When the power of grace penetrates through time, many situations are changed. There is no understanding of God’s judgment in the body of Christ. When God ends one season to begin another, or puts us through a transition, He must end or wipe out some old situations. This is why the tribe of Issachar could understand the times. She knew how certain structures had to end for a new season to begin.

Issachar was the ninth son of Jacob and the fifth son of Leah. The tribe of Issachar was strategically positioned with Judah and Zebulun (Num. 2:5; 10:14, 15). Zebulun, the tenth son of Jacob and youngest son of Leah, meant “dwelling, habitation”. Zebulun was the tribe of war, fleet and trade. Judah was the fourth son of Jacob and Leah. His name meant, “Praise be to HE.” Judah, as a conquering tribe, was prophetically always destined to go first into battle.

Now you can see why, the famous passage in 1 Chron. 12. 32, “Of the sons of Issachar, having understanding of the times to know what Israel should do, two hundred princes, and all their brethren under them,” had such significance at the time. The tribes were experiencing deep conflicts and transitions. The government was in flux. They were transitioning from ruling the house to ruling David. The latter came from the tribe of Judah. Issachar could provide ideas on how to make this transition. The tribe of Issachar had several distinct characteristics in its DNA.

One of them I want to discuss was prosperity.

“Reuben went out at the time of the wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the fields. He brought them to Léa, his mother. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me some of your son’s mandrakes, please. She answered him: Is it little that you have taken my husband, that you also take my son’s mandrakes? And Rachel said: Well! He will sleep with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes. In the evening, as Jacob was returning from the fields, Leah went out to meet him, and said: You will come to me, for I bought you for my son’s mandrakes. And he slept with her that night. God heard Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. Leah said: God gave me my salary because I gave my servant to my husband. And she called his name Issachar.”

The people of the tribe of Issachar would become servants, work for wages, and live comfortably. By understanding the times, you will prosper.

Many Christians do not know that God has His own calendar. His schedule is clearly revealed in the Bible. This calendar was followed by the Jews in the Old Testament, by Jesus, by the apostles in the New Testament and the early Church for centuries. During the Dark Ages, it turned away from God’s calendar and adopted the Roman calendar. As a result, she lost many blessings that God bestowed upon her at the time.

The good news is that God is restoring the holidays on His calendar. They are not rules to follow. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are free to celebrate them or not. But when we choose to align our lives with God’s celebrations/holidays, we enter into a cycle of blessings. Its festivals are celebrated at harvest time.

Once we understand these things, we move from blessing to blessing.

This text is an extract from the book “BE FILLED WITH BLESSINGS” written by Patrick DUCADY.

We invite you to read the following article “The expression little faith“.

The Cycle of Blessings