Introduction to the Tribes

by

Gwen R. Shaw
 Copyright 1982, Gwen R. Shaw
End-Time Handmaidens, Inc.
P.O. Box 447
Jasper, Arkansas 72641

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States o f America

 FOREW ORD

While still on the mission field, God began to speak to me concerning the sym
bolic meaning o f the Tribes o f Israel in these last days.

When I returned to America in 1970, I found th at God was speaking to others

also. I began to m ake an in-depth study on the 13 tribes o f Israel.

I soon saw th at, even as the Tabernacle, the furnishings o f the Tabernacle, the
priestly garm ents and order o f sacrifices all pertained to a later fulfillm ent in G od’s
tim e plan. So the different tribes are symbolic o f G od’s great com pany o f overcomers.

Before you begin this study, let me share w ith you th at God has not shown me
th at the 144,000 o f Revelation 7 are natural Tribes o f Israel. I believe they are spiritual
tribes, even Gentiles who will fulfill the callings, inheritances and destiny o f the
original Tribes o f Israel.

God is speaking to m any, revealing to them what tribe they are. These are exciting
days. G od’s Word is coming alive.

I pray th at as you begin this study you will find your place around the Tabernacle
o f God, that you m ay fulfill your holy destiny.

Gwen R. Shaw
 TYPES AND SYMBOLS

Types and sym bols in the Bible hold the secrets o f G od’s heart. We can never
know the depth o f G od’s tru th s unless we can com prehend the m eaning o f types and
symbols. Not only does God teach through types and shadows, Jesus Christ also
taught in parables. God wants us to do some digging in His word. While the Gospel
story is so simple th at even a child can understand it, the deeper things o f God are dis
covered by searching and researching into His word.

NUMBERS

Even num bers mean som ething im portant in the Bible. Whole books have been
w ritten by excellent scholars on num erology. Some Bible students have made it a life
tim e study just to search out the m eaning o f the different num bers o f the Bible, such
as 1 , 2 , 3, 6, 7, 10, 40, 120, 144,000 and so forth. The purpose o f this study is not to
take time to search out these things. O thers m ore capable than m yself have done
m uch research on this subject. I would encourage you to get a good book and spend
some time in this type o f research.*

PERSONAL PRONOUNS

No good Bible teacher ever by-passes the meaning of the different names in the
Bible. Every nam e bears a definite im pact upon its owner. When God chose a prophet,
He usually gave him a name. This was so im portant that even heathen kings such as
Pharaoh and N ebuchadnezzar changed the names o f those who played an im portant
part in their kingdom . Joseph’s name was changed to Zaphnath-paaneah (the saviour
o f the world, the bread o f life) by Pharaoh (Genesis 41:45), and Daniel’s name was
changed to Belteshazzar (the p rotector o f his life). Hananiah’s, Mishael’s and Aza-
riah’s names were changed to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and we still know
them by these names. (Daniel 1:7)

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, after the birth of Ishmael, God appeared
to Abram and m ade a covenant o f holiness with him and promised th at he would make
him the father o f m any nations. He also changed his name from Abram (great father)
to Abraham (fath er o f m ultitudes). “ Neither shall thy name any more be called
Abram , but thy name shall be Abraham ; for a father o f many nations have I made
th ee.” (Genesis 17:5) God changed his name to fit his calling.
i

God named Isaac before he was conceived in Sarah’s womb. “ And God said,
Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I
will establish m y covenant w ith him for an everlasting covenant, and w ith his seed after

’ “ Numbers In Scripture” by E.W. Bullinger available from End-Time H andmaidens, P.O.Box 447, Jasper, ARK 72641
for S9.95 plus postage and handling.

1
him .” (Genesis 1 7:19) Isaac m eans “ laughter, cheerful, happy, serene, calm, un
ruffled.” This v truly typical o f the life o f Isaac. Even in trying circumstances,
when his enemies filled up his wells, he was able to stay serene and unruffled. His
nam e was a rem inder to Sarah, th at after ninety years o f suffering and waiting for a
son, God had caused her to be happy and to laugh. Isaac becam e her happiness. It
was through him th a t the descendants o f Israel would come.

JACOB, THE SUPPLANTER

When Jacob, th e son o f Isaac, was bom , he was the youngest o f tw in boys. His
brother “ came o ut red , all over like an hairy garm ent; and they called his nam e Esau.
And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his
name was called Ja co b .” (Genesis 25:25,26) Jacob means “ supplanter” or “ to take
the place of, especially through force or scheming.” Jacob was not named Jacob by
the Lord. His fam ily or the midwife gave him his name and he lived up to it when he
stole the birthright o f Esau by trickery. Esau in grief cried out, “ Is n o t he rightly
named Jacob? for he h ath supplanted me these tw o times: he took away my birth
right; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing.” (Genesis 2 7 :3 6 )

God blessed Jacob because o f the promise He had given his m other Rebecca even
before he was born, (Genesis 25:23) and even under the name of supplanter He pros
pered him greatly. He became rich in cattle, sheep and children. But God could not
fulfill the covenant o f true greatness, which is an eternal covenant, until He could
change his name; and God could not change his name until He had broken his old nature
of cunning and trickery. God cannot use us as long as we allow the “ old nature” to
rule us and control us.

If there was one thing that Jacob feared, it was the w rath o f his brother Esau. If God
had n o t appeared to him in Haran and told him to return to his family he would never have
gone back, no m atter how m uch he had to suffer from his father-in-law, Laban. (Genesis
31:13) When God speaks to us and comm ands us to do som ething hard, He gives us the
strength to do it.

Jacob still was n o t ready, in his old nature, to face his enemy. First o f all, God
began to “ work him over.” God got him alone, and there He wrestled w ith Jacob as man
to man until the breaking o f the day. Jacob knew it was God who was wrestling with him
and th a t he could n o t let Him get away until He had blessed him. The m ighty Wrestler
“ touched” the hollow o f Jacob’s thigh and p u t it out o f jo in t. Jacob was in agony; he
could n o t trust in the strength o f his loins to conquer his Adversary. But w ith the
m ighty pow er o f his shoulders and arms and hands he held on to God. Jacob’s arms had
been m ade strong from the many years, when he, as a shepherd, had carried the sick
and lame lambs and sheep for miles in the wilderness. Now this strength was the key
to overcoming his O pponent. He held on so desperately th at the heavenly Wrestler
could n o t get away u ntil He had blessed Jacob, and then Jacob released his hold on Him.

2
 ISRAEL, THE PRINCE

This blessing could not be his until he dropped o ff the “ Jacob” nature and
took on the princely nature o f the Lord w ith whom he had wrestled. The Lord said to
him, “What is th y name? And he said Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called
no m ore Jacob, b u t Israel: for as a prince hast thou pow er w ith God and with m en, and
hast prevailed.” (Genesis 32:27,28)

Israel m eans “ G od’s fighter, G od’s hero, wrestler w ith G od, ruler with El (God),
Prince o f G od.” Before God could raise him up as the m ighty father o f a holy race,
God had to sanctify him. U nfortunately, all his sons except Benjamin were bom o f the
old Jacob, and n o t o f the new m an, whose nature had been changed at Peniel, the place
where he w restled w ith God. This is one reason th at they had so many faults and
weaknesses which they had to deal w ith in their lives before they could become the
great patriarchs o f the nation o f Israel.

Israel was b o m through wrestling, even great and terrible wrestling. He was
bom in the darkness o f the night. All alone, as one man, Jacob fought with his old
nature to conquer it th a t he m ight be reborn for greater and nobler things. God must
often get us alone, and in the darkest places o f our life, He brings us face to face with
reality. Jacob’s greatest victory was n ot his strength to hold on to the mighty Wrestler,
but when he was asked by the Lord, “ What is thy nam e?” and he had to confess...
“ Jacob.” God w ants us to look at ourselves and see what we really are. He cannot
change us until we see the need for change in our lives.

RESTORATION

A fter the resurrection o f Jesus Christ, the disciples asked Him a very im
p ortant question th at was on all o f their hearts. “ ...Lord, wilt thou at this time re
store again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) This question was on the heart of
every Jew. They knew th at their prophets had prophesied th at Israel would be re
stored in the last days. Daniel, the great end-tim e prophet had prophesied, “ Know
therefore and understand, th a t from the going forth o f the com m andm ent to restore
and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and
threescore and tw o weeks: the streets shall be built again, and the wall, even in
troublous tim es.” (Daniel 9:25)

Many prophets had prom ised the restoration o f Israel. Jerem iah, Isaiah, Eze
kiel, Zechariah, Malachi, and others. Joel had prophesied, “ I will restore to you
the years th at the locust h ath eaten, the cankerw orm , and the caterpiller, and the
palm erworm , m y great army which I sent among y o u .” (Joel 2 :25) This great
army was the tw o different armies from the n o rth who had carried the children
of Israel into captivity. First, the Assyrian arm y came down on the divided kingdom

3
 o f the ten tribes, besieged Samaria, and carried them into captivity (II Kings 17:4-6);
and only the tribe o f Judah was left, (II Kings 17:18) Assyria was a great and power
ful co u n try lying on th e Tigris; its capital was Nineveh. Ten tribes were taken into cap
tivity around B.C. 700.

In B.C. 600 the tribe o f Judah was carried into captivity by the great Babylonian
army o f Nebuchadnezzar. (Jerem iah 52:24-30) Jerusalem was burnt dow n, the great
tem ple o f Solomon was destroyed, together w ith the houses and palaces o f the great
m en. (Jerem iah 5 2 :1 3 )

Joel, the end-tim e prophet, dared to cry o u t in the face o f all this holocaust that
Israel would be restored: the years th a t the great arm y had destroyed would be re
stored.

Zechariah prophesied the rebuilding of G od’s house in Jerusalem and the full
restoration o f the city.

Jerem iah prophesied that the Lord would lead the seed of the house o f Israel out
o f the n o rth c o u n try ,.a n d all the countries w hither they had been driven, and they
“ SHALL DWELL IN TH EIR OWN LAND.”

RESTORATION OF THE TRIBES PROPHESIED

One of the greatest prophecies concerning the restoration o f Israel is given by

the great prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah 49:6 he says, “ ...It is a light thing that thou should-
est be m y servant to raise up the tribes o f Jacob, and to restore the preserved of
Israel:...” In Isaiah 63 :1 7 : “ ...R eturn for thy servants’ sake, the tribes o f thine in
heritance.”

The word RESTORATION in the Old Testam ent is taken from the Hebrew word,
shalam which means “ to be safe, com pleted, to finish, to give again, to recom pense,
to m ake restitu tio n .” In the New Testam ent it comes from the Greek word apoka-
thistem i which m eans “ to reconstitute in health, hom e and organization.”

Malachi prophesied, “ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the
coming o f the great and dreadful day o f the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of
the fathers to the children, and the heart o f the children to their fathers, lest I come
and smite the earth w ith a curse.” (Malachi 4:5,6)

Jesus said in M atthew 17:11, “ ...Elias truly shall first come, and restore all
things.”

Who is this Elijah th a t shall return to earth? Was John the Baptist a reincar
nation o f Elijah as som e believe? No, I believe th at John was n o t Elijah, b u t th at he

4
 came in the pow er and the anointing o f Elijah. Even as Elijah bequeathed to Elisha
his double p o rtio n o f pow er, so he bequeathed it to John the Baptist. In the last
days, the days o f restoration, when the Lord will fulfill the prophecy o f Joel and
send us the form er rain and the latter rain together (Joel 2:23), we will have that
double-portion-anointed com pany o f saints who will be raised up as deliverers with
b o th the anointing o f Elijah and the anointing o f John. They will finish the old
kingdom and bring in the new kingdom o f God. Elijah’s m inistry was to judge the
system o f id o latry and Jo h n ’s m inistry was to proclaim , “ The Kingdom o f God is
at hand,” and to call all m en to repentance. This will be the double-portion, end-
tim e m inistry.

Paul saw th e restoration o f Israel when he w rote, “ F o r I would n o t, brethren, that

ye should be ignorant o f this m ystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that
blindness in p a rt is happened to Israel, until the fulness o f the Gentiles be come in.
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is w ritten, There shall come o u t o f Sion the Deli
verer, and shall tu rn away ungodliness from Jaco b :” (Rom ans 11:25,26) He saw the
great work w hich this restored Israel would do when he said, “ F or if the casting away
o f them be th e reconciling o f the world, what shall the receiving o f them be, but life
from the dead?” (Rom ans 11:15) R estoration can never be com plete until Israel is
restored.

But the w onderful m ystery is that Israel is not only the blessed and loved nation
we call Israel, b u t every child of faith who has been grafted into the root of Abraham
by faith. In Galatians 3:7 we read, “ Know ye therefore that they which are o f faith,
the same are the children of Abraham .... And if ye be C hrist’s, then are ye Abraham ’s
seed, and heirs according to the prom ise.” (Galatians 3:29)

Isaiah prophesied, “ Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of
us, and Israel acknowledge us n o t.” (Isaiah 63:16) Paul echoed this tru th in Romans
9:6: “ ...F or th ey are not all Israel, which are o f Israel...but the children o f the promise
are counted for the seed.” (verse 8) If we are the chosen seed of Israel by faith, then
we can claim th e promises o f full restoration prom ised to Israel in health, spiritual
authority and in the end-tim e organization o f the Holy Spirit.

The tim e has come for us to come into m aturity and know our place in G od’s
end-time organization o f the Holy Spirit. We cannot be restored o r be a part of the
Lord’s restoration unless we know what G od’s divine plan o f the ages is.

To find th a t, we m ust look into G od’s original plan.

TH E TABERNACLE, THE PRIESTHOOD AND THE TRIBES

The tabernacle in the wilderness was a type o f the eternal, heavenly sanctuary o f
saints o f all ages on earth and in heaven. It is th a t great body o f believers in whose

5
innerm ost being the Holy one o f Israel dwelleth. It is a shadow o f the true tabernacle,
which the Lord pitched, and not man. (Hebrews 8:2) It is the eternal dwelling place
o f God. “ ...the tabernacle o f God is w ith men, and he will dwell with them , and they
shall be his people, and God him self shall be w ith them , and be their G od.” (Revela
tion 2 1 :3)

The FURNISHINGS O F THE TABERNACLE are a shadow o f the different

attributes o f Christ in our lives. The lam pstand is the Christ-light in us, the Table of
Shewbread is the Word o f God in our lives, the Table of Incense is the com m union
and intercessory prayer life o f the believer. The Brazen Altar on the outside speaks of
the altar o f God whereon the sacrificial offering for sin was made and the Laver of
Cleansing, also on the outside, was a shadow o f the cleansing one m ust experience
before one can becom e the tabernacle of God.

The sacrificial offerings were a type o f Jesus Christ, the Lamb .of God who died to
take away the sins o f the world. The poured out blood o f the sacrifices was fulfilled
when Jesus Christ ascended into the heavens with His mystical blood and offered it to
the F ather for the sins o f the world. The priesthood is a type of all who minister
before the Lord and the High Priest who entered the Holy o f Holies was a type of
Christ who would m ake the perfect offering for sins and enter into the Holiest o f all,
once and for all, to offer the perfect sacrifice for all time. Hebrews 8:5 tells us, these
things “ ...serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was ad
monished of God w hen he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith He, that
thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the m o u n t.” Hebrews
9:11,12, “ But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and
more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
Neither by the blood o f goats and calves, but by His own blood he entered in once into
the holy place, having obtained eternal redem ption for us.”

Even as God gave man the tabernacle, the priesthood, the ordinances and fur
nishings as a type o f the eternal, so also He had His com pany o f holy people. They
were not scattered about and living in confusion, but they were organized under the
leadership o f the princes o f each of the tribes. Each one had their designated position
and location around the tabernacle. The tribes are a symbol of that holy com pany of
saints whom God is preparing in the end-time to com plete His great w ork o f resto
ration. They are a sym bol o f the perfected and m ature spiritual Israel.

WHO ARE THE 144,000?

Through the years m any cults and religious groups have claimed th at they are the
144,000. Some believe that these 144,000 are the actual tribes o f Israel who have
been called the “ lost tribes.” They are believed by them to be the ten tribes o f the
northern kingdom who were carried captive into Assyria around B.C. 700. They
expect that they will suddenly appear from the regions o f Europe.

/
 Some w o rth y scholars and students believe th a t the lost tribes are Germany,
France, Holland, D enm ark, Great Britain and the United States, etc., and th at o u t of
them will come th e ten lost tribes who will be num bered in the 144,000 m entioned in
Revelation 7:5-8.

“ And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four com ers o f the
earth, holding th e four winds o f the earth, th a t the wind should not blow on the earth,
nor on the sea, n o r on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east,
having the seal o f the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to
whom it was given to h u rt the earth and the sea. Saying, H urt not the earth, neither
the sea, nor th e trees, till we have sealed the servants o f our God in their foreheads.
And I heard the num ber o f them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred
and forty and fo u r thousand o f all the tribes of the children o f Israel. O f the tribe o f
Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe o f Reuben were sealed twelve thousand.
O f the tribe o f Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe o f Aser were sealed
twelve thousand. O f the tribe o f N ephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. O f the
tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. O f the tribe of Simeon were sealed
twelve thousand. O f the tribe o f Levi were sealed twelve thousand. O f the tribe of
Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. O f the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve
thousand. O f the tribe o f Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. O f the tribe o f Benja
min were sealed twelve thousand.” (Revelation 7:1-8)

While I was still a missionary in Hong Kong. 1 became a diligent student o f G od’s
Word. I have read the Bible through m any times. Every tim e I came to this portion of
scripture I w ondered who this great com pany o f people could be. I have learned that
God is the revealer o f secrets. As I was m editating upon it, the Lord spoke to my heart
to take note o f the names o f the different tribes and to pay particular attention to the
m eaning of each name. This I found back in Genesis 30:1-24, and Genesis 35:16-18
where they were given their names:

Reuben...a son
Simeon...hearing
Levi...joined
Judah...praise
Dan...judging
Naphtali...wrestling
G ad...a troop
A sher...happy
Issachar...for hire
Zebulun... dwelling
Joseph...adding
Benjamin...son o f com fort

I began to see a beautiful and perfect plan o f God being fulfilled in a great com
pany o f people, ordained by God- and perfected through the workings o f the Holy

7
Spirit in their i,.cs. Each one had special qualifications and each one had special
callings. I also found th a t each tribe had weaknesses and im perfections from which
God was able to deliver them . It is His divine plan th at we be conform ed to the image
o f His Son. (R om ans 8 :2 9 )

There is m uch jealousy and com petition among G od’s people because people
do n o t know who th ey are in God nor w hat their calling or election is. When we find
our place in the body o f Christ, we are co n ten t to fulfill ou r destiny. Paul will n ot
try to be like Esther, and R uth will h o t seek to be Peter. Each takes his or her place in
the ranks o f G od’s arm y.

As God began to open to me these w onderful truths concerning the tribes I was
hesitant about sharing them w ith others. The religious world is so quick to cry, “ Cult!
Heresy! False teaching!” even before they take time to hear you out. But as time
went by, and God began to reveal this precious tru th to m ore o f His children who were
listening, I started to share it with twos and threes, and then finally I have had per
mission o f the Lord to share it in our great End-Time Handm aidens’ conventions. It
is available in tape form , and for years th a t’s all we had, but now, after m any requests,
I am preparing it in book-form so that you can take tim e to study it, dear student of
G od’s word.

NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL ISRAEL

I would like to say th at this is not British-Israel teaching. I am not trying to prove
that the tribes are in actual existence today in the natural, though there is some proof
th at D enm ark could be descendants o f Dan, Holland o f Zebulun, and the Pathans o f
Baluchistan and Afghanistan claim that they are descendants o f the lost tribes. In this
book, in our tapes and in m y understanding o f this teaching, I interpret the tribes in
the spiritual aspect. Jo h n saw 12,000 from each of the tribes except Dan. And before
we are finished w ith this study, we will also find Dan in G od’s eternal plan, “ for the
gifts and calling o f G od are w ithout repentance.” (Rom ans 11:29) The tribes o f Jacob
shall be raised up and there shall be a restoration o f a com plete Israel.

The Israel we know today in the natural consists m ostly o f descendants o f Judah.
They are called Jews in the Bible, first in II Kings 18:26 when Jerusalem was besieged
by Sennacherib during the reign o f Hezekiah. When Assyria invaded and occupied the
ten n orthern kingdom s, he also attacked Jerusalem . Rabshakeh, the com m ander o f his
army did n o t w ant th e people o f Jerusalem to hear the threats w ith which their ene
mies threatened Jerusalem , and to be frightened, so he stood and cried w ith a loud
voice in the Jews’ language. (II Kings 18:28)

“ Jew ” is short fo r Judah, the people o f the tribe o f Judah. They were called Jews
in E sther 3 :10,8:11, N ehem iah 13:23,24, Jo h n 2 :1 3 ,7 :2 ,1 1 :8 ,1 1:55, Galatians 1:13,14.

8
 The Land o f Israel and the restoration o f the nation is n o t the com plete fulfill
m ent o f prophecy. All tribes m ust be restored. Spiritual Israel with natural Israel will
be restored together in these last days.

JACOB’S PROPHECY WAS FO R THE LAST DAYS

When Jacob gave his prophecy for his sons he began by saying some very re
m arkable words. “ And Jacob called unto his sons, and s a i d , G ather yourselves together,
th at I may tell you th a t which shall befall you in the last days. G ather yourselves together,
and hear, ye sons o f Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.” (Genesis 49:1,2)

Jacob calls him self by tw o names, Jacob and Israel. He calls them sons of Jacob,
thus rem inding them th at they were bom while he was still the supplanter and that
they were therefore bom in sin and conceived in iniquity, but that they m ust listen to
the word which the reborn Jacob, the Israel o f God, the overcoming prince had to say
to them . He was G od’s m outhpiece to them and had G od’s authority.

A nother rem arkable thing is that he said, “ I will tell you that which shall befall
you in the last days.” He was speaking concerning this tim e in which we are living
now. The Hebrew word for last, which is used here, is acharyith which means “ the last
or end. hence the future; also end-tim e.” He was not speaking only about the time
until they were carried into captivity, but far down into the millenia of time when the
tribes would be gathered together again by the Holy Spirit and would fulfill all the
Word o f God spoken to them by Jacob.

MOSES’ PROPHECY CONCERNING THE TRIBES

The Word o f God says, “ ...at the m outh o f tw o witnesses, or at the m outh of
three witnesses, shall the m atter be established. (D euteronom y 19.15)

God first gave these trem endous prophecies for the tribes through their father
Jacob. Then, over 400 years later, when they had come o ut of Egypt, God confirmed
alm ost every w ord through the m outh o f His servant, prophet and spiritual father of
the tribes, Moses, shortly before God took him hom e. F or this study we will be using
both o f these prophecies, the one by Jacob and the o ther by Moses.

PENIEL, THE PLACE WHERE GOD MEETS MAN

Jacob called the name o f the place where he wrestled with the Lord, “ Peniel.”
For he said, “ I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” “ Peniel” means
“ the face o f God (El) who reveals Himself.”
 Jacob said hat because he had seen the Lord, his life was preserved. Jacob
was an ordinary, m ortal man until the touch o f God changed him . It is the touch
o f G od in our lives th a t will bring us into our inheritance. It is n o t enough to be
“ the son o f A braham .” Ishmael was a son o f Abraham, Esau was his grandson, and
through Ishmael, A braham had m any grandsons. But none o f them inherited the
great calling o f the ancestry o f Jesus Christ, o f the receiving o f the Holy laws and
ordinances. Neither were they G od’s chosen people.

In the same w ay, it is n ot enough to know that you are a Christian, and of
the seed o f Abraham. Do n o t be satisfied just to know you are a Christian and
that you are going to escape hell. It is tim e to come into the blessings and the in
heritance which the Lord has for those who will be His royal priesthood and His
rulers in the m illenium . To come into these blessings and inheritance is going to
cost us a price. T here will be wrestling with God for the anointing, and striving for
the pow er of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Israel was born through wrestling, born in travail. Israel was born in an hour of
extrem e anxiety, on the very eve of a catastrophe which he was only able to avert
because he had w restled with the Lord. It was Jacob’s “ zero-hour.” God brings us
into our “ zero-hour” where we have to get hold o f the hom s o f the altar. In that
strategic m om ent, on the eve of our personal holocaust, is when we will have one last
opportunity to keep o u r appointm ent with God, that our lives might be preserved.

The stage is being set throughout the world right now for the Christian nations
to face their brother “ Esau.” The Arab world possesses the oil and the power and the
wealth. There is a spirit o f vengeance in the air. Old grudges caused by our trans
gressions in the past and our foolishness are not forgotten in this hour.

If we do not wrestle with God and get G od’s anointing in our lives, we will never
be able to face our adversary in the upcom ing days o f retaliation. We cannot face
Esau as Jacob, only as Israel, the prince of God. We are on the eve of a world holo
caust, and it is in this hour that the Israel o f God will be born, if we will pay the price
and n o t presume th at in our own strength we can face the antichrist spirit. I believe
that in this hour m any Jacobs will be reborn into Israel. Then the tribes of Israel, in
the spiritual realm, will rise up to be restored to take their place and possess their
inheritance to fulfill their destiny in the eternal plan of God. God Himself is going to
bring us in, as we wrestle with Him, and we will prevail! God will touch us and leave
His m ark on us and that, m ark will identify us as belonging to the seed of Israel.

The beautiful thing is th at God uses our personal agony to produce sonship in
our lives. We cannot come into sonship w ithout the terrible ordeal o f travail and
birth pangs.

10
 PREPARING FO R THE END-TIME

We hear a lot about how to m ake preparations for the end-times these days.
There are those w ho sell end-tim e foods which are guaranteed to be able to be stored
for m any years. Some are digging shelters, others are preparing clothing, and some are
leaving the cities to go and live o u t in the wilderness. We know th at it is n o t going to
be long before terrible things are going to happen in our big cities; rioting, dem onstra
tions, crime and m ob violence will take place m ore and m ore. Places o f business, de
partm en t stores, superm arkets are going to be closed. Already it is dangerous in some
parts o f the world for these great houses o f m erchandise. In Zurich, Switzerland, m ob
violence has caused the destruction o f m any o f the great stores, m erchandise has been
looted, show-windows smashed, and millions o f dollars in damage has been caused by
young people, n o t because they were hungry and needed food or clothing, but because
they were filled w ith madness and anger at the establishm ent. When the econom y
collapses it will be worse. Hungry fathers with starving children will go mad. Super
m arkets will be ransacked. The lack o f food supplies will n o t be lim ited to Poland and
a few o f the third-w orld countries, but even right here in the Western world and in the
w ealthier nations, the shelves will be em pty o f food supplies. It is wise to preserve life
in every way possible and m ake provision. But there is one thing that you need more
than all that, and th a t is to have a face-to-face m eeting w ith God. You need to keep
your Peniel appointm ent. Only then will your life be preserved.

We have been taught through the years by our religious teachers that we do not
need to worry a b o u t the tribulation. We are going to hear the trum pet sound just
before the antichrist is revealed and we are all going to m ake a fast, clean get-away.
The Word o f God tellsusin II Thessalonians 2:3, “ Let nom an deceiveyou by any means: for
that day shall n o t com e, except there come a falling away first, and that man o f sin be re
vealed, the son o f perdition;” Daniel had itre v ea led to h im ,“ A ndheshallspeakgreatw ords
against the m ost High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his
hand until a tim e and times and the dividing o f tim e.” (Daniel 7:25) In the same chapter,
verse 21, he says, “ I beheld, and the same horn (antichrist) made war w ith the saints,
and prevailed against them .” Yes, he will m ake war w ith the saints... “ Until the Ancient
of days comes and judgm ent is given to THE SAINTS o f the m ost High;” And they
shall possess the kingdom and all people, nations and languages shall serve Him, for His
dom inion is an everlasting dom inion which shall n o t pass away, and n o t be destroyed.
(Daniel 7:13,14) God is preparing His saints for th at great day by trials and testings
and by persecution and rejection. Those who overcome shall rule and reign w ith Him
in His kingdom right here on earth.

God is going to choose Him self a people out o f the people, a church out o f the
church, and a fam ily out o f the families o f the earth. God does not w ant you to fear when
you face your m orning o f tribulation, because God is going to be with you to preserve
you in the face o f the enemy. Like David, the sweet m instrel o f Israel you can say, “Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence o f mine enem ies:” (Psalm 23:5) Y our cup
will “ run over” in th e very presence o f the antichrist system th a t is being set up even now.

11
Because our news m edia are censored we are not aware o f all th at is taking place,
but things are happening very fast. It is tim e th at we get hold o f God and let the Spirit
o f God move in our lives so that we are able to wrestle through and get that anointing
and blessing o f God upon our lives.

THE MARK O F GOD

One thing happened when God touched Jacob: God p u t a lim p in him. God
touched his thigh and this set Jacob apart from all men. From then on, he walked
haltingly. Genesis 32:31 says that he “ halted upon his thigh.”

The word “ h a lt” comes from the Hebrew word tsela which means “ a limping, or
fall, adversity, , halting.” The word “ hollow ” comes from the Hebrew word kaph
which means “ the m iddle.” This is where God touched him , in the middle of his thigh.
Genesis 32:32 says th a t the sinew shrank. “ The sinew” m eans “ the ten d o n .” The
word “shrank” in Hebrew is nashah which means “ failed, got crippled.”

The m ark o f im perfection is upon the natural and spiritual seed o f Israel till this
day. But G od’s grace goes beyond your im perfection and He calls us to Himself
through grace, to take our place in the end-time plan, in spite o f our halting and our
crippled spirits. In Micah 4:6-8 we read these wonderful words for today, “ In that
day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven
out,' and her that I have afflicted; and I will make her that halted a rem nant, and her
that was cast far o ff a strong'nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in m ount Zion
from henceforth, even for ever. And thou, O tow er o f the flock, the strong hold of the
daughter o f Zion, u n to thee shall it come, even the first dom inion; the kingdom shall
come to the daughter o f Jerusalem .” God is going to call out all who have been
touched by the Lord and who are walking in His strength and not their own, and He
will know who they are because He has m et them face to face at Peniel. Through great
suffering, natural Israel was bom and it is through great suffering th at spiritual Israel is
being bom at this very time.

It was in the year 1948 th at natural Israel became a nation. It was also in that
year th at the great outpouring began in America. Natural Israel is the sym bol of
spiritual Israel. The tragedy is that m any Christians do not want to recognize natural
Israel. They do n o t realize th at everything that happens to natural Israel will also
happen to spiritual Israel. If we “ chop dow n” natural Israel, we are cutting o ff our
own spiritual branches. F or the branches cannot live on a dead tree.

In these days o f preparation the Lord is sending out the “ man with the ink-horn”
who is m arking those who sigh and cry for the abom inations th at are taking place in
the m idst o f Jerusalem . Read Ezekiel 9:1-11. In verse 2 it tells about “ one man among them
was clothed with linen, with a w riter’s inkhorn by his side:’’who is about to leave the brazen
altar — the place o f judgm ent — and as the glory o f God lifts from the cherub and

12
 moves to the threshold o f the house, he goes through the m idst o f the city, and the
m idst o f Jerusalem , and sets a m ark upon the foreheads o f the men th at sigh and that
cry for all abom inations th at are being done in the m idst thereof. Im m ediately after
th at, “ six m en” (antichrist system ), each w ith a slaughter weapon in his hand, will go
after the m an w ith th e inkhom and will sm ite w ithout pity, killing old and young, both
maids and little children and wom en, b u t they will n o t come near anyone th at has the
m ark o f the in k h o m on them . So terrible will be this outpouring of G od’s w rath, that
the courts o f the holy places will be filled w ith the slain. The terrible tribulation is the
outpouring o f G od’s w rath on all the careless and indifferent who are not living in the
heat o f the Spirit o f God and under His m ighty anointing. It will begin in the house of
God and finish w ith the ungodly. It will remove m ultitudes o ff the face o f the earth.
Only if you are hidden in “ the cleft o f the rock” will you be safe. Only if you have the
m ark o f the one w ho has had a face-to-face experience with God, will you escape this
judgm ent.

God said to Abraham , “ In Isaac shall thy seed be called.” (Genesis 21:12) But
that is n o t enough. Esau was also the son o f Isaac, but he was not chosen. It is not
enough to say y o u are a Christian in these coming days. You cannot hide behind who
your father is. Y ou need to m eet God on your own. Only after Peniel was Jacob
marked as a prince o f God. Up until th at tim e, even he did not have G od’s mark,
though he was Isaac’s son also. That was the difference between him and Esau. Esau
was a son of Isaac b u t he didn’t have the m ark. So it is today; there are m any “ sons of
A braham ” in religious organizations, but not all are going to have this mark o f divine
princely inheritance upon their m anner of going. Only as we walk with the walk of
Israel (holiness u n to the Lord) will we be G od’s chosen seed.

A NATION FROM THE MIDST OF A NATION

In D euteronom y 4:32-34 we read, “ ...ask now of the days that are past, which
were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the
one side o f heaven u n to the other, w hether there hath been any such thing as this great
thing is, or hath been heard like it? Did ever people hear the voice o f God speaking
out o f the m idst o f the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? Or hath God assayed to go
and take him a natio n from the m idst o f another nation by tem ptations, by signs and
by .wonders, and by war, and by a m ighty hand, and by a stretched o ut arm, and by
great terrors, according to all th at the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your
eyes?”

This scripture applies to us, spiritual Israel, today. God says you should look into
the past and look on this earth from one end to the other. Can you rem em ber any
thing happening like w hat is happening now? What is m ore, God says, “ Look right up
into the heavens, from one end o f the heavens to the other, Has anything ever hap
pened like w hat I’ve done?” Where did G od do it, and when did it all begin?

13
 G od did n o t begin th at great nation o f Israel when Moses led them o u t o f Egypt.
It started over 400 years earlier, when Jacob wrestled with God.

Som etimes, it seems th at your travail is all for nothing. You travail, and then you
wait for years after y o u have prayed through, before you see God fulfill His promises
to you. But God will fulfill His word to you. None o f His promises will fall to the
ground.

Even as natural Israel was born in the hour o f travail, through great personal
agony and testings and wrestling, and w ith a m iraculous deliverance, so the spiritual
Israel will also come fo rth in the same way. Even as God called Israel out of idolatrous
Egypt through a great deliverer who w rought mighty signs and wonders, God is going
to bring o ut spiritual Israel through the great deliverer, Jesus Christ, Himself, with
m ighty signs and w onders. God is going to lead us out w ith a “ high hand ’ and with
signs and wonders and a fiery cloud and a pillar of G od’s protection by day and by
night. The sea will p art and God will make a way for us. As God spoke to them and
gave them His law, He is speaking again and writing His new law o f love in our hearts.

Deuteronom y 4 :3 4 tells us how God prepared His nation from the m idst o f
another nation...by TEMPTATIONS, SIGNS, WONDERS, WAR, A MIGHTY HAND,
A STRETCHED OUT ARM and GREAT TERRORS. Let us look at these different
m ethods which God is going to use to bring us into His victorious spiritual Israel.

T em ptation: How m any of us have been going through fiery tem ptations! Even as
Jesus was m et by Satan in the wilderness and tem pted three times, in every aspect of
life, we, too, are going to go through trem endous tem ptations. They will be the kind
we have never even dream ed possible. Only if we have been living a life o f fasting will
we be able to overcom e this time in our lives, and come o ut w ithout being marred and
scarred.

Signs and W onders: God is going to prove Himself m ighty to us by m any signs and
wonders. Our lives will be filled w ith miracles. The walk o f faith will become the
norm al way of living. We will have answers to prayer as never before in our lives. God
is going to show Him self strong on our behalf.

War: While it is true th at in this time there will be wars and rum ours o f war, still
the war that I know we will all go through is spiritual warfare. This warfare is coming
right down into the churches, the homes, organizations and in our personal lives.
t
A Mighty Hand, a Stretched O ut Arm: God is going to show His m ighty hand on
our behalf. We will see His glory and His power working in judgm ent and in w rath as
well as in victory and blessing.

Great Terrors: There will be dangers and terrors, the kind o f which we have never
known on the face o f this earth which will be caused by the act of man and by the act of

14
God. There will be such terro r throughout the whole world that m en’s hearts will fail
them for the fear o f all these things which shall come upon the earth.

CHOSEN AND INSTRUCTED BY GOD

D euteronom y 4 :3 5 : “ U nto thee it was shewed, th at thou m ightest know th at the

Lord he is G od; there is none else beside him .”

D euteronom y 4:36: “ O ut o f heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might
instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his
words out o f th e m idst o f the fire.”

What is He doing in your life? He is instructing you. God cannot instruct most
people because m en are so busy instructing them , that they cannot hear the voice of
God. Even the greatest Bible schools and seminaries in the world cannot instruct you
like the Holy Spirit can. It is when we sit at the feet o f Jesus, like Mary of old, that He
will reveal the secrets of heaven to us. You will n o t only learn the deep truths of
heaven, but also how you should go, and the will o f the Lord and the plan o f God for
your life. God is still speaking to spiritual Israel and He is showing His great fire of
Pentecost right here on earth and like Moses, we can hear G od’s voice talking to us out
o f the fire.

OUR GODLY FO REFA THERS

D euteronom y 4:37: “ And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their
seed after them , and brought thee out in his sight with his m ighty pow er out o f Egypt.”

O ur forefathers are going to receive a part o f the inheritance w ith us also. They
have not paid the price o f rejection, holiness and self-denial in vain. O ur spiritual
mothers-in-Israel are going to see the answer to their travail and tears and our spiritual
fathers are going to be rewarded for their fasting and their holiness.

I rem em ber in the days o f yesterday, th at in ou r churches we used to have a

room set apart as the Prayer Room . This was G od’s power-house, His “ delivery room .”
It was never visited by the crowds, but you would always find some spiritual “ m others
and fathers” dow n on their knees praying and getting hold o f God. When I walked
inside, I could ju st feel the pow er o f God; it was like electricity all over the place.
Sinners walked softly there!

You don’t find them in m any churches these days. We have fine kitchens with
stainless steel appliances, beautiful choir lofts, the m ost costly o f pianos and organs
and the m ost com fortable pews. The carpets are o f thick pile and designed to m atch
the robes of th e choir but the old fashioned prayer room s where the travailing o f the

15
saints ascended into the heavens are strangely missing.

VICTORIOUS ISRAEL

D euteronom y 4 :3 8 , “ To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier
than th o u art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this
day.”

This is what it is all about. This is the purpose o f G od calling together the
spiritual tribes o f Israel...to give them their possessions and drive out enemies who
are greater and m ightier than they are. The devil has been in control long enough;
it is tim e for us to take the kingdom. God is getting us ready to take over the lands
which today are in th e grip o f Com m unist dictatorship and Islamic fanaticism. He
wants to set the people free to worship Him, the one true God, Jehovah, in the
spirit o f tru th and love.

I feel that natural Israel is a type o f what we are going to do in spiritual Israel.
Just as they flew in to Uganda and rescued the plane load of hostages from Entebbe,
we will move w ith the speed o f lightning to do the works o f deliverance o f our
God, worldwide. We are going to go into the prisons and concentration camps
and rescue out people w ho are in peril. One o f these days we are going to get our “ Ho
ly Ghost wings” and they will find us in Siberia, opening the prison doors, saying
to the captive, “ Come o u t!” The Lord is preparing us to proclaim liberty to the
captives.

TRANSLATION OF SAINTS

You say, “ Sister Gwen, do you think you could be translated over to Siberia
to open prison camps and let the prisoners o u t?” Yes, I do! Let me tell you a
wonderful true story.

I had the privilege when I was in London, England, o f m eeting some o f the
Lord’s elect saints. The Lord’s elect are n o t always the fam ous, well-known people
Most o f them are the little, hidden, secret intercessors who are unknow n in this
world. While I was there I m et a sister whose name is Margaret. She loves the
Lord, and is a prayer warrior.

One Sunday afternoon she was in her room praying and resting, and all o f a
sudden she found herself in another land. Instead of the cold, bleak, English w eather,
she found herself walking on the beautiful, sunny slopes o f the foothills o f some
high m ountain. The grass was green and the sun was shining. It was warm and beauti
ful. Standing near her was som eone who resembled the Lord. He showed her a cage
and inside o f that locked cage was a woman with oriental features. He said to her,

16
“ Open the cage, and set her free.” The wom an had been locked in there and left alone
so th at she w ould starve to death. Margaret opened the cage and released her. She was
greatly relieved and full o f thanks to M argaret b u t before Margaret could say anything
m ore, she found herself back in her room in London. Margaret said to m e, “ Sister
G w en, I don’t know if it was in m y natural body, or my spirit th at I w ent there,
because there was nobody there to witness w hether I had left my room or not. But I
feel th at I w ent there m yself.” Then she asked me a question, “ Is there a place in the
world where they lock people in a cage and leave them to starve to death?”

I said, “ O f course, there is. They do th at in Tibet and Mongolia all the time.
They do n o t w ant to be responsible for killing anyone because they are Buddhists, so
they lock them in a cage and leave them there until they literally starve to death.” I
have seen some o f these cages m yself when I was in Lhasa, Tibet.

In the trem endous story about a Russian soldier called Vanya, Myrna G rant tells
how one night V anya was taken physically by an angel up to heaven where he m et the
A postle John and spoke to him. When he returned to his barracks after a night in
heaven, his com rade in the bed next to him w anted to know where he had gone in the
night, because he had not been in th e room all night long. The sentry on duty said that
no one had left the room. This is a story that you need to read.*

Paul says in II Corinthians 12:2-4, “ I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years
ago, (w hether in the body, I cannot tell; or w hether out o f the body, I cannot tell: God
know eth;)...H ow th at he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words,
which it is n o t lawful for a man to u tte r.”

We are the seed of Abraham by faith, and Galatians 3:8 tells us that through us
the nations o f the world shall be blessed. The blessing will come through us and the
judgm ent will come through us.

A PECULIAR PEOPLE

D euteronom y 14:2 describes what kind of a people we shall be. “ For thou art an
holy people u n to the Lord thy G od, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar
people u nto himself, above all the nations th a t are upon the earth .”

The Hebrew word used here for “ peculiar” is cegullah which means “ to shut up,
wealth, jewel, peculiar treasure, proper, good, special, beyond the ordinary.”

In D euteronom y 7:6 we read, “ F or thou art an holy people u nto the Lord thy
God: the Lord th y God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all

*“ V anya” by Myrna G rant available from End-Time Handm aidens, P.O. Box 447, Jasper, ARK 72641 for S5.95 plus
postage and handling.-

17
people th a t are vpon the face o f the earth.”

Jesus said, “ Ye are the light o f the w orld.” (M atthew 5:14) God has chosen us to
be His light-bearers, His m orning star, shining in the dark night, announcing to the
world th at th e daylight will soon break through.

To have light is to have life. John 1:4 says, “ In him was life; and the life was the
light o f m en.” So light is life and life is light, and if we are peculiar people and light-
bearing people, then we are also light-producing and life-producing people.

O f John The B aptist it is said, “ He came to bear witness o f the Light.” The word
“ bear” does not only m ean “ to carry,” it also means “ to produce.”

There are m any scriptures th at confirm th a t we are the Lord’s peculiar treasure.
Peter said it in I Peter 2:9, “ Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises o f him who hath called
you o ut o f darkness into his marvellous light.”

