I can't quite believe it but we're now half way through my series on the twelve tribes of Israel! For June, we take a look at Jacob's ninth son, Issachar, who was sixth in line for the blessing.
May this study be insightful and helpful for you this week. Love Lucy x
The Tribe Of Issachar
Key Facts
Order of birth- Ninth.
Order of blessing- Sixth.
Mother- Leah.
Meaning of name- Hire or Reward.
Character details- Strong, somewhat wild, a man of labour.
Tribe details- Known for their wisdom and understanding of the times, especially in the context of agriculture and the seasons. Third largest tribe according to the Numbers 26 census. Often a target for enemies due to their size and abundance. Foreign armies would attack and enslave many from this tribe.
Symbol of tribe- A donkey, or sun, moon and stars.
Land allocation- Territory that stretched from the Jordan River in the east to Mount Carmel on the west.
Bordered by East Mannaseh to the east, West Mannaseh to the south, and Zebulun and Naphtali to the north.
Relevant Scriptures
Genesis 30:14-18
“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."
Genesis 49:1 & 14-15
“And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:
“Issachar is a strong donkey,
Lying down between two burdens;
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.”
IssacharMay this study be insightful and helpful for you this week. Love Lucy x
The Tribe Of Issachar
Key Facts
Order of birth- Ninth.
Order of blessing- Sixth.
Mother- Leah.
Meaning of name- Hire or Reward.
Character details- Strong, somewhat wild, a man of labour.
Tribe details- Known for their wisdom and understanding of the times, especially in the context of agriculture and the seasons. Third largest tribe according to the Numbers 26 census. Often a target for enemies due to their size and abundance. Foreign armies would attack and enslave many from this tribe.
Symbol of tribe- A donkey, or sun, moon and stars.
Land allocation- Territory that stretched from the Jordan River in the east to Mount Carmel on the west.
Bordered by East Mannaseh to the east, West Mannaseh to the south, and Zebulun and Naphtali to the north.
Relevant Scriptures
Genesis 30:14-18
“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."
Genesis 49:1 & 14-15
“And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:
“Issachar is a strong donkey,
Lying down between two burdens;
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.”
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.
Issachar was ninth, and this brother’s name means “Hire”.
It shows that Leah’s jealousy burned fiercely, like a fire!
This chapter lets us hear the bitter words she had to say;
“Is it a small matter that you took my spouse away?”
“Yet now you seek to take more still! You dare to come to me!”
The sisters’ strife is evident and very clear to see.
So Rachel made a trade with her, and now in Leah’s sight,
She “hires” out her husband; he would lay with her that night.
So Leah bore another son and saw this as reward.
She viewed the birth of Issachar as favour from the Lord.
Yet when it came to Jacob’s words, he spoke of tribulation.
The tribe of Issachar would fall afoul of exploitation.
Though strong in number, many times, this tribe would be enslaved.
The land in which they settled meant great taxes must be paid.
Although they were oppressed and used by many foreign hands,
We’ve yet to see the plot unfold, and all in Yahweh’s plans!
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Insight to Issachar
Mother-Leah
The birth of Issachar marks the fifth son to be born to Leah and Jacob. He is actually the older brother of Zebulun, who I looked at last month, but Jacob addresses Issachar after his younger brother when he gives his prophetic blessing. This was unusual, as normally the patriarch would address his sons in the order in which they were born. This is possibly to do with the prophetic story being told through Jacob’s words for Israel as a nation, and I’ll look at what Issachar represents later on.
As I mentioned in the poem, Issachar’s name can be translated to mean “Man of hire” (ish saker). This refers to how Leah essentially “hired” her husband from her sister Rachel, who was Jacob’s preferred wife. This particular night between Leah and Jacob led to the conception of Issachar, and so his name, “man of hire”, therefore reflects this process that Leah went through. It speaks of a person whose labour can be bought or rented, and so although this was initially in reference to Leah “hiring” Jacob, it could be said that it gives the impression that from the moment of his conception, Issachar was destined to a life of manual labour.
There is a second possible translation of this name, which is “there is a reward” (yesh sakar). This meaning would suggest Issachar’s name came from Leah’s belief that her fifth son was a divine reward for previously giving her maid, Zilpah, to Jacob, as his concubine. As a result, Zilpah had given birth to two more of Jacob’s sons, thereby furthering the success of the family name and legacy, and so Leah viewed her own conception of a fifth son as a direct reward for doing this. Her words in verse 18 confirm this suggestion as she declares,
““God has given me my wages because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.”
This brings onto the scene the concept of the handmaid system and how both Leah and Rachel gave their maids to Jacob, as concubines, to conceive children on their behalf. Under their cultural system, any children born to Jacob through the handmaids, Zilpah and Bilhah, were legally the children of Leah and Rachel.
As I’ve mentioned a few times during these studies, multiple wives was never a part of God’s plan for marriage, and this dysfunctional household certainly gives us great evidence for why this is a disastrous idea! I think it’s so important for us to understand what’s going on in these verses, however, and why we see God working through this situation in spite of the fact that it wasn’t something He intended for marriage.
The polygamous marriages we read about in Scripture were not God’s plan at all; they were part of the manmade culture of the day. Furthermore, polygamy wasn’t set up primarily for carnal reasons, but rather, it was a system that was created as a type of insurance against the family becoming childless. A family without offspring in those days meant that they wouldn’t be able to support themselves financially and would have no prospects for the future.
