight to Zebulun
Mother-Leah
My study for this series on the Twelve Tribes of Israel is following the order in which Jacob blesses his sons. Up until this point, the order he blesses each one has been the same order in which they were born. At the blessing of Zebulun, however, we see the pattern change, and we jump from Judah, the fourth son born to Jacob, and go to Zebulun, the tenth son to be born. There’s potentially a very good reason for this, which I’ll take a look at later on in this study.
For the moment, what we can observe here at the birth of Zebulun is the ongoing strife and competition between his mother, Leah, and her sister, Rachel. Earlier, at the birth of Judah, Leah showed that she was in a much more peaceful place personally and offered her praise to God for the arrival of this fourth son. This is reflected by the fact that she named him “Judah” which means “Praise.”
By the time we get to the birth of Zebulun, however, their sixth son together, Leah is back to expressing a heart of discontent, as she longs for her husband’s affections. The Scriptures show this clearly, as she calls her son “Zebulun”, which means “Dwelling”. We hear Leah’s reasoning as she says, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.”
Leah clearly wants Jacob to dwell with her and sees her ability to give him sons as an incentive for him to do so. As I mentioned in my study of Reuben, the culture of the day placed great value and importance on having many children, especially male heirs, and so Leah is revealing here that she believes she will win Jacob’s love by the fact that she has now provided him with six sons. That’s six males who will carry on the family name and increase the family’s chances of having financial security.
In addition to reading about Leah’s ongoing heartache, Genesis chapter 30 also shows us that the competition between Leah and her younger sister, Rachel, is still clearly rife. We can hear the continual resentment in Leah’s heart within their conversation in verses 14-15.
Prior to this, we read in the text that Reuben, Leah’s eldest son, comes home to his mother and brings her some mandrakes. This is quite significant, as mandrakes were believed to be a fruit of fertility, and in the Hebrew language, the word “mandrake” actually translates as “love apple.”
The family obviously buys into this old wives’ tale, and Rachel comes to Leah, asking her to share some of the mandrakes with her in the hope that she may also bear children. Leah responds with the words, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?”
Leah is clearly still very bitter in her heart towards Rachel, even after all these years, and seems to be looking for any excuse to start an argument. Rachel then goes on to bargain with her older sister and promises she can have Jacob’s physical company that night in exchange for some of Leah’s supply of the so-called “fertility fruit.” The irony here, of course, is that while Rachel goes on to be the one in possession of the “fertility fruit”, it’s Leah who conceives not only a fifth son that night but also a sixth son further down the line.
What’s very clear at this point in the text, however, is that neither woman is happy or content with their lot in life. Despite Leah’s former attitude of praise, she doesn’t seem to have continued on in this frame of mind. Her sharp and resentful words cut like a knife as she addresses her sister, and the tension between the two obviously hasn’t dissipated. The birth of Zebulun gives us a window into a home that is, sadly, anything but peaceful.
………
The animosity between the sisters evidently filters down into their children, as we read later that Zebulun, son of Leah, played a part in the selling of his brother, Joseph, son of Rachel. Although Zebulun isn’t mentioned specifically by name in Genesis 37, he would definitely have been present at this awful scene and would have had his say in the matter.
Thankfully, although the brothers’ motives were evil, God had other plans and used their malicious actions to actually save the entire nation of Israel. I think it’s amazing to consider God’s grace in this scenario, which I also mention in my poem. In spite of Zebulun having a hand in this wicked plot, he was on the receiving end of both Joseph’s and God’s mercy when their relationship was restored in Genesis 45.
The life of Zebulun really highlights that although bitterness can seep like a poison through generations of a family, when God steps in, grace can abound.
Jacob’s Prophetic Blessing
Jacob’s prophetic words to his tenth son Zebulun are:
“Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.”
The Tribe of Zebulun settled in the section of land that sits between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Jacob’s words, “shall dwell by the haven of the sea” can literally be translated as “looking towards the sea”. His prophecy certainly came to pass, as the tribe of Zebulun not only looked to the sea on the east but also the west and became known for its seafaring, shipping, and trade. Their symbol can be seen as a boat or ship, as this was the main way that they made their money.
We also know through Scripture that Zebulun went on to have three sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel, and it was Elon’s son, Eliab, who led the tribe of Zebulun during their wandering through the wilderness.
As I mentioned earlier, when Jacob blesses his sons, we now see at the blessing of Zebulun that he doesn’t just go from the oldest to youngest, which would have been the usual way within this culture. First born to last born isn’t the order we see with the twelve tribes of Israel, however, and this indicates that there’s potentially more going on with these blessings than it first would appear.
So far, Jacob’s words to his sons have given us some really interesting insights into the characters of the men as well as details of their lives, but some studies suggest that there are deeper levels to his blessings, as they’re also telling a story of what is going to be the future of Israel as a nation. His words of prophecy give us an outline of Israel’s history from the beginning, right through to the last days and the Kingdom Age.
This is an entire study in itself, of course, and for a more detailed look at this, I’d recommend listening to my pastor’s sermon on this subject. You can find the study by going onto the Calvary London website and going to the Genesis 49 sermon entitled “Israel’s Future Laid Out”.
For the purpose of this study, I’ll summarise some of the key points made about the relevance of each blessing and what each son and his tribe represent. Hopefully, this will help us understand the significance of Jacob’s blessings a little more deeply.
