Well, dear church family, we this evening are going to start off really where we left off last time concerning Jacob's prophetic blessing of his sons. We consider Jacob's blessing of Reuben and Simeon and Levi, which in many cases seemed more of a curse really than a blessing, didn't it? And we thought at the end of those blessings of Reuben and Simeon and Levi, Judah would have been shaking in his boots, really, for his blessing. But in the end, we saw that if the letter of the prophecy killeth, as it were, then the Spirit really gave life. And we saw that, really, concerning many of them. We also looked at Judah's blessing which no doubt must have surprised many including Judah and Jacob himself. Remember Judah was one of the worst really in his depravity and yet we see really out of nowhere this wonderful spiritual prophecy and blessing coming upon Judah. Great kings would come from the tribe of Judah. That man after God's own heart, David, would come from Judah. And of course Solomon would set up the temple thereafter. And of course, much more can be said about Shiloh and Judah would become a mighty and a numerous and a rich tribe. And of course, the most important thing of that tribe would be that the Savior himself would come from the tribe of Judah, the Lion of Judah. But of course, time didn't suffice to just to carry on, so this really now brings us to Zebalun's blessing, verses 13. Zebalun shall dwell at the haven of the sea, and he shall be for an haven of ships, and his borders shall be unto Zidon. in the providence of God, Zebelin's descendants would have their lot upon the seacoast as merchants, as traders, as mariners. And of course this was to be fulfilled with stunning accuracy, because we're told a few hundred years later in Joshua 1911, of this of the stunning accuracy in this respect and little do we realize really beloved at times that it is God who appoints the bounds of our habitation. And so often we think that we're in control of the things in this life, but the Lord can very soon change that, can't he? We think that we, and I know this is certainly true of my life, I think I'm in control, I think that I can make my own way, my own plans, and then suddenly, very quickly, The Lord really, we realise that the Lord is absolutely sovereign. He appoints the bounds of our habitation. He is in control. And let this be a lesson to us, beloved, that never ever make plans, decisions, without the Lord. Ever. we can very quickly let that slip, whether that be in marriage, whether that be in location, whatever it is in life, make sure that we are fervently and wholeheartedly bringing all our plans, all our decisions to the Lord for guidance. We sometimes think the grass is greener on the other side, but let us make sure that we are coming to the Lord. It will be our wisdom to accommodate and use what God gives. So never despise thy lot. Zebulun would be for a haven of ships, we're told here. He would be pivotal in the materials needed and building the temple. And of course in fishing and in trading and and the much resources needed for the people of Israel, Zebulun would be pivotal. Zebulun's bays would therefore be, as the text says, a haven, and a haven for many, a haven of ships, a shelter, a safety, a refuge, a place of safety from the tempestuous storms of life, as it were. And Zebulun was the youngest of six, born by Leah. And upon Zebulun's birth, Leah said in Genesis 30, 20, God hath endowed me with a good dowry. Now will my husband dwell with me. And so we know, of course, a dowry is a gift back in those days given in exchange for a noble wife. And Zebelin would not only be an haven, a dwelling place, blessed with the abundance of the sea and the coast. Years to come, we know that Zebelin would become a spiritually blessed and honorable place because the savior of the world would begin his gospel ministry, his gospel saving ministry in that Galilean region. And we know that from Matthew 4, verses 13 and 17, where it says, and leaving Nazareth he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the seacoast, in the borders of Zebelim and Nethulim, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, the land of Zebelim and the land of Nethulim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people which sat in darkness saw great light, And to them which sat in the region and a shadow of death, light is sprung up. And from that time, Jesus began to preach, Matthew 4, 13 through 17. The light, of course, was Jesus Christ and his gospel. He would become the eternal haven for many afflicted souls. his ministry, gospel ministry, would start there and of course it would spread, wouldn't it, from coast to coast. And so Zebin would become an honorable dwelling place despite his part he played in selling Joseph in to save slavery. And beloved, Let me just say this, it's not how we begin in life. It's how we end our lives that matters really. We can begin like Zebelin. We can begin and start life doing great evil like Zebelin did. We can lead others astray. But if we end well, if we can be used of the Lord and not only point people to that great haven That great refuge and safety, Christ, and help people there, well, that's all we can ask of the Lord, can we not? To be used of Him. Well, much more can be said about Zebalun. Elon, the judge, came from Zebalun. So did, remember, Jonah, the prophet? He came from the tribe of Zebalun. Of course, he used ships, didn't he? Remember, to try to get away from God's judgment. Quite ironic, isn't it, that? Yet the Lord brought him back, did he not? And so this now brings us to Jacob's blessing of Issachar, verses 14 and 15 of Genesis 49. Issachar is a strong ass, a donkey, couching down between two burdens. He saw that rest was good and the land that it was pleasant and bowed his shoulder to bear and became a servant unto tribute. As the sacred text here informs us, the people of Issachar were a strong and an industrious people, like a donkey Like an ass, a strong