A rather cryptic prophecy had been made about Issachar in Genesis 49:14-15, that must have made his descendants curious as to what it meant, and could they figure it out from their own experience and history too?
Did they need to figure it out, though? But what if it was meant to be of benefit to all Israel? It would be nice knowing that, wouldn’t it? They could enter each day knowing that God had a specific purpose in mind for them that would be much appreciated by others, that tied in perfectly with God’s plan for Israel too. But that’s exactly what happened to the tribe of Issachar. God had gifted them with insight and wisdom to enable them to meet a crucial need (1 Chronicles 12:32), just as Jacob had predicted when comparing them to a donkey (Genesis 49:14) – donkeys being prized for their ability to know what to do as well.
Imagine, then, knowing that we’ve been gifted by God, and with obvious clues as to what our gifts are too. Well, that’s exactly what Jesus predicted for his disciples in John 14:16-17 – that the Father would give them “another Counselor to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth,” and that they’d “know” it too (17), “for he (the Spirit) lives with you and will be in you.”
So Jesus’ disciples would know what God had given them to do because it was the Spirit’s job in them “to make it known to them,” John 16:15.
God made the tribe of Issachar’s gift known to them as well, as they found themselves with an “understanding of the times and knowing what Israel should do” at a hugely confusing time in Israel’s history. So what gifts from God do we find ourselves with, that also give us the ability to meet a need and benefit others? Paul dropped us a few clues in 1 Corinthians 12, when he wrote about “different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit,” and “to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good,” verses 4 and 7 – just as Issachar’s gift of wisdom and insight was given for the common good of Israel.
So from Issachar’s example, and from Paul, we can know by the gifts that God’s given us what he’s given us to do – in how our gifts are of benefit to others in some way. It was by need and experience that the tribe of Issachar learnt what their gift was. So is it the same for us, that as needs arise and we find ourselves able and willing to meet them, we’re “Learning what our gifts are” too?….(next blog)
Buck To Basics 