Paul, in Titus 2:14 said, “ ...Jesus Christ; Who gave him self for us, that he might
redeem us from all iniquity, and purify u nto him self a peculiar people, zealous o f good
works.”

LAUGHTER AND HAPPINESS IS LIGHT AND LIFE

In Genesis 21:12 we read, “ In Isaac shall thy seed be called.” As I m entioned

earlier, Abraham had m any sons, not only Ishmael and Isaac. A fter Sarah died, he
married K eturah and had sons by her. In Genesis 25:2 six o f his sons by K eturah are
m entioned. In verses 3 and 4 his grandsons by these six sons are also m entioned.
Then, in verse 6 we read, “ But unto the sons o f the concubines, which Abraham had,
Abraham gave gifts and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived,
eastward, unto the east co u n try .”

Yes, although A braham had m any sons, God chose only Isaac, “ Laughter.” This
glorious tru th m eans th at n o t only out o f personal agony, personal travail, will Israel
be b o m , b u t also out o f laughter, praise and rejoicing. If we only travail, agonize and
suffer, we will have only one wing. A bird or plane w ith only one wing gets exactly
nowhere! Stretch y o u r wings, daughters and sons o f the living God! God is calling you
out o f joy and out o f agony. D on’t let your jo y ever be an em barrassm ent to you.
Sometimes when the devil sees that you are happy, he m akes you feel guilty about it.
He comes along and says, “ You ought to cry m ore. Y ou ought to m ourn m ore, you
ought to weep m ore. You will be m ore holy if you go around with a long and sober
face m aking everyone else m iserable.” The devil doesn’t w ant us to be happy any more
than he wanted Isaac to be bom . When he sees us rejoicing and stretching out
that wing o f happiness he gets all upset w ith us. Every tim e you get a blessing and

18
come hom e happy from a great Holy G host convention he is waiting for you behind
the kitchen door...tail and all! It is warfare! And God said He would call His people
through warfare.

Hebrews 11:17,18 says, “ By faith A braham , when he was tried, offered up Isaac:
and he th a t had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, O f whom it
was said, T hat in Isaac shall th y seed be called:”

The New Testam ent confirm s w hat the Old T estam ent announces. We have to be
willing to do w hat Abraham did. If you w ant to be an Israelite, you’ve got to be
willing not only to endure y our personal agony, b u t also to offer up your Isaac (your
joy). Can you lay y our Isaac upon the altar and give him to the Lord? Can you give
the dearest thing in your life back to God, together with all the promises th at you feel
God has given to you?

WHY DID GOD CHOOSE JACOB INSTEAD OF ESAU?

Why did G od choose Jacob instead o f Esau? Is God fair? Didn’t he say that He
was no respecter o f persons? Is He a liar when He says in one place th at He is no
respecter o f persons and in another He says, “ Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I
hated.” ? (R om ans 9:13)

There is an interesting scripture in Jerem iah 4 9 :1 0 th at may help to answer this

question. “ I have made Esau bare, 1 have uncovered his secret places, and he shall
not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours,
and he is n o t.”

The word “ spoiled” comes from the Hebrew word shadad which means “ spoiled,
destroyed, dead.” When the seed has no life in it, it cannot reproduce. Strong seed
produces strong life.

It is through trials and tribulations and testings and self-denial th at we become

strong. Look at the life of Esau! What do you see? When he was hungry, did he deny
himself? No. He sold his birthright for a mess of pottage, because he could n o t deny
the lust o f the flesh. When he lost the birthright, he lost the blessing. He was a strong
man and a great hunter, but he was weak spiritually. He was also a lustful man. He ran
ahead o f God and chose his own wives out o f Edom. You will rem em ber th at they
were a grief to his m other Rebecca and his father Isaac all the days o f their lives. He
tried to m ake up for it at the end by m arrying one o f Ishm ael’s daughters, b u t there is
a tim e when it is ju st too late! Esau never had the strength to grow into the plan and
purpose o f God. There was a m oral weakness in him. A m an who cannot deny his
belly, cannot deny his body. Many people who have a problem conquering their spirit
o f lust would find th at they w ould win a great victory over their problem s if they
would fast.

19
 Do n ot hide behind your faults and say, “ I am weak.” No! Get hold o f the horns
o f the altar and God will make you strong. Esau was weak all through his life. He was
a good m an in m any respects, and in some ways he was adm ired above Jacob. There
was a sweetness and tenderness in Esau th at I love to see, because .he forgave Jacob
in the end, and th a t was beautiful. But the tragedy is th at his seed “ was spoiled” ...
and it fell before its tim e. He was n o t developed into m aturity and righteousness
because he did not endure tribulation. He did n o t await God’s appointed time.

Many Christians are doing the same today. May God help us to deny the flesh so
th at we can possess the promises o f God.

GOD CHANGES A NAME

In II Kings 17:34 we read th at God gave Jacob his name, Israel. It doesn’t help to
change your name if God doesn’t change it. But if God changes your name, then it is
an indication that He has done a work o f grace in your life. It is a positive word of
confession and it will take you a long way. It means that God has a new plan for your
life. When a woman gets m arried, she usually changes her name. This is a sign that she
is starting all over again. When God changes your name, He is giving you a new be
ginning. God does it, because He wants to give you a new life. Yesterday’s child has
grown up and you cannot carry it around forever. So God has named His people, and
we have been nam ed spiritual Israel. And in spiritual Israel, we have our identity in
the tribes. It is im portant to know what your name is in the tribes, w hether you
are Judah, or R euben, or Manasseh, or Issachar or Zebulun, or whatever. You need to
know your identity.

A REDEEMED AND CHOSEN PEOPLE

In II Samuel 7:23 we read, “ And what one nation in the earth is like thy people,
even like Israel, w hom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a
name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people,
which thou redeem edst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?”

God redeemed us for a people to Himself, to make God a name, and n o t to make
ourselves a name. We live for the glory o f God alone. Isn t it wonderful th at my life
gives God a reputation! G od’s reputation depends on me!

II Samuel 7:10 says, “ Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and
will plant them , th a t they m ay dwell in a place o f their ow n, and move no m ore;
neither shall the children o f wickedness afflict them any m ore, as beforetim e.”

This means th a t you will know where you belong. In verse 11 He says, “ Also the
Lord telleth thee th a t He will make thee an house.” You will know what y our in

20
heritance is, y o u r fam ily or tribe...your house. God redeem ed you, so th a t you will
know y our own place in God. We need to know where we belong in the plan o f God.
If we know w hat G od wants us to be or to do, then we do n o t need to envy what
som ebody else is called to do.

Many people are critical about the fact that I am the preacher in the family. They
think m y husband Jim should be the preacher. Jim doesn’t feel th a t way at all. He is
happy to be the p ilot o f our plane, to do a lot of the adm inistrative work, and to be
treasurer for the End-Time Handm aidens and “ papa” to our big family. Now I could
never fly the plane, I cannot do accounting (never was good at arithm etic) and could
never play the p art o f papa to ou r family.

A PEOPLE WITH A SPECIAL MINISTRY

People w ho try to change our status are fools. God puts each o f us in the place
He has planned for us from eternity. I know I am in G od’s perfect will and my hus
band knows th at he is in G od’s perfect will. We are b oth happy, and so is the Lord.

God says, “ I will plant them th at they may have a place o f their ow n.” God is
doing the planting. I cannot plant you. You have got to get yourself planted by God
and you will know when you are planted by Him and you will be content, and your
soul will be at rest. When you are planted, you will have roots which becom e strong
and give life to the branches.

Som eone has said, “ Grow where you are planted.” I like th at. Sometimes we
say, “ But 1 d o n ’t like where I am planted.” The distant pastures look greener to us.
But if we will let God fulfill our lives in whatever place He places us, we will be content
and our lives will be w orth living.

“ N either shall the children o f wickedness afflict them as before tim e.” Read
Exodus 6:6-8. “ W herefore say u n to the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring
you o ut from under the burdens o f the Egyptians, and I will rid you out o f their bon
dage, and I will redeem you w ith a stretched out arm , and with great judgm ents: And
I will take you to m e for a people, and I will be to you a G od: and ye shall know that I
am the Lord y o u r G od, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the
Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to
give it to Abraham , to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am
the L ord.”

God promises to bring us o u t from under the burden of the “ Egyptians” . We

have no right to carry the burdens of our form er life or those who were involved with
it. M any grandparents carry the burdens o f “ the Egyptians” . Sometimes it grieves my
soul, because grandm a has to stay hom e and babysit while m amma and daddy or son
and daughter-in-law go o ff on some kind o f drinking party or a week-end o f gambling

21
in Las Vegas. Many wrong marriages have brought terrible burdens upon the older
mem bers o f the fam ily. Sin in the lives o f the children has robbed the parents o f peace
in their old age. O lder women who should be able to rest and enjoy their sunset years
have to bear the burden o f the sins o f their family. Jesus said, “ Let the dead bury their
dead; b u t go thou and preach the kingdom o f God.” (Luke 9:60) God doesn’t want you
to build the tom bs o f the dead and plant flowers by the graves. He wants you to go
out and serve Him by taking the words o f life to the nations. God can give you a place
in the front lines even in your old age. I have seen seventy-year-old men go to the
mission field and preach the Gospel in great power and anointing.

God has said He would bring us into the land which He has promised us and that
we will have a heritage in it. You have been chosen for a future m inistry. God has a
plan for your life which is wonderful. Do not let the sins o f others hold you back. Do
not let the bondages th at others are in. tie you up. If they want to make a prison for
themselves, then th at is their doing, but your God has set you free. “ He whom the Son
sets free, is free indeed.” (John 8:36)

Do not let the spiritual blindness and m isinterpretation of the scriptures that
others are entangled in bog you down. Many are bogged down by m ates who are living
in sin. False teachers tell G od's daughters that they m ust “ go along” with their un
saved and rebellious husbands even to houses of sin. This is not the teaching of the
~Bible. I refuse to sow the seed of wickedness. I want to sow the healthy seed of the
righteous; I want to walk with God.

A PEOPLE WHO CANNOT BE CURSED

In Numbers 23:23 we read a scripture for which I always thank God, “ Surely
there is no enchantm ent against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel:
according to this tim e it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel. What hath God w rought!”

God has chosen Himself a people who cannot be cursed and upon whom witch
craft and sorcery will not work. We are living in a day when Satanism is taking over
the world. There is much o f it even in so-called Christian nations. I have even seen it
invade churches. Christians have come to me saying, “ Sister Gwen, someone has put
a curse on me since I w-as a child. My grandm other worshipped the devil, now there is
a spell on me. How can I get free?”

I always take them to Num bers 23:23. In verse 11 we read how Balak had hired
Balaam to curse Israel. Every kind o f pressure was brought upon him to get him to
curse G od’s people b u t he was unable to do it. Instead he blessed them three times.

I rem ember an interesting thing that happened to me one tim e as I was minis
tering. A man and tw o women came into the service. I could im m ediately sense that
they had only come to “ check me o u t.” Their critical spirit was easily visible by their

22
facial expressions. When the preaching was over and the altar call had been given
prayed with th e people around the altar for a while. Then I went and sat at the piano
and started playing and singing to help w ith the spirit o f worship. Suddenly, I saw
these three leave th e back o f the church and head straight for me. They came and
stood behind m e. I could feel the hair o f my head alm ost standing up, b u t I kept right
on playing and singing and quietly asking the Lord to cover me w ith His precious blood
to protect me from all false confessions or enchantm ents th a t they m ight try to work
against me.

Suddenly one o f them began to “ prophesy” over me. The “ prophecy” began with
accusations and condem nation. But I kept on pleading the Blood o f Jesus to cover me.
Suddenly I noticed th at the prophecy changed and instead o f being w hat it had started
o u t to be, it tu rn ed into a blessing.

I have received letters which started o u t with the same spirit o f accusation and
condem nation, b u t the second page was com pletely different. It was as if a different
person had w ritten the second page. God had turned it around.

Num bers 2 3 :1 0 says, “ Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the num ber of the
fo u rth part o f Israel? Let me die the death o f the righteous, and let my last end be like
his!”

Praise the Lord! We have a wonderful end. The devil’s prophet had to look into
the future and see the glory o f God that is going to be upon the end-time days of Israel
and he had to exclaim , “ Oh, if only my end would be like th a t!” Even the devil has to
adm it that it is going to end up great for us.

Numbers 23:8, “ How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I
defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?”

The word “ d efy ” comes from the Hebrew word zaam which means “ to abhor, to
be angry w ith, to foam at the m o u th .” Foam ing at the m outh is often associated
w ith dem on possession. T hat scripture shows me that the dem ons cannot even foam at
the m outh against G od’s anointed.

Numbers 23 :9 , “ For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I be
hold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall n o t be reckoned among the na
tions.”

God has called us to separation. We are n o t just another nation. We are a chosen
people, a royal priesthood. Like the tribe o f Levi, the Lord is our inheritance.

23
 A PEOPLE WHOM GOD HAS BLESSED

Num bers 2 3 :1 1 , “ ...thou hast blessed them altogether.”

The devil and all the dem ons o f hell cannot change the blessing o f God. Hallelujah!
Verse 19 says, “ God is n o t a m an. th at he should lie:...hath he said, and shall he n o t do
it? or h ath he spoken, and shall he n o t make it good?”

N um bers 2 3 :2 0 , “ Behold, I have received com m andm ent to bless: and he hath
blessed; and I cannot reverse it.”

Satan cannot reverse it. We are living in the end-tim e when the devil is going to
do everything he can to reverse the prophecies o f God and the promises o f God, b u t he
can’t because it is locked into gear.

A PEOPLE WHO CANNOT BE DESTROYED

Let us return again to Num bers 23:23. “ Surely there is no enchantm ent against
Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel:”

Unless you know this is the truth, d o n ’t you ever try to go to a mission field.
Every kind of devil and demon will work against you to destroy you in these pagan
countries. I thank G od that in all the years that I have served Him since 1947 and in
all the nations (over 70) I have never seen Satan m ore powerful than my God. He has
surely destroyed every evil work that the devil has tried to work against me.

We have an Indian End-Time Handm aiden, Kusum lata Rana, who goes into some
of the m ost difficult areas o f the world, where whole villages are given over to devil-
worship, and there she preaches Jesus Christ. She could write books about her expe
riences. Many o f them are so evil that missionaries and men preachers refuse to go to
them ; b u t this handm aiden bears the call to go to them , and when she knows th at the
Lord has sent h er...o ff she goes and God has used her to pull down m any strongholds
of Satan. She is fearless because she knows that as she stays under the Blood o f Jesus,
no divination can w ork against her.

This type o f w itchcraft and satanic trickery is n o t lim ited to India. Right in
Canada a story was told me about a couple o f missionaries who were working among
the Canadian native Indians in the province o f British Columbia. Those Indian^ tried
to get rid o f the missionaries. They gave them some big juicy steaks o f m eat to eat.
When the missionaries cooked them , they sat down to eat b u t suddenly they were not
hungry. They couldn’t touch the food. The one said, “ I’m ju st n o t hungry.” The
other one said, “ N either am I.” They said to each other, “ This m eat is ju st too good to
waste; we’ll just p u t it away until tom orrow .” They had a little dog who was hungry
and begging for som ething to eat so they cut o ff a little piece for him. He gulped it down,

24
and the next m inute he dropped, dead.

God had p ro tected their lives by taking away their appetite. God is able to protect
us in m any, m any ways from every evil attack o f Satan1.

Num bers 2 3 :2 4 , “ Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up him
self as a young lion: he shall n o t lie down until he eat o f the prey, and drink the blood
o f the slain.”

That scripture m eans full and com plete victory for G od’s end-tim e arm y. The
lion is the king o f the beasts. He will n o t go to sleep hungry. The victory shall be his
before he goes to rest. We have a w ork to do and we are going to finish it before we go
to our rest.

A PERFECT PEOPLE

Num bers 2 4 :3 , “ And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son o f Beor
hath said, and th e man whose eyes are open hath said: He hath said, which heard the
words o f God, w hich saw the vision o f the Alm ighty, falling into a trance, but having
his eyes open: How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and th y tabernacles, O Israel! As
the valleys are th ey spread forth, as the gardens by the river’s side, as the trees o f lign
aloes which the Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. He shall pour
the w ater out o f his buckets, and his seed shall be in m any waters, and his king shall be
higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brought him forth o ut of
Egypt; he h ath as it were the strength o f an unicom : he shall eat up the nations his
enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through w ith his arrows. He
couched, he lay dow n as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he
that blesseth thee, and cursed is he th at curseth thee.”

This prom ise is for you, spiritual Israel. God sees us through the blood o f His
Son, Jesus. T hat is how He can say these beautiful things about us. He does n o t see
sin in our tents. He sees only His w onderful grace. We are as the garden by the river
side, as the cedar trees that are always green. O ur wells are filled w ith water th at is
constantly being poured o u t on the dry ground and our king (Jesus) is greater than any
other king. G od will bless all who bless us and He will curse those who curse us.

Numbers 24:17-20, “ I shall see him, b u t n o t now: I shall behold him, b u t not
nigh: there shall come a Star o u t o f Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise o u t o f Israel, and
shall smite the com ers o f M oab, and destroy all the children o f Sheth. And Edom
shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do
valiantly. O ut o f Jacob shall come he th a t shall have dom inion, and shall destroy him
that rem aineth o f the city .”

25
 A PEOPLE WHOSE KING IS THE STAR OF JACOB
AND THE SCEPTRE OF ISRAEL

Praise G od, the Star o f Jacob and the Sceptre o f Israel has already risen over our
lives. He has liberated us from all enemies and we will not be destroyed because we
have Him as our King. Truly He is the King of Kings and the Lord o f Lords!

King Balak who had called Balaam to curse Israel, was the king o f Moab. (Num
bers 22:4) But w hen God turned the curse into a blessing, He also cursed Moab.
Numbers 24:17 says, “ And shall smite the com ers o f Moab, and destroy all the
children o f Sheth.” Sheth is Seth. When Balaam prophesied this judgm ent against Seir
and Moab, he was prophesying against those who had called him to prophesy against
Israel. The very axe they put in his hand was used against them . That is how God
takes the sword o u t o f the hand o f the enem y and uses it on the enemy. All these
records of the past are w ritten for us so that we can know the greatness of God. The
Old Testam ent is a shadow o f what God was planning for eternity. The Word was
given by God through angels and scribes until the time when God Himself would
come in the person o f Immanuel and be the fulfillm ent o f the type. He was not only
the fulfillm ent o f the tabernacle and priesthood, He was also the fulfillm ent o f the
law.

That is why He could say in M atthew 5:17. “ Think not that I am come to destroy
the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” Glory to God!

It is im portant that you understand what the teaching o f the tribes is all about.
It’s impossible for you to understand that you are the fulfillm ent of the tribes, if you
don’t see that God has done everything by types and shadows. The shadow is not the
real thing. The shadow is only a very vague indication o f the real thing.

Revelation 7 :3,4, “ ...H urt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have
sealed the servants o f our God in their foreheads. And I heard the num ber o f them
which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of
all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

144,000 ARE CHOSEN FOR RULERSHIP FROM THE EARTH

Here we see w here God is getting His spiritual Israel ready. This is the voice of
the Lord speaking to the angels, telling them th at there is a group o f people, 144,000,
who will be m arked for deliverance when the judgm ent begins to fall. God forbids
them to pour o ut the vials o f wrath, until He has securely m arked them . There are
12,000 o f each tribe. Twelve is the num ber o f “ perfect governm ent.” God is getting
people ready who will govern. The num ber 144 speaks o f “ spirit-guided life.” God
cannot have a perfect governm ent, until those who are in governm ent office live a
spirit-guided life.

26
 America m akes a great deal out of electing a Christian m an as president, b u t un
less th a t Christian m an is guided by the Holy Spirit in his decisions, he will bring as
great a calamity upon this nation as any other wise sinner. I have seen those who call
themselves Christian, n o t only in politics, b u t also in the m inistry who have done more
harm to the kingdom o f God than sinners. So God is going to do the selecting and
choosing for this great com pany o f 144,000. N either you, nor I, will be able to choose
according to ou r personal likes or dislikes.

It says in Revelation th at they are “ sealed.” The word “sealed” in Greek is the
word sphragizo w hich means “ to stam p for security or preservation, to keep secret, to
attest, to seal up, to sto p .”

It identifies the elect group as being “ servants o f G od.” Rem em ber that Jesus
said, “ But he th a t is greatest among you shall be your servant.” (M atthew 23:11) He
did n ot com m and the angels to seal up the missionaries and evangelists, etc., but the
servants. If you w ant God to count you in, then roll up your sleeves and get to work
in the hum ble tasks. There is always a m inistry for everyone. U nfortunately, many
only w ant to preach, and because they do n ot have that anointing they become dis
gruntled with life and becom e bitter. God needs m ore scrubbers and carpenters than
He needs preachers.

144,000 SEEN IN HEAVEN (MT. ZION)

Revelation 14:1, “ ...I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the m ount Sion,and w ithhim
an hundred fo rty and four thousand, having his F a th er’s name w ritten in their
foreheads.”

The group th a t we see here is another picture of the same 144,000. Why do I say
that? Because it is identified with the same m ark o f identification, the spirit-guided
life in divine governm ent m inistry. The first 144,000 is seen by John as being on this
earth ju st before the tribulation breaks out. The second 144,000 he sees on M ount
Zion, established in its divine place o f governm ent. I believe that the first is before
the tribulation and the other is after. Their F ather’s name is w ritten in their fore
heads ... th at is, in their minds. The Lamb is standing w ith them . T hat m eans that
Jesus is right beside them . The signature o f God is upon their minds, causing them to
do only that which God would have them to do. Jesus said, “ I seek n o t mine own will,
b u t the will o f the. F ather which hath sent m e.” (John 5:30) Many times He said that
He could only do w hat the F ather wanted Him to do. This com pany o f believers will
be selected for sealing because they will have the same spirit as Jesus had, absolute
obedience to th e Father.
 THEY HAVE A NEW SONG

Revelation 14:2,3, “ And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice o f m any
waters, and as the voice o f a great thunder: and I heard the voice o f harpers harping
with their harps: A nd they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before
the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn th at song b u t the 144,000 which
were redeemed from the earth .”

They were a people redeem ed from this earth, they were not angels. They sang a
very special celestial song which only they could sing. This was the song about their
life and their experiences. There is som ething about them th at qualifies them in a way
th at no one else is qualified. The fact th at they are on the heavenly M ount Zion is a
sign th a t they are identified with Israel.

THEY ARE UNDEFILED

Revelation 14:4, “ These are they which were not defiled with wom en; for they
are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These
were redeemed from among m en, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

The scripture gives us a little more inform ation about this ruling com pany o f ser
vants o f God. They are not defiled. They are virgins. We see both men and women in
this great company. Men who had not been defiled and who are virgins. So, this com
pany is not excluded to men or women alone. Their life is holy and dedicated to God.
They follow the Lam b in absolute obedience, even u nto death. I do not believe that
this means that you have to live a life of celibacy to belong to this group. It is not
through works o f o u r own, but only through the grace of God working a work o f ab
solute obedience and dedication in our lives, through love. They are the pure in heart.
II Corinthians 11:2, “ F o r I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have es
poused you to one husband, th at I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” Paul
called the saints “ chaste virgins.”

THEY ARE THE “ FIRST-FRUITS COMPANY”

They are called “ the first-fruits unto God and to the Lam b.” The first-fruits
were the first ripened fruit or grain o f the harvest. And they were gathered up while
the rest o f the harvest remained for a while in the field. The first-fruit was brought
into the temple and given as a special offering to the priests.

THEIR WORDS ARE WITHOUT GUILE

Revelation 14:5, “ And in their m outh was found no guile: for they are w ithout

28
fault before the throne o f G od.”

James said, “ .„ If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect m an, and able
also to bridle the whole body.” (Jam es 3:2)

It is in simple ways that man reaches perfection, and n o t in being able to do some
great trem endous thing. God has made the way to sainthood so easy th at even a child
can come in through that door.

CONCLUSION

In closing, I’d like to quote Colossians 2:17, “ ...Which are a shadow o f things to
com e; but the body is o f C hrist.” Paul is saying that all the laws and rituals o f Israel
are only a shadow o f things to come. We have now come to that hour when all things
are about to be fulfilled.

Ezekiel 36 :8 , “ But ye, O m ountains o f Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches,
and yield your fruit to my people of Israel, for they are at hand to com e.”

As surely as natural Israel is being gathered in, so the spiritual Israel is coming in
to find their place in the spiritual tribal possessions.

The cry of Isaiah rings out today, clear and plain, “ Return for thy servants’ sake,
the tribes o f thine inheritance.” (Isaiah 63:17)

In Ezekiel 4 5 :8 , the prophet prophesies, “ ...and the rest of the land shall they give
to the house o f Israel according to the tribes.” Surely the tribes will possess their
possessions.

Hosea 5:9 says, “ ...among the tribes o f Israel have I made known that which shall
surely be.’ It is tim e for us to know the prophecies that concern us in this our day.

Zechariah 9:1 says that the eyes o f all the tribes o f Israel shall be tow ards the Lord.

And in closing, David the psalmist says, “ Jerusalem is builded as a city that is
com pact together: W hither the tribes go up, the tribes o f the Lord, unto the testim ony
o f Israel, to give thanks unto the name o f the L ord.” (Psalm 122:3,4)

As you find y our identity in the tribes, you find your identity in Israel. There is
a great bond o f love for natural Israel that God plants in your heart. You will feel the
Spirit o f God tugging at your heart and pulling you up to Jerusalem to worship the
Lord again and again.

29
NOTES
 APPENDIX

TO

INTRODUCTION TO THE TRIBES

 GENEOLOGY OF THE TRIBES

Noah (lived 950 years)

Japheth Shem Ham

became father o f (his wife was a descendant of
Gomer A rphaxad (438 years) Cain, m other o f all giants in
Magog the land o f Canaan)
Madai Salah (433 years)
Javan
Tubal Eber (464 years)
Meshech
Tiras Peleg (239 years) Joktan

Reu (239 years)

Serug (230 years)

Nahor (148 years)

Terah (205 years)

Abraham (Sarah) Nahor (Milcah) Haran (died early in the land

(Genesis 1 1:29; 20: 12) o f Chaldea). Genesis 1 1:26-28

Bethuel Milcah and Lot

Ishmael Isaac Laban, Rebekah (Isaac)

(Genesis 24:15,29)

Esau Jacob Leah Rachel

Reuben (Leah)
Levi (Leah)
Simeon (Leah)
Judah (Leah)
Dan (Bilhah, Rachel’s handm aiden)
Naphtali (Bilhah)
Gad (Zilpah, Leah’s handm aiden)
Asher (Zilpah)
Issachar (Leah)
Zebulun (Leah)
Joseph (Rachel)
Benjamin (Rachel)
 THE STANDARDS OF THE TRIBES

In Num bers 2 we read th a t the twelve tribes encamped and m arched under four
standards. (Levi is n o t counted here because this tribe did not go to war.)

The standards were as follows:

1. Lion - East - Num. 2:3 - Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun

2. Man - S outh - Num. 2:10 - Reuben, Simeon, and Gad

3. Ox - West - Num. 2:18 — Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin

4. Eagle - N orth - Num b. 2:25 - Dan, Asher, and Naphtali

It is interesting to see the way these four standards are also fulfilled in the four
Gospels, as M atthew , Mark, Luke and John reveal four different aspects o f Jesus Christ.

1. Lion - M atthew - Jesus, the King

2. Man -.L u k e - Jesus, the Man

3. O x - Mark - Jesus, the Servant

4. Eagle - John - Jesus, the Son of God

T h e ill ustrati ons o f t he se s t a n d a r d s can be seen on the back o f this page.

 E A ST SO U TH

J u d a h , Issachar, Z e b u lu n R e u b e n , S im eo n , G ad

NORTH
W EST

E p h raim , M anasseh, B e n ja m in D an , A sher, N a p h ta li

 Father of the 12 tribes - Jacob
Mothers of the 12 tribes:

Bilhah Zilpah Rachel

Leah
(Rachel’s m aid) (Leah’s maid)

Gad Joseph
Reuben Dan
Asher Benjamin
Levi Naphtali
Simeon
Judah
Issachar
Zebulun

Meaning of their names

1. Leah - tired, exhausted, the one who is making her efforts in vain. 2. wild cow;
2. Rachel — m o th er sheep, sheep, lam b, m other o f the sheep,
3. Bilhah — fear, dread (is God), tim idity, m odesty, tenderness,
4. Zilpah — drop, tear, closeness, intim acy; m aybe also: w et w ith m yrrh.

In The L o st B ooks o f the Bible we read an interesting account o f the hand

m aidens o f Rachel (Bilhah) and Leah (Zilpah). I do not know the authenticity o f this
record, but I believe that you will find it interesting. It is reportedly the testim ony o*
N aphtali, the father of the tribe by th a t name.

“ Now my m other was Bilhah, daughter of Rotheus, the b rother of Deborah,

R ebekah’s nurse w ho was bom on one and the self-same day w ith Rachel. And
was of the family o f Abraham , a Chaldean, God-fearing, free-born, and noble. And he
was taken captive and was bought by Laban, and he gave him Euna his handm aid to
wife and she bore a daughter, and called her name Zilpah, after the nam e o f the village
in which he had been taken captive. And next she bore Bilhah, saying: My daughter
hastens after w hat is new, for im m ediately th a t she was bom she seized the breast and
hastened to suck it.” (T estam ent of N aphtali 1:9-l 2)

Of the family of Abraham

R otheus — taken captive

— bought by Laban
- b rother o f Deborah (R ebekah’s nurse)
(Genesis 24:59; 35:8)
— m arried to Euna

Zilpah (Leah’s m aid) Bilhah (R achel’s m aid, same age as

Rachel)
 THE GEM STONES ON THE BREASTPLATE O F THE HIGH PRIEST

There is a great deal o f controversy among Bible scholars about what the different
tribal gemstones are. I have done quite a bit o f researching and have finally concluded
th at the only reliable inform ation we have on this is to be found in the writings o f Jo
sephus.

Josephus was a Jewish historian, born in A.D. 37 o f a priestly Jewish family. He

came from a family o f Pharisees and had the privilege o f being well educated. His his
to ry o f the Jews, The A ntiquities o f the Jews, which tells the story o f Israel from the
creation o f Genesis until the fall o f Jerusalem , is very interesting and informative. He
had access to m any historical scrolls which were destroyed when Jerusalem fell under
the crushing blows o f the Roman Army comm anded by Titus in A.D. 70.

Josephus, in his history on the Aaron priesthood m entions the gemstones. I

would like to quote from his writings.

“ Twelve stones also there were upon the breastplate, extraordinary in largeness
and beauty; and th ey were an ornam ent not to be purchased by men, because o f their
immense value. The stones were inserted into the breastplate, and were so made that
they might not fall o u t.” (Book iii, chapter viii, section 5)

“ Now the nam es of all those sons of Jacob were engraved in these stones, whom
we esteem the heads o f our tribes, each stone having the honour of a name, in the
order according to which they were born.” (Book iii, chapter viii, section 5)

Levi Simeon Reuben

Naphtali Dan Judah

Issachar Asher Gad

Benjamin Joseph Zebulun

In Exodus 28:17-20 we read the names o f the different gemstones.

“ And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row
shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. And the second row
shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row a ligure, an agate,
and an am ethyst. A nd the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx and a jasper: they shall be
set in gold in their inclosings.”

No one really knows the exact positioning. The Bible only gives us the order.
The four rows could be horizontal or vertical and would m ost likely be read from right
to left, as it is the Hebrew style.
 In this study we will apply the gemstones to the tribes in the order in which they
were bom and in which they were listed in Exodus 28.

1. Reuben - Sardius - Ruby

2. Simeon - Topaz
3. Levi - Carbuncle — G arnet
4. Judah - Emerald
5. Dan - Sapphire
6. N aphtali - Diamond
7. Gad — Ligure — Deep Blue
8. Asher - Agate - Green, Black, Brown (Cameo)
9. Issachar - A m ethyst
10. Zebulun - Beryl - Aquam arine
11. Joseph - O nyx - Brown, Red - (Cameo)
12. Benjamin - Jasper

We will enlarge on the meaning o f each o f the gemstones more fully as we proceed
w ith the individual studies on the tribes. Each o f these stones was given to th*-tribes
by the Lord. T he order and the m eaning o f each gem is divine. It reveals som ethi g
about each o f the tribes.

THE CENSUS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL

W hen they entered Canaan Land

When they came o u t o f Egypt
R e u b e n ............................ 43,730
R e u b e n ................................. 46,500
S im e o n ............................. 22,200
S im e o n ....................................59,300
G a d ................................... 40,500
G a d ...........................................45,650
J u d a h ............................... 76,500
J u d a h ...................................... 74,600
Issachar............................. 64,300
Issachar....................................54,400
Z ebulun............................. 60,500
Zebulun....................................57,400
E p h ra im .......................... 32,500
E p h ra im ................................. 40,500
M anasseh.......................... 52,700
M anasseh................................. 32,200
Benjam in.......................... 45,600
B enjam in................................. 35,400
D a n .................................... 64,400
D a n ....... ................ .................. 62,700
A sher................................. 53,400
Asher........................................ 41,500
N a p h ta li.......................... 45,400
N a p h ta li................................. 53,400
L evi...........................................22,000 L e v i................................... 23,000

THE BLESSING AND THE CURSING

(D euteronom y 27:11-13)

These shall stand on Mt. Ebal

These shall stand on Mt. Gerizim
to bless the people: to curse:

Reuben
Simeon
Gad
Levi
Asher
Judah
Zebulun
Issachar
Dan
Joseph
Naphtali
Benjamin
 LOCATION OF THE TRIBES AROUND THE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS
EAGLE

NORTH
FOURTH D IV ISIO N DAN 157,600

NAPHTALI DAN ASHER

53,400 62,700 41,500

oo
3
on
H
O
MERARITES <
3,200 £2
o
MANASSEH ISSACHAR
z
32,200 54,400
MOSES

H
-J~) < c m
OX
EPHRAIM
40,500
GERSHONITES
2,650
* 13J © 0 LEVITES
JUDAH
74,600
c >
> 2
rr
LION

AARON
BENJAMIN ZEBULUN
z 35,400 57,400
o
35 KOHATHITES
> 2,750
5
Q
X o
t- o

GAD REUBEN SIMEON

45,650 46,500 59,300

SECOND DIVISION REUBEN 151,450

SOUTH

MAN
1 - BRAZEN ALTAR
2 - LAVER
3 - HOLY PLACE
4 - HOLY O F HOLIES
This map was taken from the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible. Used by permission
Israel Song
 Israel Song
G. R. S. GWEN R. SHAW
Arr. b y D orothy C. Buss

C o p y rig h t 1 9 7 6 b y E n d T im e H A n d m a id en s, In c. P. O. B ox 117 Ja sp e r, A rk . 7 2 6 4 1 .
 Chorus 4. ASHER
Asher, My happy tribe, arise,
Thou blessed w ith children o f the Lord.
T hy c o f -----fers shall be full
As royal dainties th o u shalt give
To others sad w ith poverty.
Dip th o u th y feet in holy oil;
With shoes o f iron, BE STRONG.
Chorus 5. NAPHTALI
Come, Naphtali, th o u blessed ones,
The west and so u th d o th wait for thee;
Come rule . . . in m ajesty.
T hou shalt be satisfied in Me;
T hy blessings shall be full
As places high y o u ’ll climb w ith grace
A nd goodly words you speak.
Chorus 6. MANASSEH
Manasseh, Joseph’s firstborn son,
Thy presence m akes us to forget
The toil . . . and sorrows past.
Thy glory is the bullock’s strength.
U nite all men in one through Me;
Be joined in blood to Ephraim
And set th y thousands free.
Chorus 7. SIMEON
Hear, hear, oh, hear Me, Simeon,
Thy fath er’s God calls unto thee,
The God . . . o f Israel.
Turn from thy sins o f anger, hate;
The hour groweth very late.
G od’s m ercy thou shalt feel and see;
Repentance leads to Me.
Chorus 8. LEVI
Levi, th o u children o f G od’s grace,
Ye chosen seed o f Israel,
A t M a -----sah th o u wast tried.
My way you chose, My law you loved,
My altars you did keep.
Thy Urim, Thum m im come and claim;
I’m thine inheritance.
Chorus 9. ISAACHAR
Come, Isaachar, My sons o f strength,
Thy two-fold burden bear for Me.
T hou bow ... ed to bear My load.
H um ility has m ade th ee strong;
Thy meekness m ade thee great.
The pleasant land com e enter in,
The rest thou wilt find sweet.
Chorus 10. ZEBULUN
Come, Zebulun, My sons o f light,
Take up th y pen and for Me write.
Point wan - - - derers to Me,
A haven for the travellers worn,
A dwelling by the sea.
Send forth th y sons to distant parts;
Rejoice while going out.
Chorus 11. JOSEPH
Joseph, thou child o f sorrow, pain,
Rejected by thy very own,
Thy tears . . . have m ade thee great.
The blessings o f the Lord are thine,
The precious gifts o f heaven divine,
The dew, th e deep, the sun and m oon,
The m ountains, earth and hills.
Chorus 12. EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH
The blessings fall on thy two sons,
Thou twice-blessed son o f Israel.
M an as-----sell, Ephraim ,
A fruitful bough beside the well
Whose branches climb all walls.
Thy enemies can’t hinder thee.
Their hate has m ade thee strong.
Chorus 13. BENJAMIN
Come, Benjamin, My little one,
Thou son o f My right hand and strength;
Five por - - - tions shall be thine.
Come dwell in safety by thy Lord,
For He shall always cover thee;
Upon His shoulder thou shalt dwell
Beloved of the Lord.
Chorus 14.
These are the sons of Israel,
Beloved chosen ones o f God.
Twelve thou . . . sand from each tribe,
Arise, prepare to m eet thy God.
His kingdom rule in right.
Come, take th y place in this end time;
Tom orrow ’s day is here.
Chorus 15.
The feast o f trum pets is today;
Oh, hear His calling thee ARISE.
Fold up . . . thy tents and march.
The long, long weary night is o’er;
The m orning dawns in glory’s rays.
Come, sons o f Israel, take thy place,
Ye chosen by G od’s grace.
End-Time Handm aidens, Inc.
P.O. Box 447
Jasper, Arkansas 72641
U.S.A.
This chart w is taken from The Adam and Eve Family Tree, produced by the Good
Things Comj any. Used by permission.

Cover by Cynthia Peall

Copyright 1982, Gwen R. Shaw

End-Time Handmaidens, Inc.
P.O. Box 447
Jasper, Arkansas 72641

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States o f America

 PRAYER

“ Lord, please open the eyes o f our understanding th a t we can see in the spirit
th a t you are doing a new thing; You are gathering Y our lost tribes o u t o f the nations o f
the w orld. F or a long tim e, we have n ot know n our iden tity , but now Y ou are showing
us o u r place in th e body o f Christ. I th an k You for the way You are now revealing
these things which have been hidden from the foundation o f the world, and th at You
are revealing them to babes. Open o u r hearts and o u r understanding th at we may
know and discern the dispensation o f time. A m en.”

TH E NAMING O F REUBEN

“ And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her wom b: b u t Rachel
was barren. And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for
she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon m y affliction; now therefore my husband
will love m e.” (Genesis 29:31,32)

It is really necessary for you to read Genesis, chapters 27, 28, 29:1-32.

MEANING OF NAME

Reuben m eans, “ See, a son! A new beginning.” It comes from tw o Hebrew

words:

raah (raw -aw )...“ to see, consider, to look, to make to enjoy, to have experience,
to perceive, to present, to provide” ;

ben (bane)...“ a son (as a builder o f the family nam e), anointed one:”

SYMBOL

The sym bol o f Reuben is usually the sign o f the rising sun. More recently the
sym bol o f a blossoming plant, possibly a m andrake plant, is also used. Both the
rising sun in its full strength and the blossoming plant speak o f “new beginning, new
anointing, new life and beauty coming fo rth .” They also speak o f hope. No tribe
needs this sym bol o f hope for a new beginning m ore than the tribe o f Reuben.

GEMSTONE

The gem stone o f Reuben is the sardius. Its Hebrew word is odem (o-dem). It
comes from the root-w ord adam ...“ to show blood, to flush or turn rosy, red.” It could

1
 be the ruby, the garnet o r another type o f stone th a t is red in colour. Josephus calls
it sardonyx (Ant. iii 7 :6 ) Sm ith’s Bible D ictionary says, “ The Sardius is a kind o f flint,
or chalcedony, and is valued m ore as it is deeper red. The nam e Sardius was given it at
Sardis, where it was w orked and engraved. It is also m entioned in Revelation 4 :3 .”

Because o f the quality o f the sardius stone, it was used for making signets or seals.
It is said th a t the sealing wax does n o t adhere to it.

Its blood-red colour speaks to us o f the precious Blood o f Jesus. As such, it is the
foundation stone and deserves to be first m entioned and first placed in the breastplate
o f the high priest. We cannot approach God or His great holiness w ithout the token o f
the blood. Reuben is blessed above all tribes in its gem stone because God gave Reuben
the sym bol o f the blood-covering. Every tim e Reuben looked at his own weakness and
failures, he also had to rem em ber the covenant o f forgiveness through the blood. And
when the high priest came before Jehovah in his official capacity, representing the
tribes o f Israel, God had to see the gem which spoke o f the blood-covering, which He
Himself had given to Reuben as the covenant stone.

God does n o t look a t us w ith all our past failures and m istakes when we have put
them under the blood o f His Son. He only sees the ruby-red blood covering, and so we
are accepted into His holy presence.

PROPHECIES

Jacob: “ R euben, thou art my firstborn, my m ight, and the beginning o f my

strength, the excellency o f dignity, and the excellency o f power: Unstable as water,
th o u shalt n o t excel; because thou wen test up to thy fath e r’s bed; then defiledst thou
it; he went up to my couch.” (Genesis 49:3,4)

Moses: “ Let Reuben live, and not die; and let n o t his men be few .” (D eutero
nom y 33:6)

HISTORY O F REUBEN - REUBEN’S BIRTH

Genesis 30:14-18, “ And Reuben w ent in the days o f w heat harvest, and found
m andrakes in the field, and brought them unto his m o th er Leah. Then Rachel said to
Leah, Give m e, I pray thee, o f thy son’s m andrakes. And she (Leah) said unto her, Is it
a small m atter th a t th o u hast taken m y husband? and w ouldest thou take away my
son’s m andrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for
thy son’s m andrakes. And Jacob came o u t o f the field in the evening, and Leah went
o u t to m eet him, and said, T hou m ust come in unto m e; fo r surely I have hired thee
w ith my so n ’s m andrakes. And he lay with her th at night. And God hearkened unto
Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.”

2
 We know th a t Jacob was in love w ith Rachel. On the night o f his marriage to her
he was deceived by her father Laban. It m ust have been a terrible shock to him, to
find in th e m orning after the consum m ation o f the marriage, th at the woman who he
had really taken as his wife was n o t his beloved Rachel b u t her sister Leah. Because
she was veiled and no doubt, he had been induced by Laban to drink wine until he was
in a drunken stu p o r (Josephus says he was intoxicated), plus the advantage o f darkness
and Leah’s own co-operation in the m atter, he was deceived until the m orning lig t
revealed the tru th . But after the covenant vows had been made, there was no way to
reverse it. So he had to live w ith Leah. But he worked seven years m ore and pur
chased for himself, through his labour o f love, the woman o f his love.