donkey, they were strong but they were also very passive people. So like a donkey, a donkey is strong, a working donkey that is, would be very strong. would be able to put its, it would be able to carry lots in regards to farming, in regards to plowing and tilling the land, which that land was particularly suited for, would be able to carry a lot. But it was also very passive. In other words, it would be easily succumb to its enemies, which it was prone to. So Zebelin was a strong and industrious people. And like Zebulun, their land lay Issaqa was a strong and industrious people, and like Zebelin, their land lay in the northern kingdom of Israel, near Naftali, but more inland, which, of course, made them susceptible to attack. So if you think of Israel, and you've got Asher right on the coast, you've got Naftali beside it, and then you've got some of the other tribes below it. but you've got Zebelin next to it and I think Issachar next to it as well. And so they were quite susceptible to attack. Issachar here is again is compared to a donkey, a strong donkey, a strong ass which God endowed like a strong donkey to hard tillage and farming and which they really thrived in and which God had particularly suited them for in that land. And this was one of the burdens described here, which like a donkey, not a horse, patiently carries his burden as it were. And we can picture the burden of a donkey carrying sacks of seed or being used in terms of agriculture. Issachar was not resentful or embittered by hard labor, which he was called to. However, it says that the land was pleasant. Whilst Issachar was strong, Issachar did lack courage and perseverance and was too easily convinced to bow his shoulder to bear and become a servant and to tribute. So this is what we see with Issachar. Issachar was strong physically, was blessed with being hard-working, but spiritually complacent, too fond of rest, as it were, too easily given to tribute. And let this be a lesson to us. Though a man or a woman be gifted, outwardly with strengths or talents like Issachar was, let them rather covet the best gifts, the spiritual gifts as it were. Love for the Lord, love for his service, love for the eternal spiritual blessings, faith, perseverance. against those enemies of our soul who would bring us again into servitude of this world because we can be too fond really like Issachar of the rest of the land that the land was good was pleasant and so Issachar really we see here there was a fondness of the land a pleasantness of the land and so In other words, he lacked, there's a spiritual complacency here, too fond of worldly rest, too fond of worldly pleasures and that side of things. And it's a lesson for us to learn. Next is Dan, verses 16 and 17. Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. Of course, we know that one of the most prominent judges came out of Dan, Samson. Samson, of course, was A mighty man of faith, we know that from Hebrews. He was a great man of faith. And so a great leaders would come from Dan. However, it says here that Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path. And so, this tribe would show more cunning than courage. Dan would excel particularly in the strategy of war. He would be more cunning than in the force of arms. And we see that in particularly with Samson. Samson, a lot of modern commentators get it completely wrong with Samson. They say that he was out of control, almost portraying him as a pervert. But that was completely wrong. He was a great hero of the faith. If you read the passages of Samson carefully, it talks about how the Spirit of God came upon him. It was the Spirit of God that moved him to do these things. It wasn't him being out of control. It was the Spirit coming upon him. And so, And we know in the end that actually what he did was, in the end, 2,000 plus people, Philistines, were taken out in the end. So, like I said, the tribe of Dan were known more for their cunning than their courage. And with this said, there is also a severe sense that Dan, during certain dispensations, during certain times, would be a troublesome tribe. And we see this. It says, Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backwards. And so there is a sense that Dan during certain times would be troublesome. The very mention of course that Dan would be like a serpent by the way and like an adder in the path that biteth the the horse heels so that his rider shall fall back, reminds us of that enemy of our souls, doesn't it? Satan. Satan is always trying to bite at the heels of the Lord's church, the Lord Jesus Christ's church. He always wants us to fall back. He always wants us to fall and go backwards, as it were. In Deuteronomy 33, Moses predicts evil of Dan. We know there's often passages in the Old Testament that excludes Dan completely from certain lots. In Judges 18.30, we see that it was the tribe of Dan that introduced idolatry into Israel. Was it not Jeroboam in 1 Kings 12 26 through 30 that set up one of his idolatrous golden calves in Dan? Why did he do that? Well according to Amos 18 14 Dan later would become a center of idol worship in Israel. I'll just read that for you. Amos 8, 14. They that swear by the sin of Samaria. Remember, Dan was up in that northern region, in the Samarian region. And say, thy God, O Dan, liveth, and the manna of Bathsheba liveth. Even they shall fall and never rise up. And so Dan would become a center of idol worship. And some think that the serpent, by the way, is referring to the idea of the Antichrist here, coming from the tribe of Dan, according to Daniel 11, 37, and Jeremiah 18, 16. This is just pure speculation, of course. We don't know what tribe. Like I said, this is pure speculation. Maybe someone who's delved more into this can grant us further light here. But in the New Testament times, Judas Iscariot came from the tribe of Dan, who betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. And some think that Judas Iscariot came from the tribe of