And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; And thou, Issachar, in thy tents!
Moses ends his life by blessing the tribes, and here he joins two brothers in a single blessing. One goes out, the other stays in his tents, and both hear the same command: rejoice.
Jacob's earlier words over his sons in Genesis 49 do not sound like Moses' words here. One writer explains why.
There is a decided difference between the words of Jacob and the words of Moses over the twelve tribes. Jacob regarded them as children; Moses regarded them as tribes of the Lord. The one was anticipating their own conduct and history. The other was putting each of them in that place of honour and blessing which God had settled and secured for them. So in the words of Moses, you get nothing but blessing. No mention of any fault or evil of their own, but God disposing of them all according to His own purpose of grace. It is the tribes under the covenant of promise in the last days. There may be, and are, differing glories among them, but all are blessed. All that is forgotten.
Why is Zebulun linked with going out? An earlier word spoken over him pointed to the sea.
Jacob foretold what would happen to his sons in the last days. He said, "Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon" (Gen. 49:13). So Zebulun stands for Israel having dealings with the Gentiles for profit.
Put Jacob's prophecy next to Moses' blessing, and the same two tribes appear in a new light.
In Jacob's prophecy we see the one stretching out toward the nations around them, and the other crouching under their yoke. We are reminded of this here, though how different it all is now. Zebulun may now rejoice in going out, Issachar in the tents of her pilgrimage. They still stretch out toward the nations. But they are now ambassadors of a present King, and they carry a joyful invitation to come up and honour Him… It is a different kind of trade from the one that attracted Israel in the past: now the nations are the ones attracted.
Does this blessing describe something already true, or something still ahead?
The blessings of Zebulun and Issachar seem to be yet future. The blessing of Gad seems to establish relations that already existed.
Is one calling greater than the other — the tribe that travels or the tribe that stays?
These two tribes are taken together, Zebulun in his going out and Issachar in his tents. But both are told to rejoice (v.18). We too should rejoice in going out to share Christ with others. And we should rejoice in the quiet place apart as well, where we may enjoy communion with the Lord.
Joy in either place must be fed from somewhere.
It will be joy at home and abroad. There will be power to act on others as well… All of this rests on one thing: they themselves will draw from the abundance of the seas and from hidden treasures. So it always is in principle. It is our privilege to rejoice in the Lord, come what may. It is our privilege to draw from those eternal springs and hidden treasures found in Himself.
Two men connected with this tribe answered its calling in opposite ways. The first is the Lord Himself.
It would appear that Zebulun's special portion from the Lord was to "go out." Our own Lord and Master was brought up in Nazareth, in the country of Zebulun. How truly He fulfilled this character of Zebulun — to "go out." Out from the palace of His glory, down to this world of sorrow, His path was always one of "going out," until that last terrible day when "He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull."
The other man was the prophet Jonah, who belonged to this tribe.
Jonah belonged to the tribe of Zebulun. Had he realised the portion and the privilege God had given him in that, he would have rejoiced in his going out, as the terms of the blessing say. But sad to say, Jonah is famous for his reluctance in going out, not for his joy.
- Grace first. Moses names no sin here. God blesses the tribes by His own purpose of grace, and old failures are forgotten.
- Grace reverses. Once Zebulun traded with the nations for profit. Now he goes out as an ambassador, inviting the nations in.
- Grace commands joy. The sent one and the settled one receive the same word: rejoice. Neither calling is second-class.
- Grace supplies. Joy at home and abroad rests on drawing from the hidden treasures found in the Lord Himself. Only then can we call others.
- Grace tested. Jonah dragged his feet in going out. Christ, brought up in Zebulun's country, went out from His glory to the cross.
They shall invite [the] peoples to the mountain; There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness; For they will suck the abundance of the seas, And the hidden treasures of the sand.
Moses blesses Zebulun and Issachar together. He pictures a people who call the nations to a mountain to worship, and who grow rich from the sea. Which mountain is it, what are right sacrifices, and how does wealth fit into a blessing about worship?
One writer sums up the difference between the two in a single line:
Zebulun's blessing looks outward, Issachar's inward.
Another writer sets their timing apart from Gad's:
The blessings of Zebulun and Issachar seem to be yet future, while those of Gad establish the relations which already existed.
Who are the "peoples," and which mountain is meant? One writer answers both:
The correct translation of verse 19 is "they shall call the peoples (Gentiles) to the mountain." The mountain is Mount Zion and the Lord's house. It will be a house of prayer for all nations. The nations will go there to worship (Isa. 2:14). We have therefore a prophetic description of the blessings which Gentiles receive through a saved Israel.
Jacob's earlier prophecy over these two sons pictured them very differently. Here the traffic runs the other way.
Zebulun and Issachar are joined together. In Jacob's prophecy we see the one stretching out toward the nations round about, and the other crouching under their yoke. We are reminded of this here, though how different everything is now. Zebulun may now rejoice in going out, and Issachar in the tents of her pilgrimage. They still stretch out toward the nations. But now they are ambassadors of a present King, carrying a joyful invitation to come up and do Him homage... This is a different trade from the one that attracted Israel in the past. Now the nations are the ones attracted, and Israel draws from the abundance of the seas, and from the treasures hidden in the sand of the seashore (the ports on its coasts?).
The verse ends with wealth from the sea and the sand. One writer says where it comes from:
The abundance of the seas and the treasures hidden in the sand speak of the Gentile nations also contributing to the blessing of Israel... This wealth in the seas is only symbolic of the wealth that Gentiles will bring to share with Israel in the millennium.
The ESV calls them "right sacrifices"; the writers call them "sacrifices of righteousness." One writer shows what they recall:
In going out they shall call the peoples to the mountain, no doubt the mountain of the house of the Lord (v.19). And there closeness to the Lord will have its place, with sacrifices of righteousness. These sacrifices will call to mind the one great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on Calvary. Sharing in this blessing will be precious. It is precious today too, to share with God's people the enjoyment of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.
The same phrase appears in the Psalms. One writer follows it to a costlier offering:
In Psalm 4:5 and in Deuteronomy 33:19 we read of "sacrifices of righteousness." In Psalm 51:17 we read, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." It may be that from a broken spirit the sweetest fragrance goes up to God. And it may be that some of the sorrows of God's people that puzzle us now have this fragrance in view... Such a sacrifice — and it is a very costly one, perhaps one of the most costly of all — our God will not despise.
The verse ends with a reason: they draw from the seas and the sand. One writer turns that order into a principle:
Zebulun is to rejoice in his going out, and Issachar in staying in his tents. It will be joy at home and abroad; and there will be power to act on others too — calling the people to the mountain to offer the sacrifices of righteousness. All this rests on one thing: they themselves will draw from the abundance of the seas and from hidden treasures. So it always is in principle. It is our privilege to rejoice in the Lord, come what may, and to draw from those eternal springs and hidden treasures that are found in Himself. Then we will be in a condition of soul to call others to taste and see that the Lord is good.
- Draw first — the call and the offering rest on what the tribes themselves receive. Supply comes before service.
- Rejoice both ways — one tribe on the move, one at home in the tents. Both kinds of joy are blessed.
- Call the peoples — the call goes out to the nations. The mountain is Zion, the Lord's house, a house of prayer for all nations.
- Offer sacrifices — the sacrifices there recall the one great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. The same phrase elsewhere points to a broken and contrite heart, a costly gift God will not despise.
- Receive the wealth — the trade reverses. Israel no longer goes out for gain; the nations come in and bring their riches to her.