It seems th a t, because o f this tragedy in his life, there m ust have been a deep hurt
and resentm ent in Jacob’s life. I am sure that he only used Leah because o f his passion
and because it was his duty. But he did not love her. His real, true affection was for
Rachel.

Because o f this, we see th at Leah’s life was one o f rejection, heartache and much
personal agony and sorrow, and so God opened her w om b and gave her a son, Reuben,
to com fort her. When she held baby Reuben in her arm s, she called him ...Behold a
son!

The greatest blessing that any woman.can have, be she Christian, Moslem, Buddhist,
Jewish or Hindu, is to be the m other o f a son. In m ost o f the nations o f the world, a
wom an who never has a son will always be a woman o f shame as long as she lives. To
have given birth to a second son is even a greater honour, and then, to give birth to
three sons, as far as the Chinese are concerned, is an indication that you have truly
been blessed and favoured by the “ gods.”

When Leah called her first-born Reuben, she was really trying to draw Jacob’s
atten tio n away from Rachel. She wanted him to forget Rachel for a while and to see
this great gift o f love which her young body had produced. She was hoping that some
how, as he looked at Reuben, Jacob would rem em ber the sacrifice o f love and pain
that she had gone through to give him this joy. And, no d o ubt, it m ust have helped for
a little while, as she saw him play with baby Reuben, and perceived the jealousy and
h urt in the eyes of her loved sister Rachel. Women use m any tactics to try to gain back
or to win the love o f their erring husbands. Som etimes they sink very low, almost like
a city pro stitu te to “ buy” one night o f “ love.” Only to awaken the next day, feeling
defiled and com m on because it was not love, but lust which they had hired for the
night. W omen, through the years, have used every kind o f subtle weapon to gain their
husband’s love. They use tears, sons, jew elry, perfum e, make-up and sex-appeal. A
woman who is desperate will use anything. And when they don’t know what to do,
they use a nagging spirit, and o f course th at is the w orst thing that a woman can do.

And so you see poor Leah, in her agony calling o u t, “ Behold a son, a new be
ginning.” What she really is saying is, “ Jacob, can’t we start all over again, as if it had

3
not even happened th a t you were deceived, and th at I allowed my lather to put me
in to R achel’s place on y o u r wedding night?”

There is no d o u b t that Jacob did love Reuben. We hear this in the first words o f
his prophecy to Reuben, “ Reuben, you are m y firstborn, m y m ight, and the beginning
o f m y strength, the excellency o f dignity, and the excellency o f pow er.” For a brief
m om ent Jacob has forgotten to be angry and h u rt as he recalls th at first-born son and
rem em bers how he held him in his arms the day o f his birthing. I can ju st picture
Jacob’s pride as he told his com rades in the fields, “ My wife, Leah, has born me a son.”
Reuben had proved to the world th at Jacob was a man. I can see, in my im agination,
how Jacob m ust have straightened his shoulders and said, “ I’m going to teach him how
to tend those sheep. I am going to m ake him m y ‘buddy’.”

As the first-born, Reuben had the advantage over the others who followed. He
received the first love, the first atten tio n and the first-born privileges. There was
instilled in Reuben a beautiful spirit. Reuben, I believe, has one o f the most beautiful
spirits o f all o f the tribes o f Israel. He stood betw een his m o th er’s broken heart and
his father’s love for his aunt Rachel. He stood there as a sym bol between the three of
them . Reuben knew th at he was the one key th at could be used to bring his father
into the arms o f his own m other.

In the story o f Genesis 30, he is about fourteen or fifteen years old. His m other
has left child-bearing for some time. She had already given birth to four sons and now
the years had passed and she had n o t born any more children for quite some time.

Suddenly, this evening, as Reuben is walking home from the shepherd’s fields he
discovers a m andrake.

MANDRAKE

The word comes from the Hebrew word duw day (doo-dah-ee). It comes from the
root-word d o w d ...“ to boil, to love, a love-token, lover, beloved, love.” The m an
drake was a aphrodisiac. The fruit o f the m andrake was about the size of a small apple,
2'/z inches in diam eter. It ripened in early May, was ruddy or yellow in colour and has
an exotic flavour. The Arabs call it “ devil’s apple,” from its pow er to excite volup
tuousness. It was used by the ancients as an anaesthetic, and used in small quantities
like opium . It excites the nerves and is a stim ulant. It is also m entioned in Song o f
Solomon 7:13.

Anyone who had a m andrake could use it for all kinds o f purposes. It was used as
a love potion to make people fall in love. Men would p u t it in a drink when they were
drinking with a woman and a woman would lose her senses and before she knew what
was happening, she could be induced into having an affair with him. Women also used
it to p u t it in to m en’s drinks. It is still used today. If it is taken in considerable

4
q u an tity , it is an acid narcotic poison. In Hong Kong w here I lived, the Chinese used
to use it*quite a bit. They would use it in the bars where o u r GI soldiers who were on
R and R from V ietnam came in to drink. T he prostitutes, w ho were owned by their
m asters, were forced to induce these men to co-habit w ith them , th at they m ight get
their m oney. Som etim es, if the fellow seemed reluctant, a portion o f aphrodisiac was
p u t in to his beer and the foolish fellow was led away as a lam b to the slaughter. Some
tim es it was given to b o th o f them in such portions th a t they would be found dead a
day o r tw o later. O ften the girls w ould drink it to o because they would get weary and
tired o f their life o f sin. I have know n some o f these girls. Some o f them lived this
life only because it was a m eans o f supporting their parents and their brothers and
sisters. O ften th ey com m it suicide because they cannot bear their life any longer.

When R euben came hom e from the fields, Leah knew th at she had the means of
capturing her husband for one night o f love. All she had to do, was put it in his food
or drink, at the right m om ent, when Rachel wasn’t around and she would be able to
have him share th e bed w ith her.

I have lived m y life in the O rient, where often a man has more than one wife. I
have seen the h u rt and pain th a t results from polygamy. The women o f the same hus
band always are jealous, always vying for first place. In Hong Kong some men have
one wife on the Hong Kong side and another on the Kow loon side. Usually they try to
divide them selves equally betw een the tw o of them . But it does not seem that Jacob
did th at. It seems as if Jacob gave m ost o f his tim e to Rachel. So Leah had to have
som ething to capture the a tte n tio n o f her husband. And now she had it in the m an
drake.

But when Rachel saw it, she wanted to have it. “ Give me, I pray thee, thy son s
m andrakes.”

Leah was im m ediately angry. T hat is why she was angry. It was not an ordinary
fruit th a t Rachel was wanting. Leah spoke in anger, “ Is it a small m atter th at you have
taken m y husband? And w ouldest thou take away my son’s m andrakes also?”

Then Rachel said, “ If you give them to me, he can sleep with you ton ig h t.” This
indicates th at for a long tim e Leah had been sleeping in a lonely bed. She had been
spending the night as a rejected wife. Some o f you women reading this, know all about
this kind o f a life. You know the hurt, the anguish and the pain. So Rachel and Leah
made a bargain.

Perhaps Rachel was thinking th at the m andrake w ould open her womb and help
her to conceive. Certainly she did n o t need to hire her husband for one night, she
already had him. Whatever her m otive was, she w anted th at m andrake and she would
sto p at nothing to obtain it, even if it m eant “ selling” Jacob to Leah for one night.
She w anted it and she would get it at any cost. She didn’t care w hat she paid to
have it, she was going to have that m andrake. As m uch as we love Rachel, we must

5
confess th a t we see som e very dispicable things in the life o f this beautiful person.

When Leah surrendered the m andrakes to her sister she was rising above the
natural help and casting herself upon God. Instead o f trusting in the arm o f flesh, she
was p u ttin g her reliance on an alm ighty God, and not in som e magical potion that
would w ork for her. I love this strength and faith which we see in Leah.

I see Reuben standing there, hearing his m other and a u n t Rachel arguing betw een
them . I can see the tears in th at boy’s eyes. I can feel his heartache and his sadness.
Those oriental boys knew the facts o f life. They had their sex-education o u t in the
fields w ith the sheep and the birthing o f the lambs when they were still very young.
He is thinking, “ I got som ething to help m om m y get daddy back, and here, she gives it
to aunt Rachel,” and he can’t understand.

Rachel walks o u t o f the ten t w ith the m andrake, thinking she got the better end
o f the deal, and young Reuben looks up and says, “ Mom, don’t you think you m ade a
m istake?”

Leah says, “ It’s alright honey, we’re ju st going to trust G od to make everything
right.” The Bible says th a t God hearkened to Leah and she conceived and Issachar was
bom by an act o f faith. Yes, Issachar was born after the Lord had already stopped
Leah’s womb from child-bearing. (Genesis 29:35) Issachar also opened her womb so
th a t she was able to bear two m ore children after him , Zebulun and Dinah.

The character o f Reuben is so beautifully portrayed in this act o f kindness and

love which he revealed as he brought his m other the m andrake. He could have wanted
to try it o u t himself. He was at the age o f puberty, the age o f adolescence, when
curiosity in such things is aroused. His curiosity could have gotten the best o f him , but
instead he gave it to the one he loved the most. He didn’t give it to Jacob, because he
did not trust his father to have it. He gave it to someone he trusted. He was a lover
and he was generous and he was kind.

If you are a R eubenite, you will find that there is som ething in you th a t wants to
give things to people. If you see som eone you love has a need, you will not rest until
you can discover a way to m eet th at need. The R eubenite goes o u t o f his way to do
some kind act or deed. You will find them in the wheat harvest where the love-apples
grow because they are lovers. And when no one can find a love-apple, the R eubenite
will, because he is a lover. This love is his strength and it also is his weakness.

REUBEN’S GREAT SIN

Genesis 35:22, “ And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in th at land, th at Reuben
went and lay w ith Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Jacob heard it.”

6
 T hat little verse contains a life-time o f agony, suffering, shame and disgrace. Bil
hah was Rachel’s handm aiden, and the same age as Rachel. You will rem em ber that
Rachel and Leah gave their handm aidens as concubines to Jacob. This was accepted by
the social custom s o f that day. So Bilhah really was like a m other to the sons o f Jacob.
In the O rient she would have been called “ m o th er.” Every one o f the father’s wives
are called “ m o th er.” So when Reuben fell into sin w ith Bilhah, it was a very grave sin,
even incest.

Bilhah m eans “ fear, dread (o f God), tim idity, tenderness, m odesty.” It could
m ean th at she was a woman o f a tim id spirit and backward. As a servant, pushed about
by a strong-willed mistress like Rachel, she never had the strength to m ake any de
cisions on her ow n. Now Rachel has died in childbirth, and Bilhah is left alone. She
has never had a chance to stand on her own or to develop her own character. Some of
the m ost pitiful women in the world are the ones whose parents have m ade every
decision for them when they were growing up and when they were m arried, their hus
bands to o k over and managed their lives totally. When their husbands die or divorce
them , these wom en are left floundering around, full o f fears and inhibitions, never able
to have any spirit of independence.

Bilhah had been a slave from her childhood and had never know n anything else
b ut servitude all o f her life. She was used only to gratify Rachel s desire to have more
children.

History tells us that Reuben was about thirty years o f age when this happened.
He happened to be in a place alone and he saw her bathing and in that m om ent, when
he saw her nude, he was overcome with passion, and he took her and possessed her.
We know that in a m om ent o f recklessness Reuben was overcome. The tem ptation o f
the hour was too great. He was not able to stand against it.

We see here th at R eubenites have a weakness. They are a loving people, a com
passionate people, they are a people who are full o f good-hearted deeds, b ut they are a
people whose compassion can suddenly turn into uncontrolled passion.

There are a lot o f Reubenites in the m inistry, because God needs the compassion
th a t the Reubenites have. He knows them , and He know s their weakness and HeJias
com passion on them , for He sees the beautiful spirit th at they have.

Do n o t despise or scorn the Reubenite or think he is the only sinner in the tribes.
There are weaknesses in all o f the tribes and not everybody who is overcome by
passion is a R eubenite.

REUBEN, THE ELDER BROTHER

Genesis 37:19-22, “ And they said one to another, Behold, this dream er com eth.

7
Come now therefore, and let us slay him , and cast him into some pit, and we will say,
Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see w hat will becom e o f his dreams.
And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out o f their hands; and said Let us n o t kill
him And Reuben said unto them , Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit th at is in
the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him ; th at he m ight n d him out o f their hands, to
deliver him to his father again.”

Here again we see Reuben’s compassion. He is not full o f bitterness against Jo

seph like his brothers are. Reubenites do not harbour bitterness. They see their own
weaknesses and so they find it easy to forgive w hat others do to them . Reuben feels
his responsibility tow ards Joseph because he is the first-born. He is playing the: p a r to f
big brother, going against all the angry brothers who are full o f hate and m urder. We
see here the courage and loyalty o f Reuben. The R eubenites have great courage and
loyalty to those whom they love. They are willing to “ stick th e.r necks out and risk
their own lives or favour to help someone in need.

Something rem arkable about this relationship betw een Reuben and Josephi is that
Reuben was the first-born o f Leah, and Joseph was the first-born o f Rachel his
m other’s rival. In the natural, we would think th at he, of all the brothers, would have
reason to hate Joseph, because Joseph would likely get the first-born rights, simp y
because his m other was his father’s favourite. He also knew that Jacob loved Josep^
more than he loved him. Had ho not made him the beautiful coat o f m any colours.
But even so. we find no trace o f cruelty, or conniving in Reuben. He has a plain, old,
loving heart. He is a beautiful person. A R eubenite will n ot easily work tricks on you
He will assume the responsibility o f caring for the little b ro th er He stood agains
his own “ blood-brothers,” the sons o f his own m other Leah, to defend Joseph. T i
is character!

A nother thing you see in this story, is the wisdom o f Reuben in handling the case.
If he had openly opposed his brothers, he would not have been strong enough to
handle them all. He speaks with real intelligence, “ We should not be the ones to she
his blood. It is not good for us to shed blood. Let us just throw him into the pit He
will never get out of it alive and we will be able to say honestly th at we never hurt him,
we never did a thing to him .”

But in his heart, he had the intention, when they w eren’t looking, to go back and
pull him out o f that deep pit and save his life. And so we see the loving compassion ot
Reuben. It is so beautiful. I would rather have a Reuben w ho makes a few mistakes
and is sorry for them , than someone who is cruel and thinks he is so very righteous an
perfect, can never make a mistake in his life, and has no love or forgiveness.

REUBEN, HIS BROTHER’S KEEPER

Genesis 37:28-30, “ Then there passed by M idianites m erchantm en; and they drew

8
and lifted Joseph o u t o f the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for tw enty pieces
o f silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt. And Reuben returned unto the pit;
and behold, Joseph was n ot in the pit; and he rent his clothes. And he returned unto
his brethren and said, The child is n o t; and I, w hither shall I go?”

Even if you manage to tear a R eubenite away from his responsibilities, he will not
be happy. You can lead him easily into sin, but he is a miserable sinner. You can call
him easily away from the calling o f God, b ut he will never be happy doing anything
that is outside o f G od’s will. A Reubenite is m’arried to the high calling o f G od, and
though easily persuaded to do wrong, is the m ost unhappy, unfulfilled soul when he
is not where he knows God wants him. He will shed m any tears if he is outside the will
o f God. A R eubenite has courage but little m oral strength. He has love, but also is
often confused betw een love and lust. He has compassion b ut is often ruled by passion.

When Reuben returns to the pit after a brief absence, in which Joseph has been
sold to the Ishmaelites and carried o ff in to slavery in Egypt, his heart is filled with
terrible anxiety. He cries, “ What has happened to that boy?” In frustration he tears
his shepherd’s robe and screams, “ What am I going to do?”

He took upon him self the responsibility o f taking care o f Joseph. Reuben is “ a
b ro th er’s keeper.” And if you are a R eubenite, then d o n ’t think for one m inute that
you will get away from being “ your b ro th e r’s keeper.” You are going to have the
burden and the concern o f your brothers, and o f the weak and those who are hated
and who are rejected and despised. You are going to defend them , you are going to
stand up for them . You have a big-brother heart.

REUBEN’S TENDER CONSCIENCE

Genesis 42:2 1 .2 2 , “ And they said one unto another. We are verily guilty concer
ning our brother, in that we saw the anguish o f his soul, when he besought us, and we
would n o t hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And Reuben answered them ,
saying, Spake I n o t unto you, saying. Do not sin against the child; and ye would not
hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.”

The sons o f Jacob are standing before Joseph, but they do not know who he is.
Joseph has just put them into “ w ard” for three days and has brought them out and
now they are all filled with terror. Reuben suddenly speaks up and Joseph understands
it, because it is his own tongue. You can still, after all these m any years have passed by
(about 22 years), see his tender conscience. His old, tender conscience never let him
rest. Yes, the Reubenite m ay sin easily in a m om ent o f uncontrolled passion, but he
will not sin com fortably. He will be so miserable, so unhappy, so guilt-ridden that he
will not be able to live with his sin, and even if he tries to make things right, there will
always be, within his heart, a feeling that says, “ Oh, why didn’t I do it different? Oh,
why wasn’t I m ore careful? Oh, why was I such a fool?”

9
 REUBEN’S RADICAL GUARANTEE

Genesis 42:3 6 ,3 7 , “ And Jacob their father said unto them , Me have ye bereaved
of m y children: Joseph is n o t, and Simeon is n o t, and ye will take Benjamin away: all
these things are against me. And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two
sons, if I bring him n o t to thee: deliver him into m y hand, and I will bring him to thee
again.”

In this chapter we find th at the brothers have been released from Joseph and re
turned to their father, b u t they still do n o t know who Joseph is. The famine is con
tinuing and they need to return to Egypt to get m ore grain because the supplies they
brought back the first tim e, are used up. Jacob has refused to let them take Benjamin
w ith them , which was the condition th at Joseph had laid down for them to be able to
see his face and obtain Simeon’s release from the Egyptian prison where Joseph was
holding him.

This is where Reuben makes the rash and im petuous promise to his father Jacob,
“ If I do not bring Benjamin back with me again, you can kill my two sons.”

However, perhaps we should not think it too strange th at Reuben makes such a
guarantee. We know that in Com m unist countries they w on’t let you o u t o f the
country until someone guarantees that you will come back. F or example, if this were a
Com m unist country, and my husband wanted to leave to go to another country, then 1
would have to guarantee my life for his, if he did not come back. Many fathers and
m others have done this for their children in China. The children have said that they
will go to Hong Kong and return, but the parents have m ade a secret pact with their
children that they should not return, saying, “ Never mind, I am an old person. 1 w on’t
live m uch longer, and if I die, it doesn’t m atter. But you are young and you have your
whole life in front o f you. You go, and stay, and d o n ’t retu rn .” The m other or the
father is brought in for interrogation, often with tortu re and finally with im prison
m ent. That is the custom o f the O rient, and this may have been what Reuben really
m eant. He offered his sons as guarantee, because it was the best he had to give. They
were the dearest treasure of his heart. T hat is how concerned he was for the welfare of
the whole family o f seventy souls.

Maybe he thought too, that the death o f his tw o sons would somehow atone for
the death o f Joseph and even Benjamin, if Benjamin should be held there, and th at he,
through this great sacrifice would find peace and forgiveness w ith God. When he made
this promise he had tw o sons, and when they w ent into Egypt soon after th at, he had
four, so God gave him the double portion. God has prom ised that if we give, He will
give back to us, pressed down, shaken together and running over.

10
 TH E FAM ILY TR EE

The sons o f Reuben were: (Genesis 4 6 :9 )

1 Hanoch (E noch): consecration, dedication, sacrificial offering, beginner;

Phallu■G od has m arked him , separated, w onderful, unusual, fam ous;
3. Hezron: greening, blossom ing, lovely, entrenched, fortified, hedged ab out, farm,
farm building, farm stead;
4. Carmi: m y vineyard, my noble planting, settlem ent, colony.

H anoch: H anoch is another adaption o f the word Enoch. You will rem em ber that
Enoch was the great patriarch who walked w ith God and was not, for God took him.
He experienced translation. When parents nam ed their children in Bible tim es, they re
vealed their very own lives in the names o f their children. They didn t choose the
name o f some fam ous person whom they idolized, like people do these days but they
revealed their soul in the naming o f their children. When Reuben named his first-born
Enoch he m ust have had a longing for the purity th at Enoch had experienced. For
Enoch was the m ost pure o f all the men that had ever lived since Adam s time in
cluding Adam. He was so pure, that in that antideluvian age. when all around, flesh
became so vile th at God said the stench o f it had gone to His nostrils and He was going
to destroy the earth. Enoch walked with God in love and purity and perfection to
such a degree, th a t God said, “ I can’t let you stay down there in th at old mess pot any
m ore; you just come right along with Me.” And He to o k Enoch home with Him. 1 see
in Reuben a longing and a desire for the purity o f God.

Som etim es it is good for us to make a m istake. It m akes us cry. “ Woe is me, for I
am undone! I a m a m a n o f vile passions!” When you see there is nothing good in you.
you long for the absolute purity of God. You long for His perfection and holiness.

Phallu- It m eans someone m arked by G od. unusual, separated, w onderful, famous.

Do we sense a bit o f pride in the naming o f this son? Pride is a very dangerous thing
and is som ething that we have to be very, very careful of. If we trace the■line and
lineage o f Phallu, we find some very distressing things ab o u t this branch o f the family
o f Reuben later on in the scripture.

Num bers 26:5-10, “ Reuben the eldest son o f Israel: the children o f Reuben;
Hanoch, o f whom com eth the family o f the H anochites: o f Pallu, the family o f t e
Palluites: Of Hezron, the family of the H ezronites: o f Carmi. the family o f the Car-
mites. These are the families of the Reubenites: and they that were num bered of them
were forty and three thousand and seven hundred and thirty. And the sons ° f pallu >
Eliab. And the sons of Eliab; Nemuel, and D athan, and Abiram. This is that Dathan
and Abiram , which were fam ous in the congregation, who strove against Moses and
against Aaron in the com pany o f Korah when they strove against the Lord: And the earth
opened her m o u th , and swallowed them up together w ith Korah, when th at company
died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty m en: and they becam e a sign.

11
 This is where pride is going to get you. Phallu’s descendants rose up against Moses
and brought revolution in the camp even though they were the Lord’s separated,
w onderful, unusual children. Num bers 16 gives the story in detail. Read it, beginning
at verse 1. Verse 3 says, “ And they gathered themselves together against Moses and
against A aron, and said to them , Ye take too m uch upon you, seeing all the congrega
tion are holy, every one o f them , and the Lord is am ong them : wherefore then lift ye
up yourselves above th e congregation o f the Lord? ’ When Moses wanted to reason
with them , they said, “ We will n o t come up!” And they accused Moses o f bringing
them OUT o f a land th a t flowed with milk and honey to kill them in the wilderness,
accusing him o f m aking him self a prince over them . Rebellion against G od’s anointed
leadership is a terrible thing. The reason that Reuben was so easily led astray was be
cause he is easily influenced. In this case, he was influenced by Korah, o f the tribe of
Levi. Korah rose up against Moses because he was jealous o f Moses’ call o f God and
position o f leadership. He was an am bitious, bold and haughty man. In Jude 11 his
name is linked with Cain the m urderer and Balaam the false prophet. Yet he was of
the Levite family.

The judgm ent o f God came upon these people, and together with their wives and
children all o f them perished. This is the tragedy of error. When Reuben went astray
from the will o f God for his life, he brought his wife and children into the pit with
him. “ And it came to pass, as he had made an end o f speaking all these words, th at the
ground clave asunder th a t was under them : And the earth opened her m outh, and
swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah,
and all their goods.” (Num bers 16:31,32)

This is the sin o f pride and its result. They rose up against Moses. After all, did
their name not mean distinction and famous. Their attitu d e was, “ We ought to be a
little m ore im portant around here with a name like ours. We com m and a little respect.
And who does Aaron think he is and who does Moses think he is, that these tw o should
be the ONLY honourable ones.” They joined with the K ohathites and m ade an
allegiance th at resulted in the judgm ent o f God falling upon them and the earth opened
up and they were destroyed. Many o f the descendants o f Reuben were lost in that
act o f rebellion.

We m ust be careful not to allow a spirit o f pride and rebellion against G od’s
anointed leadership to bring destruction upon us. Beware o f “ doing your own thing,”
even if it is “ for the L ord.”

As long as Reuben walked in hum ility, God blessed him , in spite o f his sin. This
was because he had confessed it, but he never confessed the sin o f rebellion. Pride
goeth before a fall. T hey disappeared from sight as the earth swallowed them up and
then covered them over. The man who goes his own rebellious way will also be for
gotten in the end. We m ust beware th a t we d o n ’t try to be what God didn’t mean us
to be. Keep hum ble before the Lord. Don’t ever think you are someone when God
has n o t decreed th at it is your m inistry and calling. Let every R eubenite be content in

12
the calling w herein he is called. Beware o f assuming th at God has called you to some
thing which you are not capable of, or prepared for, o r destined for, lest you waste
your precious life like a prodigal son. R euben, be c o n ten t w ith th at good thing God
has given you. D o lust after the green pastures o f Bashan.
n o t

Reuben had this fault, that he w anted to accom plish G od’s plan in his own way.
He w anted to be a father at the wrong tim e and in the wrong place w ith the wrong
wom an. We find again, th at he w anted to be som eone im portant here in the m inistry
o f the tabernacle, and it was to his destruction. So we m ust each o f us keep our own
calling in God. This is one o f the reasons for this teaching o f the tribes. It is so that
you can learn to know who you are in the body o f Christ and do n o t presum e to be
som ething that G od didn’t w ant you to be.

Hezron: greening, blossoming, lovely, entrenched, fortified, hedged about, farm,

farm building, farm stead.

Carmi: my vineyard, my noble planting, settlem ent, colony.

Reuben
1
Hanoch Pallu Hezron Carmi

Eliab

Nemuel Dathan Abiram

REUBEN ON THE WRONG SIDE OF TH E JORDAN

These two last sons o f Reuben, Hezron and Carmi, were involved in the work and the
produce o f the fields. They also had great herds of cattle. Num bers 32:1-5, “ Now the chil
dren o f Reuben and the children o f Gad had a very great m ultitude o f cattle: and when they
saw the land o f Jazer, and the land o f Gilead, th at, behold, the place was a place for
cattle; The children o f Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses,
and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes o f the congregation, saymg,
and Dibon and Jazer, and Nim rah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo,
and Beon, Even the country which the Lord smote before the congregation o f Israel, is
a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle: W herefore, said they, if we have found
grace in thy side, let this land be given u n to thy servants for a possession, and bring us
not over Jordan.”

When they saw the land on the east side o f Jordan they wanted to settle there.
No d o u b t they also were influenced by Gad and the h alf tribe o f Manasseh. A ter
coming this far, fighting the enem y all the way, they w anted to possess these green
pastures which were n o t an original part o f the Canaan land which God had promised

13
 them . R euben m ust be careful th a t he does n o t fail to en ter into the full promises o f
God. The R eubenites reasoned w ith the natural m ind. The land was good for grazing
sheep and cattle. They had large flocks and herds. Joshua 13:15-23 tells us where the
border o f Reuben was. God heard their cry and gave it to them and to Gad and the
half tribe o f Manasseh. We m ust be careful w hat we ask o f God. He often gives it to
us, and then sends leanness to our souls. The whole chapter o f Num bers 32 also has
a lot o f inform ation on what took place at this tim e. It is a very im portant chapter and
you need to read it and m editate on it.

REUBEN RELUCTANT TO FIG H T

Moses im m ediately sees their weakness. A good father sees the weakness o f his
spiritual children. Moses said, “ Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?
And w herefore discourage ye the heart o f the children o f Israel from going over into
the land which the Lord hath given them ?” (Num bers 32:6,7)

One thing is certain about the Reubenites. They do not like fights. They just
don’t like to get involved when there is a battle. They do n o t like bloodshed. They
would rather avoid it. If there is any way th at they can sneak out o f it they will. But
Moses said, “ This tim e you have to fight. If you do not, you will discourage your
brothers. All o f Israel will be discouraged about entering into their promised land.”
This is the tragedy ab o u t Reuben, he is tem pted to settle down in a good place, rather
than persevere, fight through, and win that best place that God has for him. Reuben,
be careful th at you do not put up your big sheep-folds and enjoy life, while the rest of
your team is fighting the enem y in the front lines. This is warfare. How can you run
away from the battle and seek o u t an easier life? You will not be left to rest in peace.
Your conscience is too tender. God will make you miserable. Your life in unfulfilled.
This is your prom ised land, not th a t one over there on the other side of the “ Jo rd an .”
You are only there because som eone influenced you, and n ot because God called you
there. Turn around Reuben, and come with us into the battle.

Reuben always needs to be exhorted. If you ask Reuben to testify, he always is

reluctant to stand up and give his testim ony. But when he is supposed to sit quiet and
pray, he is ready to preach sermons. This is the unpredictableness o f Reuben. Reuben,
in a m om ent o f passion will say things that will shock him tw enty-four hours later. He,
himself, w on’t believe th a t he could have said such a thing.

When Moses had finished dealing with Reuben, o f course, he was ready to go to
battle. Reuben is n o t hard to lead. They said to Moses, “ Thy servants will do as my
lord com m andeth.”

Moses had warned them th at if they did n o t go to battle they would be judged,
“ Be sure y our sin will find you o u t.” (Num bers 32:23) How well Reuben knew the
tru th o f that. Had his father not discovered his sins with Bilhah? Did not all Israel

14
know w hat R euben had done? Had Jacob n o t announced it before all the tribes?
Reuben can never cover his sins and get away w ith it. G od will n o t let him do it. God
loves him to o m uch.

I th an k G od th a t God does n o t let us get away w ith ou r sins. We will be caught in

the very act. So d o n o t try to hide your sin. Y ou will n o t succeed. Y our conscience is
to o ten d er before the Lord.

R euben w ent to battle w ith th e soldiers o f Israel. F o r five long years they fought
in th e land o f Canaan against giants and m ighty armies. They m ade a sacrifice. The
R eubenites are able to bring great sacrifices to G od, because it takes love to bring a
great sacrifice, and R euben has th a t kind o f love. The age o f the Hebrew soldier was
“tw e n ty years old and upw ard, all th a t were able to go fo rth to w ar.” (Num bers 1:3)

Probably som e o f the older men stayed hom e to look after the wom en and the
children, the sheep and the cattle.

REUBEN RETURNS FROM THE BATTLE

In Joshua 22 we read how they returned after the conquest o f Canaan to enjoy
their possessions. It m ust have been a great day o f rejoicing. They were so very happy
to see their wives and children whom they had n o t seen for such a long tim e. Some of
them would find their parents had passed on, or children had died, but on the whole, it
was a tim e o f great rejoicing.

They returned w ith m uch riches to th eir tents. God will bless the R eubenite for
his faithfulness and God will prosper him. When his battle is over, he will return with
his arms loaded w ith m any good things.

However, now comes the thing th at is hard to understand. “And when they came
unto the borders o f Jordan, th a t are in the land o f Canaan, the children o f Reuben and
the children o f Gad and the half tribe o f Manasseh b u ilt there an altar by Jordan, a
great altar to see to .” (Joshua 22:10)

They had no sooner gotten back, then they did som ething which God had n o t re
quired o f them . This is the impulsive nature o f Reuben. Joshua had com plim ented
them and blessed them and sent them back to their tents. But instead o f ju st relaxing
and enjoying the fruit o f their labours, they decided to build a GREAT altar u n to the
Lord. This is ju st like a R eubenite. He is always so busy doing som ething th a t he has
no business doing. I read a m o tto th a t said, “ There is no point in doing well that
which you should n ot be doing at all.” In verse 5 Joshua warns them to be careful
to heed to do the com m andm ent and the law and to cleave to the Lord w ith all their
heart and soul. He knew they would be separated from the rest o f Israel and there
would be a tem ptation to forget the Lord and not to m ake the effort to go all the way

15
to G od’s house, th e place where He would set up his tabernacle, on the o th er side of
Jordan. T he R eubenite has to be encouraged to stay in fellowship w ith the anointed
ones, or he will w ander o ff by him self into the back-siide o f th e desert. God says,
“ Cleave u n to Him and serve Him w ith all y our heart and w ith all your soul.” This
is a beautiful challenge to the Reubenites.

When th e children o f Israel heard about the building o f the great altar they said,
“ Behold th e children o f Reuben and th e children o f Gad and the half tribe o f Manasseh
have built an altar over against the land o f Canaan, in the borders o f Jordan, at the
passage o f th e children o f Israel. And when the children o f Israel heard o f it, the whole
congregation o f the children o f Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up
to war against th em .” (Joshua 22:11,12) They were filled w ith consternation, as they
were sure th a t Reuben was preparing to set up some kind o f a foreign place o f worship,
o th er than th e tabernacle which God had given Moses and his people. They rem inded
Reuben o f th e sins o f Peor and the judgm ent on Achan. They knew th at the price of
sin was to o great. Reuben came up w ith a great excuse, saying th a t it was a m em orial
to rem ind their children and the children o f Israel th at they were o f the same nation,
even though they were separated from each other. The validity is questionable, b u t it
satisfied Joshua and the leaders who returned in peace.

As tim e passed, this altar did not keeo them close to God. No building can. It
takes the fire o f God and His glory to keep one near to God. God had chosen Shiloh
as the place where His glory would be. I do n o t know w hat the real reason for them
building the altar was, b u t I can tell you one thing, that if they intended it as a place of
worship, they changed their m inds when they saw the m ilitary leaders of Israel coming
against them to battle. Sometimes people, in a m om ent o f im petuousness can do
som ething th at they th in k they are doing for God. N ot everything that we are “ doing
for G od” is done “ in the will o f G od.” Rem em ber that! T hat is when we get into
trouble, and when we m ake mistakes. There is a place th a t God has chosen for you, a
plan th at He has established, a law th at He has made. Try to find it.

The spiritual leaders o f Israel were no weaklings. They came over Jordan and
dealt with this situation. Too m any times we are guilty o f ignoring a danger, hoping
th at it will go away. Sometimes we need to be ready to give a spiritual rebuke.

They called the altar E. Just plain E, b u t the translators and the scribes o f the
Bible have added a “ d ” on it. The interpretation o f th at word is “ witness.” In the
Lamsa translation (w hich is one o f the beautiful early translations of the Bible, as it
comes from the ancient m anuscripts th at have been discovered in the eastern area
around T urkey and A rm enia), it says, “ And the R eubenites and the Gadites and the
Manashites called the altar which they had m ade, The A ltar o f Testim ony, for it is a
witness betw een us th a t the Lord is the only G od.”
 REVIEW ING THE PROPHECIES

Genesis 4 9 :3 ,4 , “ Thou a rt m y firstborn, my m ight, and the beginning o f my

strength, the excellency o f dignity and the excellency o f power. Unstable as water,
th o u shalt n o t excel; because th o u w entest up to thy fath er’s bed; then defiledst thou
it; he w ent up to my couch.”

T he patriarch Jacob is rem em bering his strength in those days. As he looks at

R euben, he sees himself. Jacob rem em bers how he was able to roll the stone o ff the
m outh o f th e well when Rachel came to w ater her sheep. He did alone w hat to o k the
strength o f three o r four m en. He had a great strength in those days. Had he not
wrestled w ith the angel at Peniel? This strength had gone into the making of Reuben.
The Reubenites are a strong people physically. D on’t ever try to tell a Reubenite that
he can’t do it. He is going to pick up th at piano and walk away with it. He is no t
going to ask for help either. He is going to do it all by himself. When you go away and
return you will find th at he has moved heaven and earth in your absence. His is “ my
m ight, the beginning o f strength, the excellency o f dignity, the excellency o f pow er.”
We see all this in the beautiful Reuben character. We also see the strong m ind. The
R eubenites have a p retty stubborn m ind, they can be headstrong. If they have it in
their m ind to do som ething, you will n o t be able to stop them . You better get out of
their way, because it is going to be done ju st like they have planned to do it. That is
the R eubenite spirit, the excellency o f dignity. Excellency means super-abundance.
This speaks o f super-abundance o f dignity and power.

Unstable as water: (Genesis 4 9 :4 ) It is impossible to make water stand up in the

corner. It takes on the shape o f the vessel that contains it. Put w ater in a glass, and
it will take on th e shape o f the glass. It will adapt itself to any situation. This is a
good thing when it is controlled by the Holy Spirit, b u t when under the wrong in
fluence it is detrim ental. A Reuben m an, guided by a G odly woman will be a great
pow er fo r God and an excellency in the earth. The same man, led by a self-seeking,
spoiled and self-willed, undedicated wom an, will easily be led astray. This is the
weakness o f Reuben. He is to o easily swayed and too easily moved. It is hard for us
to understand. He could be stubborn in his own will, and yet he could easily be moved
to do the wrong thing. One m inute no one can do anything with him , and the next
m om ent, the right person at the right tim e can m ake him do just about anything. It
was n o t the forceful character o f Bilhah th at made Reuben sin. She was not Potiphar’s
wife.

If you are a R eubenite, be careful. You will find yourself just flowing along with
any situation and you can easily be misused by the wrong people. An unscrupulous
woman will get you to bed before you know what is happening to you. If you are a
wom an, you are easy prey to unscrupulous men who will use you and then cast you
aside when their lust is satisfied. You will be a pawn in their hand, unless you rise
above this in the anointing o f the Holy Spirit and possess your original calling, the
beginning o f y o u r strength, the excellency o f dignity, and the excellency o f power.

17
You do n o t need to be weak. Y ou have the prom ise o f strength. Take it, and run with
it. If you sin you will be in the bowels o f hell.

The testim ony o f Reuben in the Lost Books o f the Bible tells us th at he died at
the age o f 125, tw o years after Joseph, and th a t he was carried to Hebron for burial in
the cave o f M achpelah. He was th irty years old when he com m itted his great sin, and
th at he was sick for seven m onths in his groins. Jacob was warned by an angel about
his son’s sins. He prayed for him , and he was healed and m ourned for his sins and
drank no wine and ate no m eat for seven years. In o th er w ords he truly repented and
chastised himself. This is why God could receive him and m ake him one o f the great
patriarchs.

He was ardent, im petuous, unbalanced, generous, w ithout any craft, or malicious

ness, or cruelty o f any kind. His occupation was that o f a cattlem an.

History tells us th a t there were no great judges, or heroes, o r prophets, or warriors,

or kings o f th a t tribe. They were ju st ordinary people. They were a peace loving
people who hated to go to battle.

REUBEN’S LAST CALL TO GREATNESS

Judges, 5:15, 16, “ For the divisions o f Reuben there were great thoughts o f heart.
Why abodest thou am ong the sheepfold, to hear the bleating o f the flocks? For the
divisions o f Reuben there was great searchings o f heart.”

We find th at in D eborah’s tim e, when national distress and crises arose, that
Reuben, just reverted to what he was, a man th at didn’t like to go to battle, a man who
didn’t w ant to see war. He preferred the shepherd’s pipe to the trum pet s call, and
when the h our o f emergency came, he didn’t rally to the battle. You see here how he
was unreliable - unstable as water. He looked over the situation and said to himself,
“ We will w atch and see what happens and how things tu rn o u t. We’d rather not go to
battle we would rather stay here on this side o f Jordan and not get involved. A fter all
it is their battle. It is n o t ours.” This is the weakness o f Reuben. We find here th a t it
says there was a great deal o f heart-searching concerning Reuben. The Hebrew word
for “ divisions” is palag...“to split, divide.” Reuben was now no longer just divided and
separated from the o th e r tribes by the Jordan, but also by their own way o f thinking.
They had drifted away from the vision and the union of the family o f God. Once a
Reubenite gets far away, it is hard to bring him back. The call went o ut to come and
help. D eborah sent it to them also. Reuben called a council and decided to stay in the
sheepfold The bleating o f the flocks was louder than the cry o f distress o f their
brothers in the day o f battle. The “ bleating” can be interpreted as “ whistling and
scorn, or hissing.” This would mean th at when the call came to go to battle, they
only m ocked and hissed and said, “ Ha, who is going to battle? Not me. No thanks,
don’t want to be involved.”

18
 B ut this was their last great o p p o rtu n ity to be counted w orthy o f their calling.
This was the h o u r o f their testing, their searching. Where there is division or separation
in a fam ily, there is great exam ining o f the heart, great deliberation, great searching o f
the soul. The w hole o f Israel suffered because o f the waywardness o f their brother
R euben. T hat is th e last we hear ab o u t Reuben. A fter this, they quickly pass into
obscurity. T hough they were great valiant m en, able to bear buckler and sword and
shoot w ith bow and skillful in war, and God heard them when they p u t their trust
in Him (I Chronicles 5:18,20), still, in the h o u r o f testing, they failed. They didn’t
need to fail. T hey had the strength to be great warriors, b u t there was a weakness in
them th a t they never overcame. They were am ong the first to be carried away into
captivity under Tilgathpilneser, king o f Assyria. (I Chronicles 5:26)

“ LET REUBEN LIVE, AND NOT DIE: AND LET NO T HIS MEN BE FEW .”
(D euteronom y 33:6)

The Lamsa Bible says, “ Let his people be num erous.” How appropriate was this
prayer-prophecy uttered from the heart o f Moses as he gave his last blessing on the
tribes o f Israel! Although Reuben had lost the birthright o f the first-born son,
(I Chronicles 5 :1 ), and m any o f his descendants had perished in the rebellion o f their
leader and princes, still God wants to bless and prosper Reuben. The cry from the lips
o f Moses is th at o f the Lord. It came when Reuben needed it the m ost, for when
Reuben had stood at M ount Sinai, there were 4 6 ,500 men ready for battle. Now, forty
years later there were 43,730. While m any o f the o th er tribes m ultiplied, they re
m arkably declined. The reason was because a large portion o f the tribal fathers, who
had produced the children, died when the earth opened up and they were swallowed
up. Moses asked God to bless Reuben and m ultiply him.

There is a controversy am ong Bible scholars as to the meaning o f this scripture.

There is one w ord in italics, which m eans it was supplied by the translators. That is
the word “ n o t.” This would m ake the scripture read, “ Let his men be few .” This
sounds as though God wants to lim it them in num bers.

This Hebrew word for “ m en” is used very seldom in the Bible. It is math (m ath),
meaning “ an adult o f full stature, o r the tall ones, the grown ones, the m ature ones.”

Let us look m ore closely at the word “ few .” It comes from the Hebrew micpar
(mis-pawr), which means “ n ot only few, b u t num bered, a certain num ber.” It comes
from the ro o t word caphar (sawfar) which m eans, “ to be m arked, to be recorded, to be
counted.” I feel th a t the Holy Spirit was looking ahead into the day of Revelation 7
when John would hear the num ber o f them th a t were sealed in their foreheads...“ Of
the tribe o f Reuben were sealed twelve tho u san d .”

“ Let his m ature ones be num bered” or “ m arked” is a better translation o f D eute
ronom y 33:6.