Dan, not Judah. It is because, if you read Revelation 7, John is on the isle of Patmos and he sees 12,000 being sealed from each of the tribes of Israel, each tribe of Israel, 12,000 being sealed except the tribe of Dan, except the tribe of Dan. And while this blessing to poor Dan must have seemed incredibly bleak, you can imagine poor Dan, and depressing, if it were not really for the words that come directly after from Jacob in Genesis 49, 18, it's almost like after Judah and the great blessings, there's almost like a going down again with Dan. And almost like within the lull of the storm, we see here Jacob, Israel, saying, I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. He has waited for his savior. He has waited for the salvation of the Lord, for the covenant-keeping God, for the Lord that keeps promise forever. Out of the pit of Dan's prophecy, as it were, Jacob is comforted with a glorious vision of the Lord, Jesus Christ himself, of the Lord's salvation. I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. And he is comforted greatly from this. Jacob throughout his life had been much plagued by the devil and the devil's minions, of course. He knew what it was like inwardly, as it were, to be like a Danite. Jacob knew full well of this, to have everything stacked against him, spiritually speaking. His early years were plagued, were they not, of schemes, of tricks, of many such things. So Jacob knew what it was to feel like a Danite, to be plagued by the devil, as it were, to have the devil nipping at his heels, and in his family's heels as well, as we know. And so Jacob knew what it was to be like a Danite. He knew what it was to fail the Lord, to let the Lord down as it were, even to be a bad example. And we see here really Jacob is done now. He is done. He is done with with these things. And we see him saying, I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. He is eager to be done with Satan, sin, this world, the Danites, as it were, biting at his heels. He is done with all these things, and now he is ready to forever be with the Lord. He eagerly anticipates being with the Lord. I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. Jacob knew what it was like to be a Danite. And perhaps this is true of us. When all seems to be bleak around us, as it were, dark circumstantial clouds hang over us, and you feel that you're continually being hounded not necessarily by the devil, we know he can only be at one place, but the influences of him are all around us. And we can feel like we're hounded, we're afflicted, our loved ones, and we can feel disgusted at the old man within, as it were, the inner Danite, as it were. And few people truly actually understand what we're going through. As Christians, it can be often quite a lonely walk because people don't understand what we're going through. And we lament over our own weakness that we, although we're the Lords, that we still, we lament over our failures and over our lack of progress in the spiritual life. Well friends, like I said, if you're feeling like Dan, where you feel the inner Danite biting at your heels, wanting you to draw back. Do as Jacob did. Cry unto the Lord. I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. Thy covenant, and we see him here, Jacob, full of covenantal promises. Now he's fully assured. He's done with this world now. The Lord has, he's absolutely fully assured of the Lord. Now he knows where he's going. I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. Look outside of yourself to the Lord, to the only saviour of sinners, to the one who has accomplished in full your complete salvation. It is finished. And of course Jacob knew that. And so speaking of victory and triumph in the end that's what the blessing of gad here implies verse 19 gad a troop shall overcome him but he shall overcome at the last gad also like issachar was subject to attack susceptible to the attack of God's enemies as well. Gad was close as well up on the northern kingdom, close to Ammon, and so very susceptible to the attacks of God's enemies. In the days of Jeremiah, amongst other times, Gad was oppressed and attacked by foreign enemies. And we know this from Jeremiah 49.1. But in the end, we're told that Gad would overcome. He would have the victory. And we know from 1 Chronicles, I'm sorry about all the references here, but I think it's needful. I've got them if anyone wants to ask me for them. But in 1 Chronicles 12, 14, It tells us that Gad supplied many fine troops later on to King David. Many of the best troops would come from Gad. And so Dan, sorry I'm getting my names mixed up, Gad would be afflicted but in the end he would overcome. And of course every true child of God can identify with this in terms of the spiritual warfare. There will be times, there will be battles, and times in our life, in our spiritual walk with the Lord, where we will lose battles. There will be battles in our life. There will be times where we will feel overwhelmed and afflicted. But praise be to the Lord, there will also be times where we'll be given such faith that the Lord will overcome. Nothing will seem too much trouble. No circumstance will seem too great where the Lord will help us to overcome then. And we will have the victory in the end like Jacob. And like I said, again, it's not how you begin. It's how you end that really does matter. And we kind of see this theme really. It's how you end that matters. You can begin I mean, I'll give you an example of my dad, actually. He said to me, I used to get up at six in the morning, I used to pray, read my Bible, I used to do all these things for years and years and years and years, he said, and then out of nowhere, he just left, just left the faith, went to some liberal churches for a while, and now he's, you know, It's beliefs in lots of different things, lots of different things, but it's not how you begin. And I'm not saying that we are to read the Bible, we are to seek God's means of grace, but it's how you end, really, that matters. It's whether you're truly following the Lord and you love the Lord and you've been born again. That's what's gonna count at the end, is if you are truly converted. And time is pressing on. Let me move on to Asher, verse 20. