So how did Jacob know in Genesis 49:13, that his tenth son Zebulun (and sixth son by Leah) would “live by the seashore and become a haven for ships, and his border would extend toward Sidon”? Was it simply God inspiring the prophecy, or that Jacob somehow knew what Zebulun would turn out to be? But either way, why would it matter to us today?
One reason it matters is knowing if the prophecy came true, to see if the Bible really does predict things long before they happen. Fortunately, Matthew 4 nicely confirms that for us, when – 1800 years after Jacob’s prophecy – “Jesus went and lived in Capernaum, by the lake (Galilee) in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali – to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah (in Isaiah 9:1): ‘Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan,’” verses 13-15.
In Matthew, then, Zebulun not only still exists, it’s also still associated with “the sea,” as it was in Jacob’s original prophecy about Zebulun in Genesis 49, and in Isaiah’s later prophecy in Isaiah 9. And the same again in Moses’ prophecy about Zebulun in Deuteronomy 33:18-19, when he predicts that Zebulun “will feast on the abundance of the seas.”
Which also ties in nicely with Jacob specifically mentioning Sidon in Genesis 49:13 and the importance of Zebulun being butted up against it, because Sidon was a wealthy port city on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and well known for its fishery. The name Sidon even means “fishery” in both Hebrew and Greek, so in Zebulun’s connection with Sidon it had direct access to Sidon’s huge fishing industry and the “abundance of the seas” (that Moses predicted), as well as its port, the “haven of ships” that Jacob predicted.
Zebulun’s hugely significant connection with Sidon would also explain Moses’ other prophecy for Zebulun in Deuteronomy 33:19, that not only would Zebulun feast on the abundance of the seas, but also on “the treasures hidden in the sand.” How did Moses know that one day the production of glass – from sand – would become a vast industry in Sidon, and the glassmakers of Sidon would become famous for their skill? Or that Sidon would also become famous for its purple dye extracted from small shells, a dye so rare it became the mark of royalty – shells also being “treasures hidden in the sand.”
But there’s an even greater prophecy fulfilled in the tribe of Zebulun that proves the Bible is true: it’s “Zebulun’s connection with Jesus”….(next blog)
Buck To Basics 