19
NOTES
 T he situation o f the different tribes was very im portant. The Lord knew which
tribes w ould get along together. Have you ever noticed how you can get along b etter
with some people than you can with others? This is true o f the tribes also.

In Ezekiel we read, “ So I prophesied as I was com m anded: and as I prophesied,

there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, BONE TO HIS
BONE.” (Ezekiel 3 7 :7 ) You cannot connect the neck bone to the ankle bone. It just
doesn’t work. They m ay love and appreciate each other, b u t they do not fit together.
So, God puts together the different m em bers o f His body in such a way th at they can
live in harm ony together. He never m akes a m istake. It is all in His divine plan.

Y ou will find th at you will be m ore intim ately related with some individuals
and be able to flow in the Spirit w ith som e more than w ith others. If you want to
know who you can get along w ith best, look at how th e Lord assigned the tribes
around the tabernacle. Find o u t who your neighbours are. This does not mean that
you cannot work w ith others who are m ore distantly rem oved. It just shows who you
are m ost com patible with.

In the Prom ised Land: Reuben never did enter the Promised Land. He took his
possession on the east side o f the Jordan. It is bordered on the south by the River
A rnon, on the west by the Dead Sea, on the north by Gad and on the east by Arabia.
Moab was his southern neighbour. It was a land that was good for pasture and cattle
grazing.

D euteronom y 27:12,13 - Notice too, th at Reuben was among those who stood
on Mt. Ebal to “ curse,” and n ot among those who stood on Mt. Gerizim to “ bless.”

In the Millenium (Ezekiel 4 8 :6 ) Reuben will have his portion betw een Ephraim
and Judah, north o f Jerusalem.

T he G ate o f R euben - Ezekiel 48:31. R euben’s gate is the first gate m entioned
in the New Jerusalem . It is on the no rth side, where also the gate o f Judah and Levi
are placed. So we see th at God is going to restore h onour and dignity to Reuben. It is
w onderful to know th a t the Blood o f Jesus Christ cannot only obliterate o u r past, but
it can restore us to ou r first-born privileges and give us back the honour we have lost
through weakness and sin.

Reuben is a beautiful tribe. The character is that o f a lover. We see compassion,

understanding and strength. The weakness o f Reuben shall be overcome through the
working o f the Holy Spirit, leaving a gem-like quality th roughout eternity.

21
NOTES
Simeon
BY GWEN SHAW
This chart was taken from The Adam and Eve Family Tree, produced by the Good
Things Company. Used by permission.

Cover by Cynthia Peall

Copyright 1982, Gwen R. Shaw

End-Time Handmaidens, Inc.
P.O. Box 447
Jasper, Arkansas 72641

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States o f America

 PRAYER

“ We come in to Y our presence now in the w onderful name o f Jesus. T hank You,
Lord, th a t Y ou are w ith us as we study Y our Holy Word. We pray for a special visita
tio n from Y ou L ord, as we go into the deeper things o f God to search o u t the hidden
secrets o f our God concerning the ancient things o f the past and th e things o f to
m orrow . Give us enlightenm ent and the Word o f Knowledge. Open the hearts o f Your
children who have a hunger to know the deeper things o f God. We pray T hee, Lord,
take us out from th e foam and th e fro th o f o u r Christian experience, th a t we will have
m ore than ju st a sh o u t and a dance, and th at we will indeed, becom e the deep that
calleth u nto deep. We ask fo r the Divine anointing on the Oracles o f God and for the
H o l y Spirit to reveal His tru th to us. In Jesus’ name. A m en!”

TH E NAMING OF SIMEON

“ And she (Leah) conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath
heard th a t I was h ated, he h a th therefore given me this son also: and she called his
nam e Sim eon.” (Genesis 29:33)

MEANING OF NAME

Simeon m eans “ I have been heard, hearing.” It comes from the Hebrew word
shimown (shim -one). Simeon m eans “ one who hears and obeys.

It is n o t enough to hear. You m ust have the capacity to obey as well. Otherwise
y our hearing ability isn’t w orth anything. Som etimes, it is better to have n o t heard,
than to have heard and then to disobey. When God is calling o u t His Simeonites in
these last days, they will be a people who will know , n ot only how to hear the word of
the Lord, b u t to obey the things which God is speaking to them about. God is getting
Him self a people ready who shall be very obedient to the finest little detail o f the Holy
Spirit’s whisper to their heart. God is weary o f having to lead around a people who He
has to issue com m ands to repeatedly. The Simeonites will be a people who will be able
to hear the little nudgings o f the Holy Spirit. Som eone, who tries to get away with
everything th at he can, and has only stopped after you have ordered him to do so twice
o f m aybe three tim es, certainly is n o t a Simeon. A Simeon is one who hears w hat the
Holy Spirit is saying. G od is going to have an end-tim e army which will include those
twelve thousand glorious, Holy Spirit led, and G od-controlled Simeonites who know
w hat the Spirit has to say concerning things in these last days. I thank God for the
Simeonites. T heir character is developed through rebellion and suffering. Just like
Jesus, they learned obedience by the things they have suffered. (Hebrews 5 .8 ) They
have learned the golden quality o f obedience through the sufferings which they
brought on themselves by their rebellion. It seems as if those who have gone through
the school o f suffering m ake th e best teachers at the end.

1
 SYMBOL

Simeon has tw o different symbols. The one th at is used the m ost is th a t of the
pitcher and the dagger. The o th er one is th at o f the city gates.

The pitcher speaks o f the insignificant w eapon th at G ideon used and the dagger
speaks o f th e sword o f the Lord. It reveals th e warlike characteristics o f this tribe.
T he Sim eonites were fighters from the beginning. The pitcher also speaks about
the earthen vessel. Y ou can see the tw o opposites o f the tribe o f Simeon, the earthly
earthliness o f Simeon w ith his warlike, fighting characteristic and the glorious victory
w hich is theirs when th ey use their dagger for spiritual warfare. God is working on the
Sim eonites, transplanting them o u t o f their earthliness into the heavenly realm o f G od,
the superior and high places o f their God. Simeon, in his natural elem ent, is nothing
b u t a fighting worldling, and God help you if you have a Simeon living in your house
th at hasn’t been touched w ith the glory o f God! They will be getting into all kinds o f
battles, b u t when th a t sword o f theirs is consecrated to God, then they are a vessel in
the hands o f God for high quality fighting in the battles o f their God, and God is going
to use the Simeonites in these last days; and in the beginning o f the ushering in o f the
new kingdom , they will be used by God to clean up the world and get it ready for King
Jesus. Praise God!

The sym bol o f th e city gates speaks o f Shalem, a city o f Shechem, in the land o f
Canaan which Simeon and Levi totally destroyed in a vicious attack upon it. (Gene
sis 34) God prom ised A braham , “ Thy seed shall possess the gate o f his enem ies.”
Simeon is o f the seed o f A braham , so he has this promise given to him, th at he will
conquer every city. With such a m ighty promise from G od, it is im portant that the
Simeonites do n o t fight th eir own battles. This is the terrible m istake that they did in
Shalem. They fought th eir own battle. God will give them the victory, because it is
theirs, but they will destroy themselves if they go to war in their own strength and in
their own gifts and callings, and n o t in the will o f God. A Simeonite has the danger o f
using his God-given gifts to his ow n destruction.

GEMSTONE

The gem stone o f Simeon is the Topaz. It is the second on the top row of the
breastplate o f the high priest. The topaz is a very beautiful and precious gem. It is
usually yellow and o ften brow nish in colour, alm ost like am ber at times. There are
several kinds o f topaz. Brazil mines a pale blue topaz. Good crystals o f pale blue and
green have come from the Ural m ountains in Siberia. I rem em ber seeing in India a very
large topaz jewel, the size o f a m an’s fist, which had come from the buckle o f a great
M aharajah o f India. I held it in my hand and it was very heavy. In the American Mu
seum of Natural H istory in New York there is a topaz th at was found in Brazil, which
weighs 600 pounds in its uncut condition.

2
 One o f the unique things about a true topaz crystal is th at it often breaks
along a flat surface parallel to th e basal plane, when it is detached from the m atrix.
This perfect cleavage is an im p o rtan t character, and enables topaz to be distinguished
at sight from o th er m inerals o f similar appearance. There are stones very
sim ilar to topaz and sold as such. Jo b m entions the topaz of Ethiopia and he says that
it is likened u n to wisdom. (Job 28:19,12) Even as the topaz is G od-created, so our
wisdom is given to us by a gift o f God. Education and learning is n o t wisdom. Paul
prayed fo r the saints at Colosse, “ F o r this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do
n o t cease to pray for you, and to desire th a t ye m ight be filled with the knowledge of
His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” (Colossians 1:9)

Jam es said in chapter 1:5, “ If any o f you lack wisdom, let him ask o f God, that
giveth to all m en liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him .” In
Jam es 3:17 he also said, “ The wisdom th a t is from above is first pure, then peaceable,
gentle, and easy to be intreated, full o f m ercy and good fruits, w ithout partiality, and
w ithout hypocrisy.”

Surely, this is a scripture text th at should be the life m otto o f every Simeonite.
F o r if this was the way the Sim eonite would live, it would keep him o u t o f all trouble.
How appropriate then is the topaz stone for this tribe, the stone o f wisdom and ba
lance. God desires that Simeon have this purity and peaceful spirit, with the gentle
heart th at is easy to be intreated, full o f m ercy and good fruits, w ithout partiality and
w ithout hypocrisy. If Simeon had lived by this m otto he would have been spared from
doing m uch evil in his life. Surely the blessings o f God would have been upon him and
his seed in a greater way than w hat it was, as we shall see.

PROPHECIES

Jacob: (Jacob unites Simeon and Levi together in the prophecy he gives.)
“ Simeon and Levi are brethren; instrum ents o f cruelty are in their habitations. O my
soul, come n o t th o u into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be thou not
united: for in their anger they slew a m an, and in their selfwill they digged down a
wall. Cursed be th eir anger, for it was fierce; and their w rath, for it was cruel: I will
divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.” (Genesis 49:5-7)

Moses does n o t m ention Simeon at all in his last prophecies to Israel. This may
sound strange, b u t when we read again the prophecy th a t Jacob gave to Simeon and
Levi, we can understand, “ I will divide them in Jacob.” The Lord said he would put a
separation betw een them , because when they were together they were a bad influence
in each other. And this is w hat happened.

Simeon was Jaco b ’s second son, born by Leah. He was born right after his older
brother Reuben, and after him came Levi. Levi and Simeon were always very close to
gether. They probably were n ot m uch m ore than a year or fifteen m onths apart. They

3
planned their m ischief to g eth er as boys and when they grew older, their father said ^
them , “ My soul, come n o t th o u in to their secret, mine hon o u r, be th o u n o t united.
He knew th a t their affinity w ith each o ther was an evil one, and that only, as y
would be separated from each other, would they be able to grow into spiritual m aturi
ty . This is true o f m any o f G od’s children today. I have seen how som etim es tw o
people w ho b o th have a prom ising depth in the Lord will destroy each o t er i ey are
perm itted to w ork to g eth er and continue a relationship where one c o n tr o l the^other.
G od has to split them ap art, so th a t they do n o t gain strength to do
other. It is to o bad th a t they cannot influence each o th er to good.
m ostly the o th er way around, they influence each o th er to evil. So God, m His good
ness to them , parts them .

HISTORY O F SIMEON — THE DESTRUCTION O F A CITY

Please read Genesis 34:1-31.

Here we read one o f the m ost tragic stories in the Bible. I would like you to take
tim e to read it carefully if y ou really w ant to understand this tribe.

A fter Jacob left Laban, he came w ith his wives and sons to the area o f Shechem
in Samaria to a tow n called Shalem. (Genesis 3 3:18) He bought a piece o f land from
H am or th e Hivite who was a ruler o f th at country, for a 100 pieces o f silver,
erected an altar to the Lord there calling it El-elohe-Israel (G od, the God o f Israel).

It was probably th is transaction th at proved the undoing o f Dinah, for the prince
of th a t area, the son o f H am or, Shechem, saw her and “ took her, and lay w ith her an
defiled her.” The Bible says he loved the damsel and spake kindly to her. He asked
father to arrange a marriage betw een them , and kept her there, not perm itting er
return to her family.

You m ust rem em ber th a t Dinah was probably about 10 years younger than
Simeon. She m ust have been in her teens. Being the only daughter o t e ami y o
Jacob, she wais m uch loved and teased by all o f her brothers.

When they all heard w hat had happened they were filled with great anger and
sham e th at their sister Dinah should have been so used. A counsel m eeting was called,
and Jacob was in a great dilemm a, not know ing what to do. H am or and Shechem , his
son tried to m ake an alliance w ith the family o f Jacob saying, “ Make marriages wi
us and give your daughters u n to us, and take our daughters unto you. And ye shall
dwell with us: and th e land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you
possessions therein.”

This sounded like an ideal arrangem ent, b u t it w ould have marred the inheritance
o f Israel. Satan knew it, and th at is why he allowed it to happen, and then tried to

4
make It look like a good arrangem ent for them to en ter into a covenant w ith the
heathen. It is ju st like th e devil to do a thing like that ju st after Jacob had erected an
altar to th e w itness o f God, the God o f Israel.

T he sons o f Jacob acted w ith cunning. They said th a t they could n o t interm arry
w ith th e uncircum cised, inducing them all to be circumcised, and planning to attack
when they were n o t in a physical condition to fight.

There was deceit and wrong m otive on the part o f the men o f Shalem also, for
they said, “ Shall n o t their cattle and their substance and every beast o f theirs be ours?”
(Genesis 34:23a)

The Bible says, “ And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that
tw o o f the sons o f Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword,
and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males, and they slew Ham or and
Shechem his son w ith the edge o f the sword, and took Dinah out o f Shechem ’s house,
and w ent o u t.” And then after th a t, the rest o f the sons o f Jacob came and spoiled the
city, taking all the people captive, and capturing all their wealth.

It was n o t the tim e for Israel to wipe o ut the people o f Canaan. Their cup o f in
iquity was not y et to the brim , and so when they did this, they acted ahead o f the
Lord. This is the weakness o f Simeon. He is going to fight G od’s battles, b u t he may
n o t be fighting them in G od’s tim ing or in G od’s will. They had n o t received their
fath er’s perm ission to do w hat they did, and so they w ent o u t from under his covering.
They acted in secret and in the spirit o f anger. The Sim eonite has to be careful, es
pecially, when he is linked w ith Levi, who is very good at offering up sacrifices.
Simeon is ju st too ready to use th a t sword. Perhaps Peter was of the tribe o f Simeon.
Rem em ber, how he used the sword to cut o ff the right ear o f Malchus, the high priest’s
servant in the garden when Jesus was arrested. (John 18:10)

God blesses and uses Simeon under the anointing, and Simeon will one day be a
great instrum ent, a weapon of justice, in the hand of God. But when Simeon is ruled
by his own hand, his passion, his own tem per, he can, though trying to do G od’s job
for God in his ow n strength and wisdom, do a w ork o f destruction against G od...rather
than for God. This is also true o f all o f us.

Some o f us think th at we are going to help God o u t by helping God get His job
done, in getting things straightened out and putting people in their place, but when we
do th a t, we “ becom e a stench in Israel.” Genesis 3 4:30 says, “ And Jacob said unto
Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink am ong the inhabitants o f the
land, am ong the Canaanites and the Perizites: and I being few in num ber, they shall gather
themselves together against m e, and slay m e; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

It is sad, but m any o f G od’s people m ake God stink by their character. I rem em
ber som eone saying once, “ It is n o t w hat we do th at counts, but how we smell.”
 HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH JOSEPH

Please read Genesis 37:1-36.

N otice again verses 19 and 20. “ And they said one to another, Behold this
dream er com eth. Com e now therefore, and let us slay him , and cast him into some pit,
and we will say, Some evil beast h ath devoured him : and we shall see w hat will becom e
o f his dream s.”

A lthough it does n o t tell us who said these words, I feel th a t Simeon had a lot to
do w ith th e hate spirit and th e jealous spirit th at was kindled against Joseph. There
certainly m ust be som e reason th a t Simeon was selected from among his brethren by
Joseph and kept in prison w hile the rest o f the brothers were perm itted to retu rn to
their father.

Please read Genesis 42:1-24.

Notice verse 24, “ A nd he tu rned him self about from them , and w ept; and re
turned to them again, and com m uned w ith them , and to o k from them Simeon, and
bound him before th eir eyes.”

I love the way G od can get His Simeon “ in the corner.” Joseph had a reason for
p u tting Simeon in an E gyptian jail while he let the rest retu rn to their father. He was
k ep t in prison until his b ro th e rs returned to Egypt the second time. Then Joseph
brought him out to them and he was restored to his brothers. (Genesis 4 3:23) There
also was a reason Joseph gave Benjamin five tim es as m uch as he gave the others,
(verse 34) Joseph was testing them to see if they still had a jealous spirit.

Joseph was doing a w ork o f grace on Simeon and on all o f them . The prison was
a “ softening up tre a tm e n t.” He separated him from his brothers because the only way
God can work with a Sim eonite is to get him o u t o f the crow d, where He can deal with
him alone. There are certain people w ho are powerless when they are alone, b u t when
they get w ith som ebody o f th e same kind o f spirit, or the unconsecrated Levite spirit,
they becom e dangerous. T he weapon o f destruction is in their hand and they will use
it recklessly.

I believe th at Sim eon was th e key instigator who w anted to destroy Joseph. Gad
hated Joseph also, b u t fo r an o th er reason. So we see th a t God was working in Egypt
through Joseph, trying to accom plish a w ork o f grace in the heart of Simeon, so that
Simeon would be broken dow n and m ade tender by God in th at Egyptian prison, all
alone, far away from his brothers. When fear got a hold o f him , then God began to
mold Simeon into th e beautiful character th a t He intended him to be, because he
was to give birth to sons w ho w ould be b o m o u t o f a m olded and perfected character,
and n o t o f the old Sim eon th a t he had been.

6
 SIMEON’S FAMILY TR EE

Simeon had six sons. (Genesis 4 6 :1 0 )

1. Jem uel: a day o f God, El (G od) is light, shining;

2. Jam in: the right hand, the right side, luck, good journey, south;
3. Ohad: strong, pow erful;
4. Jachin: He (G od) establishes, gives existence, allows establishm ent, established;
5. Zohar: a bundle, a package, a stone, a pebble, a flint. It comes from the root-
w ord th at m eans “ w hiteness” ;
6. Shaul: intercessor, one who obtains by prayer, dem ander, claimed, obtainer.

Jem uel: The name is changed in I Chronicles 4 :2 4 to Nemuel. These were the
people later know n as Nem ulites (G od’s light, G od’s people, G od’s day). (Numbers
26:12)

Jam in: From him came the Jam inites, the people o f the right hand.

Ohad: He is m entioned again in Exodus 6:15 as one o f the heads o f the father s
houses. However, he is n o t m entioned in Num bers 26:1 2 , where the family lines are
given. So it seems th a t he m ust have died w ithout leaving any children, especially sons
who could carry his name. M aybe the name “ strong” was given to him in hopes th at it
w ould strengthen their faith.

Jachin: F rom him came the fam ily o f the Jachinites. When Solom on’s tem ple
was built there were tw o great pillars in front o f the tem ple. The name o f one o f these
pillars was Boaz (In Him I am strong) and Jachin (He establishes). “ And he reared up
the pillars before the tem ple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and
called the name o f th at on the right hand Jachin, and the name o f th at on the left,
Boaz.” (II Chronicles 3:17)

In this beautiful way G od im m ortalized the tribe o f Simeon.

Zohar: From them came the family of the Zarhites. In I Chronicles 27:11,13
tw o o f David’s officers were from this family line.

In I Chronicles 4:24 the name is changed to Zerah. Judah’s family line also has
a branch called the Zarhites. They are descendants o f Judah through their father
Zerah. (Num bers 2 6:20) It was one o f these descendants, Achan, o f the tribe of
Judah, who com m itted the great sin at Jericho. (Joshua 7 :17)

Shaul: There is som ething different about Shaul. Genesis 46:10 says, and Shaul
the son o f a Canaanitish w om an.” This is repeated in Exodus 6:1 5 , and in Numbers
26:13 we are told th at his descendants were called Shaulites.

7
 Shaul’s m o th er was a Canaanitish wom an. Is it n o t strange th at Simeon, who
m urdered the Canaanites w ith such vengence and anger should later take the Canaani
tish wom an as his wife o r concubine? Could she have been one o f the little ones or
wives o f Shalem w hich he to o k captive? (Genesis 4 9:29) How true it is th at often
the m an, who preaches the hardest against a certain sin, is the first to fall in to it.

EXPLOITS O F TH E FAM ILY LINE O F SIMEON - TH E SIN OF ZIMRI

Please read N um bers 25:1-18

We read here one o f the great tragedies o f Israel. While they were still in the
wilderness they cam ped in Shittim near the borders o f M oab, and there they were led
into great tem p tatio n w ith the daughters o f Moab. They n o t only com m itted w hore
dom w ith them but th ey sacrificed to their idols and bowed dow n to their false gods.
The anger o f God was kindled against Israel and the Lord to ld Moses to take all the
heads o f the people and hang them up before the Lord in the face o f the sun. G od told
Moses to slay all the m en th at had com m itted spiritual and physical fornication with
the idol, the false god, Baal-peor.

The people began to weep and travail for their sin in fro n t o f the door o f the
tabernacle. In the m idst o f all this, Zimri, the son o f Salu, a prince o f a chief house
am ong the Sim eonites, boldy and brazenly, in the sight o f all the congregation o f the
children o f Israel brought a Midianitish wom an by the name o f Cozbi, the daughter o f
Z ur who was head over a people and a chief in Midian, into his tent. It was a grave and
wicked sin, flaunting G od’s laws and His holiness. If he got away w ith it w ithout
judgm ent, then it w ould be certain th at m ore would fall into the same sin and soon the
whole camp would be defiled.

Phinehas, the son o f Eleazar, the son o f Aaron the high priest, saw it and he rose
up from am ong the congregation and to o k a javelin in his hand and went in after the
man of Israel into the te n t and th ru st both o f them through, the man of Israel and
the woman through h er belly. The plague which had broken o u t was stayed and Israel
was saved. This episode separated Levi from Simeon indefinitely. It probably is the
reason th a t Moses did n o t bless this tribe.

Josephus gives us a lengthy and interesting account in A ntiquities o f the Jews,

Book IV, chapter 6:6-13. I will atte m p t to tell it briefly.

A fter Midian had hired Balaam to curse Israel and Balak was n o t perm itted by
God to do so, (N um bers 23), Midian was very angry. In order to keep the good will o f
Midian, and m aintain his high position as a man with great pow er, Balaam gave Midian
a key for the destruction o f Israel. He said, “ O Balak, and you Midianites th at are here
present, it is true no entire destruction can seize upon the nation o f the Hebrews,
neither by war, nor by plague, n o r by the scarcity o f the fruits o f the earth, no r can

8
any o th e r unexpected accident be their entire ruin, for the providence o f God is con
cerned to preserve them from such a m isfortune; nor will it perm it any such calamity
to com e upon them whereby they may all perish; but some small m isfortunes, and
those fo r a short tim e, whereby they m ay appear to be brought m ay still fall upon
them , and after th a t they will flourish again, to the terror o f those th a t brought those
m ischiefs upon them . So th a t if you have a m ind to gain a victory over them for a
short space o f tim e you will obtain it by following my directions:

He thereupon gave instructions for them to send some o f their m ost beautiful
daughters “ adorned and trim m ed to the highest degree” near the Israelite cam p, and to
flirt w ith the young men o f Israel, allowing them to go as far as they wanted until they
w ould becom e enam oured o f them .

This they did, and the Hebrew young men were allured by their beauty and fell in
love w ith them . When the girls w anted to leave them , the young men begged tte m
w ith tears to stay w ith them , saying they could not live w ithout them any longer. The
girls protested th a t they did not w ant to be used and then forgotten, so the young men
m ade them prom ises to own them as mistresses o f all they had. They said it with an
oath and called G od to be a witness o f their promise. As soon as the girls saw th at they
had m ade these m en their slaves they began to complain about the custom s o f Israel
the food, the rules, the religion, their loneliness for their homes, and the b e tte r food
and easy living. Soon they lured the young men into the Midianite cities where they
seduced them even further, and the passion o f these young men was so great that soon
they were bowing before the gods o f Midian in order to please their women and to not
contradict them . Much o f the army o f Israel was involved in this great seduction.
They were m esm erized by the daughters o f whoredom .

One o f the leaders who fell in this snare was Zimri o f the tribe o f Simeon. When
he returned w ith Cozbi, the wom an, he openly rebuked Moses, “ Yes, indeed Moses,
th o u art at liberty to make use o f such laws as thou art fond of, and hast, by accus
tom ing thyself to them , made them firm ; otherwise if things had n o t been thus, thou
hadst often been punished before now, and hadst know n that the Hebrews are not
easily put upon; b u t thou shalt n o t have me, one o f thy followers in thy tyrannical
com m ands, for th o u dost nothing else h ith erto , b u t, under pretence o f laws, and of
God, wicked impose on us slavery, and gain dom inion to thyself, while thou deprivest
us o f the sweetness o f life, which consists o f acting according to our own wills, and is
the right o f free m en, and o f those th at have no lord over them . Nay, indeed this man
(Moses) is harder upon the Hebrews than were the Egyptians themselves, as pretending
to punish, according to his laws, every one’s acting w hat is m ost agreeable to himself;
b ut th o u thyself b e tte r deservest to suffer punishm ent, w ho presum est to abolish what
every one acknowledges to be w hat is good for him , and aimest to make thy single
opinion to have m ore force than th at o f all the rest: and what I now do, and think to
be right. I shall n o t hereafter deny to be according to my own sentim ents. I have
m arried, as th o u sayest rightly, a strange wom an, and thou hearest w hat I do from m y
self as from one th a t is free; for truly I did not intend to conceal myself. I also own

9
th a t I sacrificed to those gods to w hom you did n o t think it fit to sacrifice; and I think
it right to com e a t tru th by inquiring o f m any people, and n o t like one th at lives under
ty ranny, to suffer th e w hole hope o f m y life to depend upon one m an; no r shall any
one find cause to rejoice w ho declares him self to have m ore authority over my actions
than m yself.”

It was right after this th a t Phinehas a m an o f great respect rose up, being greatly
troubled and w ent in to the te n t and slew b o th Zimri and the wom an. Upon which,
all those young m en w hich “ had a regard to virtue, and aim ed to do a glorious action,
im itated his boldness, and slew those th a t were found to be guilty o f the same crime
w ith Z im ri.” So, m any perished by the sword o f the righteous and others by the
terrible plague th a t broke o u t, which scholars believe was a venereal disease th at raged
through the camp o f Israel. T w enty-four thousand died at th at tim e, and the arm y o f
Israel, the young m en who were her glory, were defiled w ith m any o f them slain.

This was a terrible tragedy, and one which we m ust take tim e to think about. It
makes us alm ost feel sick in o u r soul. We see where, when passion rules Sim eon, he
gets in to terrible trouble. In a m om ent o f recklessness he not only m ade a fool of
himself, b u t he also destroyed m any lives.

Zimri was a prince. His nam e m eans “ som eone who has lost the song o f praise,
the opposition to m y praise.” If we lose our song o f praise, we will revert to being
only earthen vessels th a t will bring th e sword, n o t only against others, but also upon
ourselves. W hat good is the earthen vessel w ithout the glory?

I w ould also like to draw your atten tio n to the m eaning o f the w om an’s nam e,
Cozbi. It m eans “ cheater, liar, deceiver.” It is a dangerous thing to take “ the deceiver
in to o u r arm s.” It will destroy us. Even though Zimri defended his act, God judged
him and he was destroyed.

In som e o f the drawings o f the sym bol o f Simeon (the sword and the pitcher),
the sword is drawn as though it had pierced through the earthen vessel, breaking it.

In this great tragedy at Shittim , God broke Simeon once and for all. This is where
God broke the unholy alliance and union betw een Simeon and Levi, because Levi
turned against Simeon in answer to G o d ’s call. We read in Num bers 15:13b, “ Because
he was zealous for his G od, and m ade an atonem ent for th e children o f Israel.” When
the anointing came on Levi, he turned and killed his own b ro th e r Simeon.

T H E IR NUMBER

When the children o f Israel were counted at Mt. Sinai, Simeon had 59,300. F orty
years later, when they were ready to en ter in to the prom ised land there were only
22,200. They had been reduced from being the greatest tribe (except for Judah and

10
Dan w ho had 74,600 and 62,700 respectively) to being the smallest o f all tribes. Com
pare N um bers 1:23 w ith Num bers 26:14. A great destruction had come upon Simeon.
31,100 died in the wilderness.

Beloved, if God is fixing to break you, He is going to break you and m ay God have
m ercy on you. Let th e Spirit o f God do His work within you. Do n o t harden y our neck.

Y ou m ay say, “ But I am n o t a Sim eonite!”

B ut all o f us are earthen vessels. All o f us are b o m in sin and conceived in in

iquity. All o f us have rebellious spirits w ithin us th at have to be broken dow n And
the sooner we let God break us dow n, the b e tte r it is fo r us. May God tru ly help
us to let the Spirit o f God break us!

O ur hearts ache for the Zimris, those who have lost their song o f praise. Zimri did
n o t realize he was taking a deceiver into his arms and into his ten t, because he himself
was deceived. No one is m ore deceived by the deceiver than the one who is alrea y
deceived by his ow n self-will, pride and stubborn, rebellious spirit.

The only ones th at can really be alert in the Spirit, to know and to understand
w hat sin is, is the one who lives in th a t place o f high praises. It is one thing to sing and
to dance and to praise the Lord, but it is another thing to live in that song o f praise. It
is im portant to live in th at place where y o u r soul is full o f the beauty o f the Lord
your G od, and where the fragrance o f Sharon’s rose wafts from your being. May God
help us to come into th at high place with our God!

THE SIMEON OF THE TWELVE SPIES

There were m any different Simeonites th at were m entioned. I w ant to briefly

m ention some o f them .

N um bers 13:5 tells us th a t the name o f the leader for Simeon was called Shaphat,
the son o f Hori. Shaphat m eans, “ a judge.” Hori means “ a cave-dweller.

PRINCE OVER THE TR IB E OF SIMEON

T he prince over the tribe o f Simeon was Shelumiel. (Num bers 1:6) It means “ a
friend o f G od, or peace w ith G od.” He was the son of Zurishaddai, “ My rock is the
A lm ighty.”

In N um bers 3 4 :2 0 we read th a t Shemuel was the head o f the tribe o f Simeon.

Shemuel m eans “ heard by G od.” He was one o f those th a t was chosen by God to
divide up the land o f Canaan. Shemuel was the son o f A m m ihud, which means,

11
people o f praise.” So we see th a t God was bringing back their praise. Hallelujah!

SIMEON LINKED WITH JUDAH

We see an interesting grow th in Simeon. In his y o u th , during the tim e o f re

bellion and self-will, his com panion was Levi. In the wilderness, as he w ent through
suffering and trials and hard experiences, his com panions were Gad and R euben, with
Reuben playing the p art o f elder brother. And now, as he is preparing to come into
the Promised Land, we see him linking w ith Judah. This is an indication o f the spi
ritual grow th in to m atu rity through trial and suffering.

Judges 1:3,17, “ And Judah said u nto Simeon his b ro th er, Come up w ith me into
my lot, th a t we m ay fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go w ith thee into
thy lot. So Simeon w ent w ith him ...A nd Judah went w ith Simeon his b ro th er, and
they slew the Canaanites th a t inhabited Z ephath, and u tterly destroyed it. And the
name o f the city was called H orm ah.”

Judah asked Sim eon to fight with him because he knew the power behind that
consecrated sword. T ogether they overcame the enemy. As long as Simeon is linked
w ith Judah (Praise) under the anointing, there are prospects o f great victory in his life.
T ogether they will inherit the promises o f God and take the nations for God. Simeon
never received their own inheritance, they were incorporated into Judah. Noreen
Nichols, who is an expert on the teaching o f the tribes, says, “ You can be sure that
Judah takes more than he can possess by him self, and every Judahite is know n by this
characteristic. Yet Judah does n o t selfishly try to spread him self to o thin over too
great an area, b ut instead, w ithin his inheritance, others take their place.”

THE INHERITANCE OF SIMEON

We have already said th a t Judah incorporated Simeon into their inheritance. It is

interesting to see th e nam es o f the cities th a t became the possession o f Simeon and the
m eaning o f their names. (Joshua 19:1-9)

Beersheba: T he first city o f great im portance is Beersheba. Beersheba, “ the well

o f the o a th ,” was m ade fam ous in Genesis 21:14,31. It was here th at the m iraculous
well sprung up for Hagar so she could save the life o f her son Ishmael and w here God
gave Isaac w ater w hen he dug his wells. Beersheba is m entioned all through the Old
Testam ent. Even to d ay it has becom e an im portant city in southern Israel; and still
men speak o f Israel as being the portion o f land “ from Dan to Beersheba.” Beersheba
is south o f Jerusalem , a half d ay ’s jo u rn ey by car. It is in the wilderness o f Paran and
only a small distance from Kadesh-Barnea.

It seems strange th a t Simeon, after com ing into their inheritance should m ake a

12
com plete circle to where they had lived in Kadesh-Barnea for forty years to possess
their inheritance.

How strange are the ways o f God! They could have m arched right into it from
where they were when they sent spies into the land.

M oladah: It m eans “ birth and race.” A fter the captivity it seems to have come
back in to the hands o f Judah and was re-inhabited by them . (Nehemiah 11:26) It is
17-18 miles from Beersheba.

Hazar-shual: “ village o f Jackals” betw een Hazar-Jaddah and Beersheba. (Joshua

15:28,19; 19:3, I Chronicles 4 :2 8 )

Azem : “ a b o n e,” in the extrem e south of Judah. A llotted to Simeon.

E ltolad: “ G od’s kindred.” Simeon possessed it at the time o f David. (I Chro

nicles 4 :2 9 )

Bethul: “ dweller w ith G od.”

H orm ah: “ a place laid w aste.” M entioned in Judges 1:17 as a chief tow n o f a
Canaanite king. D estroyed by Joshua. (Joshua 15:30) It became David’s haunt in the
years when fleeing from Saul. (I Samuel 30:30)

Ziklag: “ w inding.” I t w a s the residence and private property o f David. Philistines

occupied it at the tim e o f David. (I Samuel 27:6,7; 30:14,26, I Chronicles 12:1,20)

B eth-m arcaboth: “ house o f the chariots.”

Hazar-susah: “ village o f horses.”

B ethlebaoth: “ house o f lionesses.”

Sham ruhen: “ refuge of grace” no rth west o f Beersheba.

Ain: “ spring.”

R em m on: “ pom egranate.”

E th er: “ abundance.”

A shan: “ sm oke.” It is n o t identified.

R am ath: David sent spoils o f battle to them . (I Samuel 30:27)

13
 Joshua 19:9 says, “ O ut o f th e p o rtio n o f the children o f Judah was the inheri
tance o f the children o f Sim eon: for the p art o f the children o f Judah was to o m uch
for th em : therefore th e children o f Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance
o f th em ”

In Judges 1:3-6 we read how Judah and Simeon fought together. They slew
10,000 m en, caught King A donibezek (verse 6) and cut o ff his thum bs and great toes.

W ARRIORS O F SIMEON

I Chronicles 4 :4 1 -4 3 , “ And these w ritten by nam e cam e in the days o f Hezekiah

king o f Judah, and sm ote th eir tents, and the habitations th a t were found there, and
destroyed them u tte rly u n to this day, and dw elt in their room s: because there was
pasture there for th eir flocks. And som e o f them , even the sons o f Simeon, 500 men
w ent to M ount Seir, having fo r th e ir captain Pelatiah, and N eanah, and R ephaiah, and
Uzziel, th e sons o f Ishi. And they sm ote th e rest o f the Am alekites th at were escaped,
and dw elt there unto this day.

The meanings o f th e above nam es are:

Pelatiah: “ Delivered by Jehovah;”

N eariah: “ Servant o f Jehovah;”
R ephaiah: “ Healed o f Jehovah.” He was a chieftain.
Uzziel: “ G od is m y strength.” He was a captain.
Ishi: “ My husband.” (Com pare Hosea 2:16)

So we see the great m en th a t were in the tribe o f Simeon at th at time.

IN DAVID’S ARMY
I C hronicles 12:25

“ A nd o f the children o f Sim eon, m ighty m en o f valour for the war, 7,1 0 0 .” They
came to David to help him . (verse 22) They could only becom e the servant o f Jeho
vah when their innerm ost being had been healed by the Lord and their strength came
from Him. When y o u realize th a t o u t o f Judah there were only 6000 and o u t o f Levi
4000 Benjamin only 3000, and o u t o f Issachar only 200, you can realize the trem en
d o u s ’grow th and spiritual developm ent th a t the tribe o f Simeon experienced dow n in
their wilderness inheritance under the care o f Judah. They came w ith the cause o f the
King in their hearts. T hey had an eye for the future. They had heard the will o f God
and followed him w ith all th eir hearts.

14
 SIMEON IN THE TIMES OF REV IV A L

T here were tw o great revivals in the days o f the Old Testam ent. One under King
Asa and one under Josiah.

II Chronicles 15:9, “ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers
w ith them o u t o f Ephraim and Manasseh, and out o f Simeon: for they fell to him out
o f Israel in abundance, when they saw th at the Lord his G od was with him .” This took
place in B. C. 941.

This great revival to o k place when the Spirit o f God fell on Azariah and he
prophesied to Asa, the king o f Judah. The tribes m entioned came with oxen and th o u
sands o f sheep and m ade a fresh covenant with the Lord. They vowed th at whosoever
would n o t serve th e Lord should be p u t to death, small or great, man or wom an. “They
sware u n to th e Lord w ith a loud voice, and with a shouting, and with trum pets, and with
com ets. And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and
sought him w ith their whole desire; and he was found o f th e m : and the Lord gave them
rest round a b o u t.” (verses 14,15) Read the whole 15th chapter. This is a real revival. This
is the kind th a t we need these days. God will use the Judahites, the Benjaminites, the
M anassehites and all the strangers o u t o f Ephraim together to usher in this last great
move o f God.

II Chronicles 34:6, “ And so did he in the cities o f Manasseh, and Ephraim , and
Sim eon, even unto N aphtali, w ith their m attocks round a b o u t.” This second great re
vival to o k place 300 years after the last one. It came under the anointed leadership o f
King Josiah.

Again we see Simeon united with the moving of the Holy Spirit. He always knew
when God was doing a new thing and was ready to get involved with it. There are
some ways in which Simeon is m uch like Reuben and som etim es it is hard to see the
difference betw een the tw o tribes because they are easily influenced by what is going
on. However, even though they had failed God and were often moving in the flesh
realm, yet when the Spirit o f God began to move in Jerusalem , Simeon “ reported in”
and was there for the moving o f the Spirit. Hallelujah! They always wanted to do
G od’s jo b . It was ju st th at their carnality and their passions got in the way. Many of
G od’s finest leaders have been destroyed by their own carnal passions and their own
natural weaknesses which they have never been able to overcome.

POSITION OF SIMEON

A round the tabernacle: They were situated on the south side along with Reuben
and Gad. They m arched under the banner o f Reuben.

In the Promised Land: They were given a portion o f Judah, m ostly in the southern
area.
15
 In the Millenium: They will be between Benjamin and issachar. (Ezekiel 48:24)

T he G ate o f Sim eon in th e New Jerusalem : The gate o f Simeon is on the south
side along with Issachar and Zebulun. (Ezekiel 4 8 :3 3 )

TH E LOST BOOKS OF TH E BIBLE

Simeon gives an interesting testim ony ab o u t him self in The Lost Books o f the
Bible. I do n o t know th e authenticity o f this book b u t I understand th a t the m anu
script is very old. Certainly there are m any thousands o f holy scriptures hidden in the
m onasteries o f the w orld. I have seen some o f them in St. Catherines m onastery in Mt.
Sinai. Only recently som e o f them have been discovered and translated in to our
language. If you are interested in securing this book, it is available from us.*

The last words th a t Simeon spoke before he died, give us understanding about his
life. I would like to share a little b it o f it.

“ I was b o m o f Jacob, as m y father’s second son. My m other Leah called me

Simeon because the Lord had heard her prayer. I becam e exceedingly strong. I shrank
from no achievem ent, n o r was I afraid o f anything. F o r m y heart was hard and my
liver was imm ovable and m y bowels w ithout com passion. F o r in the tim e o f my youth
I was jealous o f m any things o f Joseph because m y father loved him beyond all. I set
my m ind against him to destroy him because th e prince o f deceit had sent forth the
spirit o f jealousy and blinded m y m ind, so th a t I regarded him n o t as my brother. But
his God and th e God o f his fath er sent fo rth His angel and delivered him out ot my
hands. F o r when I wasn’t there, Judah, m y brother, sold him to the Ishmaelites. But
upon hearing this, I was exceedingly w roth against Judah, th a t he had let him go away
alive. F o r five m onths I continued w rathful against Ju d ah .” (Perhaps th a t is why God
let him come under th e control o f Judah later on).

“ The Lord restrained me and w ithheld m e from the pow er o f my hands, (for my
right hand was half w ithered for seven days. And I knew, m y children, th a t because o f
Joseph this had befallen m e and I repented and w ept and besought the Lord God that
m y hand m ight be restored, th a t I m ight hold aloft from all pollution and from envy.
F o r envy ruleth over th e whole m ind o f a m an and suffers him neither to eat nor to
drink nor to do any good thing. But it ever suggests to destroy him , and he that
envieth, so long as he envieth, will n o t flourish, b u t he will fade away.

F or tw o years I afflicted m yself w ith fasting in the fear o f the Lord. F or I believe
th a t if a m an flee to th e Lord, th e evil spirit will run away from him and his m ind will
be enlightened again. A nd I m ourned m ore than all, because I was found guilty o f the

• “T he Lost Books o f th e B ible” avaUable from End-Time Handm aidens, P.O. Box 447, Jasper, ARK 72641 fo r $8.95
plus postage and handling.

16
way I had handled Joseph. And when we went down into Egypt, Joseph bound me as
a spy and I knew th a t I was suffering justly and I grieved not. Now Joseph was a good
man and had the Spirit o f G od within him , being com passionate and pitiful. He bore
no m alice against m e, b u t loved m e, even as the rest of his brethren. Beware, therefore,
m y children, o f all jealousy and envy and walk in singleness o f heart th at God m ay give
you also grace and glory and blessing upon your heads, even as you saw in Joseph s
case. Do ye also, children, love each other with a good heart and the spirit o f envy wi
w ithdraw from y o u .”

He warned them o f the sins o f fornication and o f battling with Levi. He said that
they w ould becom e few in num ber and be divided in Levi and Judah; and th at none would
receive great sovereignty. He said th at if they would rem ove all envy and stiff-necked
ness, th a t his bones would flourish in Israel.

Then he looked far o ff into the end-tim e, when the land of Ham shall come into
great suffering and perish. He saw the bloodshed o f Africa in our tim e and said, Then
shall all the earth rest from trouble and all the world under heaven from war. Then
the Mighty One o f Israel shall glorify Shem, for the Lord God shall appear on earth and
Himself save m en. Then shall all the spirits o f deceit be given to be trodden under foot
and m en shall rule over wicked spirits.”