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. Asher was, again, upon the north coast, right up on the north coast, placed in a very fertile region where everything was crowned with delight. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. And so the great produce and prosperity of that land would not only produce the necessities for the people but it also would produce great luxuries as well. It was a bountiful land in so much that it was fit for kings and it attracted such. It was fit for royalty. And of course this made Asher of a happy character. In fact his name means happy one because Lear upon the birth of Asher in Genesis 30, 13, said, happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed. And she called his name Asher. In Deuteronomy 33, 24, Moses speaks of Asher's riches and prosperity, prophetically speaking. And however, in Judges though, and here's the warning, Judges 5, 17, Asher is mentioned alongside the Danites, Dan, for their laziness and complacency in not helping God's people. Judges 5, 17, Gilead abode beyond Jordan. And why did Dan remain in the ships? Asher continued on the seashore and abode in his breeches. This inconsistency in helping God's people reveals a lack of reliance upon the Lord God. That's what it really, it reveals. That a lack of reliance because an overindulgence upon the blessings upon that land. And that's a warning for us today. Remember that land was at the top near Samaria. Remember that's where the woman caught in adultery was from, from that area, Samaria. It was well known that the area on the top coast, it was well known for its abundance, its luxuries as it were. And we have here a warning that though this land would bring forth plenty and it would be a blessing to them, it also in another sense could be a curse. because they can give their hearts to the indulgence upon the lands. And there's so many passages of scripture that talk about this. 1 John 3, 17, but whosoever have this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels with compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? There's passages in Peter, there's so many passages that talk about the dangers really of giving our hearts to the things of this world. I'm not saying that we can't have certain luxuries and ice cream and we all know that I love ice cream and all these other things but that there is a danger, especially in our affluent culture, that we become spiritually complacent that we think, I'm not going to go to Bible study this evening. I'm not going to help God's people this evening. I'm not going to do this this evening. I'm not going to go out on a Saturday and be amongst God's people in the open. Because I'd rather watch telly, or I'd rather just do this. And there's a danger of those things. Spurgeon puts it well when he says, oh, to have our inheritance where we feed upon the bread of heaven and where the deep truths of God become to us our royal dainties. He puts it very well, doesn't he? And we say amen to that, that we may be those who ever feed upon him, that he is more than our daily bread, as it were, our necessities. And I think we really need more of that in our culture. I think that's something which is very much undermined in our culture, that's crept in, especially, sadly, in the reform side of things. Because we love the doctrines of liberty and They are true, but often I think they are abused. Let me finish tonight's study with Naphtali. Verse 21. Naphtali is a hind let loose. He giveth goodly words. Naphtali's land was beside the sea of Galilee. Don't get me wrong, when we talk about the sea of Galilee, it's not the ocean. It's the huge lake, wasn't it? It was like a sea, it was massive. And so Naphtali was beside the Sea of Galilee. This was the region, of course, where the Lord Jesus did much of his ministry. And hence he giveth goodly words, because Christ would bring the precious words of eternal life to many in that region. And we know in that Sumerian region, we think about the woman caught in adultery, and the Lord Jesus, not the woman caught in adultery, but the woman at the well, and the Lord Jesus asked her about her husband, and she said, You've got five husbands." And she said, she said, well this man, no one ever spoke like this man. All the words of this life, life he spoke to me, these goodly words you see, these words of eternal life, he knows me inside and out. Naftali was also known as a messenger of good news. He was first to reach Jacob, wasn't he, Nathalie, to bring the news that Joseph was still alive. Like a hind let loose to give that joy to Jacob that he is yet still alive. And what a joy it is for us to be let loose, is it not, dear brethren? Let loose because Christ still lives, that he is resurrected. that our greater Joseph, Christ, still lives. And we are let loose. We are at liberty, as it were, to serve and to love him, to be employed, as it were, as a hind let loose with great joy. Dear friends, we can also tell people of the good news of Christ, that he is a haven, that he is a refuge. that point people to his words. And so we, with great joy, dear friends, can be let loose, as it were, to bring goodly words, the words of our Savior, who is willing and ready to save souls. And as ever, dear brethren, that's as far as I got, really, in the study. I'm gonna carry on with Joseph next time. But let us remember that for whatsoever These things were written aforetime, as it says in Romans, were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. Amen. Feel free to contact us at Sovereign Grace Church in Tiverton. Email us at grace2seekers at gmail.com. That's grace2seekers at gmail.com. Alternatively, you can visit our website at www.sovereigngracereformedchurch.co.uk.