Firstly, Reuben is the firstborn son, and Jacob’s words address the potential he had with the benefits of being the eldest. Reuben represents the nation of Israel as the firstborn, God’s chosen people, having every opportunity to excel. This speaks of Israel as a nation in its earliest days.
Sadly, Reuben committed adultery with his father’s concubine and lost his firstborn privileges as a result of his fornication. So too, Israel committed fornication but in the spiritual sense. When Moses returned from Mount Sinai, he discovered the nation of Israel in the depths of idolatry, worshipping false gods and committing adultery in the spiritual sense. Instead of representing the one true living God to the people, they betrayed their God and fell into spiritual idolatry. Just like Reuben, Israel were “unstable as water” and a disappointing “firstborn people”.
Secondly, we see Jacob address Simeon and Levi together. He goes on to condemn their wickedness and remove their inheritance from them. Neither son inherited any land, and they were scattered as a people. So too, Israel was removed from their land as a nation, and they became a scattered, or a dispersed people. This was the second phase of Israel’s history.
The first dispersion came in 722 BC when they were taken captive and dispersed into the land of the Assyrians, while the second dispersion came when the Babylonians took them captive in 586 BC. Twice they were dispersed as a nation into foreign lands, and Jacob’s two sons, Simeon and Levi, represent both of these dispersions. This means we’ve seen Israel go from being a disappointing people to a dispersed people, and this is where the third phase of their nation’s history comes into play.
Judah represents the third phase of Israel as a nation, as after 70 years of being scattered in Babylon, Israel returned to their land. Part of Jacob’s blessing to his fourth son, Judah, talks about how the sceptre will not depart from the tribe of Judah “until Shiloh comes”. The word “shiloh” is rooted in the Hebrew word “shalom”, which means “peace”. Jacob is saying here that from the tribe of Judah will come a Man of peace, that Man being the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Jacob prophesied that through the tribe of Judah, Israel would have rulers and kings and be a self-ruling, autonomous nation for a time. Only at Christ’s appearing would the sceptre depart, their autonomy would end, and from this point on, the people would bow down and submit to Jesus.
Israel was back in the land when Jesus Christ, the Messiah, came on the scene, and this is the third major phase in the nation’s history. So now we can see that Israel went from being a disappointing people to a dispersed people and now to a delivered people thanks to the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Jacob’s blessing now moves from his fourth son, Judah, to his tenth son, Zebulun. Zebulun signifies the fourth phase of Israel as a nation, as the coastal region belonging to his tribe was conquered and the people were exiled. So too, the nation of Israel became an exiled people as they rejected their Messiah and crucified Him on the Roman Cross. By AD 70, Israel no longer existed as a nation, and they were exiled into the whole world.
Through these five sons of Jacob and his prophetic words towards them, we see Israel’s history laid out as they journey from being a disappointing people to a dispersed people, delivered people and now, through Zebulun, an exiled people. Thankfully, this is not where the story ends!
Closing Thoughts
Reflecting back on Leah’s bitter condition at the birth of Zebulun and her earlier conversation with Rachel, I think it’s really sad to see that she’s still in this really negative place in her heart and mind. We can see from the text that the sourness of her soul is not only affecting her but also those around her.
This is a sad truth for life. So often, bitter people are never satisfied to keep it to themselves, and they want to share this poison with as many others as possible. I’ve heard it said that misery loves company, and I’d say the same applies to bitterness. Bitter people want everyone around them to become bitter too. They want others to hear why they’re justified in their resentment and spread this misery to those around them.
Scripture warns us against this kind of attitude and behaviour, however. Hebrews 12:15 declares,
“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
The words “defile many” make it clear that a begrudging attitude doesn’t just impact the bearer, it also impacts many others in a detrimental way.
The Bible also tells us in Proverbs 14:30,
“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”
God’s Word paints quite the graphic picture of the inner, physical issues that can come when our heart refuses to exist in peace and instead lives in a state of envy, bitterness and strife. By contrast, “a heart at peace gives life to the body,” or as Proverbs 17:22 tells us,
“A cheerful heart is good medicine.”
Clearly, our position of heart impacts us and those in our lives in many ways. While there’s no doubting that countless situations in life can cause us immense hurt and grief, the important thing is for us to recognise when we’re in this bitter condition and address it, with God’s help.
We can be honest with our emotions before God because He already knows. We can bring all of our hurt, anger, disappointment and resentment to His throne and ask Him to replace these negative emotions with His perfect peace. This is the wonderful privilege for the child of God because we have this option available to us.
I once heard it said that the non-Christian only has two options when dealing with negative emotions: they can either vent them or bury them. The Christian has a third option, however, and that is to bring those feelings before God’s Throne and leave them there. By keeping the matter between us and our Saviour, we not only protect ourselves but also those around us from further harm.
We don’t have to let our upsetting situations dictate to us or ruin us. Through the process of prayer and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can be free of the detrimental emotional impact a person has had on our life. By God’s grace, our hearts can be clean vessels as we allow ourselves to be open to the healing touch of the Lord. It may not be the easiest step we’ve ever taken, but it’ll certainly be rewarding. Through His power, we can end the cycle of bitterness as we become ever more conformed into the image of Christ.