He said th at he w ould be resurrected at that tim e and eat with God, Who will
have taken on th e body o f a man and eat with men. He truly saw the incarnated Christ.

SIMEON,IN TH E TEMPLE

Please read Luke 2:25-38.

A fter reading the above, it is n o t strange therefore, th at in the book o f Luke,

chapter 2, we should see th a t as Jesus is brought into the tem ple by His m other Mary
and Joseph, the one who is there to m eet Him is a man by the name o f Simeon. It is e-
lieved by some th at he is a direct descendant o f Simeon, a m em ber o f the tribe o f Simeon.

H istory says th at he could have been the Simeon who was the president o f the
Sanhedrin who succeeded his father, Hillel, about A.D. 13. He had a son called Ga
maliel. (A cts 2 2:3)

How significant th a t God should give to the Sim eonites this prom ise, th at he
would n o t depart until his eyes had beheld the Lord’s Christ, for Jesus was the Messia
th at Sim eon, the patriarch, had predicted would come in the flesh. It was only right
that his descendant should see the L ord’s Christ. Anna, the prophetess who also bore
witness, was o f the tribe o f Asher. Paul was o f Benjamin, John the Baptist was o f Levi,
Joseph was o f Judah. It would be interesting to know how many tribes bore witness
to the Christ.

17
 Sim eon, the p atriarch, had seen th e star th at would rise over G od’s people to
save them . How appropriate th a t when Jesus was brought as a babe in His m other s
arms into the T em ple, a Sim eonite should be there to take Him into his arm s and hold
Him there before the w orld and bear witness saying, “ Mine eyes have seen th y salva
tio n .” (Luke 2 :30)

It says in Luke 2 :2 6 , “ And it was revealed unto him by the Holy G host, th at he
should n o t see death, before he had seen the L ord’s Christ.” Surely God fulfilled His
word to Sim eon, because he was a m an w ho could hear w hat the Spirit was saying.

Verse 27 says, “ And he came by the Spirit into the tem ple;” He was led by the
Spirit because he was a true Sim eonite — one who could hear and obey. As we said
at the beginning o f this teaching, it is n o t enough to be able to hear w hat God is saying,
one m ust be ready to obey. Otherw ise we will miss our appointm ent w ith God. Sure
ly Simeon had an a p p o in tm en t w ith God in the tem ple th at day. The Simeonites will
n o t miss their end-tim e appointm ent. They will be there for the day o f m arking; all
12,000 o f them . Hallelujah! G o d is sealing them in at this tim e.

PROPHECY REVIEWED

“ Simeon and Levi are b rethren; instrum ents o f cruelty are in their habitations.
O my soul, come n o t th o u in to their secret; unto their assem bly, mine honour, be not
thou united: for in th eir anger they slew a m an, and in their selfwill they digged down
a wall. Cursed be th eir anger, for it was fierce; and their w rath, for it was cruel: I
will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.” (Genesis 49:5-7)

As we already m entioned, Jacob was, no doubt, referring to Genesis 34.25. The

prophecy was fulfilled when the Lord “ divided them in Jacob and scattered them m
Israel,” for when the land was divided among the tribes in the days o f Joshua, Simeon
did n o t receive a separate territo ry in the Promised Land, but obtained his portion
within the inheritance o f Judah. This was true, o f the Levites also, for their portion
was the 48 cities th a t were scattered throughout all the tribes o f Israel. So the Word
of God, by His p ro p h et Jacob, was fulfilled: Simeon and Levi were “ divided and
scattered.” If th a t word was fulfilled, shall n o t the rest o f the prophecies be ful
filled also?

In closing I w ould like to ex h o rt the Simeonites to n o t be ashamed o f their

high calling. Theirs is a very im portant one. Because they are the “ hearers o f the
tribes, they will be the first to bear witness and to give the report o f w hat the Lord is
doing in the last days. They will have heard before the rest o f us and they will be led
by the Spirit to keep their appointm ent w ith God to behold the Lord s Salvation. We
would do well to stay close to the Simeonites and listen to w hat they have to tell us, as
God reveals end-tim e tru th s to them .

18
Xew
BY GWEN SHAW
 Copyright © Gwen R. Shaw 1982
End-Time Handm aidens, Inc.
Engeltal
P.O. Box 447
Jasper, Ark, 72641

Cover by Susan Wright

Printed in the United States of America

D u t c h o a k s t a t u e of a h i g h p rie st,
e a rly 1 8 t h c e n t u r y
 PRA Y ER

Dear F a th er in heaven, we hum bly beseech Y our help as we begin th e study o f

this great and noble tribe w hich You have given us. As we look at Y our Son, Jesus,
we see th e perfect Levite, the High Priest, who ever liveth to make intercession for us.

We feel as though we are such children, and know so little, in com parison to
Y our great wisdom and understanding. But we pray th a t You will give us the gift o f
the Urim and T hum m im th a t we m ight receive counsel o f Thee and have the know
ledge to teach T h y people the tru th s which are appropriate for us to know at this
tim e. In Jesus’ nam e. Amen.

TH E NAMING O F LEVI

“ And she (Leah) conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this tim e will
m y husband be joined unto m e, because I have bom him three sons: therefore was
his nam e called Levi.” (Genesis 29:34)

MEANING O F TH E NAME

Levi m eans “joined, to be fastened to , devoted to , attached to , veering, united,

joined to , k n o tte d .”

Leah, as you know , had been seeking for the unity and the oneness betw een
her and her husband, Jacob. There had been a great estrangem ent, even from the
beginning, and she longed th at they m ight be one. She looked for som eone to stand
as a m ediator betw een her and her husband to bring u nity betw een them .

Isn’t it a beautiful thing th a t the nam e for the priestly family should be so
descriptive? The Lord is o u r heavenly Bridegroom and we are His Leah, we have
been His estranged bride. It is true th a t we are His true bride, His first bride, but
there has come an estrangem ent betw een us and our G od because o f sin, and Jesus,
the tru e Levi, th e tru e Priest, came dow n and becam e the “joining o n e” betw een
God and His bride, uniting us for etern ity in true love. So now we can see how pro
phetic was the nam e she gave this third-bom son o f hers who became the priestly
fam ily o f Israel.

Our heavenly Levi stands betw een heaven and earth , betw een G od, the husband
(Jehovah-Ishi), and us, His bride. And even as Levi stood and offered sacrifices on
behalf o f the bride (Israel), so Jesus, ou r Levi and High Priest, offered the perfect
sacrifice o f His own shed blood to bring reconciliation betw een Jehovah-Ishi and us,
His bride.

1
 Jesus is o u r Levi, our m ediator and m iddlem an w ho stands betw een us and
G od, m aking intercession fo r us. Praise His w onderful Name!

SYMBOL

The sym bol o f Levi is the breastplate which holds th e twelve different stones
on w hich are engraved the names o f the tribes o f Israel, joining Manasseh and
Ephraim under th e nam e o f Joseph. The breastplate was o f utm ost im portance.

In Exodus 28:15 it is called the breastplate o f judgm ent and it was m ade o f ex
pert w orkm anship. It was foursquare in shape. A span was the length o f it and a
span th e breadth thereof. A span is th e distance betw een the thum b and little finger
when spread out. The dictionary gives it as 9 inches.

E xodus 28:17-20 gives us the nam es o f the twelve different gemstones th a t

were set in it, one for each tribe.

E xodus 2 8 :2 2 ,2 3 , “ And th o u shalt m ake upon the breastplate chains at the

ends o f w reathen w ork o f pure gold. And th o u shalt m ake upon the breastplate tw o
rings o f gold, and shalt put the tw o rings on the two ends o f the breastplate.”

Exodus 28:2 9 , “ And Aaron shall bear the names of the children o f Israel in the
breastplate o f judgm ent upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place for a
m em orial before the Lord continually.”

Exodus 2 8 :3 0 , “ A nd th o u shalt put in the breastplate o f judgm ent the Urim

and the T hum m im ; and they shall be upon A aron’s heart, when he goeth in before
the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgm ent o f the children o f Israel upon his heart
before the Lord continually.”

This sym bol is one o f the m ost beautiful in Israel because it shows the loving
care th a t the Lord has for each one o f the tribes. Jesus has us upon His heart at all
tim es. Aaron carried these tribes always over his heart when he came before the
Lord. It did n o t m a tte r if they sinned and did evil, or if they were good and holy,
he carried them upon his heart. They were chained in place with rings, fastened to
his ephod. He could only remove them when he left the tabernacle.

The true Levite will always carry the m inistry which the Lord has given him
upon his heart. He will n o t be able to lay it dow n day or night. W hether the people
he works w ith are easy to get along w ith, or w hether they be full o f rebellion and
sin, he will constantly be bringing them in to the presence o f God. He will n o t be
perm itted to lay dow n his burden o r to take a vacation from the call o f God which is
upon his life. He is very specially dedicated to God and also to the people whom he
represents. He m ust be m ore like Jesus than any o f the o th er tribes.

2
 He never wears the breastplate as an ornam ent. It is a token o f judgm ent. As
he stands before God and serves G od, the glory o f God shines upon th a t breastplate
and it strikes every single one o f the gems, revealing the colour, clarity, purity and
the flaws th a t are in each one. N either can anyone hide anything from the eyes of
the Levite. Do n o t try to deceive a Levite, God will show you up to be a fool. The
closer the Levite walks w ith G od, the m ore he will see into the depth o f each tribe
th a t he is m inistering to.

N ot all Levites had the m inistry o f the high priest, however. There were certain
branches o f the tribe th a t had o th er m inistries, and we will go into these later. But
the ones w ho are given the charge o f the Tabernacle, the sons of A aron, are those o f
a very high and holy calling, and these are the ones I was speaking about. As we
look into the o th e r families o f the Levites, you m ay find your calling and election is
one o f them .

GEMSTONE

The gem stone o f Levi is the carbuncle. Sm ith’s Bible Dictionary says, It is a
precious stone o f a deep red colour, com m only called garnet.”

There is controversy by some Bible scholars about the order o f this stone.
Some say th at the third stone on the top row and the first stone of the second row
have been reversed in the translation. T hat would make the emerald the stone of
Levi and the carbuncle the stone o f Judah. However, I feel that the King James
V ersion, which is the one I am using is the accepted one for Levi.

The name garnet comes from the Latin granatum, which means ‘pom egranate,
and alludes to the resem blance o f some red varieties o f this fruit. The pom egranate
is a fruit that is closely related to the priesthood. The Lord had pom egranates de
signed into the hem o f the priestly robe. (Exodus 39:24) The pom egranate,
because o f its m any seeds, is a symbol o f fruitfulness and righteousness. Certainly,
this makes the garnet a priestly stone. Its deep red colour portrays, so beautifully,
the precious blood th at was shed as the sacrificial offering through the m inistry o f
the Levite family.

Garnets typically occur in m etam orphic rocks, which is a type o f rock th a t is

characterized by its ability to change in structure under pressure and heat and expe
rience a kind o f transform ation. Surely the hope o f every true Levite is th at God
will, through the agony o f our pressures and the heat o f our trials, transform us into
the beautiful garnet stone th at takes on the colour o f the Precious Blood o f Jesus,
even the very blood which flowed from Em m anuel’s veins.

In ancient times it was believed th a t the garnet had power to ward o ff accidents
during travel. (This o f course was n o t believed by the Jews). A m ore diabolical use

3
o f the garnet is th a t it was used as bullets in ancient firearm s. Perhaps, when we
transfer this to the glorious pow er o f the Blood o f Jesus, it is a m ore appropriate and
beautiful sym bol o f pow er, in th at it will ward o ff the w ork o f dem on spirits who
are w orking against th e righteous. Even as David used the sm ooth pebble from the
brook to conquer th e giant, G oliath, the Levite uses his garnet, i.e. the Blood o f
Jesus to destroy all evil giants th a t come against us.

A nother reason w hy the garnet is applicable to the tribe o f Levi is because it

m eans “ seed,” and th e Levites were given the calling o f planting the “ seed” o f G od’s
word in all o f Israel. They were the teachers o f the Oracles o f God.

PROPHECIES TO LEVI

Jacob: Genesis 49:5-7, “ Simeon and Levi are b re th re n ; instrum ents o f cruelty
are in their habitations. O m y soul, come n o t th o u into th eir secret; u n to their
assembly, m ine hon o u r, be n o t thou united: for in their anger they slew a m an, and
in their selfwill they digged dow n a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and
their w rath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Moses: D euteronom y 33:8-11, “ And o f Levi he said, Let thy Thum m im

and thy Urim be w ith th y holy one, whom th o u didst prove at Massah, and with
whom th o u didst strive at the waters o f M eribah; Who said u n to his father and to h s
m other, I have n o t seen him ; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his.
own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant. They shall
teach Jacob thy judgm ents, and Israel thy law: they shall p u t incense before thee,
and whole b urnt sacrifice upon thine altar. Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept
the w ork o f his hands: sm ite through the loins o f them th a t rise against him and o f
them th at hate him , th a t they rise n o t again.”

JACOB’S PROPHECY

Let us first o f all begin w ith their father Jaco b ’s prophecy. As it is united with
Sim eon, some o f it will be repeated here.

“Sim eon and Levi are breth ren ; instrum ents o f cruelty are in their habitations.”
(Genesis 4 9 :5 ) The ancient Lamsa translation renders it, “ instrum ents o f anger are
in their n atu re.” This explains the m eaning m uch m ore correctly.

One can punish and judge a situation, b u t one m ust be careful to do it w ithout
cruelty. There is a difference betw een spanking your children and being cruel to
them , when they need correction. God judges us w ithout cruelty. A Levite m ust
guard against his tendency to be cruel in a m om ent when th e spirit o f anger comes
upon him.

4
 The word “ instrum ents” comes from the Hebrew keliy (ke-lee) ...“ som ething
prepared, any apparatus (as an im plem ent, utensil, artillery, weapon, etc.), that is
m ade on the forge.

It is so im p o rtan t, beloved, th a t w ithin our nature, which is our true habitation,

there should be no self-made weapons o f cruelty. These instrum ents aren t some
th ing th at you were born with. It is som ething you m ake, you chisel o u t. You put
it on the fire and you beat it into shape like a sm ith forging his weapon.

Life is like being on an anvil. It is like being form ed in the fire, and this is why
y our experiences, your fiery trials, will either make o u t o f you a weapon of cruelty,
th a t will be used to destroy others, or it can make o u t o f you a shield. It also can
m ake o u t o f you som ething for a blessing, a household item , a vessel for the Master s
use.

The word “ cruelty” translated from the Hebrew means “ violence, instrum ents
o f anger and instrum ents o f injustice.” That m eans that these things are in the
nature o f the Levite. Beware, dear Levite! This is your weakness. This is where you
need to turn to God for your help.

“O my soul, come not thou into their secret; u n to their assembly, mine honour,
be n o t thou united: for in their anger they slew a m an, and in their selfwill they
digged dow n a w all.” (Genesis 4 9:6)

We see here again, where Jacob thought it was not Godly righteousness or the
act o f God th at Levi and Simeon were carrying out when they m urdered a whole
village. They were acting upon their own self-will and their own secret assemb y.

Have you ever m et anyone th at, when he is alone, he is a very beautiful person
and when he gets together with som ebody else, he is a very devil, to be feared, and
to be avoided?

I knew tw o men like th at, and both o f them happen to be m inisters o f the
Gospel. They even profess to be Spirit-filled! You could work along beautifu y
with either one o f them . But when these two men got together, it was as it they
both becam e com pletely different people. I used to wonder about it, and I rem em
ber, the scripture the Lord gave me was this one about Simeon and Levi. It does not
mean th at they were just blood-brothers or even spiritual brothers, but they were
united in the same evil spirit. A Levite and a Simeonite m ust be very careful m their
relationship w ith each other. They can really m ake trouble if the Holy Spirit is no
guiding their lives and leading them .

Jacob said, “ I d o n ’t w ant anything to do with th at kind of conference or agree

m ent which these tw o will make tog eth er.” One o f the translations renders it,
never agreed to their counsel.” We have to be careful we d o n ’t agree w ith unrighteous

5
counsel. Jacob could have agreed. He could have said, “ T hat was a good thing,
boys, th at you killed them . Now we w on’t have any m ore trouble with that bunch
o f heathen dow n in th at to w n .”

T radition tells us th at it was the same Shechemite fam ily th at tried to steal
even Sarah away from A braham and Rebecca from Isaac, They had been a con
niving, wicked bunch, seizing every wom an th a t they saw was beautiful, lusting after
her and kidnapping her from her husband, raping and abusing her. The “ love”
Shechem had fo r Dinah was n o t love, b ut lust.

In spite o f their deserving this kind o f judgm ent, Jacob knew that it was not
right for Levi and Simeon to do w hat they did. He grieved over their anger and their
murder. Som etimes Christians have a tendency to feel glad when one o f their
enemies drops dead. Have you ever heard som eone say, “ Well, what do you know,
God has finally wiped them o u t. I was expecting it to happen!” We have got to be
careful th at we d o n ’t get that way. T hat is the spirit o f the unrighteous Levi upon
us. Jacob said, “ I did n o t agree with their counsel.” Even though his very own
daughter had been abducted and raped, and he had cause to be angry, still he knew
that God would handle his enemies for him. Jacob showed th e beauty o f his charac
ter in this hour.

Honour cannot be un:ted with the secret o f violence, injustice, cruelty and
anger. Y our honour cannot be united with som eone’s dishonour, violence, and
cruelty, even if it seems to be done for a “ righteous cause.”

There are a lot o f im perfected “ Levites” in the m inistry today. They think
they can judge your case. They think they can put you o ff and destroy you. They
may not use the sword th at is m ade o f m etal, instead they use the “sw ord” that is
made o f flesh, even the tongue. They go out o f their way to destroy your character
and reputation and to drive you o u t from possessing your inheritance in the Lord,
even as Saul did with David. (I Samuel 2 6:19)

But while they th in k they are doing a thing which pleases God, the “ Jacob-
spirit” o f the F ather looks dow n upon them and says, “ I never agreed to their
counsel.”

Let them bring counsel against you! Let them declare war against you! Let
them even cut you off, w ith the cruelty o f their tongue, you have a God in heaven
who will judge a righteous judgm ent. We have every confidence in Him, that we can lay
o u r cause in His hands, for He says, “ Be still, and know th at I am G od.” (Psalm 4 6:10)

It was the anger o f Levi th at m ade him a killer. He had the “ instrum ent” in
himself th at could be used in a m om ent o f violent rage to destroy and to change his
nature. His testim ony in The Lost Books o f the Bible says, he was only 20 years
old at that tim e. He also believes, so he claims, th at God told him to do it. God

6
w ould n o t have told him to do it and then cursed him later for having done it, as
we read in the prophecies th a t Jacob, his father, gave over him.

Beware, dear m inisters o f the Gospel, th a t you do n o t allow th a t self-de

veloped w eapon, forged in the heat o f the fires o f anger and jealousy” to be used
against an innocent child o f God!

Jesus cam e against this spirit o f the im m ature Levite when th e Pharisees
dragged the w om an “ found in adultery” to Him and wanted to condem n her
to be stoned to death. This spirit is still in the Pharisaical Levite today. They are
ready to throw a stone a t every wom an whom they suspect o f n o t living th e life that
they dem and o f her. Jesus did n o t agree with their counsel. He said, “ He th a t is
w ith o u t sin am ong yo u , let him cast the first stone at her.” (John 8 :7 ) And to
h er He said, “ N either do I condem n thee: go, and sin no m ore.” (John 8:11)

“Cursed be their anger.” It seems as if old Jacob was as angry w ith his very
ow n sons as he had been w ith the Shechemites. Years had gone by, and now Jacob
was 147 years old. B ut still he had n o t forgotten. M aybe he had n o t thought o f
it for years, b u t in the m om ent when the Holy Spirit came upon him , it was not
really Jacob talking, it was the Lord bringing up the past and the Spirit o f the Lord
was “ calling to rem em brance.”

“ Cursed be their anger!” These are strong w ords, b u t have you n o t used the
same term inology when you have cast o u t dem ons o f tem per and anger? T hat was
ju st w hat God was doing through Jacob. He was cursing the dem on o f anger in Levi
and Simeon. Could this have been the m om ent when Levi was delivered o f the
spirit o f anger? Levi could never have come into his priestly m inistry w ith any o f his
old self in his nature. Beloved, we cannot be used o f God with all those weapons of
self and anger in our nature (habitation).

Praise God! I believe th a t in this h o u r the dem ons o f anger and cruelty were
cast o u t o f old Levi. I believe th a t he was set free, and all the Levites have to get
this deliverance from unreasonable and unjust anger that can destroy others in a
m om ent o f passion. G od has a special w ork for the Levites to do, for they have a
special nature th a t God needs in His plan. But the Levite nature has to be God-con
trolled.

Rem em ber R euben’s trouble! His sin was the passion o f lust which led to adul
tery. Levi’s was the passion o f anger th a t led to m urder. Levi was no b e tte r than
R euben, m aybe even worse. How can we say then th a t we prefer Levi above Reu
ben. Sin is sin. Weakness is weakness and we cannot pam per one and hide it away
in th e closet, feeling we can continue to do G od’s works ju st because we have not
been caught in bed w ith ou r neighbour’s wife. O ur anger m ay have killed ou r neigh
bour, and we still stand behind a “self-righteous p u lp it” clothed in filthy rags of
self-righteousness. The day o f the Lord is at hand. He is calling our sins to rem em

7
brance; n o t because He w ants to bring us to shame, b u t because He wants to bring us
to deliverance.

“I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.”

This was G od’s answer to a standing problem . Deliverance is n o t always

enough. Sometimes you m ust separate th e tw o. We need a little Christian diplo
macy. W hat happens when y o u r children start fighting? What do you do? You
scatter them . God did the same w ith Simeon and Levi. And by scattering Levi all
over Israel in 48 different cities they brought their anointing and their intercession
and their Word o f the Lord w ith them . Do you see w hat G od did? He takes every
thing in us th at He can use and turns th at into His glory - m y failures, my weakness
and my m istakes.

That is w hat the devil does also, only he uses my good points for my destruc
tion. B u t G o d u s e s my weak points for my blessing. Praise God!

MOSES’ PROPHECY

Read D euteronom y 33:8-11.

Moses’ prophecy is the opposite o f Jaco b ’s. Rem em ber, Moses was a Levite.
You can see the same thing in him th at you saw in his great grandfather, Levi, when
he went out there, ready to cut o ff Shalem.

What did Moses do to prove he was the son o f Levi? In the hour of indignation
when he saw how his brothers, the Israelites, were suffering in Egypt, he to o k out
his sword and slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (Exodus 2:12) He was
sure that God would be very pleased with this act, but instead, he had to flee into
the wilderness where he had to endure 40 years o f wilderness training in th e back
side o f the desert.

God is n o t in a hurry to get you delivered. He will let you sweat it o u t, until
you are ready to fall on y o u r face before Him and say, “ Lord, I’m just sick and tired
o f myself. You can do anything w ith m e.”

Moses came to th a t place o f absolute surrender. T hat is where you have to

come to , even the place w here you hate and reject yourself. He was so .low, th a t
when the Lord spoke to him o u t o f the burning bush and told him to go and deliver
his people he said, “ N o, Lord! I am the last one for that jo b .”

When you get to th a t place, where you are small in y our own eyes, that is when
you have the possibility o f becom ing an instrum ent for the glory o f God. You can
prepare to rise up and becom e a deliverer.

8
 T he Levite fam ily was called for th e deliverance o f G od’s chosen people, but
th ey all had to go through their personal G ethsem ane. They had to learn the weak
ness o f th eir anger and the injustice o f their judgm ent. Levi is so im portant in God s
plan: and th a t is why the devil will take his weakness and his strength and try to des
tro y him so th a t others will be afraid o f a Levite and will not w ant to work with
him and will n o t have anything to do with him , because they can see w hat he can
do in the m om ent o f unguarded passion.

“ A nd o f Levi he said, L et th y Thum m im and thy Urim be w ith thy holy one.”

This word “holy,” which is chaciyd (khaw-seed) in Hebrew, is only used once in
th e Bible. It is interpreted as “ kind, pious, good, holy, m erciful, saint, G odly.”

Moses saw the Levite fam ily, a holy one. When God gets finished with us, that
is w hat we are, only He can m ake us into holy instrum ents. Isn’t th at beautiful? We
are changed from instrum ents o f cruelty into holy creatures for the glory o f God.

The m ystery o f the Urim and Thum m im has never really been fully explained.
I know th a t Urim m eans “ lights” and Thum m im m eans “ perfection.” As far as we
can understand, the Urim and the Thum m im were tw o little stones th at were carried
in the breastplate o f the high priest. This spoke o f inner light and inner tru th . When
there was a situation facing Israel where they needed Divine guidance, the people
w ent to the high priest and he would put his hand inside the breastplate and take
o u t these tw o stones which were called the Urim and Thum m im , (light and tru th),
and he w ould receive Divine guidance from the Lord.

It speaks o f the inner light w ithin us and the inner tru th within us which we all
have as priests o f the Lord, because the Holy Spirit is dwelling within us. When
you come to a problem and you d o n ’t know where to tu rn for guidance, you don t
have to run to this person and ask them w hat to do, or to th at one and ask them , be
cause you are now a priest u n to God. You only need to look inside and ask the
Holy Spirit to give you guidance, for you have light and tru th within.

One o f the translations renders it “ Thy Thum m im and thy Urim be w ith thy
ju st o n e.” Moses saw Levi as having been justified through the sacrifices which he
had offered. As you bring sacrifices to God, an eternal work of holiness and justifi
cation is being done in you.

“ Whom thou didst prove at Massah, and w ith whom thou didst strive at the
w aters o f M eribah.” (D euteronom y 33:8)

Please read Exodus 17:1-7.

This was the proving ground o f the Levites, even Massah and Meribah. Massah
m eans, “ trial, tem ptation, testing.” M eribah means “strife, quarrel, dissatisfaction,
rebellion, m u tin y .”
9
 Can you n o t imagine all o f Israel striving, arguing, com plaining, full o f fear and
anger, blam ing Moses, threatening to stone him to death, and wishing themselves
back in Egypt! They were full o f fear and unbelief which resulted in complaining
and m utiny.

In th a t hour, Levi (Moses) proved him self w ith God by taking the rod in his
hand and acting in faith; he struck the “ hard place” and produced blessing in the
m om ent o f strife.

If you are a Levite, th at is w hat you can do when you are living in the place o f
anointing and com m union w ith God. T hat is y o u r rightful place in God. You can
step into a situation w here there is strife, confusion, anger and all kinds o f mis
understandings, plus fear and a feeling o f giving up and going back, and you will step
up, w ith th e authority o f God in y our hand and strike the hard place, and out o f it,
you will bring living w ater th a t will solve the problem instantly. T hat is the blessed
ness o f being a Levite. Y ou can stand in a hard place with th e right answer. In that
m om ent, Levi (Moses) w asn’t the “ old Levite” any m ore. He had been proven and
was found perfect before God. O ut o f the rock flowed rivers o f living water. T hat
water, we believe, m ay have watered as m any as 3 million people, besides much
cattle. The bedouins still point o u t this spot and we saw it as we journeyed through
the wilderness o f Sinai. The rock is still there and the w ater still flows. Hallelujah!

“Who said u n to his father and to his m other, I have n o t seen him: neither did
he acknowledge his breth ren , nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy
word, and kep t thy covenant.” (D euteronom y 33:9)

This is not exactly a prophecy (fore-telling), it is m ore o f a pronouncem ent o f

som ething th at happened in the past. If so, when did it happen?

This was fulfilled in Exodus 32:25-29 when Moses came dow n from Mt. Sinai
with the tables o f the testim ony and found G od’s people dancing around the golden
calf that they had m ade. Read all o f chapter 32. “ And when Moses saw th at the
people were naked; (for Aaron had m ade them naked u nto th eir shame among their
enemies:) Then Moses stood in the gate o f the cam p, and said, Who is on the L ord’s
side? let him come u n to me. And all the sons o f Levi gathered themselves together
unto him. And he said u n to them , Thus saith the Lord God o f Israel, Put every man
his sword by his side, and go in and o u t from gate to gate throughout the cam p, and
slay every m an his b rother, and every man his com panion, and every man his neigh
bour. And the children o f Levi did according to the word o f Moses: and there fell
o f the people th at day about three thousand m en. For Moses had said, Consecrate
yourselves today to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother;
th at he may bestow upon you a blessing this d ay.” (Exodus 32:25-29)

It cost the Levites a great price th at day to stand on the Lord’s side. It cost
some o f them their very own fathers, brothers, sons and fam ily. This is what Jesus

10
m eans when He says, “ He th at loveth father o r m other more than me is n o t w orthy
o f m e: and he th a t loveth son o r daughter m ore than me is not w orthy o f m e.”
(M atthew 10:37)

It is tim e we recognize people in God and n o t ju st because they are som ebody
in the fam ily. Do you know w hat the trouble is in the m inistry today? We m ake an
im portant place in the church for som eone who is our relative. J ‘Oh, th a t’s my sis
ter, so I am going to give her an im portant place in the church.” Or, “ T hat is my
b ro th er, so I am going to m ake him a head deacon o r elder o f the church.

God says a true Levite will n o t regard family connections. A true Levite will
always be ordered by the Lord and will do the will o f God. God said, he will not
regard his m other o r father; he is going to be led by the Spirit and not m ake com
promises because o f a physical relationship. Let us rise into our place in God. This
is the thing th a t is destroying the church. We are showing favouritism in God s
cam p The blood is thicker than the Word. I mean the family relationships are
more im portant than w hat God has to say about the m atter. This is destroying the
m inistry. We are com prom ising w ith evil. Some churches are nothing but cliques.
A Levite can never have a clique around him . God will not perm it him to do so.
His inheritance is in the Lord. As soon as he gets attached to som eone, God will cut
th a t relationship apart.

Even th e Com m unists do n o t do that. They have an ideology, and they are
going to fulfill th a t ideology, even if it costs them their family, their loved ones,
and their very own life.

Can we n o t, for the sake o f souls, take up our cross and follow Him? A true
Levite will lay everything on the altar. His life is a life o f sacrifice. Not only does he
make great sacrifices himself, but he dem ands the same o f others. Som etimes they
are alm ost radical in their strictness w ith themselves. T hat is where they need to be
tem pered dow n and follow Jesus in His love and compassion.

“They shall teach Jacob thy judgm ents, and Israel thy law: they shall p u t in
cense before thee, and whole b u rn t sacrifice upon thine altar.” (D euteronom y 33:10)

The Lord has given the Levites the gift o f understanding and teaching His word
to others. From them came the great scribes o f Israel, the synagogues and the scriptures
which we cherish m ore than o u r very breath today. Many o f them spent their lives
in writing o u t the holy scrolls o f G od’s Word. They lived in caves and died for their
calling. God was first in their life. They were separated from loved ones, m isunder
stood and abused, but they loved His Word more than their daily bread.

They offered incense before the Lord, living a life o f prayer and praise and a
life that still is rem em bered in the history o f heaven.

11
 They offered b u rn t offerings constantly, m aking intercession for the people.
T he true Levite lives fo r God and for others. He is the intercessor, the guardian o f
the people.

“ Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hand: smite the loins of
them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.”
(Deuteronomy 33:11)

The tribe o f Levi, when under the anointing o f the Holy Spirit, is invincible.
God has prom ised a supernatural supply o f all their needs because their life was a
faith life. God takes special care o f the Levites because He has promised to be their
inheritance. Smiting through the loins m eans th at the strength o f the m an who
comes against them is com pletely broken and he becomes crippled. All those that
rise up against the anointed o f the Lord shall be sm itten by the Lord Himself and
crippled perm anently.

TH E FAM ILY TR EE O F LEVI

The three sons o f Levi becam e the fathers o f the tribe o f Levi.

G ershon means “ a stranger, banished, expelled.” He was the father o f the Ger-
shonites (Num bers 2 6 :5 7 ) I believe that Levi m ust have given his first-born son this
sad name after his father Jacob had given that terrible prophecy over him. I know
th at the boy was already born at that tim e, but it could easily have been changed.
Some day we will find o u t why he had this sad name.

In Num bers 3:21-26, they num bered 7,500 males, pitched on the west side o f
the tabernacle and had charge o f the tabernacle, the ten t, the covering, the hanging
for the door, the court, and the cords o f it.

K ohath means “ a gathering, a m eeting.” He was the father of the Kohathites.

In Numbers 3:27-31 we read th at they num bered 8,600 males. They had the
charge o f the keeping o f the sanctuary. They pitched on the south side o f the taber
nacle and the chief o f their house was Elizaphan, the son o f Uzziel. Elizaphan
means “God has judged.” Uzziel means “ God is m ighty.”

The Kohathites had the charge o f the ark, the table, the candlestick, the altars
and the vessels o f the santuary where they m inistered, the hangings and all the
service involved with the tabernacle.

K ohath’s son, A m ram , m arried Jochebed and became the father o f Aaron,
Moses and Miriam. A geneology chart is provided to enable you to understand the
family line o f Levi m ore clearly because it is a very im portant one.

12
 M erari m eans “ sad, b itter, bitterness, my sorrow .” He was the father o f the
M erarites. (N um bers 2 6 :5 7 ) In Num bers 3:34 their males from a m onth old and
upw ard were 6,200. They pitched on the no rth side o f the tabernacle and were in
charge o f the boards o f the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the sockets, the vessels,
the pins and th eir cords. (Num bers 3:33-37)

O ut o f this tribe came some o f the great singers o f the tem ple in the days o f
David and Solom on. “ And they m inistered before the dwelling place o f th e taber
nacle o f the congregation w ith singing, until Solomon had built the house o f the
Lord in Jerusalem : and then they waited on their office according to their order.
And these are they th a t waited w ith their children. O f the sons o f the K ohathites;
Heman a singer, the son o f Joel, the son o f Shem uel...the son o f Korah, The son o
Izhar, the son o f K ohath, the son o f Levi, the son o f Israel. And his b rother Asaph,
who stood on his right hand, even Asaph the son o f Berachiah, the son of Shimea,...
the son o f G ershom , the son o f Levi ” (I Chronicles 6:32-43) As we look closely,
we can see all these three branches o f the family o f Levi m inistering at the altar at
the tim e o f David in service and in song.

EXPLOITS OF THE FAMILY LINE O F LEVI

First, I w ould like to draw your attention to the fact that some o f these hap
penings have already been m entioned under the heading of prophecies concerning
Levi. We will now discuss some o f the history of the tribe of Levi in a chronological
order.

Jochebed: Jochebed, the daughter o f Levi, wife o f Amram and m other of

Aaron, Moses and Miriam was one o f the great women o f the Bible. We can see how
she sets a perfect exam ple o f faith and courage and daring to obey God in the face
o f all opposition from the rules and laws o f Egypt. She lives by her own law, the
law o f the h eart, like any true daughter o f Levi should. By obeying God and dis
obeying the laws o f the nation, she gives her people a deliverer, even Moses. Joche
bed means “ Jehovah is rich, glorious, honour, fame, your fame is the Lord.

M iriam, the daughter o f Jochebed is known in the Bible as the singing prophet
ess. From the tim e she was a little girl, she showed the same courage as her m other
i n s a v i n g the life o f her little b rother Moses. (Exodus 2:4-10) Miriam means un
m anageable, rebellious, unruly, stubborn, untam ed, bitterness, sadness, strong and
fa t.”

Moses and A aron: These tw o brothers did n o t grow up together. Moses was
raised in the courts o f Pharaoh and Aaron was, no d o u b t, a slave to the Egyptians.
The nam e Aaron m eans, “ one who illum inates, one who raises up and prom otes, a
m ountain dw eller.” When God called Moses, he also called Aaron to w ork with him.
Together, as they stood before the congregation o f Israel and Pharaoh, they were in

13
vincible Y et when G od called Moses to com e up into the m o u n t, He did n o t per
m it Aaron to accom pany him . God was closer to Moses th an to Aaron. Yet Aaron
was the high priest who stood before G od to m ake atonem ent for th e people. Aaron
was Moses’ m o u th . Moses was G od’s eyes to Israel. They are a beautiful exam ple o f
tw o brothers working to g eth er and w ith their sister Miriam, a prophetess and singer
in Israel, leading the w orship and praise, th ey were a three-fold cord th a t was n o t
easily broken.

* TH EIR G R EA T TESTING

We have already m entioned how they were tested through their faithfulness to
God concerning the golden calf and this is w here they were selected to be the L ord’s
priesthood com pany in Israel, even His first-born. (Exodus 32:26-29)

GOD’S FIRST-FR U ITS COMPANY

The Levites were n o t perm itted to be num bered, because the Lord had chosen
them as His first-fruits com pany. “ But the Levites after the tribe o f their fathers
were n o t num bered am ong them . For the Lord had spoken u n to Moses, saying,
Only thou shalt n o t num ber the tribe o f Levi, neither take the sum o f them among
the children o f Israel.” (N um bers 1:47-49)

From the day th a t God sm ote the first-born in the land o f Egypt, He hallowed
(consecrated) to Him self all the first-born o f Israel. Even as He chose Israel out o f
all the families o f the earth, He chose Levi as His priestly fam ily, his first-born
family o u t o f Israel. They represented all o f Israel before the Lord.

“ And the Lord spake unto A aron, T hou shalt have no inheritance in their land,
neither shalt thou have any part among them : I am thy p art and thine inheritance
among the children o f Israel.” (Num bers 18:20) They were the Lord’s special com
pany. They were not to own any part in Israel, except for the cities th at were given
to them by the different tribes to dwell in. The Lord was to be their entire inheri
tance. See D euteronom y 10:8,9; 18:1-8; 2 1 :5; Joshua 13:14.

“ And the Lord said u n to Moses, N um ber all the firstborn o f the males o f the
children o f Israel from a m onth old and upw ard, and take the num ber o f their
names And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the Lord) instead o f all the
firstborn am ong the children o f Israel; and the cattle o f the Levites instead o f the
firstlings among the cattle o f the children o f Israel.” (N um bers 3:40,41)

14
 TH E TITH ES OF ISRA EL BELONG TO LEVI

“ All th e b est o f the oil, and all the best o f the wine, and of the w heat, the first-
fruits o f them w hich they shall offer unto the Lord, them have I given thee. And
w hatsoever is first rif>e in the land, which they shall bring unto the Lord, shall be
th in e; every one th a t is clean in thine house shall eat o f it. Every thing devoted in
•Israel shall be th in e. Every thing th at openeth the m atrix in all flesh, which they
bring u n to the L ord, w hether it be o f men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the
firstborn o f m an shalt thou surely redeem , and the firstling o f unclean beasts shalt
th o u redeem . A nd those th at are to be redeemed from a m onth old shalt th o u re
deem , according to thine estim ation, for the m oney o f five shekels, after the shekel
o f the san ctu ary , which is tw enty gerahs. But the firstling o f a cow, or the firstling
o f a sheep, o r th e firstling o f a goat, th o u shalt n o t redeem ; they are holy: thou
shalt sprinkle th eir blood upon the altar, and shalt b u m their fat for an offering
m ade by fire, for a sweet savour unto the Lord. And the flesh o f them shall be
th ine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine. All the heave offerings
o f the holy things, which the children o f Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given
thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a sta tu te for ever: it is a covenant of
salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed w ith th ee.” (Num bers 18:12-19)

“ B ut th e tithes o f th e children o f Israel, which they offer as an heave offering

u n to the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto
th em , Am ong th e children o f Israel they shall have no inheritance.” (Num bers 18:24)

t h e ir t im e o f s e r v ic e

“ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, This is it th a t belongeth to the Levites.
from tw en ty and five years old and upw ard they shall go in to wait upon the service of
the tabernacle o f the congregation: And from the age o f fifty years they shall cease
waiting upon th e service thereof, and shall serve m ore: But shall m inister with their
brethren in the tabernacle o f the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no ser
vice. T h u s shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.” (Num bers 8:23-26)

Their tim e o f service was twenty-five years - from the age o f 25 till 50. After
th at they could m inister to the Lord in other ways.

GOD DEMANDED PURITY O F LEVI

They were chosen to set a perfect example before all o f Israel by keeping His
Word and His covenant, to offer the sacrifices and to teach the judgm ent and the
law. They had to p u t incense before the Lord and offer whole sacrifices on the
altar, w ithholding nothing for themselves. They were never given an inheritance.
God said, “ I will be the inheritance o f Levi.”

15
 The Levites are a people w ith the high calling o f God upon their lives. As soon
as th ey try to accum ulate w ealth, houses and land and try to get into a business
establishm ent, unless th ey are absolutely led by God in a sovereign way, they are
going to get in to trouble. God wants to be their inheritance, their all-in-all. He
w ants them to live th a t life o f faith. He w ants to supply their needs. As they look
to Him and give the sacrifices o f the Lord on the altar, He will give the finest o f the
grain and th e first-fruits o f the field and th e “shoulder o f th e lam b” to His Levites.

And because they are teachers o f the law, they m ust live the law. How can
they teach w hat they cannot live?

A Levite is called to offer prayers and praise and m ake intercession before the
Lord, n o t ju st now and then, b u t his w hole life through. N either can he take a va
cation from being a Levite.

He is called to be a m ediator betw een God and m an. He not only offers up the
sacrifices to G od, he is called to be a sacrifice himself. He has a lifetime o f service
before him.

When the Levites try to get into business, God will soon chase out the m oney
changers from their lives! He said to Levite, “ My house is a house o f prayer.” The
Levites have no business doing business in G od’s house.

They m ust beware o f using psychology, o r even hypnosis, in order to take the
m oney from the people. Their motive m ust be pure when it comes to m oney. They
dare not touch the gold o r the glory.

The great law that the Levites m ust keep and teach is the law o f LOVE.

The great laws o f Moses can be sum m ed up in one w ord, LOVE.

Read Leviticus 19:16,17,32,33,34; D euteronom y 6 :5 ; 10:12,15,18,19; 11:26;

19:9; 23:5 ,7,15,20; 24:5,6 ,1 1 ,1 2 ,1 4 ,1 5 ,1 9 ,2 0 ,2 1 ; 30:6,11,13,14,16,20.

All o f these above scriptures are good to read if you will take time for it. You
will find th at the law o f Moses is n o t a law o f “ d o n ’t,” b u t a law o f “ do” — a law o f
love. They teach us kindness, gentleness, thoughtfulness. The fruits o f the Spirit
are found right here in these scriptures listed above.

The law o f love originated before Moses. The patriarchs who preceded him had
this law o f love in their hearts. Abraham had a beautiful consciousness of w hat was
sin and w hat was holy, even before the law o f Moses had been given. I believe th at
we d o n ’t really need the law to tell us w hat is right and w hat is wrong. There is a
God-conscience in each o f our lives and th a t God-conscience should be our Divine
guide. It should tell us w hat is right and w hat is wrong.

16
 The laws are given for the hard-hearted, the cold-hearted, the stiff-necked, who
d o n ’t know w hat is right, unless som ebody tells them .

