Sons of Issachar
We spend a lot of time praying about having discernment like the sons of Issachar but what does it actually mean? This is only mentioned once in the Bible so how do we come in to this kind of discernment?
“From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.”
- 1 Chronicles 12:32
This has become a very strong and consistent prayer point, but one thing that stands out to me is this kind of discernment goes beyond prayer. It is important when reading the Bible to not just take scriptures in isolation, but to understand the circumstances under which the scripture is used. Far too often we take scriptures in isolation and miss out on full understanding of it.
We are in a season where we are so hungry for change, were people have grown frustrated with circumstances, with leadership and with lack. People are hungry for more and this is no different from what was going on in scripture, people throughout Israel were ready for change and they stood up in unison around David to turn over the ‘kingdom of Saul to him.’ We see that Davis is surrounded by men of work from multiple tribes, the best soldiers the best of everything. The sons of Issachar represent the best tacticians, it is one thing to have great warriors but great warriors with poor direction becomes null and void. The Bible says they understood the times and seasons, it isn’t simply another prayer point, it would have taken a lifestyle of intentionality.
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful.”
- Joshua 1:8
“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
- John 14:26
The same way the Bible tells us to meditate on the Word day and night, to feed ourselves with scripture, and in the process of doing that the Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance as needed is the same way the sons of Issachar would have had to invest time in understand the culture, understanding the time, they were trained tacticians with spiritual wisdom. So we spend time crying out for the discernment of the sons of Issachar but what are we doing to position ourselves for the Holy Spirit to pour out that wisdom. We must understand how knowledge of the world we are in is necessary to spiritually impact it. Though we are not of the world we are in it and it takes and understanding of it to know how we will tactically change it for the Kingdom of heaven.
Exert from Life Application Study Bible:
1 Chronicles 12:32 - “The 200 leaders from the tribe of Issachar “understood the signs of the times.” As a result, their knowledge and judgment provided needed help in making decisions for the nation. For leaders in the church today, it is equally necessary to know what is happening in society in order to plan the best courses of action. Knowledge of current events, trends, and needs helps us understand people’s thoughts and attitudes. This gives us information to help us make wise decisions for the church and show people that God’s message is relevant to their lives.”