Polygamous marriages were seen as a way to ensure greater chances of continuing on the family name, as well as preventing poverty and financial ruin. This was a practice that was developed in the culture, but outside the will of God, and so what we see through these verses is God’s grace and patience, working through a manmade system.
Thankfully, God did bring a stop to this practice, but not right away. The arrangement was so integral and interwoven within this culture that, had God brought an instant end, it would have caused a complete collapse and been too destructive for the inner structure of that society.
What’s clear is that God allowed the polygamous arrangement to continue for a time, but He did bring a gradual end to it through the law of Moses, which we can read about in Leviticus 18. We see in these verses that God’s law forbade polygamous marriage, and so going back to our text, while the arrangement between Jacob and the handmaids clearly wasn’t God’s plan for marriage, it was technically “legal” due to it being at a time prior to the law of Moses.
Studying these passages of Scripture and reading about the years of misery caused by this arrangement, we can certainly see why God brought an end to this practice! Multiple wives bring incredible conflict for everyone involved, and Leah’s words to her sister in Genesis 30:15 undoubtedly show that she feels Jacob is her husband. She makes it clear that in her mind, Jacob was not Rachel’s to take and she had stolen him from her.
What a sorrowful condition to be living in and what a damaging environment for the children to be raised in. As American theologian Donald Barnhouse once wrote on the matter,
“Is it any wonder that this family had a history of bloodshed? Children reflect the atmosphere of the home.”
It really highlights the truth that when it comes to marriage and the complexities of human relationships, it’s always best to listen to God’s wisdom and adhere to His plan for us. He gives us boundaries not to “spoil the fun”, but for our benefit and protection.
Jacob’s Prophetic Blessing
Jacob’s words to his ninth son, Issachar, are:
“Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens;
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.”
Jacob’s first words here seem to describe Issachar’s personality, which is rather significant. Something that’s very apparent through studying the twelve tribes of Israel is that the personalities of the tribe founders certainly influenced and helped define the traits of their tribe. Jacob’s description of Issachar here gives the impression that he’s as strong as a donkey, with perhaps a bit of a wild side!
A donkey is also a beast of burden, however, and so, as his name implies, Issachar is a man of labour with many burdens to bear. This eventually became true for the tribe of Issachar too, as they became known for being prosperous through physical labour and working the land. They were also known for their wisdom in agriculture and understanding the times and the seasons.
The tribe of Issachar did indeed find a pleasant land to settle in, just as Jacob’s words declared, and they settled in a region of Canaan, next to the Jordan River. Jacob’s last words to this particular son seem to be prophesying the fact that due to the position of the land inherited by Issachar, his tribe would often fall into the hands of foreign armies and different empires.
There was a well-used trade route known as “The Via Maris”, or “The Way of the Sea” or “The Way of the Kings”, which went through the valley where the tribe of Issachar dwelled. Being situated right in the middle of this trade route and being large in number meant that Issachar’s tribe was a regular target for armies passing through the region. As a result, they often ended up being captured or having to pay taxes as a “tribute” to a number of powerful empires and governments.
As I mentioned earlier, the tribe of Issachar also represents a particular stage in Israel’s history as a nation. In my last study, I took a summarised look at how through the first five sons of Jacob, we see Israel go from being a disappointing people to a dispersed people, delivered people, and then an exiled people.
What we see now through Issachar is the fifth stage in Israel’s history as they become an exploited people. During their time of exile, when they were dispersed into all the land, Israel became exploited and abused wherever they went. The nation of Israel comes up against the heavy burden of prejudice and persecution, and this is a devastating consequence of their rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
Interestingly, in spite of this, wherever the Jews have gone in the world, they’ve managed to prosper within the land. As a result of their prosperity, however, this too has caused many to heap the burden of persecution on them. Jacob’s words to Issachar about “lying down between two burdens”, seem to be reflected in the fact that the nation of Israel has had to lie down between the two burdens of both prosperity and persecution.
Jesus actually wept passionately over this heartbreaking condition for His people in Matthew 23:37-38. His words read,
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Thankfully, these words reveal that Yahweh has a wonderful plan of restoration in store, and praise the Lord that our God is faithful, even when we are not. It’s so encouraging to know that this is not the end of the matter when it comes to the nation of Israel. With Jesus, there is always a plan for redemption.
Closing Thoughts
Two main themes I see from studying the birth of Issachar and looking at his tribe are:
1.) God’s ways are better than our ways.
And
2.) God is faithful to us, even when we are unfaithful to Him.
Looking at the agony and years of misery caused for Jacob, Leah, Rachel and the whole family, it certainly gives us cause to consider wisely the decisions we make in life. Ungodly choices and going against God’s will can cause us a lifetime of heartache and upset. If we’re making important (or even minor) decisions in life right now, it might be a good idea to seek God’s will for us through prayer and godly counsel. Staying in the centre of God’s plan for our lives will always be the wisest choice.
We can also take great comfort from the truth revealed to us through the Scriptures that God’s faithfulness remains steadfast towards us, not because of who we are but because of who He is. Studying the tribe of Issachar may show us a season of difficulty and sorrow, but thankfully God has a plan of redemption.
We know this to be true for our own lives as well. Our past rebellion or rejection of God may have brought us into a time of facing the consequences of our actions, but with a repentant heart, we know God can restore and redeem the story. He is the God who is faithful to His covenant, and He is the Saviour whose love towards His people is unchanging. Praises to the God of Israel!