There is a law o f love th a t is so beautiful th a t everyone can live by it, so

th at no one needs to tell yo u , “ d o n ’t do this,” o r “ d o n ’t do th a t.” This is the law
of the angels. T he angels do n o t have any law books w ritten, telling them w hat they
have to do, like we here on earth have. If we com e into the realm o f God-con-
science, th at place o f intim acy w ith G od, where we know the heart o f God and what
makes Him rejoice, we will autom atically seek to please Him. It is like the relation
ship betw een a loving husband and wife.

There should not be a set o f rules th at a man has to give his wife on their
wedding day. The wife is only required to love him and he is required to love her.
When they find each o th er in the spirit, they will be able to please each other.

When we please our heavenly Lover like th at, He will give us the desires o f our
heart. When we live in that place o f intim acy and love, we receive m any things from
the Lord which we never ask Him for.

LEVITES MUST O FFE R A SACRIFICE TH A T IS PURE

One o f the m ost tragic lessons which the priesthood family had to learn, came
early in their career as priests.

In Leviticus 9:23,24 we read how the glory o f the Lord appeared unto all the
people and there came a fire o u t from before the Lord and consumed the burnt
offering upon the altar. Im m ediately after that we read these sad words, “ And
Nadab and A bihu, the sons o f Aaron, took either o f them his censer, and put fire
therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he
com m anded them not....A nd Moses spake unto A aron, and unto Eleazar and unto
Itham ar, his sons th at were left, Take the meat offering that rem aineth o f the of
ferings o f the Lord made by fire, and eat it w ithout leaven beside the altar: for it is
m ost h o ly :” (Leviticus 10:1,12)

Nadab m eans “ freewilling, noble, willing.” A bihu means “ He is my fath er.”

The strange fire they offered unto the Lord is hard to understand. The word comes
from the Hebrew word zuwr (zoor) and means “ to turn aside, foreign, profane,
strange.”

I understand it, as m eaning som ething that is n o t the real thing. There is m uch
o f that in the m inistry today. God is n o t pleased w ith our “ show-business.” He
desires that our m inistry be in the anointing o f the heaven-sent fire o f the true
Pentecostal spirit and n o t a false display o f em otion and religious zeal. There is a
big difference betw een the pure heaven-sent fire and the sham we see in the minis

17
try to d ay . A tru e Levite know s the difference because he has learned it the hard
way.

SED ITIO N IN TH E CAMP O F ISRA EL

NUMBERS 16:1-40

T h e children o f Israel had n o t even begun to settle dow n a fter the twelve spies
returned from Canaan and G od had pronounced judgm ent and 40 years o f tribula
tio n in the wilderness upon th em , b efore there arose a terrible rebellion in the camp
under the leadership o f a pow erful Levite o f the K ohathites, Korah. Korah was a
wealthy m an (according to Josephus and o th er historians). Besides th a t he was in a
pow erful and honourable position in the Levite tribe. He was a persuasive speaker
and had a way o f influencing the whole arm y. He won m any o f the tribe o f Reuben
on his side by insisting th a t Aaron was n o t G od’s chosen priest to lead the people
and th at if anyone should be chosen, it should be one w ho qualified by riches and
age, and th a t it should have been given to the eldest tribe, the tribe o f Reuben. And
from the tribe o f Reuben it would have been Dathan and Abiram who would be the
right ones to be the leaders o f Israel, for they were the oldest men o f that tribe and
powerful because o f th eir great w ealth. (Josephus) You will rem em ber that Korah,
who was a K ohathite was situated on the south side o f the tabernacle, where also the
Reubenites were located and so he had great influence upon them . The Reubenites
were easily influenced by his persuasive speeches and he persuaded many people his
way. Those that conspired w ith Korah were 250, and these were principal men who
were eager to have th e priesthood taken away from Aaron and bring both Aaron and
Moses into disgrace, and possibly death.

When Moses heard this, he fell upon his face and the Lord told him what to do.
He asked Korah and all his com pany to come for a m eeting on the next day, saying
that God would show w hom He had chosen. They were to bring their censers
(which they had, because they were from the m inistering priesthood com pany) and
appear before the Lord at the tabernacle.

Moses also called for D athan and Abiram to come up for this m eeting, but they
refused saying, “ We will n o t come u p !” and accused Moses o f trying to kill them in
the wilderness, o f m aking him self a prince over them , and o f failing to bring them
into the land o f milk and honey as he had prom ised.

Moses was filled w ith great anger and he began to pray. He com m anded the
people o f the congregation to leave the area where the tabernacle o f Korah, D athan
and Abiram stood. As these three m en stood by their ten ts (they were all in one
area) together w ith th eir wives, th eir sons and their little children, Moses began to
pray. Even as he was praying, a terrible thing happened; the earth opened up into
a great gap, they all fell inside, and then the earth closed behind them , leaving
nothing o f them , eith e r o f people o r th eir tents or goods. Their wealth was des

18
troyed w ith them in a m om ent o f tim e. At the same tim e, the fire o f God fell upon
th e 250 principal m en who were standing at the d o o r o f the tabernacle and burnt
them up. Josephus says it was a “ terrible flame, such as is kindled at the com m and
o f G od; by whose eruption on them , all th e com pany, and Korah him self, were des
troyed and this so entirely, th at th eir very bodies left no rem ains behind them . This
agrees w ith m any o f th e early church fathers who said th a t Korah was n o t swallowed
up in th e earth , b u t died by the fire o f God. However, K orah’s children did not
perish w ith th eir father, “ N otw ithstanding the children o f Korah died n o t.” (Num
bers 2 6 :1 1 ) T hey becam e the sweet singers o f Israel. (See the title for Psalm 42,44,
45,46,47,48,49,84,85,87,88).

JUDGM ENT CONTINUES

N um bers 16:41-50

The sad thing is th a t this did n o t end the m urm uring and the spirit o f sedition
in th e camp. T he people continued to m urm ur against Moses and Aaron saying, “ Ye
have killed the people o f the L ord.” (N um bers 16:41)

How quick we are to defend the unrighteous and to turn against the Lord s
anointed! The congregation gathered together against Moses and Aaron who stood
before the tabernacle. They were defenceless against this mad and angry m ob, but
as they looked tow ards the tabernacle, behold, the cloud covered it and the glory of
the Lord appeared. God told Moses to separate him self from the m ob so th at He
could destroy them in a m om ent.

Moses told Aaron to take a censer, p u t fire from the altar and incense on it,
and to run quickly into the congregation and m ake an atonem ent for them , for the
w rath o f God had come upon the people and they were beginning to fall down dead.
Aaron did as Moses com m anded. People were dying everywhere, and Aaron was
offering u nto G od, on behalf o f the guilty and the dying, the incense and the holy
fire o f God. T he Bible says, “ And he stood betw een the dead and the living; and the
plague was stay ed .” (Num bers 16:48) However, the plague was so fast and so
furious th at 14,700 died in th at m om ent. Had Aaron not made intercession, all o f
Israel would have perished in one hour.

The calling o f the tru e Levite is n o t to defend him self (God will do th at), but
to “stand betw een the dead and the living ” and to plead God s m ercy on the sinner,
even the one w ho falsely accuses him and tries to destroy him.

THE ROD THAT BUDDED

N um bers 17:1-13

Because th e Levites were n o t perm itted to engage in warfare and n o t perm itted

19
to handle the sword, God had to be their defence.

God w anted to prove, once and fo r all, who tru ly was His chosen, anointed
leader and high priest, so He com m anded th at each o f the princes o f th e twelve
tribes take the rod th a t they used, w rite their nam e on it (so there be no m istake)
and bring it to the tabernacle where it w ould be laid o u t before the testim ony. God
said, “ And it shall com e to pass, th a t the m an’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall
blossom : and I will m ake to cease from m e the m urm urings o f th e children o f Israel,
whereby they m urm ur against y o u .” (N um bers 17:5)

All night these rods lay before the Lord while Israel slept. In the m orning
Moses w ent into the tabernacle o f witness (notice it is now given a new nam e...the
tabernacle th at bears witness), and to his great astonishm ent the rod o f A aron,
which was the rod for the tribe o f Levi, had budded and brought forth buds and
bloom ed blossoms and even yielded alm onds. Josephus says th a t the rod had been
cut o u t o f an alm ond tree. “ The people were so amazed at this strange sight, that
though Moses and Aaron were before, under some degree o f hatred, they now laid
th at hatred aside, and began to adm ire the judgm ent o f God concerning them ; so
th at hereafter they applauded w hat God had decreed, and perm itted Aaron to enjoy
the priesthood peaceably, and he retained th a t honour w ithout further disturbance
and hereby this sedition o f the Hebrews, which had been a great one, and had lasted
a great while, was at last com posed.”

So we see how God peaceably, and w ith an act o f love and beauty, finally over
comes all the workers o f iniquity. It was the witness o f “ resurrection life th at si
lenced the disputers. Today to o , it is the witness o f resurrected life that will silence
all dispute and sedition.

MOSES’ ONE GREAT SIN

N um bers 20:1-13

As m uch as we love Moses and appreciate him , God shows us that he was not
infallible. So often we think th a t those whom God chooses m ust be infallible. This
is not true. God w ants us to walk and live perfect before Him, but there is n o t a
man who has lived, who has always been perfect. We are called to perfection, and it
is possible to attain unto it, but ou r past holds mistakes.

A fter all this glory and all this witness, Moses makes one terrible m istake which
keeps him from entering the Promised Land. How sad!

A fter the death o f Miriam, as the people abode in Kadesh in the desert o f Zin,
there was no w ater for the congregation. Instead o f praying to G od, they began to
accuse Moses and Aaron.

20
 Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces and the glory o f the Lord appeared unto
them . The Lord said to Moses, “ Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly to
gether, th o u , and Aaron thy b rother, and speak ye u n to the rock before their eyes;
and it shall give fo rth his w ater, and thou shalt bring fo rth to them w ater o u t o f the
rock: so th o u shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.” (N um bers 20:8)

Do you notice how the rock was masculine? God uses the personal pronoun
“ his.”

This is because the rock was a ty p e o f Jesus Christ. In I C orinthians 10:4 we read,
“ for they drank o f th a t spiritual Rock th at followed th e m : and th at Rock was Christ.

Moses to o k the rod from before the Lord and they gathered the congregation
together before the rock, and he said u n to them , “ Hear now , ye rebels; m ust we
fetch you w ater o u t o f this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand and with his rod he
sm ote the rock twice: and the w ater came out abundantly, and the congregation
drank, and their beasts also.” (N um bers 20:10b, 11)

The first tim e th at Moses struck the rock he was obeying the Lord. He acted in
an act o f faith, b u t the second tim e, th at old Levite spirit came up in him , that spirit
o f anger, and he said, “ Listen, you rebels, shall we fetch you w ater out o f this
rock?” M oreover, he ‘.m ote the rock tw o times, once for Aaron, and once for Moses
and b o th o f them could not cross into the land o f prom ise and blessing.

I tell you, it is a dangerous thing, Brother Levi, Sister Levi, for you to keep that
anger. It is wrong to let it get o ut o f control and think that you are proving your
contact with God to someone. God will not be with you.

It says in the W ord, that there never was a man as m eek as Moses. We know
how longsuffering he was through the years and his hum ility was exem plary, but his
anger destroyed his future. Anger will turn a person th at you love so m uch, a
beautiful person, into som ething th at God cannot bless. Let us be careful, lest in
the end, after all the hard places we have passed through, after all the years of
suffering, the miracles, the life o f faith, the exam ple we have been to others, we
should fail ourselves. Moses didn’t only fail God, he failed himself.

But he did disappoint G od, for God wanted to show the people th at Moses had
come to such a high place in Him th at he didn’t need to use his rod any m ore. You
see, they relied on th at rod. T hat rod became alm ost a token of idolatry. Do you
know th at the children o f Israel later did worship tokens o f deliverance?

In II Kings 18:4 we read how that Hezekiah “ removed the high places and
broke the images and cut dow n the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent
th at Moses had m ade: for unto those days the children o f Israel did burn incense to
it: and he called it N ehushtan (which means ‘a piece o f brass’).”

21
 T he children o f Israel also w orshipped G ideon’s coat o f arm our which he had
worn. (Judges 8:27)

Now it had come to the place where they were ready to worship the rod,
because w ith it m any great miracles had been perform ed. God wanted them to see
Him, to hear His voice, obey His Spirit. The Holy G host in Aaron and Moses would
do the w ork, n o t the rod. Moses was so great in God th at he only had to speak and
the rock would release its m iracle supply. God wanted to reveal the Word o f A utho
rity th a t is in His saints, even as He did through the life o f Jesus.

The Rom an centurian recognized this au thority which Jesus had in the spoken
word when he said, “ I am n o t w orthy th at thou shouldest come under my roof: but
speak the w ord only, and my servant shall be healed.” (M atthew 8:8)

Anger robbed Levi o f th a t glory, and instead o f speaking to the rock, he used
his tongue to curse the people. A Levite m ust be very careful th at he doesn’t call
people bad names. Oh beloved, let us take a lesson o u t o f the Word o f God. Let His
Word be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. (Psalm 119:105)

The Spirit o f God was grieved because:

1. Moses had lost his tem per and had finally becom e very angry with the people.
2. Moses had disobeyed the com m and o f th t Lord to speak the word o f faith
and to prove to the congregation th at he had power to com m and the rock to pour
out water.
3. Moses sm ote the rock two tim es, showing he had lost control o f the situ
ation.
4. Moses called the people nam es, “ Ye rebels.”
5. Moses did not believe God to do som ething “ New.” He kept the old pattern.
6. Moses broke th e types and sym bols o f G od’s redem ption plan. The
rock (Christ) has already been sm itten in Horeb. (Exodus 17:5-7)
7. Moses’ faith was in the rod.
8. Moses injured th e “ resurrected” rod.
9. Psalm 106:33 says, “ he spake unadvisedly with his lips.”
10. Moses failed to “ sanctify” the Lord in the eyes o f the Children o f Israel.

I w ant you to see one thing. Supply and abundance is n o t always a sign o f
G od’s favour. God honoured Moses before the people and the water came out
“ abundantly” for all. B ut Moses had failed to h o n o u r God before the people; and
for this he w ould be judged.

The word “ sanctify” comes from the Hebrew quadash (kaw-dash) which means
“ to pronounce cerem onially clean, appoint, consecrate, dedicate, hallow.” What
Moses did, was not “ kosher.”

22
 We m ust be careful, as Levites, th a t everything we do in G od’s service is abso
lutely “ k osher.” The word “ kosher” comes from th e Hebrew word kasher which
m eans “ to fit, be right, proper, correct, or to be cerem onially clean in cooking, e tc ..”

Because o f this great m istake, Moses was n o t perm itted to enter into the
Canaan land w ith the arm ies o f Israel. When Moses begged the Lord to let him go
over and “ see th e good land th at is beyond the Jo rd an ,” God said unto him , “ Let it
suffice th ee ; speak no m ore unto me o f this m atte r.” God would n o t let Moses even
pray ab o u t it. B ut God let him have a w onderful experience which is a m ystery to
m any u n to this day. (D euteronom y 3:25,26)

M OSES’ DISAPPEARANCE FROM AMONG MANKIND

D euteronom y 34:1-12

A fter Moses had given his last words o f prophecy to the tribes, the Lord told
him to go up to the top o f Pisgah in the Nebo m ountain, and there the Lord showed
him all the land o f Gilead, even unto Dan, and all N aphtali, Ephraim , Manasseh,
Ju d a h , even u n to the M editerranean Sea. He saw the Valley o f Jericho and the little
city o f Z oar where Lot had run for refuge. God said. “ This is the land which I sware
u nto A braham , u nto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I
have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over th ith er.”

The King James Bible says, “ So Moses the servant o f the Lord died there in the
land o f M oab, according to the word o f the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in
the land o f M oab, over against Beth-peor: but no man know eth o f his sepulchre unto
this d a y .” (D euteronom y 34:5,6)

Josephus says th at there was great m ourning and lam entation, even as Moses
walked o u t o f the camp and began his journey into the presence o f God. He was
accom panied by the weeping m ultitudes until he bade them stay behind in quiet,
and asked those who were nearer to him to not make his departure so lam entable.
“ All those who accom panied him were the senate, and Eleazar the high priest, and
Joshua their com m ander. Now as soon as they were come to the m ountain Abarim
(which is a very high m ountain, situated over against Jericho, and one th at affords to
such th a t are upon it, a prospect o f the greatest part o f th e excellent land o f Canaan),
he dismissed the senate; and he was going to em brace Eleazar and Joshua, and was
still discoursing w ith them , a cloud stood over him suddenly, and he disappeared in a
certain valley, although, he w rote in the holy books th a t he died, which was done
o u t o f fear, lest they should venture to say th at, because o f his extraordinary virtue,
he w ent to G o d .”

Jude, verse 9, says th a t Michael the archangel, when contending w ith the devil,
disputed ab o u t the body o f Moses.

23
There is a great m ystery about the body o f Moses. I can see tw o great forces
fighting fo r it. The evil force th at w ants to take Moses’ body and kill it, and the
resurrection life o f th e good force, which he had served for a third o f his life, that
wanted to perform the same m iracle upon it as w hat had been perform ed upon the
rod o f A aron, even the m iracle o f resurrection life.

So today your body is a contest ground betw een Satan and the Lord. Michael
is fighting f o r ’you, and Satan is fighting for you. No w onder there are such c o n tro
versies inside o f you! Paul experienced this when he said, “ I see another law in my
m em bers, warring against the law o f my m ind, and bringing me into captivity to the
law o f sin which is in my m em bers. F or the good th at 1 would I do not: b u t the evil
which I would not do, th a t I d o .” (Rom ans 7:23,19)

And o u t o f this pitiful condition, he breaks forth into the m ost glorious hope,
“ But if the Spirit o f him th a t raised up Jesus from the dead dwell m yo u , he that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your m ortal bodies by his Spirit
that dw elleth in you.” (Rom ans 8:11)

Oh glory to God! This is the eve o f our crossing over into the Land o f Promise,
even the Canaan land o f the Millenium. We have gone through the wilderness ex
perience for our 40 long years and we are on Pisgah’s lofty heights, viewing the land
before us which He has prom ised us. We are wrestling to be num bered w ith the
resurrected throng w ho shall not taste o f death until He come. The glory-cloud is
even now upon us and it is separating the m ultitudes, and one day soon, we shall be
no m ore, for He shall take us.”

POSITIONS O F THE TRIBE OF LEVI

Around the tabernacle: They were placed around the tabernacle as w atchm en
and guardians. With Moses’ and A aron’s families being at the East G ate (th e en
trance). The K ohathites were on the south near Gad, Simeon and R euben, the Ger-
shonites were on the west side with Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh, and the Mera-
rites were on the n o rth with N aphtali, Dan and Asher. The tribes on the east where
Aaron and Moses’ fam ily was located, were Zebulun, Judah and Issachar.

In the Promised Land: They were scattered throughout the tribes in 48

different cities. (Joshua 21:1-42)

The allotm ent was as follows:

1. O ut of the tribes o f Judah, Simeon, Benjamin... 13 cities (Joshua 21. ),
2. o u t of the tribes o f Ephraim , Dan and Manasseh... 10 cities (verse 5),
3. out o f the tribes o f Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half tribe o f Ma
nasseh... 13 cities (verse 6);
4. o ut of the tribe o f Reuben, Gad and Zebulun... 12 cities (verse 7).

24
 In th e M illenium: Ezekiel 4 8 :2 2 says, “ Moreover from the possession o f the
Levites, and from the possession o f the city (New Jerusalem ), being in the m idst of
th a t which is th e prince’s, betw een the border o f Judah and the border o f Benjamin,
shall be for th e prince.” They will be the closest to the the city o f Jerusalem .

T h e G ate o f Levi in th e New Jerusalem : “ And the gates o f the city shall be
after th e names o f the tribes o f Israel: three gates northw ard; one gate o f Reuben,
one gate o f Ju d a h , one gate o f Levi.” (Ezekiel 48:31)

Levi is m oved from the eastern gate to the n o rth side o f Jerusalem . I believe
this is because there will be no need o f Levi acting as guardians and custodians of
Israel. There will be a new Divine order. No longer will the sacrifices be offered or
intercession be m ade before the Lord. It will be a city o f praises u nto the King of
Kings and Lord o f Lords!

25
NOTES
Judah
BY GWEN SHAW
 Cover b y C y n th ia Peall

C opyright 1982, G w en R. Shaw

End-T im e H andm aidens, Inc.
P.O . Box 447
Jasp er, A rkansas 72641

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States o f America

 PRAYER

“ Heavenly F a th er, we come to You hum bly in the nam e o f Jesus, beseeching You
to open o u r h earts to understand the w onderful tru th s o f God concerning the great
tribe o f Judah. Jesus, Y our Son, came to us through this tribe and surely there are
w onderful secrets hidden from our understanding which you are ready and willing to
teach us concerning this royal lineage o f the household o f David.

“ Grace and a heart o f understanding is w hat we need to see the tru th s which we
know You are willing to teach us. In Jesus’ nam e. A m en.”

TH E NAMING OF JUDAH

“ And she (L eah) conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise
the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing. (Genesis 29.35)

MEANING OF THE NAME

“ Judah” com es from the Hebrew word Yehuwdah (ye-hoo-daw). Yehuwdah

comes from the Hebrew root word Yadah (yaw-daw) which has quite a variety o f inter
pretations. A m ong them are: “ to use (i.e. hold o ut) the hand, to throw (a stone an
L o w ) to revere o r worship (with extended hands); to bem oan (by wringing o f the
hands)’, cast o u t, m ake confession, praise, give thanks, thankful, thanksgiving, con
secrate, m inistry, pow er, presum ptuous.”

In the New T estam ent, the word “ Judah” is only used once (in Hebrews 8:8),
b u t its Greek form , Judas, is used a num ber o f times when referring to two of the
Lord’s disciples, Judas Iscariot and Judas (also called Jude), the b rother o f James.
There was also Ju d as, the Lord’s brother.

Because o f th e m any meanings o f the name Judah, it is im portant th at we under

stand these interpretations so th a t we can understand the com plexity o f the_nature o f
Judah. Judah is full o f contradiction, just as his name implies. We often hear Bible
scholars say th a t Judah m eans “ praise.” And indeed it does, but it also means to
cast o u t” (as Ju d a h cast o u t Jesus Christ), for the Word says, “ He came unto his own
and his own received him n o t.” (John 1:11)

Judah m eans “ to bem oan.” No one can travail w ith great weepings and groanings
m ore than the sons o f Judah. We only need to spend an h o u r at the wailing wall to
know the tru th o f this interpretation.

Judah m eans “ presum ptuous.” We see this fault throughout the history o f the
tribe, and then we find it in the lives o f the Lord’s disciples.
 Judah means “ to bem oan” (by wringing o f the hands), and this we see in Judas
Iscariot, who becam e so desperate after he had sold our Lord, th at he w ent o u t and
hung himself.

T hen, last, b u t n o t least, we see the consecration, m inistry, the pow er, the praise
and the worship (w ith extended hands) in the character o f the tribe o f Judah. They
lift us to the throne room o f G od, because they are throne room people. But they are
only this, as they come in to perfection and into the likeness o f Jesus, the perfect son
o f Judah, the “ Lion” o f th eir tribe.

SYMBOL OF JUDAH

The sym bol o f Judah is the lion. There are seven different words used for Lion in
the Old Testam ent indicating different ages and stages. The three that are used in the
prophecy th at Jacob gives his son, Judah, are:

1. Gur or gu w r (goor): “ Judah is a lion’s w help.” (Genesis 4 9:9) The word,

whelp (gur or g u w r ) m eans “a cub.” It comes from the root-w ord guw r which means
“ to tu rn aside from the road, to fear, to gather for hostility, to gather together, e tc ..”

2. A ryeh (ar-yay): “ He coucheth as a lion.” (Genesis 4 9:9) This word aryeh,

portrays the young, violent lion.

3. L ebaow th (leb-aw -oth): “ As an old lion who shall rouse him u p ?” (Gene
sis 4 9:9) This is the great, old, stout lion.

THE LION

The lion is know n through all ages as the majestic beast, the king of beasts. There
are certain characteristics about the lion which I feel we ought to consider.

The “gur” (whelp o r cub): First o f all, the whelp. This is the baby lion, who has
still n o t been taught to defend itself. It relies on its m other for protection and spends
the first part o f its life in playing and getting into mischief, vexing its wiser and older
family m em bers. It is afraid of its shadow, and in its foolishness it gathers together
w ith o th er little cubs, thinking th at it will be protected by q u antity, rather than quali
ty and strength. It is know n for its yelping rather than for its roar. The roar has still
n o t been developed. The new born cub is covered by dark spots on a pale ground
colour, b u t these m arkings are generally lost with approaching m aturity. In some lions,
however, the spots are retained on the limbs, under parts, and flanks throughout life.
The cubs are born at any time o f the year (there is no definite breeding season). The
litter varies from tw o to four (rarely six). They are born blind. The eyes open when
they are about a week old. They do not becom e adult until the perm anent canines re

2
 place the milk te e th , a t the age o f about one year. The lion reaches its prime at about
five o r six years o f age. The life span o f the lion is about 25 years or more.

Judah, until he reaches spiritual adulthood, is far from

m ajestic. He know s his birthrights, b u t in his blindness, with
his undeveloped and im perfected nature (spots), he is an easy
prey fo r his enem y. As long as Judah is living on the milk-
diet, he cannot reach the stage where he enters into his
m inistry. There are m any Christians today who are in the
tribe o f Judah, b u t there is no indication o f their royal birth
because they are in the yelping-cub stage. They are either
playful or bossy, and becom e obnoxious because they have
n o t grown into th e greatness o f m aturity. In their neophyte
state they irritate and aggravate those they work with and are
very unteachable and untrainable. Many are cast on the rubbish heap o f hum anity,
because those w ho could have trained them gave up on them , having been worn out in
the process o f trying.

The “ ary eh ” : This is the second stage, and it portrays the young, violent lion
who is full o f self-confidence and foolishness. He has developed his roar, and goes
around terrorizing the neighbourhood with his com m ands and threats. Because he is
full-grown in size, but n ot in intelligence, his worst enem y is himself. At this stage, he
has outgrow n his yelping, and developed
other sounds such as coughs, grunts, growls
and deep, purring noises. We m eet Judahites
every day who are working on these dif
ferent ways o f expressing themselves. Don’t
let their deep purring fool you!

In the lion parks o f Africa these young

lions som etim es bite the tyres o f a m otorcar.
Sometimes they are so playful th at they may
run after the car. O ften, in the evenings they
start roaring, and their roaring can reach such
a crescendo th a t they can be heard m any
kilom etres away. It is not done in anger, but
generally to pronounce their presence.

T he “ Iebaow th” : This is the full-grown, old, sto u t, mighty lion who has grown
into m aturity and wisdom through experience. He is honoured and respected by all.
He may have tw o , three o r m ore “ wives.” He lives in a pride (group). Because lions
are very jealous o f their territo ry , the prides must be kept apart. When in a lion park,
they are divided by 6-7 feet high fences. Even th en , they are known to have jum ped
over these fences, and when they do, a violent fight will imm ediately erupt with death
or injury as the result.

3
 Am ong themselves, in their own pride, they are usually sociable, and live together
in parties o f a dozen o r m ore. The lion hunts by night and spends the day lying under
cover in the shade o f trees o r rocks. A fter the lion has patiently stalked his prey, he
makes a lightning-fast charge for the kill. They operate w ith great cunning and skill.
Because o f their skill, strength and size (some average 9 ft. 6 in., including the tail and
stand ab o u t 3 ft. at the shoulder, weighing 400-500 pounds), they are truly the king o f
the beasts.”

Their beauty and m ajesty reminds one o f the m ature Christian who knows who he
is in G od. He will guard his territory and n o t allow the enem y to come in and possess
his inheritance which G od has given him. He moves in the wisdom o f experience and
rules over th e darkness o f the night as king over all the “ animal nature” th a t would
victimize him and rob him o f his royal possession in God. May the tribe of Judah truly
grow in to the m aturity o f the lebaoth!

THE GEMSTONE OF JUDAH

The gem stone o f Judah is the emerald.

The word which is translated “ em erald” in the King James version comes from
the Hebrew n ophek (nophek), meaning “ to glisten; shining, a gem ,” and interpreted
as “ em erald.”

Please rem em ber th a t there is some controversy amongst Bible scholars about the
correct gem for Levi and Judah. Some believe th at Levi s gem is the emerald and
Judah’s is the carbuncle. If the transcribers have changed it, then it is easily possible
th at this m istake could have been made. Lamsa Bible gives Levi the emerald and Judah
th e carbuncle. C ertainly, the quality o f both o f these gems and the application to
either tribe is adaptable. W ithout definitive docum entation, however, we will continue
to use the emerald as th e gem stone o f Judah. You are free to m ake your own decision.
Perhaps there are historical records th at we do not know about th at can give us more
inform ation on this. If y o u come across some, please write to me and share these
things w ith me.

THE EMERALD

The E ncyclopaedia Britannica says, “ The emerald is a bright green variety 9 f

beryl, highly valued as a gem stone since about B.C. 2,000. It was intensively mined
from Egyptian deposits during the tim es o f Alexander the G reat, Cleopatra and the
Roman empire.

“The properties o f em erald are essentially those o f com m on beryl. The green
colour is due to the presence o f a little chrom ium in substitution for alum inum .

4
Emerald is slightly harder than q u artz, softer than topaz and considerably softer than
diam ond. Its high value is based upon its colour, tansparency and freedom from
flaws. Com pletely unflawed deep-green emeralds are unobtainable in large pieces. The
emerald is created through the m eans o f a fluid containing granules invading it.

“‘Many virtues were form erly ascribed to the em erald. It was reputed to have m e
dicinal value, and because o f its colours was said to be good for eyesight. When worn,
it was held to be a protection against epilepsy; it cured dysentery, it assisted women in
childbirth; it drove away evil spirits; and it preserved the chastity o f the wearer. Be
cause o f the presum ed religious significance o f its colour as a sym bol o f im m ortality, it
was widely sponsored by the church. ’

The emerald m akes a perfect gem for the royal tribe o f Judah. God said to David,
“ And when thy days be fulfilled, and th o u shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy
seed after thee, which shall proceed o u t o f thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
He shall build an house for my nam e, and I will stablish the throne o f his kingdom for
ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he com m it iniquity, I will chasten
him with the rod o f m en, and with the stripes o f the children o f m en: But my mercy
shall n ot depart away from him , as I to o k it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne
shall be established for ever.” (II Samuel 7:12-16) God promised David an everlasting
kingdom . Em erald is sym bolic o f im m ortality. It speaks o f the eternal royalty of the -
house o f David which is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. “ The kingdoms o f this world are be
come the kingdoms o f our Lord, and o f his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”
(Revelation 11:1 5)

Just as the emerald is developed through the suffering th at it must endure, even that
granulated fluid th at washes over it and through it for centuries of tim e, in order to form
it and give it its beautiful green colour which is a sym bol o f e te rn ity , so the Judahite is not
born in a day. He is developed through suffering and enduring that friction constantly
through years o f hard trials and testings. It takes a lifetim e to make a saint ; and it takes a
lifetim e to perfect a Judahite and bring him into the likeness o f Jesus Christ. But when
God is finished w ith him , he is the gem o f priesthood and royalty.

PROPHECIES

Jacob: “ Ju d ah , thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in
the neck o f thine enemies; thy fath er’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is
a lion’s whelp: from the prey, m y son, thou art gone up: he stooped dow n, he couched
as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall n o t depart from
Judah, nor a lawgiver from betw een his feet, until Shiloh com e; and u n to him shall the
gathering o f th e people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass s colt u nto the
choice vine; he washed his garm ents in wine, and his clothes in the blood o f grapes. His
eyes shall be red w ith wine, and his teeth w hite w ith m ilk.” (Genesis 49:8-12)

5
 Moses: “ And this is the blessing o f Judah: and he said, Hear, Lord, the voice of
Judah, and bring him u n to his people: let his hands be sufficient for him ; and be thou
an help to him from his enem ies.” (D euteronom y 33:7)

HISTORY OF JUDAH - JU D A H ’S BIRTH

And Leah conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now I will praise the
Lord; therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.” (Genesis 29:35)

Judah, the fourth son o f Jacob and his wife Leah, was bom when Leah could have
been so filled with h u rt and despair th at she could have taken her own life. But the
w onderful thing is th a t his birth was the first true breakthrough th at Leah had in her
life o f rejection and suffering. She had striven for her husband s affection, but in spite
o f the fact th at she had born him three sons, he still loved Rachel and preferred her
above Leah. Now, she has her fourth son, and she breaks through in a revolutionary
way that indicates she m ust have had a secret revelation from the Lord concerning
what God would do in her life and how He would answer her prayers. She did not
look at circum stances when she decided to call her fourth son Judah, which means,
among other things, “ praise!” ^

In spite o f the darkness, in spite o f her hopeless situation in spite o f her sorrow,
she began to praise the Lord. She found the power o f praise. This unloved woman
found the tru th and the revelation o f receiving things from God through praising the
Lord.

Every time she called his name “ Ju d ah ,” she was saying “ 1 praise the Lord.”

It would begin in the morning when she awakened her son, “ Praise the Lord, it s
time to get up! Praise the Lord, get your clothes on! Praise the Lord, come and eat
your breakfast! Praise the Lord, it’s tim e for you to go out and see what daddy wants
you to do today! Praise the Lord, it’s tim e to go to bed! e tc ..”

As she filled her m outh with praises, God began to intervene on her behalf. We
know th a t this is exactly what happened. We all know the story. Later on in life, in
the not to o distant fu tu re, God took Rachel to Himself and Leah was able to spend all
the rest o f her life w ith her husband as his only wife. Not only th at, but when he was
dying, he said to his sons, “ Bury me w ith my fathers in the cave that is in the field of
Ephron the H ittite, In the cave th at is in the field o f M achpelah, which is before Mam-
re, in the land o f Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field o f Ephron the H ittite
for a possession o f a buryingplace. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there
they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.” (Genesis 49:29-31)
Jacob requested to be buried with his wife, Leah. Rachel has a lonely grave in Behle-
hem, b u t Leah has been resting beside her husband for millenia o f time.

6
 So we see th a t when we begin to praise the Lord, things will begin to happen in
o u r life. We all need to give birth to a “ Judah” in o u r lives. Judah only succeeds and
becomes great as he enters into the spirit o f his nam e, the life o f praise and thanks
giving to God.

If you are a person who loves to praise tjie Lord, and whose heart is full o f praises
to G od, it could be that you belong to the tribe o f Judah. It also could be true that
you do belong to the tribe o f Judah, but you have never developed the art o f praising
the Lord. Then there is som ething lacking in your spiritual life, and you are still living
in the stage o f m ourning and travailing. Now, I am n ot speaking about travailing in the
Spirit. This is absolutely necessary, even for a Judah. But it is im portant th at we pro
gress, and that we also adopt the o th er im portant aspect o f a m ature life, and th at is a
heart that is filled with gratitude and praises to God. Mechanical praises will not be
accepted either. It must come from the heart.

A Judahite will not attain unto his high calling o f rulership unless he enters
through the gate o f praise. I counsel you and challenge you to turn away from your
spirit o f rejection, self-pity, complaining and fault finding. Some of you live constant
ly in a feeling o f inferiority, feeling that you are unloved, feeling that you are un
w anted, and the devil thrives on those carnal feelings you gender. God is calling you to
stop being like th a t. You are a child o f God. Believe th at, if God has som ething for
you to do, God is going to 'm ak e a way for you to do it, as you begin to praise Him.
Let the high praises o f God be in your m outh!

“ WHAT PR O FIT?”

“And Judah said u nto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and
conceal his b lo o d ?” (Genesis 37:26)

The first recorded words th a t come o u t o f the m outh o f Judah are, “What profit?

There is a gross m isunderstanding among the Gentiles today as to who the Jews
really are. Let me begin by saying, “ Every Jew is an Israelite, but not every Israelite is
a Jew .” The Jew is the descendant o f the tribe o f Judah. They were first referred to as
Jews in the b o o k o f Esther, when the Jews (the people o f Judah) were carried into cap
tivity. Among those carried into captivity from Judah were people o f the tribe of
Judah, as well as some o f Levi, Benjamin and Simeon. They too were called “ Jews”
because they came from the kingdom o f Judah. But prim arily a Jew is a descendant of
the tribe o f Judah.

Now there is one thing th a t you think o f in connection w ith a Jew , and th at is
th at he is always interested in m aking a profit. Look at the very first words th at Judah
speaks, which are recorded in the Bible, “ What profit is it?”

7
 If this isn’t a pictu re o f the Jew, even after all these millenia o f tim e, then what is
it? If you are o f th e spiritual tribe o f Judah, you will always be tem pted to think,
“ What profit is in it fo r me? How m uch am I going to be m aking?” You are going to
be counting up y our assets even before you m ake your deposit, and m aybe even before
you have earned them . You are a born business man o r wom an. You have access to
the blessing o f finances.

Look at verse 2 7 , “ Come, and let us sell him .”

Here is Judah; he is ready, n o t only to sell his cattle, his camels, his sheep, but he
is ready to sell his b ro th e r, that he m ight be able to get...how m any pieces o f silver?
Tw enty!

Yes, Judah bargained for his b rother, Joseph, for tw enty pieces o f silver. Seven
teen hundred years later his namesake, Judas (which is the Greek for Judah), would
bargain with the religious rulers and sell his Saviour for thirty pieces o f silver. Judas
was a Jew o f the trib e o f Judah, too. D on’t forget that! A nother Jew that sold a
Jew!

Today, Judah’s sons are the w orld’s top financiers. They control the money m ar
ket o f the world. In France, it is the Rothschilds; in Britain, the Barkleys; and in the
United States, the Rockefellers. There is an end-tim e struggle between the sons o f Ish-
mael and the sons o f Isaac for the control o f the w orld’s money system . The anti
christ will be identified with Money Conspiracy, for the conspiracy will finance his ele
vation into a position o f world-power. They will hold the wealth o f the world, until
Jesus, Himself, comes and takes the reigns o f the governm ent in His hand. All the
Communism in the w orld is not going to get it o u t o f the hands o f Judah. But Judah
needs to consecrate his wealth to Jesus Christ, or it will destroy him. There is
treachery in Judah. There isn’t a thing that the unconsecrated Judah will not do for
the dollar. Only the grace o f God can intervene in the life o f a Judah and transform
him from the love o f wealth and the desire for it, the selling out o f his soul for it, and
that is the Blood o f Jesus. Only when he knows how precious the Blood o f Jesus is,
will a Jew be able to let go o f his “ dollar” that he might win Christ.

JU D A H , THE ADVOCATE

“ ...let n o t our hand be upon him ; for he is ou r brother and our flesh. And his
brethren were c o n te n t.” (Genesis 37:27b)

We see here an o th e r characteristic in Judah th at is the gift o f reasoning. He re

veals his gift as an advocate and intercessor. The top lawyers o f the world today are
Jews. If you w ant a good lawyer, find a Jew. Even if he does n o t believe in your
Jesus, if you hire him and pay him the fee he charges, he will win y our case for you.

8
 O f all the law yers and advocates o f all tim e, none can outshine the Jew from
the tribe o f Ju d ah , Jesus Christ. John says, “ ...And if any man sin, we have an advo
cate w ith the F ath er, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (I John 2:1) He is the great Inter
cessor; He is th e great M ediator and He stands as Advocate between God and man. All
who belong to th e tribe o f Judah have this same characteristic. This makes them good
intercessors and advocates in the law courts o f the world and also in the spiritual gift of
reconciliation and judging a case wisely and fairly.

“ ...and his brethren were c o n te n t.” Judah has influence with his brothers. He is a
gifted m ediator. He can settle crucial and difficult problem s and solve crises, bringing
peace into situations that were full o f turm oil. He makes a great international
statesm an;

When Judah speaks, his brothers always agree with him. It could be th at the anti
christ will come from this tribe, for he certainly will give counsel that will be accepted
by all the world. He will be a very high statesm an and he will be able to do things and
say things that are going to effect the entire world and seem to bring a peaceful solu
tion to situations th at are explosive and unsolvable. It will not be a long-lasting peace,
but it will have a peaceful appearance for a short while.

THE SIN OF JUDAH

Please read Genesis 38:1 -30.

This great tragedy begins in verse 1 with these words, “ ...Judah went down FROM
his brethren.” Most o f Judah’s problem s come when he leaves the fellowship and
the safety o f his “ pride.” Like the young lion who is brave and foolish, Judah, in his
early years, left the safety o f his family and “ turned in to ” a certain Adullam ite whose
name was Hirah.

This Adullam ite is named after an area or a town called Adullam. It is in this
area where Ju d a h ’s descendant, David, spent m uch of his time when he was fleeing
from King Saul. It is located southw est o f Jerusalem . At the tim e o f Judah it be
longed to the Canaanites (very wicked people) and Adullam was a very high m an, a
sort o f chieftain o r small king o f th a t area. When Judah began to have a friendship
w ith this m an, it was the beginning o f his down-fall. He carried on with his relation
ship for an indefinite period o f time.

Adullam m eans: “ a turn in the terrain, place o f resting, hiding place,” and it also
means the same as Laodicea, the lukewarm church o f Revelation. (Revelation 3:14-22)

Hirah m eans: “ noble, aristocratic.”

It was here th at Judah m et the woman who was to become the m other o f his first

9
three sons, Shuah or Bathshua (as it is given in The L ost B ooks o f the B ible).

Shuah means: “ easy circum stances, opulence, wealth, good advancem ent, riches.

r Hoh tPiu n< in his testim ony in The L ost B ooks of, the B ible th at he was tw enty
« old at that tim e While he was down there, making friends with this family,
t S u s o f tacidents that are no. written in the Bible. I do not know the
o f it but l w ant to share it with you so that you can have this information
'T 1 The storv is really a very sad one. It is a warning to every Judahite because it
portrays the weakness o f Judah, especially in his im maturity; and most Judahites are
more im m ature than w hat they would confess to themselves.

t c tpctimonv he tells how he went down there and the king of Adullam made
? f t , for him He drank too m uch wine and then he says, “ I had m uch cattle
3 had for chief herdsm an Iram (Hirah) the Adullam ite. And when I w ent to him 1
and he m ade us a feast; and when I was heated he gave
Saw Parsaba g > and Qnan and Shelah; and two Gf
S h e lh lived, and his children are y e.- (These are supposed
to be Ju d ah ’s dying w ords to his descendants). ^

Judah tells o f th e mighty conquests and victories that he had won in battle before
that tim e and how G od fought with him , and how no w om an’s beautiful face had ever
enticed him and how he had reproved Reuben his brother, concerning his sin with Bil-
hah and then after th a t, the spirits o f jealousy and fornication arrayed themsel
•net him until he “ lay” with Bathshua the Canaamte and later Tamar, who was es-
against him until he he fcI1 jn hjs fifSt sjn with Bathshua (Shua). “ I said
to my father-in-law: I will take counsel with my father, and so will 1 take thy dau8h ^ _
But he was unwilling, b ut he showed me a boundless store of gold in his daughter s
behalf (her dowry) for he was a king. And he adorned her with gold and pearls and
caused her to pour o u t wine for us at the feast with the beauty o f women. And the
wineTtumed aside my eyes, and pleasure blinded my hear, and became enamoured of
her and I lay with her, and transgressed the com m andm ent o f the Lord and t
commandment of my fathers, and the Lord rewarded me^accord,n(; to.the -o
Of my heart, inasm uch as I had no joy in her children. And then he adds, And now
my children, I say u n to you, be not drunk with wine; for wine turneth away the mind
from the tru th and inspires the passion o f lust and leadeth the eyes into error.

JUD AH’S WEAKNESS

He earnestly w arns his children to beware of drunkenness saying, “ F or m uch dis

cretion needeth the m an who drinketh wine, my children; and herein is discretion in
drinking wine, a m an m ay drink so on as he preserveth m odesty. But i f h e gc>be y ° " ?
this lim it the spirit o f deceit attacketh his m ind, and it m aketh the drunkard
filthily, and to transgress and n o t to be asham ed, but even to glory in his sham e, and to
account himself h o nourable.”
 Judah also w arns his children concerning the love o f riches and lust, “ And now,
I com m and y o u , m y children, n o t to love m oney, n o r to gaze upon the beauty o f
w om en; because fo r the sake o f m oney and beauty I was led astray.” He also says,
“ My children, th e love o f m oney leadeth to idolatry; because, when led astray through
m oney, men nam e as gods those who are n o t gods, and it causeth him who hath it
(m oney) to fall in to madness. F or the sake o f m oney I lost my children, and had not
my repentance, and m y hum iliation, and the prayers o f m y father been accepted, I
should have died childless.”

And so we see the weakness o f Judah is m oney, beautiful women and wine. This
weakness is n o t only in the tribe o f Judah, it is in the heart o f everyone o f G od’s
children, unless overcom e by the grace o f Jesus Christ. Even in the m inistry, there is a
tendency for m en and women o f God to sell o ut their birthright and the purity o f their
soul for the love o f riches; Hirah means “ chief o f high rank, aristocrat, splendour, pale
ness and hollow ness.” We read here th at this Adullam ite whose name was Hirah was
used to bring tem p tatio n into Judah’s life. Judah was overcom e in his youth by the
fact that a king w ith all his m oney, gold, pearls would make such a fuss over him. A
Judahite has to be careful th at he is not overcome by the glam orous things o f this life.
Judahites are very tem pted to sell their birthright for the gold, silver, jewels and fame
o f this world. T hey have to be very, very careful th at they do n ot sell the precious and
eternal for the mess o f pottage th at passes away.

JU D A H ’S FIR ST TH REE SONS

Judah had three children by Shuah:

Er, which m eans “ w atchful, aw ake.” (A pparently Judah woke up after his
terrible m istake.

O nan, w hich means “ pow erful, sinful, wicked, m alicious, spiteful, m alignant.”

Shelah, w hich means “ rock, crag, crevice.” It also m eans “ silence, pause and to
th in k .” As such it is used in the Psalms, “ Selah.” For exam ple in Psalm 3:2 and m any
m ore places. It seems that God was calling Judah to stop and think o f w hat he was
doing. But still Ju d ah was carrying on heedlessly because o f his friendship and rela
tionship w ith th e Adullam ite. When a Judahite gets in to a lukewarm condition spiri
tually, it is very dangerous for his soul.

TAMAR
Genesis 38:6-30

When his oldest son was o f age, Judah to o k a wife for him whose name was Tamar.

11
 The L o st B o o k s o f th e B ible tell us that Tam ar was from M esopotamia, the
daughter o f one called Aram. Aram is the name o f one o f the sons o f Shem, the son of
Noah and probably o f the same family as Abraham. C ertainly, she came from the same
area. Possibly Judah was trying to introduce cleaner and purer blood into his family,
for the Canaanites were wicked, as we have already said, and which the Bible strongly
indicates. Read Genesis 10:22.

The name “ T am ar” means: “ palm tree, datepalm .” She was a good woman who
used the wily ways o f the world to fulfill a motive th at was innocent and pure. She
had no Bible, nor did she ever go to Sunday school. Her mother-in-law, the testim ony
o f Judah says, was an evil, crafty woman who persuaded her son. Er, to “ not have
children by Tam ar.” On the third night o f his wedding feast God sm ote him.

Judah m a d e arrangem ents for T a m a r to marry his second son. Onan. In wicked
th e n

ness he also refused to consum m ate the marriage, though he spent a year with her.
Judah says. “When I threatened him , he went in unto her. but he spilled the seed on the
ground, according to the com m and o f his m other,and he also died through wickcdness.

Then Judah tried to give his third son. Shelah. to Tam ar in marriage, but his
m other did not perm it it for she “ wrought evil against Tamar, because she was not ol
the daughters of Canaan, as she also herself was.” He says that his wile arranged
another marriage for his youngest son. Shelah. in his absence and when lie found out
what she had done, he “ cursed her in the anguish o f my soul." And she died also
through her wickedness, together with her'tw o sons. “ And now Judah was a widower
and Tam ar, his daughter-in-law. was a w'idow.

JUD AH 'S SIN WITH TAMAR

For two years she waited to be given a husband that she might be Iruittul. and
when she saw that she was forgotten and rejected, she decided to solve the problem in
her own way. She exchanged her widow's garment for a “ bridal array and sat in the
city gate. Judah says that it was the law o f the Am orites. that she who was about to
marry should sit in fornication seven days by the gate. Such was the corruption of the
people of that time.

Judah tells th a t he was with his “ friend. Hirah the Adullamite. In his testim ony
he says, “ Therefore being drunk with wine. I did not recognize her; and her beauty de
ceived me, through the fashion o f her adorning. And 1 turned aside to her and said:
Let me go in unto th e e .”

Tam ar, in her w isdom , asked him , “ What wilt thou give me? And Judah being
unprepared financially for this occasion, in the heat o f his passion gave her his signet,
his bracelet and his staff. In doing this, we see his recklessness and uncontrollable
passion.
 The word translated “ signet” comes from the Hebrew chotham (kho-thawm )
which means “ a signature ring! o r a seal.” It speaks o f the power o f authority which
his name carries. A nyone possessing it can transact business in the name o f that person.

“ Bracelets” comes from the word p a th iy l and means, “ bound, bracelet, lace, line,
thread, wire.” It comes from the root-w ord that means “ to twine around.” It was a
mark o f identification which he wore, signifying his identity as to his tribe. It also
speaks o f beauty.

The word “ s t a f f ’ is m at tali (mat-aw) which means “ a. branch, a rod, a ruling

sceptre, the su p p o rt o f life.” This was a sign o f his kingdom heritage. It also speaks of
guidance and strength.

All these things can a man lose for a woman. Certainly King Edward VIII, the
Duke o f W indsor, lost these precious things for the love of Mrs. Wallace Wartield
Simpson.

Judah m ust be careful that he places value on the true values which are eternal.
For you to lose your authority, your identity and your inheritance, is to lose every
thing precious.

JUDAH S HARD SPIRIT IN JUDGING OTHERS

The result o f this "one night stand" was that Tam ar conceived. When Judah
heard later that his widowed daughter-in-law was pregnant he was indignant and sen
tenced her to d e a th , not realizing that he was the one who was the lather ot her seed.
He wanted to have her burnt to death. How righteous!

Here we see the false religious, pharisaical spirit o f those who later crucitied Jesus.
“ We have a law. and by our law he must die.” (John 19:7)

Let us stop and think for a m om ent about Tamar. Can you understand what she
went through? Can you know her suffering? Can you feel for one m om ent her agony?
She knew that unless she bore children, her life would be one o f rejection. Even today
in the O rient, if a woman does not have a child, she is looked upon as som eone not
quite physically norm al. Even a wom an that is not married is looked upon as being ab
normal. They expect every wom an to marry and to bear children. This is a natural
calling. And here is a woman who is full o f contradiction. Remember, she has, had two
husbands and not one o f them has consum m ated a marriage with her. Can you under
stand her agony? Once she was married for three days and was only misused until she
saw God smite her husband dead in her bed. She was married again, m aybe even
immediately while the wedding feast for the first husband was going on, and for a
whole year she lived with this m an, and he d idn’t touch her. until one day he comes to
her in anger, and after he has aroused her passion, he spills his seed on the ground.

13
This is w hy, in her agony, h urt and bitterness she decides that she m ust have a child, or
her shame and her disgrace will go w ith her to the grave.

I believe th a t she had a respect for Judah, her father-in-law, because she had seen
his agony and travail. She had lived in that household with him for one year as his
daughter-in-law and she had seen how he was suffering from the cruelty o f his wife.
Many tim es, that young girl who had come from M esopotamia, the hom e o f Ju d ah ’s
people, had w ept through the night.

Do n o t ask me to explain why God allowed her to do w hat she did. But it seems
that He p u t His blessing upon it. It was a blessing to such a degree, th at from her act,
o f w hat seems like h arlo try and adultery, comes forth the lineage th at gave birth to the
royal family o f Judah and the son o f Mary, Jesus.

We will m eet Tam ar in heaven. She will be there. And rem em ber, when you see
her, th at God loves her, for He has weighed her suffering and her ignorance. She was a
woman who sacrificed everything and even laid her life on the line to save the tribe of
Judah.

Her nam e, Tam ar, which means “ palm tree,” speaks o f the royal palm, the most
beautiful o f all trees th a t sways with the storm so th at it can bend and not break under
heavy trials. Her nam e speaks o f dignity and depth o f character, for this palm has deep
roots, which strengthen it. It also speaks o f royalty. She was to become the m other of
an endless generation o f kings.

She also kept her senses, because she knew Judah, and she knew the law that
Judah lived by. She knew that it could cost her her life. She had to have proof of his
sins to save her own life. She was his equal. She probably was the woman that he
should have married in the first place, had he not been deceived by the lust o f the eye
and the lust o f the flesh.

She gets the three things that have the most value to the eastern man: his signet, his
bracelets and his staff. The first time Judah “sold o u t” to wrong was when he: was ruled
by the passion o f y o u th . This time he is not a young man any m ore. He likely is about 47
years old. But he is in grief and heartache. His two oldest sons have been killed by God
and his wife is also struck down. In his m om ent o f heartbreak he goes to someone,
who he thinks is a harlo t, for com fort. It wasn’t som ething he had planned, or he
would have had m oney with him. He was overtaken, caught o ff balance. This is typi
cal o f Judah. The tw o times when Judah is tem pted the m ost are in times o f great
passion and great grief, when he wants someone who he can turn to for com fort.

Verse 20 tells us th a t Judah sent the kid to Tam ar by the hand o f his friend. This
is w hat Judah will do. He will get his friend to do his “ dirty w ork.” Judah doesn’t like
to do the difficult things. It is alright if no one is watching, b u t if he m ight get into
trouble, o r there is som e problem involved and he m ight lose face over the situation,

14
he will get som eone else to “ make th a t phone call, write that letter, talk to that person,
e tc ..” In the m om ent o f passion, the darkness o f the night, he is reckless and uncon
cerned, b u t now , in broad daylight, he doesn’t w ant to be seen walking down the road
w ith a little kid, giving it to some strange wom an, who everyone “ know s” is a harlot,
sitting by the side o f the road. So he gets his friend and asks him to do it for him.

In Genesis 38:23 Judah says, “ Let her take it to her, lest we be sham ed.” He is
not worried ab o u t his friend being sham ed; he is worried about himself. It was one of
the w orst things th a t ever happened to Judah when he lost his signet, his bracelets and
his staff. But there was one thing he did n ot want to lose, and that was his “ face.” He
is afraid for his reputation. There are a lot o f things a man will sell for his reputation.

“ LET HER BE BURNT!”

“ And it came to pass abo ut three m onths after, that it was told Judah, saying.
Tam ar thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot; and also, behold she is with child
by w horedom . And Judah said. Bring her forth, and let her be b u rn t.” (Genesis 38:24)

Judah is quick to pass judgm ent on som ebody else. He is ready to let God clean
up o th er people’s lives and bring everything into order. He is ready to fight for God
and defend His laws. After all. Judah is not the law-giver for nothing!

Verse 25: “ When she was brought fo rth .sh e sent to her father-in-law. saying. By
the m an, whose these are. am 1 w ith child: and she said, Discern 1 pray thee, whose are
these, the signet and the bracelets and the sta ff.”

Can you n o t see her brought forth with her arms tied, ashamed and disgraced, and
there she is, but in her skirts is the key to her salvation? Out o f her pocket come these
tokens o f her salvation and her ju d g e’s condem nation. Judah falls o ff the “judge’s
bench” in a hurry. Is it not true w hat Jesus said. “Judge not, lest ye be judged?”
(M atthew 7:1) Judah judged, and he was judged just as he had judged. It is a mercy he
wasn’t taken and burnt by fire. For this is the punishm ent he decreed on her and he
should have suffered exactly the same punishm ent he had decreed on her. You can
see, how for years the women have had to 'su ffer and the men were free to sin. (At
least in the opinion o f the world.) The Lord will pass the final judgm ent on many who
think they have gotten away w ith it.

JUDAH REPENTS

Genesis 3 8 :2 6 : “ And Judah acknowledged them , and said, She hath been m ore
righteous than I; because that I gave her n ot to Shelah my son. And he knew her again
no m ore.”

15
 When Judah acknowledged these things, he confessed his own sin and pronounced
her to be a righteous w om an. Judah has to sin and to be hum bled to have compassion
on others. It seems as if Judah is never going to come to his place in God until he
m akes a big m istake o r until he falls. This is because o f his pride, self-confidence and
self-assurance, and it is only after they fall flat on their faces and realize their weakness
that they can walk in hum ility and convert their brethren to righteousness. So if you
are a Judahite and y o u have fallen, d o n ’t stay there lying on the ground in your filth,
and d o n ’t cover it up o r deny it, o r you will be lost. But confess it, forsake it and be
honest enough to recognize your weakness so th at God can raise you up to walk in
His righteousness and n o t y our own. Judah never felt he needed a Saviour and that is
why Jesus was rejected by Judah (his own people). They wanted a king, but they did
n ot w ant a Saviour because they thought they didn’t need one. But the day is coming
when they will, “ ...and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they
shall m ourn for him , as one m oum eth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for
him , as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In th at day there shall be a great
m ourning in Jerusalem ...” (Zechariah 12:10,11)

But Judah does n o t need to wait until that day o f the Lord’s appearing to enter
into His blessings and His royal heritage, for as soon as he sees his weakness and walks
in hum ility before the Lord, the Lord will lift him up and make him to sit upon the
high places.

TH E BIRTHING OF PHAREZ AND ZARAH

Please read Genesis 38:27-30.

“ And it came to pass in the time o f her travail, th a t, behold, twins were in her
w om b.” (Genesis 3 8 :2 7 )

God knew that Judah would never have any more relationship with women and so
God, in His goodness, gave Judah a double portion o f children in the womb when he
was father for the last time.

“ And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the
midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came o u t first.
And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, th at, behold his brother came o u t: and
she said, How hast th o u broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name
was called Pharez. A nd afterw ard came o ut his brother, that had the scarlet thread
upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.” (Genesis 38:28-30)

Those o f y o u , w ho have done m idwifery or who are doctors, will understand th at

this m ust have been a terrible birth because when a “ protracted arm condition” takes
place, the woman is in agony and it is impossible to give birth unless som ething is
done ab o u t it.

16
I rem em ber seeing a case like this in Assam, India, where the m other, a young woman
working on the tea plantation, was in labour for many hours. Her uterus ruptured and
she was rushed in to the missionary hospital in a dying condition. The baby was
already dead The d o c to r had to am putate the protracted arm and then perform a
Caesarian section, to remove the dead infant, and a hysterectom y. If she had not re
ceived expert care, the m other would also have died.

This was the kind o f ordeal th at Tam ar went through to save the tribe o f Judah.
It is a miracle th at she ever gave birth to these children. When the midwife put the
scarlet thread on the baby’s little hand, she was trying to identify him as the first-born
child o f Tam ar, w ho would receive the first-born rights. She m ust have been a good
m idwife, for she had to turn the babies com pletely around in the m other’s uterus, and
th at is how the o th e r one came out first (by breach birth).

Now that is a storm in the uterus. It was a prediction o f the storm y turbulence
that would take place in the tribe o f Judah right through until the end-time. All the
sons o f Judah have lived lives o f turbulence, strife, suffering, and travail with anguish
and confusion.

O h, what tragedies they have suffered even up until this time! We look at Israel
today and see only the same travail and confusion since the hour of their birthing as a
nation in 1948. Look at what happened in the days o f Nazi G erm any, in the Soviet
U nion, behind the Iron Curtain o f Romania. Poland, etc.. You see the storm and the
travail, the turbulence in the womb o f this Tam ar from the first descendant of Judah
until now.

Look again at the names o f Judah's last tw o sons.

Pharez m eans, “ a breach, a breaking forth, gap. a tear. etc.. It speaks ol suf
fering.

Zarah, the second son means, “ a rising o f light, to be set free.” He had the scarlet
thread on his arm . This is prophetic o f what will happen to Judah in the last days
when they accept the scarlet thread o f salvation, the Blood o f Jesus, their Messiah.
The light o f the glory o f the Lord will shine upon them and they will, at last, be set
free from the laws o f Moses and traditions o f the elders, to walk in the liberty and the
tru th o f Jesus Christ.

JUDAH, TH E ADVOCATE

Turn to Genesis 43:1-15. Please read these scriptures.

The tim e has come for Jacob’s sons to return to Egypt for their second supply of
grain, etc.. But Jacob refuses to let Benjamin go with them , and Joseph has said that

17
unless he com es, they will not see his face. Reuben has offered his two sons as guaran
tee, b u t Jacob is n o t listening. Now Judah speaks up, trying to reason with his un
reasonable father. “ The m an did solem nly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my
face, except your b ro th e r be w ith you. If th o u wilt send our brother w ith us, we
will go dow n and buy thee food: But if thou wilt not send him , we will n o t go down:
for the m an said u n to us, Ye shall n o t see my face, except your brother be w ith y o u .”
(verses 3-5) “ And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad w ith m e, and we will
arise and go; that we m ay live, and n o t die, both we, and th o u , and also our little ones.
I will be surety for h im ; o f my hand shalt thou require h im : if I bring him n ot unio
thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: F or except we had
lingered, surely now we had returned this second tim e.” (verses 8-10)

Judah, w ith his gift as intercessor and m ediator, is seen winning his case. Judah
is reaching m aturity, he has come into adulthood, he now has the wisdom which he
never had in his y o u th o r before his fall.

His willingness to p u t his life on the line as a guarantor, is his first indication of
love. Ju d ah , who earlier only thought o f himself, is now thinking of his father and
their little ones. This is the beauty o f Judah as he reaches m aturity. As he grows in
G od, we see the balance, the strength, the poise, the dignity, the graciousness, the
compassion and the reasoning powers develop in his beautiful nature. Judah has no
ability to reason correctly until he is consumed by love. As Judah comes into m aturity
he is willing to take a risk for the price of love.

JUDAH BEFORE JOSEPH

Please read Genesis 44:14-34.

When the cup o f Joseph was found in the bag o f Benjamin and the brothers were
brought back to the house of Joseph under armed escort, Judah knew that this would
be his suprem e h our o f testing. Now it would prove, if he was the old Judah who
would fight for him self and allow guilt and accusation to fall upon his brother, Ben
jam in, o r if he w ould assume the full responsibility o f the terrible thing that had
happened.

They all fell dow n before Joseph on the ground and when Joseph accused them ,
Judah said, “ What shall we say unto my lord? What shall we speak or how shall
we clear ourselves? G od hath found o u t the iniquity o f thy servants.” He begins his
m agnificent defence by pleading guilty before the governor o f the land. Read it again.
You have never heard such a qualified law yer’s speech before a judge. Never! That is
why you can see th a t Judah holds the sceptre in his hand. He has gained back his
m aturity through his hum ility and through his honest confession. He wins the sym
pathy o f Joseph and m ercy is extended.

18
 It is the w ords o f Judah th at move the heart of Joseph, so that instead o f throw
ing them all in to prison, he breaks dow n, and crying, he tells them who he is: the
brother o f the lawyer!

O h, I love th a t story, d o n ’t you? Take tim e to read it and m editate on it, es

pecially if you are o f the tribe o f Judah, or if you are closely related to one who is.

JUDAH, THE DIRECTOR

Genesis 4 6 :2 8 , “ And he (Jacob) sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his
face unto Goshen and they came into the land o f G oshen.”

Jacob recognizes the m aturity o f Judah and he sends him before the family into
the land o f Egypt to arrange for the arrival o f the entire family o f Israel. He goes to
stand before Pharaoh and Joseph to get everything organized for their coming.

Judah is an organizer. If you w ant an organizer, then look for som eone of the
tribe o f Judah. They can organize! They have a head that can figure out and plan and
scheme a way on up into the future. That is why the Jews never go bankrupt! And if
you see a sign on a Jewish store. “ SALE! GOING OUT OF BUSINESS DUE TO
BANKRUPTCY.” d o n ’t you believe it! They are just pulling their m oney out of here
and putting it som ewhere else. They are planning ahead. A good Jew has his invest
m ents in three or four different places at the same time.

THE FAMILY TREE OF JUDAH

The sons o f Judah were five. Three by Shuah (Genesis 38:1-5):

1. Er, killed by the Lord;

2. O nan. killed by the Lord;
3. Shelah, married to a Canaanite woman. He was the father o f the Shelamites.
(Num bers 2 6:19)

Two by Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law:

“And it cam e to pass in the time o f her travail, th at, behold, twins were in her
wom b. And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the
midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, th at, behold his brother came o u t: and
she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name
was called Pharez. And afterw ard came o u t his b rother, that had the scarlet thread
upon his hand: and his name was called Z arah.” (Genesis 38:27-30)

19
 4. Pharez, w hich means “ breaking fro th , a gap, a tear, incision.” He was the an
cestor o f Jesus, and th e father o f the Pharzites th at dw elt in Jerusalem . (I Chronicles 9:4)

5. Zarah, w hich means “ a rising o f light, to be set free.” He was the father o f
the Zarhites.

Judah’s grandchildren (born of Pharez) were:

1. H ezron, which means “ green, blossoming, beautiful.” Jesus was his descen
dant. Besides Jesus, he had in his lineage such great m en as Boaz, O bed, Jesse, King
David arid Caleb. (I Chronicles 2:1-18)

There is an interesting verse in I Chronicles 2:10, “ And Ram begat Am m inadab,

and Am m inadab begat Nahshon, prince o f the children o f Ju d ah .” It seems that
Nahshon was chosen o u t as the father o f the royal family o f Judah even five generat
ions before David was anointed king. Hezron was the father o f the Hezronites. (N um
bers 26:21)

2. Hamul, w hich means “ pitied, to have compassion, to spare.” He was the

father o f the Ham ulites.

Ju d a h ’s grandchildren (born o f Zerah) were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Chalcol, and

Dara. The descendants o f Zerah were called Zarhites, Ezrahites and Israhites (Numbers
2 6 :2 0 ,1 Kings 4:31)

I Kings 4:31 tells us that Ethan, the Ezrahite, was one o f the great men o f wis
dom. It was one o f his own tribe, Solom on, who was wiser than him.

One o f the descendants of Zerah, Achan, was called the “ troubler o f Is ra e l.”
(Joshua 8:19 and I Chronicles 2:7) •

BRIEF HISTORY OF JUDAH

The history o f th e tribe o f Judah, with all o f their kings, warriors, etc., is so great
th at it would take a book to write about Judah alone. However, there are some
things that I would like to draw your attention to.

JUDAH, THE RULING TRIBE

I Chronicles 5 :2 , “ And Judah prevailed above his brethren, and o f him came the
chief ruler; b u t the birthright was Joseph’s.”

Joseph did indeed get the double portion. Later, when Israel was divided into

20
tw o kingdoms, Jo sep h ’s Ephraim had 10 tribes and the m onarchy that was established
in Samaria. But Judah got the eternal m onarchy. Down through the years he prevailed
above his brothers. It is from the tribe o f Judah that the kingly line descended through
the years.

I have been told th at even today, Queen Elizabeth II can prove th at she is a
direct descendant o f King David.

In Micah 5:2 we read, “ But thou, Bethlehem E phratah, though thou be little
am ong the thousands o f Judah, yet o u t o f thee shall he come forth unto me th at is
to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from o f old, from everlasting.”

This great prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Lion o f the tribe o f Judah.

O thniel, the first judge o f Israel, was o f the tribe o f Judah. He was Caleb's
younger brother. (Judges 1 :1 3 ,3 :9 )

JUDAH HONOURS LEVI

Concerning the m onarchy, Judah says in his testim ony in The Lost B onks <>,!
th !c Bible. “ And now , my children, 1 com m and you, love Levi, that ye may abide,
and exalt not yourselves against him , lest ye be utterly destroyed. For to me the Lord
gave the kingdom , and to him the priesthood, and He set the kingdom beneath the
priesthood. To me He gave the things upon the earth; and to him the things in the
heavens. As the heaven is lighter than the earth, so is the priesthood o f God higher
than the earthly kingdom , unless it falls away, through sin. from the Lord and is dom i
nated by the earthly kingdom .”

Yes, Judah is royalty, and Judah is great, but it is only as Judah realizes that the
high calling and the God-given authority o f Levi is superior, that Judah can find his
right place in G od’s Divine, eternal plan.

The tribe o f Levi has the strength and God-given authority to truly stand up to a
Judah.

PROPHECIES REVIEWED - JACOB

Genesis 49:8-12, “ Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy
hand shall be in the neck o f thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before
thee. Judah is a lion’s w help: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped
dow n, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre
shall not depart from Judah, no r a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come;
and unto him shall the gathering o f the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and

21
his ass’s colt u n to th e choice vine; he washed his garm ents in wine, and his clothes in
the blood o f grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with m ilk.”

“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise.”

Jacob is speaking about the m ature Judah. He is not a child any m ore. He is not
a rebellious youth any m ore. He is now a prince over the tribe o f Judah in the land of
Egypt. He is honoured and respected by the entire tribes o f Israel and also by Egypt. I
believe that the key to Judah’s great honour is his new hum ility and his entering into a
life o f praise. As he learns to praise, he becomes an object o f praise and adulation. It
is only when you becom e a Judah (a praise unto God) th at you will receive the honour
and respect o f the brethren. God says, “ Them that honour me, I will h o n o u r.” (I
Samuel 2:30) But if Judah doesn’t enter into his inheritance and heritage and lives
beneath it, then he is never going to gain the promises o f God in his life.

“Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies.”

This reveals the strength o f Judah. The neck speaks o f stubbornness, resistance
and forceful opposition against Judah. God says through Jacob, that Judah will be
able to put his hand on the neck o f his enemies and choke o ff their strength. When
you put your hand on a person’s neck you choke o ff his breath. This is the promise of
God to Judah when he is in the anointing, and woe to anybody that is going to put his
hand on Judah, because my Bible tells me that Judah is going to break the neck o f his
enemies. Any nation or any individual that will rise up against Israel, will be broken by
God. God will break their necks! If America takes a stand against Israel, then Judah
will put her hand on the neck o f America and America will be destroyed, because that
is the promise o f G od to Judah. Some o f our politicians pretend to be friends of Israel
to get the vote o f the American Jew. but when they come into power, they reveal that
they have slit tongues. If we try to blackmail Israel into surrendering their God-given
inheritance, we will suffer for it. He will bring the wrath o f God upon America.
America needs men in governm ent who know the Bible and what God has spoken con
cerning Israel in the last days. I trem ble for this nation when I read what God says
concerning the arm ies that shall come against Israel in the last days, “ And I will smite
thy bow out o f thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out o f thy right hand.
Thou shalt fall upon the m ountains o f Israel, thou and all thy bands, and the people
that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds o f every sort, and to the
beasts o f the field to be devoured.” (Ezekiel 39:3,4)

America has com e to the crossroads where she has to decide between oil or Israel.
God still fights the battles o f Israel, and He will fight against them that fight against
her. If America ever sends her soldiers against Israel, we will be sending them to the
slaughter house.

“Thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.”

22
 We see here the respect and the honour that God is going to give Judah in the
final end, because Judah has the sceptre o f m onarchy. When we w atch on the news
how Israel wins every battle, going from victory to victory, we m ust confess that no
one ever fought like, that for a long tim e. Surely they are a sign o f their greatness with
God to the world. When will we learn? When will we understand what God is doing?
God said in Ezekiel concerning Israel, “ A fter m any days thou shalt be visited: in the
latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is
gathered out o f m any people, against the m ountains o f Israel, whicli have been always
waste: but it is brought forth o u t o f the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of
them .” (Ezekiel 3 8 :8 ) If God says they will dwell safely, th at means that God is going
to protect them and there isn’t an enemy strong enough to destroy the one th at God is
going to protect.

“ Judah is a lio n ’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped
dow n, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? ”

You see the characteristic o f Ju d ah ’s greatness as he comes into m aturity. It is

the old lion who can remain sitting and observing quietly, when all the young ones are
rushing about in anxiety and confusion. I am not o f the tribe o f Judah, but I pray that
God will give me the grace to wait while God takes care o f all the details. I could waste
m y life trying to do it myself. As the old lion sits and watches, God is working things
out. Woe to the world when the tail o f Judah moves in Israel.

“The sceptre shall not depart from Ju d ah .”

One o f the m ost im portant things that Que^-n Elizabeth II received on her corona
tion day, besides her crown, was the royal sceptre. It is the symbol of ruling power.
God decreed th at Judah would never lose it. When I was in Australia, an interesting
genealogy chart o f the royal family o f Great Britain was given to me. It shows Queen
E lizabeth’s roots going back to David. I do n ot know the validity of it, but it was pre
pared by men o f learning, and it is interesting to consider.

“ Nor a lawgiver from betw een his feet, until Shiloh com e:”

This is one o f the greatest prophecies concerning Judah’s gift as a lawyer. God
has promised to h o n o u r Judah w ith the gift o f oratory and reasoning, and never is this
more evident than when he pleads the case o f his client.

“ Until Shiloh com e.”

Shiloh is a very interesting word. It is sh yloh (shee-lo) in Hebrew, and it means

“ to be tranquil, an epithet o f the Messiah.” It comes from the Hebrew w ord meaning
“ secure, successful, happy, prosper, safety.”

God is prom ising Judah th at there will always be a ruler from his tribe until the

23
day when the Messiah comes and then that last ruler will directly hand over the reigns
o f the kingdom w hich he o r she is ruling into the hands o f Shiloh, the Messiah, who
also will be o f the sam e tribe.

SHILOH, TH E F IR S T PLACE IN ISRAEL WHERE THE TABERNACLE WAS

Shiloh is also the name o f the place where G od’s people first gathered together
when they came in to Canaan. “ And the whole congregation o f the children o f Israel
assembled together a t Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle o f the congregation there.”
(Joshua 18:1)

SHILOH, WHERE HANNAH PRAYED

“ And this man (Elkanah) went up out o f his city yearly to worship and to sacri
fice unto the Lord o f hosts in Shiloh.” (1 Samuel 1:3) This is where Eli and his sons
offered sacrifices u n to God for the children o f Israel. That man and his wife who went
there, were Elkanah and Hannah, the parents o f Samuel. It was here in Shiloh that
God spoke to Samuel.

It was also here tha* Eli died.

“ And unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”

Not only did the people gather to worship the Lord in Shiloh of Israel, in the day
when Shiloh, the M essiah, returns, the people of the Lord will gather unto Him. Per
haps the reason they called that place Shiioh then, was that they were hoping that the
Messiah would even then suddenly come into His tem ple and appear unto His people.
And when He com es, He will bring all that His name implies: tranquillity, security,
prosperity, safety and success. He will bring peace at last, and we will not know peace
until He comes. We will all be gathered together unto Him. And the land o f Judah
shall be the head o f all the nations o f the earth when the Lord returns. The people of
all nations shall go up to worship the Lord in Jerusalem.

Zechariah 14:16 says, “ And it shall come to pass, that every one th at is left of all
the nations which cam e against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to w or
ship the King, the Lord o f hosts, and to keep the feast o f tabernacles.”

“Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine;”

The colt speaks o f hum ility. We see the King o f Judah coming into Jerusalem in
the last days o f His m inistry, riding the ass, the sym bol o f hum ility. Judah will only
conquer when he comes riding in hum ility. This rem arkable verse not only m en
tions the foal, b u t the fact th at the foal had a colt. We know th at Jesus came

24
riding in to Jerusalem , He came riding on an ass whose colt was with her. M atthew
2 1 :1 ,2 says, “ ...th en sent Jesus two disciples saying u n to them , Go into the village
over against y o u , and straightw ay ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose
them , and bring them unto m e.”

Zechariah 9 :9 says, “ Rejoice greatly, O daughter o f Zion; shout, O daughter o f

Jerusalem : behold, thy King com eth unto thee: he is ju st, and having salvation; lowly
and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal o f an ass.”

T he word “ binding” comes from the Hebrew acar (aw-sar) which means “ to hook
o r h itch , to fasten in any sense, to join battle, bind fast, to gird, harness, hold, keep,
make ready, order, prepare, prison, put in bonds, set in array, tie.”

“ Vine” com es from the Hebrew soreq (so-rake), meaning “ in a sense o f redness, a
vine stock, one yielding purple grapes (of the richest variety), choice w ine.”

Jacob is n o t speaking about the tribe o f Judah only, but about the Shiloh of
Judah who w ould “ bind” His sacrifice to the horns o f the altar. When Jesus got on
th at donkey to ride into Jerusalem , He was binding His soul to the will o f God. He was
preparing His heart to “ the vine.” This vine is the sacrifice of His own blood, the
choicest and m ost perfect stock o f Judah. That is why it is cailed the choice wine.

When Jesus took the last com m union, with His disciples, He held the cup of wine
in His hand, and said, “ This is my blood of the new testam ent, which is shed for many
for the remission o f sins.” (M atthew 26:28)

Jesus was bound to the will o f God for His life to secure for us the choicest of
wine, even His ow n precious Blood, the Blood of the new covenant.

“ He washed his garments in wine.”

The word “ w ashed” comes from the Hebrew kabac (kaw-bas), meaning, to
tram ple, hence to wash by stam ping with the feet, it includes the process of bleaching
while washing.”

In the book o f Revelation, John sees the glorified Christ; he describes His gar
m ents: “ And he was clothed w ith a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called the
Word o f G od.” (Revelation 19:13)

When Jesus hung on the cross, the only covering He had, was the Bl'ood that
poured over His to m and scarred body.

“His eyes shall be red with wine.”

This speaks o f His eyes th a t were red with the wine th a t flowed from His thorn-

25
oierced brow When Jacob saw this, he did not understand it. God probably let him
C w th at he was n o t looking a t wine, b u t at red blood, flowing over the face and
body o f Shiloh.

“And his teeth, white with milk.”

This speaks o f the purity o f o u r Lord. Judah is to follow Jesus and m ake Him the
p attern o f his life in th e purity o f His character.

MOSES

“ And this is the blessing o f Judah: and he said, Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah,
and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him ; and be thou an help
to him from his enem ies.” (D euteronom y 33:7)

“ And this is the blessing o f Judah: and he said, Hear Lord, the voice of Judah ”

Moses calls upon the Lord to listen to Judah when he reasons with God and when
he makes intercession before the Lord as an advocate and m ediator.

“ Let his hands be sufficient for him ;”

Rem ember that Jacob said that his hand would be on the neck o f his enemies.
Judah has great ability and gifts in his hands. Some o f the w orld’s greatest pianists and
violinists were Jews. Some o f the great conductors were Jews. A rtur Rubenstein,
Leonard Bernstein, Isaac Stern are ju st a few of the names o f great Jewish musicians.
Some o f the w orld’s greatest scientists were Jews also. A lbert Einstein is a name
will never forget. All these worked with their hands to produce music art ^ s c i e n t i
fic discoveries for the world. Moses decreed it, “ Let his hands be sufficient for h .
Moses said it and it will be, and no one can reverse it.

“Be thou a help to him from his enem ies.”

If Moses said this under the inspiration o f the Spirit o f G od, then I accept that
this is a prophecy w hich shall surely be fulfilled in the last days.

POSITION OF JUDAH

In the wilderness: Judah was situated on the east side with Zebulun and Issachar.
These three tribes m arched under the banner o f Judah.

In the Promised Land: Judah had the largest inheritance in Canaan land. Its terri
to ry included the city o f Jerusalem and incorporated the tribe o f Benjamin.

26
 In th e M fllenium: Judah will be situated ju st no rth o f Jerusalem , which will be
inhabited by Levi.

T he G ate o f Ju d ah : In the New Jerusalem the Gate o f Judah will be on the north
side w ith the G ates o f Reuben and Levi. (Ezekiel 4 8:31)

SOME FIN A L REFERENCES O F JUDAH

Isaiah 11:1 0 ,1 2 , “ And in th at day there shall be a ro o t o f Jesse, which shall stand
for an ensign o f th e people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious...
And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts o f Israel,
and gather together the dispersed o f Judah from the four com ers o f the e arth .”

The whole w orld knows th at the ensign o f Israel is the sign

o f the ro o t o f Jesse, the Star o f David. Surely this scripture has
been fulfilled in o u r day.

Isaiah 19:1 7 , “ And the land o f Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one th at
m aketh m ention th ereo f shall be afraid in himself, because o f the counsel o f the Lord
o f hosts, which he h ath determ ined against it.”

This is because o f the successful warfare waged by Israel. The nations who come
against her shall be struck with terror from the Lord.

Hebrews 7:12-14, “ For the priesthood being changed, there is m ade o f necessity
a change also o f the law. F or he o f whom these things are spoken pertaineth to
another tribe, o f which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident th at our
Lord sprang o u t o f Juda; o f which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.”

How strange th a t Jesus Christ, the King o f Kings o f the tribe o f Judah, also be
comes the High Priest! But the w riter o f Hebrews tells us th at He is not a priest after
the order o f the Levitical priesthood, but after the order o f Melchizedek. If you look
closely at M elchizedek, you will also find th at he is called the King o f Salem, which
really means th e King of Jerusalem . (Genesis 14:18) So, the first priestly order be
comes the present priestly order, for today we do n o t have priests officiating after the
order o f Moses’ law from the tribe o f Levi, b u t Jesus o f the tribe o f Judah, King o f
Salem (peace), is o u r one and only High Priest.

Revelation 5 :5 , “ And one o f the elders saith u n to m e, Weep not: behold the Lion
of the tribe o f Ju d a , the R oot o f David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose
the seven seals th ere o f.”

This slain Lam b is also the Lion o f the tribe o f Judah. Judah prevails through Jesus
Christ alone. He is th e strength o f Judah.

27
 I Chronicles 5 :2 , “ For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and o f him came the
chief ruler.”

Judah prevailed above his brethren, and o f him is the Chief Ruler, a “ Prince. ’ The
Hebrew word here is nagid and is the same term that is translated as Messiah the
Prince” in Daniel 9 :2 4 .

I Chronicles 2 :1 0 , “ And Ram begat Am m inadab; and Am m inadab begat Nahshon,

prince o f the children o f Judah. ’

This rem arkable scripture, which we have m entioned earlier, has a secret revela
tion to it concerning th e royal line o f Judah. The secret is in tw o names:

Nahshon, the prince, which means “ oracle,” and

Amminadab, which means “ the willing people.”

The “ prince” was one who was called Nahshon (the oracle). The word oracle
means, “ Divine announcem ent.” It is the message o f God to man. It is only as this
one o f the tribe o f Judah com m unicated with God, that he could become the m outh
piece o f God, or the “ oracle” o f God to m an, and in being this, he became the prince
o f Judah.

So Jesus, too, becam e the F ather’s oracle to Judah and to the world. But it does
not need to be lim ited there. When you and 1 com m unicate with God and live in His
presence we will have G od’s message to the world. We will become living oracles.

Nahshon was born of Am m inadab, which means “ the willing people.”

We can only becom e the oracle o f God if we have been birthed to this honour by
a willing heart. God will not comm and us to be His “ oracle.” We must offer ourselves
up to Him with a willing heart, that we might indeed become a Prince in Israel.

Judah, you m ay be o f the princely tribe, but only as you have a willing heart to
lay y o u r life upon th e altar and serve God with all o f your heart, not begrudgingly or
for self-glory, can y o u become that living oracle which God will call to be His anointed
end-tim e witness.

In closing, let m e encourage you dear ones o f the tribe o f Judah to keep your eyes
always on the One w ho was the perfect Prince o f your tribe. He has set you an exam
ple, and if you follow it, you, too, will be changed into the lion o f Judah. F or eVen as
Jesus is a m ature and beautiful Lion, resting in confidence and strength, so you, too,
can be this same breed o f LION, by His Spirit th at dwelleth in you.

28
(Dan
BY GWEN SHAW
This chart was taken from The Adam and Eve Family Tree, produced by the Good
Things Company. Used by permission.

Cover by Cynthia Peall

Copyright 1982, Gwen R. Shaw

End-Time Handmaidens, Inc.
P.O. Box 447
Jasper, Arkansas 72641

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States o f America

 PRAYER

“ Loving Heavenly Father, we hum bly beseech thee to open ou r hearts to love this
tribe. This is surely one o f the m ost m ysterious, m isunderstood, unloved and rejected
o f all the tribes o f Israel. We need Y our heart o f understanding, Y our compassion and
Y our wisdom to know w hat the Spirit would reveal to us concerning Your servant, our
b rother, Dan. Lord, if we judge after our own understanding, we will make mistakes,
b u t if we see through Y our eyes, we, ourselves, will be spared the judgm ent o f the
Lord. In Jesus’ name. A m en.”

TH E NAMING O F DAN

“ And when Rachel saw th at she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister;
and said u n to Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob’s anger was kindled
against Rachel: and he said, Am I in G od’s stead, who hath w ithheld from thee the
fruit o f the wom b? And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall
bear upon my knees, th at I m ay also have children by her. And she gave him Bilhah,
her handm aid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. And Bilhah conceived, and bare
Jacob a son. And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and
hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.” (Genesis 30:1-6)

MEANING O F NAME

“ D an” (daw n) means “judge.” It comes from the root-w ord duwn (doon) which
means “ to rule, to judge, to strive (as a law), contend, execute (judgm ent), judge,
m inister, judgm ent, to plead (the cause), at strife, strive, discern.”

SYMBOL

Dan has tw o symbols:

1. T he serpent: This is the m ost familiar one and it depicts the description which
Jacob gave to his son in prophecy, “ Dan shall be a serpent by the w ay,” (Genesis 49:17)

2. T he scales: This speaks o f the true judgm ent which is the responsibility o f
every Danite. Dan is called and ordained to execute righteous judgm ent am ong G od’s
people because o f the gift o f discernm ent which God has given to him .

GEMSTONE

T he sapphire: The w ord “ sapphire” comes from the Hebrew word cappiyr (sap-

1
peer) which m eans “ a gem used for scratching other substances.”

O f all the gemstones in the Bible, none are m ore identified with heaven than the
sapphire. Here are some o f the scriptures about heaven, and the throne room , wherein
the sapphire is m entioned.

Ezekiel 1:26, “ And above the firm am ent that was over their heads was the like
ness o f a th ro n e, as the appearance o f a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness o f the
throne was the likeness as the appearance o f a man above upon it.”

Ezekie! 10:1, “ Then I looked, and, behold, in the firm am ent th at was above the
head o f th e cherubim s there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the
appearance o f the likeness o f a th ro n e .”

Ezekiel 2 8 :1 3 , “ T hou hast been in Eden the garden o f God; every precious stone
was thy covering, the sardius, to p az, and the diam ond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jas
per, th e sapphire, the em erald, and the carbuncle, and gold:...”

Please notice th a t each o f the above m entioned stones are the gemstones o f the
tribes. Only three are missing: ligure, agate and am ethyst.

R evelation 2 1 :1 9 , “ And the foundations o f the wall o f the city were garnished
w ith all m anner o f precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second,
sapphire;...”

The sapphire is th e great stone o f India. On the great Peacock throne, the throne
o f the em perors o f India, was one o f the largest sapphires ever known to man. It is o f a
royal blue colour and is now in the crown o f Queen Elizabeth o f Great Britain. I have
had the privilege o f seeing it. There is a huge sapphire, which probably is also the lar
gest in the world (563 carats), in the American Museum o f Natural History in New
Y ork.

The sapphire was m entioned in the Talmud as the “ shamire stone” and it was of
utm ost im portance because o f the im portant work for which it was used. The Temple
o f God in Jerusalem could never have been built w ithout the sapphire (sham ir stone).

When David and Solom on began to lay the plans for building o f the tem ple, they
were instructed by the Lord th a t the stones were to be cut out at the quarry, shaped,
and when they were the perfect size, transported to Jerusalem . There was to be no
m ore use o f ham m er o r chisel upon the stone once it had arrived at the tem ple site
in Jerusalem . The only thing th a t was allowed to be done to the stones, in order to
sm ooth dow n any rough spots o r sharp edges that might project ou t, was the buffing
o f the stone w ith the sham ire stone, the sapphire. The architects and the professional
builders o f the tem ple o f Solom on used this shamire stone for the finishing and per
fecting o f each stone before it was lifted in place.

2
 Som etim es there are people that grate on us and we would ju st as soon th at they
would clear o u t o f our way, so th at we w ouldn’t have to have them around us, but we
know th at God uses these “ sapphires” in our lives to w ork a work o f perfection upon
us so th at we will fit in to ou r place in the heavenly design o f the eternal tem ple of
God.

When I discovered this tru th about the sapphire, I could understand why God had
given us the blue sapphire stone as the End-Time Handm aidens’ gem. F or God has
chosen us as a people who have been cut from the quarry by hum an hands, and have
already been brought into the tem ple and now God is trying, testing and perfecting us.
He is also using us to perfect those who are being brought in. The tem ple is almost
com pleted. God is going to use the Danites, w ho are His special blue sapphire shamire
stones, in a special m inistry in these very last days.

God is going to change our personalities, ou r characters, ou r very natures, until we

shall becom e heavenly creatures, seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, signaling the
Messiah’s retu rn to the wise men o f the earth in our tim e. One type o f blue sapphire
has a “ star” in the centre. This reminds us o f the star th at the wise men followed to
find Jesus.

I pray th at the End-Time Handm aidens and Servants will allow the Holy Spirit to
do His w ork o f the “ shamire sto n e” upon their life. In the end it will not be a case of
how m uch you can get away with that Sister Gwen doesn’t find out about, but it will
be how perfected you are and how you have Him to w ork His w ork o f grace in your
life. Have you perm itted Him to make you simple, childlike, Christ-like, sweet, holy,
gentle and obedient to Him? God wants to choose you, as the sapphire stone
th at will surround the throne o f God. I am not the one who will be your judge that
day when we come up before judgm ent. I will n ot be able to say to G od, “ Lord, pass
this one, reject th at one.” I m yself will stand in judgm ent. Some o f my smallest hand
maidens m ay get far ahead o f m e, as they stand at the throne o f G od, surrounded by
His glory, which is depicted as a glorious sapphire stone under His feet and the covering
o f blue sapphire over His head like a great blue umbrella.

I would like to m ention ju st one m ore scripture in connection with the sapphire
stone. Isaiah 54:11, “ O thou afflicted, tossed with tem pest, and n o t com forted, be
hold, I will lay th y stones w ith fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.”
Hallelujah! God is laying the foundation o f the bride o f the Lord. He is laying her
foundation even now , and it is one o f sapphires, ju st like His very own. His bride will
have the quality o f the shamire gem, the glorious sapphire, the gem stone o f the throne
room o f God.

Beloved D anite, do n o t be discouraged th at you are n o t as appreciated as some

other tribes. God calls you the gem stone o f heaven, the perfecter o f the tem ple stones
o f His living tem ple.

3
 PROPHECIES

Jacob: “ Dan shall judge his people, as one o f the tribes o f Israel. Dan shall be a
serpent by the way, an adder in the path, th at b iteth the horse heels, so that his rider
shall fall backw ard. I have w aited for thy salvation, O Lord.” (Genesis 49:16-18)

Moses: “ And o f Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.”
(D euteronom y 3 3:22)

HISTORY O F DAN - DAN’S BIRTH

Let us look again at the birth o f Dan.

A fter Leah had born Jacob four sons, Rachel was beside herself. She was in
agony. Her heart was torn w ith anger, jealousy, envy, fear, inferiority and hopeless
ness. She expresses herself vividly in the cry o f her heart to Jacob, “ Give me children,
or else I die!”

Im m ediately Jacob was filled w ith anger tow ards her because he felt that she was
insinuating th a t he was the one who was to blame because o f her barrenness. It is the
first record we have o f Jacob being angry with his precious Rachel. He said, “ Am I in
G od’s stead, who hath w ithheld from thee the fruit o f the w om b?”

Jacob spoke like a p rophet o f God. He told Rachel th at it was God who had
withheld from her the fruit o f the wom b. He was telling her that she better go to God
and find o u t why she was barren, th at there m ust be som ething wrong with her, and
she better find o u t ju st w hat it was.

But instead o f going to G od, Rachel contrived a plan w hereby she could produce
a child through her handm aiden, Bilhah. “ Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and
she shall bear upon m y knees, th a t I may also have children by her.”

It was custom ary in those days for a man to have m ore than one wife. This is
what happened. Bilhah gave birth to this child while she was sitting on Rachel’s lap.
In this way Rachel was identifying herself with the birthing o f Dan and felt th at Dan
was like her ow n child. She was, as it were, a mid-wife to Bilhah. If you are a mid-wife
you will have a close id en tity w ith the child you deliver. This is because the midwife
enters in to the pain and the fear o f the m other. That is why it is im portant th at a
father should atten d the birth o f his child. Too m any fathers have nothing to do with
their own children’s birth and they d o n ’t feel the oneness w ith their child which they
should feel. I encourage th e young fathers, whose wives are bearing children, to get
permission from th eir d o c to r to atten d the birth o f their child. If the doctor says no,
then find an o th er d o c to r th a t will say yes. This is a time when the families m ust come
close together.

4
 Rachel gave the baby his nam e, Dan. Dan means “ Divine judgm ent.

So you see how Dan did not really have a good beginning. He was not bom because
o f an act o f love. He was the product o f a w om an’s scheme to get ahead of her sister.

DAN’S LIFE

Dan was the fifth son o f Jacob and his first by his concubine, Bilhah. He was the
oldest o f Bilhah’s sons. I d o n ’t believe that Dan was loved very m uch by his father. He
was born o f an inferior pedigree, and Jacob knew that he was the product o f a game
played betw een tw o women for his affection. As Dan grew up, he knew this also. I am
sure th at at tim es Rachel spoiled him terribly and betw een her permissiveness and his
father’s indifference to him , Dan grew up unloved and unw anted, w ith much h urt and
pain, until a seed o f bitterness could easily have developed in his heart.

The Bible indicates th at he started getting into m ischief while he was still young,
doing things o f which his father did not approve. Read Genesis 37 :2 , “ ...Joseph, being
seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his b rethren; and the lad was with the
sons o f Bilhah, and with the sons o f Zilpah, his fath er’s wives: and Joseph brought
unto his father their evil rep o rt.”

There were things which these four brothers were doing th at weie not right.
Joseph, young and foolish, was telling daddy all about it every chance he had. This
created a strong feeling of anger and hate in the hearts o f these four brothers, Dan,
Naphtali, Gad and Asher. (N aphtali was the second son o f Bilhah, bom after Dan, and
Gad and Asher were the sons o f Zilpah, the maid o f Leah.) In these four sons there is a
feeling o f rejection, o f not being as im portant as the sons o f Leah and Rachel. This
made them rebellious and difficult, so they broke the laws o f Israel (Jacob).

TH E FAM ILY TREE

I w ant you to look into the family o f Dan carefully. When we study the family
tree of these patriarchs we find m any secrets concerning their lives at that tim e. It is
very interesting.

When we name a child, we put a lot o f thought in to it and it becomes the ex

pression o f o u r life’s experiences, revealing our hopes, dream s, trials, etc..

Please tu rn to Genesis 4 6 :2 3 , “ And the sons o f Dan; Hushim.

Just one verse! Isn’t th at strange? The sons (plural) o f Dan; Hushim. Sons is
plural, but Hushim is singular. The w ord “ Hushim ” (who-shom ) comes from an
ancient Hebrew word o f tw o parts:

5
 Hu from “ I.oosh” which m eans “ to be in a hurry, to be eager w ith excitem ent or
enjoym ent, to m ake haste, to be ready.” It is an Idumean name. (An Idumean is a
descendant o f E dom .) It seem s therefore, th at Dan m ust have m arried an Edom ite, a
wom an o f the descendants o f Esau. Into his offspring there came the bloodline o f
Esau. Esau was o f a rebellious nature and into his seed was planted rebellion. In the
nam e “ H ushim ” I can see th a t hurrying, th a t eagerness, th a t desire to be headstrong
and get ahead w ith it and do o n e ’s own thing. T hat spirit o f hastiness th a t entered into
the tribe o f Dan and his descendants is very noticeable all the way through.

Now the strange thing is th a t this nam e, “ Hushim ” is n o t the name o f one person.
It is the name o f th e tribe. It seem s, fo r some reason, the Holy Spirit never really gave
us the names o f the sons o f D an, because it says, “ the sons,” (plural), and then it only
names the tribal nam e. (The h asty ones, the Edom ites, the ones that are in a hurry and
eager w ith excitem ent.) Y et, in spite o f the fact that there is E dom ite blood in the
tribe o f Dan, God has included them in the nation o f Israel and they will be included in
the m illenium.

STRANGE SILENCE

In Genesis 4 6 , w here th e nam es o f all the children o f the patriarchs are given, the
sons o f Dan are n o t nam ed. T here is a strange silence here. Then in Numbers 26:42
we find the same om ission. “ These are the sons o f Dan after their families: o f Shuham ,
the family o f the Shuham ites. These are the families o f Dan after their families. All
the families o f the Shuham ites, according to those that were num bered o f them , were
threescore and fo u r thousand and four hundred (6 4,400).”

Issachar, Z ebulun, M anasseh, Ephraim , Asher, etc. are all nam ed, together with
their children and descendants, b u t all it says about Dan is th at his children were the
Shuham ites. Is th at n o t strange? And yet they were not a small tribe, there were
64,400 o f them . In N um bers 1:38,39 we read, “ O f the children o f Dan, by their gene
rations, after their fam ilies, by the house o f their fathers, according to the num ber o f
th e nam es, from tw en ty years old and upw ard, all that were able to go forth to war;
Those th at were num bered o f th em , even o f the tribe o f Dan, were threescore and two
thousand and seven hundred (6 2 ,7 0 0 ).” In Num bers 26:42 there are 1,700 more than
when first num bered 4 0 years earlier, but they are all nameless people. God never took
th e time to name th em , in spite o f the fact th at He carefully enum erates the names o f
m any o f the others.

Then we go on to I Chronicles 2-8, where all the tribes are again carefully named
together w ith their genealogy, and after reading about Judah, Simeon, Reuben, Gad,
Levi, Issachar, Benjam in, N aphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim , Asher, we find, to our amaze
m ent, th at there isn t one w ord ab o u t Dan. Is th at not ironic? Is it not strange th at
there is absolutely NO m en tio n o f the tribe o f Dan in one o f the m ost im portant
genealogical records o f Israel?

6
 I w onder if it has som ething to do with Psalm 69:27,28, “ Add iniquity unto their
iniquity: and let them n o t come into thy righteousness. Let them be blotted out of
the book o f the living, and n o t be w ritten with the righteous.”

Read Psalm 109:13, “ Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation
following let their name be blotted o u t.” Verse 15, “ Let them therefore be before the
Lord continually, that he m ay cut o ff the m em ory o f them from the earth.”

Is this concealm ent o f the names o f Dan’s children the first indication o f that
silent blotting o u t o f his nam e? Is th at what it is all about?

Now, we turn to Revelation 7:4-8 where the tribes are sealed, 12,000 from each
tribe. Again, there is no m ention o f Dan. All the other tribes are m entioned (Ephraim
is called Joseph), but there is no m ention o f Dan being sealed into the 144,000. It
seems th at there is an unwillingness o f the Holy Spirit even to m ention the tribe by
name.

Also, there are times when the tribe o f Dan is m entioned, but there is a peculiar
pattern ab o u t this also. They are often at the END of the list, e.g.:

In I Chronicles 27:16-22 Dan was the last tribe m entioned. In Numbers 10:25 we
read th at Dan was at the rereward o f all the camps throughout their hosts when they
went forw ard to battle or moved the camp. So we see some o f the mysteries o f our
God are unexplainable and we can’t really find all o f the anwers. Perhaps, one o f the
answers is this, that there was a weakness and an inability in Dan to come to their full
and com plete fulfillm ent.

EXPLOITS O F TH E TR IB E OF DAN - AHIEZER

I w ant us to look now at some o f the characters in the tribe o f Dan. Let us begin
w ith Num bers 1:12, “ O f Dan, Ahiezer the son o f Am m ishaddai.”

Ahiezer was the prince over the house o f Dan. His name means “ my b rother is a
helper, ready to help.”

Am m ishaddai means “ my closest relative, the Almighty is my protector, people or

man o f the A lm ighty.”

Ahiezer was n o t only the prince o f Dan, but the captain o f the host.

Both Ahiezer’s name and the name o f his father reveal to us the Godly and dedi
cated lives o f these early founders o f this tribe. Dan is always a brother w ho is ready
to help and the secret o f his strength is th at he has this knowledge, th at the Almighty is
his “ closest relative” and the p ro te c to r o f his life.

7
 AMMIEL

Num bers 13:12 “ O f the tribe o f Dan, Ammiel the son o f Gem alli.”

Ammiel was one o f the 12 spies sent in to Canaan to spy out the land. Ammiel
means “ My father’s brother, m y closest relative, God is my p ro tecto r, G od’s people,
m y people are strong.” Gemalli means “ camel ow ner.”

U nfortunately, Ammiel did n o t really have the faith th at his nam e indicated,
for he brought back an evil rep o rt concerning the land that God was giving them to
possess.

BUKKI

Num bers 3 4 :2 2 , “ And the prince o f the tribe o f the children o f Dan, Bukki the
son o f Jogli.”

Bukki was the representative o f the tribe o f Dan when they divided the land by
lot. It was his responsibility to m ake sure that nothing crooked was done.

Bukki m eans “ d estruction, em ptied o u L ” Jogli means “ led into the strange land,
expelled, unveiled, exposed.”

The names o f these tw o, b o th the father and the son, reveals the beginning o f tu r
bulence and problem s in the lives o f the tribe o f Dan.

AZAREEL

I Chronicles 2 7 :2 2 , “ O f Dan, Azareel the son o f Jeroham . These were the princes
o f the tribes o f Israel.”

Azareel was chosen by David to represent the tribe o f Dan in all official affairs.
Azareel m eans “ God has bound him through a vow .” Jeroham means “ The Lord had
m ercy.”

The name o f Azareel is very descriptive o f the true Dan. When he makes a vow,
he is bound, body and soul, to fulfill th a t vow. It is not som ething th at he can do
lightly and then forget about. God will deal with him until God has brought him to a
place where he says, “ yes.” When he does, there is no turning back, no m atter how
difficult it may be.

8
 T H E SON OF A DANITE WOMAN AND AN EGYPTIAN FA TH ER

In Leviticus 24:10-16 we read the sad story o f a young m an o f the tribe o f Dan
who becam e an exam ple o f the judgm ent o f God.

This young m an, whose nam e is n o t given, came w ith his parents, together with
the children o f Israel, o u t o f Egypt on the passover night. Somewhere in the desert he
got in to a fight w ith a m an o f Israel. Here we see th at striving and uncontrolled tem
per which is typical o f the Danites. He lost his tem per and blasphem ed the nam e of
the Lord and cursed. He was brought before Moses for judgm ent.

The nam e o f this young m an’s m other was Shelom ith, “ peaceful oTie.” (It is the
same nam e as Friederike.) She had m arried an Egyptian and born him this son. The
name o f her father is Dibri, which m eans “ speaker, babbler.” It seems like his grand
son inherited some o f his traits; for when he lost his tem per, he spoke words th a t cost
him his life. His old grandfather’s Danite spirit rose up in him and he was no longer
controlled by the Holy Spirit.

This is a real warning for a Danite. Satan will try to provoke and anger him until
he brings him to a place w here he will curse and swear to relieve the pent-up em otions
th at he has been holding in check. A Danite has to be careful ab o u t this, because the
devil w ants him to “blow it all.” He will lose his tem per suddenly because he is a pe-
son who is quick to do w hatever he does. Sometimes this is good and sometim es it is
bad, for he will do things in haste and afterw ards he is sorry about it. His conscience is
tender and he suffers, thinking, “ O h, if only I could ju st undo it, if I could ju st live it
all over again!” That is why a D anite has to be so careful th at he isn’t hasty and
doesn’t hurry and do som ething before thinking. Because there is m uch spiritual
strength and physical strength in a D anite, he is capable o f great feats. Spiritual
strength and physical strength often go together.

When this young m an got angry and cursed, it could be th a t some o f his Egyptian
father’s unsanctified blood was in him.

They p u t him in ward while they sought the Lord th at they m ight know what
God would have them to do. The L ord’s judgm ent was very hard. He had to be stoned
to death. God would n o t allow cursing in His camp. God was wiping out the re
bellious spirit.

When we know our weaknesses, it is a good thing. Woe to the m an or wom an

who doesn’t recognize his weakness. They think, “ O h, there is nothing wrong w ith me.
I’m fine! It is the o th er person who is to blam e; th a t is the one who is causing the
trouble.” G od have m ercy on us when there is no room for correction in o u r lives.

9
 TH E WARLIKE NATURE O F DAN

In Judges 17 and 18 we read a sad and detailed story about the tribe o f Dan
which took place im m ediately after they entered into the Promised Land. Please read
these tw o chapters.

In these chapters you clearly understand Dan’s personality and the warlike way
that he had o f fighting.

The story takes place ab o u t B.C. 1,400. The portion o f land th a t Dan inherited
was too small for them , so they began to look around for m ore land. Some o f the area
that should have been possessed by them was not taken, because the giants o f Gaza
were too great. Judges 1:34 says, “ And the Amorites forced the children o f Dan into
the m ountain: for they w ould not suffer them to come down to the valley: But the
Amorites would dwell in M ount Heres in Aijalon, (territory th at belonged to Dan) and
in Shaalbim :...”

God w anted them to possess their possessions but they were afraid to take the
m ountain ranges. Because o f this, their land was too small for their great num ber.
Joshua 19:47 says, “ And the coast o f the children o f Dan w ent out to o little for them :
therefore the children o f Dan went up to fight against Leshem (also called Laish),
and took it, and sm ote it with the edge o f the sword and possessed it, and
dwelt therein, and called Leshem (Laish) Dan, after the nam e o f Dan their father.”

In Judges chapter 17 and 18 we read the story o f how they did just th at. It is a
story o f a people w ho were n o t courageous enough to fight the giant in their own back
yard, but who w ent o u t and found a defenceless, helpless, innocent people, dwelling
alone and wiped them o u t suddenly and viciously. This deed and this conquest became
a snare to them . For on the way, they found a family in M ount Ephraim w ho were
worshipping a graven image, a thing God had forbidden. This fam ily had a certain
Levite who was hired by them to act as a priest for the family. As Dan came upon
them , they coveted this priest and this image. Later they came w ith 600 m en, with
weapons o f war and they to o k away the image and the priest and continued on their
way to Laish where they set up the graven image. The priest’s nam e was Jonathan
and he was the son o f Gershom .

We find o u t certain characteristics about the tribe o f Dan in this sad story.

1. They were not obedient to God to possess their own inheritance which God
had promised them .

2. They were afraid to fight the giants in their backyard, instead, they attacked
defenceless people who were n o t in the area th at God had promised to give to them .

3. They were thieves. They stole the image.

10
 4. T hey became idolators (th e first in Israel) when they set it up and began to wor
ship an idol instead o f the true G od, whose dwelling place was in Shiloh at th at time.

5. They bribed a Levite to act as a priest for them . This Levite, Jonathan, was
the son o f Gershom and grandson o f Moses. In Judges 18:30 it says, “ Jonathan,
the son o f Gershom , the son o f Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of
Dan until the day o f the captivity o f the land.” Many Bible scholars and Jewish
historians w rite, however, th a t in the original Hebrew, one letter 3 (n) was added
to “Moses” ( n fo ), which turned it into “ Manasseh” ( ). This was done
to hide this disgrace to the m em ory o f Moses.

TH E GRAVEN IMAGE

We can have all the worship and religion we w ant, but if the foundation is not
pure, it is really nothing but another Baal system. We have to be careful even in
Christianity, th at the m otive o f ou r worshipping and serving God is absolutely pure and
holy before God and th at we are not doing it out o f form or ceremony. Many have
religion. Religion isn’t anything spiritual. It is a spirit and there are many different
kinds o f religious spirits. There are even so-called “ charism atic” spirits that parade in a
charismatic way. I hate to say it, but there are “ Pentecostal” spirits. They are very re
ligious and very orthodox. There are “ O rthodox Jew ish” religious spirits. These are
the ones th a t crucified Jesus. Religion will crucify Christ. Religion will say, “ We have
a law, and by this law He m ust die.” Unless we have love, religion can do m ore harm
than good. It is because o f this, th at in the United States, the church and the state are
divided. But in the end-tim e anti-christ system , they will become one again. Religion
will take over and rule like a ty ran t through the world. It happened in the middle
ages and it will happen again. Watch for the linking up o f the one-world governm ent
and the one-world church. The beast and the prophet (false prophet) will join, hand-in-
hand.

At first, it seemed like th a t little image wasn’t so bad, but it had introduced a
spirit o f idolatry into the tribe o f Dan which was the opening for a m uch m ore power
ful false dem on which was yet to follow.

THE GOLDEN CALF

Turn to I Kings 12:26-29. Jeroboam , the new king o f Israel, after the dividing
o f that nation, ordered th at tw o golden calves should be m ade for the nation o f Israel,
the ten tribes that had broken away from Judah. He had one placed in Bethel (the
south) and the other in Dan (the north). Jeroboam announced th at every year on the
15th day o f the eighth m onth there would be a great tim e o f feasting in both these
cities. This was Satan’s counterfeit for the feast o f tabernacles, which also to o k place
at that tim e. This becam e a sin and a snare to the tribe o f Dan; for with the feasting

11
came every kind o f sin and wicicedness into the city and to the tribe o f Dan, particular
ly in the n o rth w here the calf had been set up.

Jeroboam was a rebel and he knew t-iat the way to k 'ep the people separated
was through religion. There is n othing in th e world th a t can divide people like re
ligion. It is the biggest divider and it is mo» • powe. ful than politics. T hat is why we
have so m any different churches. One church says, “ We will play instrum ents.’
another says, “ We w on’t ,” and so they divide! L ,ie says, “ We will serve com m union
in separate cups,” th e o th er says, “ N o, it m ust be th at everyone drinks o ut o f one
chalice!” and so they divide. One church says, “ We will baptize in the name o f the
Father, Son and Holy G host,” and the o th er says, “ No, we will only baptize in Jesus’
nam e!” and so they divide. Religion is a terrible divider. I pray th at the day will soon
come when we will forget w hat denom ination we are.

Israel is spoken o f as being from “ Dan to Beersheba.” Dan was the furthest
northern point and Beersheba the southern. Thus Satan had a terrible stronghold
which continued until Dan was carried into captivity.

DAN DU RIN G R EV IV A L TIMES - UNDER JEHU

In II Kings 10:18-36 we read how Jehu came in to pow er after he had killed the
m em bers o f A hab’s fam ily. He began by breaking down the image o f Baal and his
tem ple. It says in verse 27 th a t he m ade it a latrine. But a sad thing happened, in spite
o f the fact th a t he got rid o f the images o f Baal, he still allowed the golden calves that
were at Bethel and Dan to rem ain, (verse 29) Probably, he to o thought the same as
Jeroboam , “ If I get rid o f th em , then the people will go back to Jerusalem to worship
and I will lose control over m y kingdom .” So the calves were allowed to remain and
the heart o f Dan becam e the h e a rt o f idolatry. Poor Dan!

UN D ER HEZEKIAH

Before Dan w ent in to captivity and before the judgm ent o f God came upon them ,
G od sent a great revival under King Hezekiah o f Judah. In fact, it seems as if the re
vival came in the same year th a t they were carried into captivity. Those were D an’s
last days as a tribe to g eth er on th e face o f this earth until the final closing chapter is
w ritten and the m illenium begins.

King Hezekiah sent letters th ro u g h o u t all o f Judah and Israel, telling the people
th a t they should com e to the house o f the Lord a t Jerusalem to keep the passover unto
the Lord. II Chronicles 30:5 says th a t the decree w ent o u t from Beersheba even to
Dan. Never had anything like th a t happened before. The co n tex t o f the message was,
“ Ye children o f Israel, tu rn again u n to the Lord God o f A braham , Isaac, and Israel, and
He will return to th e rem n an t o f y o u , th a t are escaped o u t o f the hand o f the kings o f

12
Assyria. And be n o t ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed
against the Lord God o f their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye
see. Now be ye n o t stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the
Lord, and e n te r in to his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the
Lord your G od, th a t the fierceness o f his w rath may turn away from you. For if ye
tu rn again u n to the Lord, y our brethren and your children shall find compassion
before them th at lead them captive, so th at they shall come again into this land: for
th e Lord y o u r God is gracious and m erciful, and will n o t turn away his face from you,
if ye retu rn u n to him .” (II Chronicles 3 0 :6b-9)

The posts passed from city to city throughout the country o f Ephraim , Manasseh,
Zebulun, Asher. It says th a t some hum bled themselves and came to Jerusalem , and
also in Judah th e hand o f God was upon them to give them one heart to obey the
Lord. It was a great tim e o f soul-searching and rejoicing, and lasted for 14 days. It
would never be repeated again.

Several years ago m y husband, Jim , and I spent several weeks in Israel. We drove
up to th e archeological site called Tel Dan, where once the city of Dan had stood. I sat
there where the city gate had been, while Jim was walking around. I was praying and
waiting upon th e Lord, and in th e anointing I had a vision. I was taken back long ago in
tim e; th e year was 700 B.C. I saw the post coming, the m en on horseback, the riders with
th e. message which they unravelled and read from the scroll. It was King Hezekiah’s
invitation to com e to Jerusalem . They were begged to turn back to God, to forsike
the blasphem ous golden calf and to cry to th e Lord in this last h o u r to repent with a
sincere heart, for God to be merciful. They were already weeping, broken people,
because m any o f their loved ones had been taken into captivity just a few weeks
before.

As I saw th e post riding up to the city gate, I heard the last call. I also saw the
people o f Dan laughing and m ocking and ridiculing these riders who had come with the
message from G od. They said, “We have ou r own god. See, this is our god! We d o n ’t
need your God down there in Jerusalem , He can’t help us. He has never helped us.” I
watched as they m ocked and laughed in scorn and I watched as they threw stones at
horses and their riders until they silently turned and rode away.

There is no record th at any o f them came down from Dan fo r the last great pass-
over, th e last great o p p o rtu n ity . In fact, Jerem iah cried to G od, th a t he had heard in
the spirit the desperate, hopeless cry o f the people o f Dan when it was too late. “ For
a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from M ount Ephraim .” (Jere
m iah 4 :1 5 ) It was a message o f woe, a message o f affliction, a message o f suffering
th a t Jerem iah, the weeping pro p h et, heard.

T urn also to Jerem iah 8:15-17. He saw the soldiers come riding into Dan, like I
did. The only difference was th a t he saw only the horses of the enem y coming to kill
and rape and carry into captivity. “We looked for peace, but no good came; and for

13
a tim e o f healt! .:nd behold trouble! The snorting o f his horses was heard from Dan:
th e whole land trem bled at the sound o f the neighing o f his strong ones; for they are
com e, and have devoured the land, and all th a t is in it; the city, and those th at dwell
therein. F or, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be
charm ed, and they shall bite yo u , saith the Lord.” And then he goes on to that terrib
ly sad scripture, “ The harvest is past, the sum m er is ended, and we are n o t saved.”
(verse 20)

I saw this also in the spirit, th a t day at Dan. I saw how they rejected and threw
stones a t the horsem en whom G od sent to them , b u t the next tim e the horses came
in to the city there was no throw ing stones, there was no m ocking, there was no re
fusing. Instead o f the message o f grace and peace, there was nothing b u t a sword and
blood. Their children were tossed in to the air and caught on the point o f the sw ord;
m others screaming w ith pain, th eir bodies bleeding from mass rape, pregnant m others
ripped open w ith the sw ord, and th e men slain by the Syrian soldiers. The price o f re
jecting the call o f the Spirit is very great. But God gave one m ore space to repent.

ONE MORE TIME Gwen R. Shaw

C F G7 C G7

14
 Why did Dan have to be lost? Let us look at Ezekiel 2 7 :19, “ Dan also and Javan
going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassis, and calamus, were in thy
m ark et.” Dan was worldly. You see, they were a skillful people, and this gave them
the ability to acquire things and the ability to prosper and get w ealthy. It became a
downfall to them . Worldliness and the love o f nice things in the world is a great
tem p tatio n to Dan, just as it is to Judah. In fact, it was the things o f the world that
caused Dan’s greatest hero to fall.

SAMSON, THE MIGHTY DELIVERER

Yes, Samson was a w orldly m an. He loved the things th a t the world could give
him. A Danite has to be careful th a t he is n o t ensnared by the things o f this world and
does not put his head in the lap o f Delilah.

The word o f prophecy was given to Dan through his father, Jacob, “ Dan shall
judge his people, as one o f the tribes o f Israel.” (Genesis 49:16)

God fulfilled this word through Samson, one o f the greatest Danites w ho have
ever lived. When you read the story o f Samson (Judges 13-16), you realize the
strength, courage, cunning and great possibilites o f a Danite. God chose, o u t o f the
tribe o f Dan, the greatest o f all His judges. There never was a judge or deliverer th at
com pared to Samson in the pow er o f his strength, his subtlety, his gifts and his anoint
ing. Let us briefly summ arize som e things about the life o f this fam ous Danite.

First o f all, he was born in fulfillm ent o f the angel’s announcem ent Gust like
Jesus). A m ighty angel came dow n and announced to the m other o f Samson th at she
would be with child and would bear a son who would judge and deliver Israel.

Secondly, he was to be raised as a Nazarite. (Jesus also lived by these vows o f

dedication).

He was bom in the city o r tow n o f Zorah. In Joshua 19:41 we read th at this was
one o f the cities given to Dan by lot. In Judges 18:2, we find th at it was from there
th at 600 m en w ent up to seize the tow n o f Laish which later becam e the city o f Dan,
nam ed after their father, Dan.

Sam son’s life was a fulfillm ent, b o th o f the prophecies o f Jacob and Moses, in
th at he was serpent-like in his m ethods and lion-like in his strength. (Moses had said,
“ Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.” (D euteronom y 3 3:22) When
you think about the strongest anim al, you think about the lion. When you th in k about
the m ost cunning, you think ab o u t the serpent. It is not wrong to be subtle or cunning
like the serpent. Jesus said, “ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the m idst o f wolves:
be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves!” (M atthew 10:16) It is n ot
wrong to be wise like the serpent if Jesus told us to be. But we m ust rem em ber, we do

15
 n o t have the heart o f the serpent, only its cunning. We have the heart o f the sheep and
we are amidst wolves. Dan dw elt am ong “ th e wolves” called the heathen and he
needed that God-given wisdom . Samson could discern the hearts o f his enemies. The
only one w ho fooled him was the wom an he lo'ved. It is always easier to discern the
ones whom you are at enm ity w ith, than th e ones whom you dearly love. It is easy to
be deceived when you w ant to be deceived.

Most Christians are so naive they d o n ’t know the difference betw een coming in
and going out. Because o f th a t, m any get persecution which they do not need to get.
I believe th at m any tim es w om en are persecuted by their husbands because they lack
some o f the D anite wisdom o f knowing when to keep their m ouths shut. As long as
Samson kept his m o u th sh u t he stayed o u t o f trouble. It was when he started losing
his Danite gift o f being quiet and keeping a secret, th at he got his hair chopped off.

The reason he talked was because he was drunk w ith lust for Delilah. The affair
ended tragically for him. Y et you can see how he fulfilled the prophecy o f Jacob in
Genesis 49:16-18 th a t “ Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, th at
biteth the horse heels, so th a t his rider shall fall backw ard.” It was fulfilled when he
m arried a Philistine wom an. His parents were against it, but he was working in a way
th at he could get a t those Philistines.

If Samson w ould have stayed pure, there is no estim ating w hat trem endous minis
try he would have had. L ook a t how m ightily he conquered the enem y, even in his
uncleanness and in his backslidden condition. We d o n ’t need to approve o f his back
slidden condition, b u t rath er cry within ourselves, “O h, I would to G od, th at he had
stayed true to the vision and the high calling o f God! What would he have done for
Israel!”

Samson failed because he couldn’t conquer Samson. O h, beloved, it doesn’t

m atter how m any great giants you conquer, if you cannot rule over the kingdom o f
self. There are som e big preachers who are Danites in the m inistry, trem endous m en,
w ho can sway audiences. People run after them and worship them alm ost as though
they were Divine. But m any people do n o t know th at the very person whom they
idolize is not able to conquer himself. In the end m any o f these m en are destroyed by
their own lusts o f th e flesh.

Samson d id n ’t need God until he lost his eyes. He relied on his natural, yet God-
given abilities. T he only way th at Samson could get back to God was to go through
the suffering o f losing his natural vision.

Only after he becam e a slave, grinding at th e mill, living the life o f a com m on don
key, did Samson com e back to G od. Som etim es th e only way th at God can get hold o f
these people is to let them fall as low as they can go, until they realize th a t they cannot

16
m ake it in their own strength. There is a lo t o f pride in Dan because he can do most
things b e tte r th an th e next “ dum b-bunny.” They get tired o f telling someone how to
do it. They say, “ F or goodness sake, you have got a head. Y ou ought to know how it
is done!” A D anite is not a good instructor, because he knows it all; and he thinks that
you should, too.

G od, in His m ercy, allows the D anite to go into spiritual blindness and to lose that
beautiful anointed strength which is a gift from G od, because He knows th at when
they will be grinding a t the mill in the prisonhouse o f the Philistines, the place o f help
lessness and hopelessness, where there are no “ Delilahs” to shave the hair o ff their
heads, which in th a t place o f trial will grow again and the strength o f God will return
one m ore tim e.

Yes, God knows how to deal w ith his Dans. He puts them in a corner and doesn’t
let them get o u t until God sees they are ready for it. That is the m ercy o f God to Dan.

In th e end, Samson gave his life th a t he m ight attain u n to the fulness o f his
calling. The Danites, w hen they are repentant, becom e the great m artyrs who are
ready to lay dow n their lives for the Lord. Perhaps that is one reason th at some believe
th a t the tribe o f Dan will play a p art in the tw o witnesses who shall prophesy during
the tim e o f tribulation. F or they n o t only will be m artyrs who will prophesy, b u t they
will also bring great judgm ents upon the wicked at th at tim e and they will surely be
warlike in their attitu d e, bringing terro r upon the unrighteous, ju st like Samson did
upon the Philistines.

DAN, TH E GIFTED ONE

There are some very interesting characters in the tribe o f Dan who helped with
the construction and the preparing o f b o th the tabernacle in the wilderness and the
tem ple o f Solom on in Jerusalem .

AHOLIAB

Exodus 35:34,35, “ And he (G od) h ath p u t in his heart th at he m ay teach, both

he, and Aholiab, the son o f Ahisamach, o f the tribe o f Dan. Them h ath he filled with
wisdom o f h eart, to w ork all m anner o f w ork, o f the engraver, and of the cunning
w orkm an, and o f the em broiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and
o f the weaver, even o f them th a t do any work, and o f those th a t devise cunning w ork.”
Also read Exodus 38:23.

The w ord “ cunning” can also be translated “ skillful.”

The nam e o f Aholiab m eans “ ten t, o r fam ily o f the father.” Ahisamach means,
“ m y b ro th er is a supporter.”
17
 The gifts -• the Danite are m any, but one o f his m ost im portant gifts is th at he is
a true supporter o f a righteous cause.

God called them to w ork w ith Judah in designing and preparing the beautiful
things o f the tabernacle. This is because Dan and Judah are very m uch alike. Some
tim es it is im possible to tell them apart. Both are gifted, artistic and quick-thinking.
B oth have a gift for leadership. Judah was first in righteousness and Dan was first in
idolatry. Both were influential on the neighbouring tribes. Both are very independent
and quick to act and think later (im petuous). I am convinced th at m any Danites hide
under the name o f Judah.

It says here th a t they were “ filled with wisdom o f heart to w ork all m anner of
w ork.” They m ake w onderful designers, builders, artists and are gifted in hand-crafts.
Like Judah they are gifted w ith th eir hands. If you are going to build a tabernacle, ask
th e Lord to give you a Danite to supervise the construction. God has put in their
hearts the ability to w ork skillfully, for God has filled them with wisdom o f heart to
w ork. It is a special, beautiful gift from God. They are also gifted in furniture con
struction and hom e decorating. This is w hat they were chosen by God to do in the
tabernacle.

You say, “ How can a m an w ho has the strength to tear lions apart and lift up the
gates o f Gaza and walk away w ith them , also do dainty em broidery?” That is strange,
isn’t it? And y e t, this is one o f the paradoxes o f God which He has built into Dan.

T oday, perhaps a man o f the tribe o f Dan will n ot em broider, b u t he m ight be a

fashion designer. C ertainly, th ey m ake trem endous engineers. They can fix alm ost
anything, and they love to p u tte r around with m otors (the more grease, the better.)
They take pride in having accom plished a task and want a little praise (if not a lot)
from others when they are finished. This is ju st like Judah.

A nother thing ab o u t Dan is th a t they can get honey out o f a lion. A fter Samson
killed the lion, he returned and found the bees had made honey in his carcass. The
D anite will find true sweetness at the end o f his trials.

T H E SK ILLFU L MAN

II Chronicles 2 :1 3 ,1 4 tells us how th at when Solom on was building the tem ple in
Jerusalem , his friend, H uram , th e king o f Tyre, sent him a letter o f congratulations. In
it he said, “ And now I have sent a skillful m an, endued with understanding, Huram
m y m aster craftsm an (the son o f a woman o f the daughters o f Dan, and his father was
a m an o f Tyre), skilled to w ork in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and w ood,
purple and blue, fine linen and crim son, and to m ake any engraving and to accomplish
any plan which m ay be given to him , with y our skillful men and with the skillful men
o f m y lord David y o u r fath er.” (New King Jam es Version)

18
 This gifted and talented man was a gift to Solomon from the King o f Tyre. He
comes w ith high recom m endations, “ to accom plish any plan which may be given to
him .” The King James original says, “ to find o u t every device which shall be p u t to
him .” In o th er words, no m atter what problem you p u t before him , he can figure out
the answer.

T oday, we would bring such a man a car, th at is ready to fall apart, and in a little
while he w ould have it running. If we women w ould have taken it to the gara g e it
would have cost us hundreds o f dollar; to get it fixed! If you have not married a Dan
o r do n o t have one for a son, you’d better start praying th at one moves next door.
They said, “ It can’t be do n e...” So, he did it! T hat is a Danite. He doesn’t take NO
for an answer. He laughs as th e im possibility and it becomes a challenge to him. We
have wom en w ho are beautiful leaders and hom em akers. U nder the anointing, nobody
can fool them or get by w ith anything.

PROPHECIES TO DAN REVIEWED - JACOB

“ Dan shall judge his people, as one o f the tribes o f Israel. Dan shall be a serpent
by the way, an adder in the path, th at b iteth the horse heels, so th a t his rider shall fall
backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O L ord.” (Genesis 49:16-18)

“ Dan shall judge his people as one o f the tribes o f Israel.”

That is conclusive. We cannot change it. This word , “judge” speaks of m ore than
passing a sentence on som eone. It comes from the Hebrew word duw n (doon) meaning
“ to strive, co n ten d , execute (judgm ent), judge, m inister judgm ent, plead (the cause), to
strive.”

God has given the Danites a very keen gift o f discernm ent. Many times people
think th a t they can fool Dan, but as long as he keeps his secret, he can sit back and
discern the very ones who think that they have fooled him . This causes some o f the
tribes o f Israel to dislike Dan. In fact, he is often the least loved, b u t only because he
is “judging and discerning” the motives o f others and is very quick to pass judgm ent on
them also. In this way, he has a little bit o f Levi in him ; he would like to take the rod
o f God in his hand and handle a few o f the wayward ones himself. Let a lion m eet him
and he will take care o f th a t lion! Because o f his victory over the lion (rem em ber Sam
son), the Judahite who is n o t living the overcom er’s life will n o t like Dan very m uch.
O f course, Dan, being the “ shamire stone” th a t buffs and trim s o ff the rough edges o f
all o f us, is ju st n o t always to o com fortable to have around! But w hat would the tem ple
o f God be like w ith o u t His w ork o f perfection on us all?

“ Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the p ath , th at biteth the horse
heels, so th a t his rider shall fall backw ard.”

19
 This indicates to me th a t the horse is going to collapse as soon as it is bitten, li
also shows th e wisdom o f Dan. He knows he cannot reach the rider. He is too high
up o ff the ground, so he is going to get him dow n to his level so th a t he can deal with
him. The only way to do th a t is to th row him o ff the horse, and the only way to
throw him o ff is to m ake the horse rear up in fright: so the wise Dan goes after the
horse.

Now th e horse is n o t your enem y, and neither is that person, who is giving you all
the trouble, y o u r enem y, b u t you have to get at your enem y, so you go after the
person th a t he is riding. The devil rides into all o f ou r lives. He is our real enem y, b ut
he uses different people, o r different vehicles to attack us. We see th at big horse and
we run in terror, n o t knowing th a t God has given us a pow er in o u r tongue, like the
adder has, th a t if we will speak the nam e o f “ Jesus” (which alm ost sounds like a hissing
sound), we can bring the fear o f God dow n on the situation and throw the rider (who
is the dem on spirit th at torm ents us) o ff this secure and sure place. This is warfare and
it is tim e for us to know th a t we are in the m iddle o f this kind o f warfare.

When Jesus hung on the cross, He bit the heel o f the horse (the Pharisaical laws
th at crucified Him) and threw Satan o u t o f his saddle, on to the ground where today
we can see God bruise him under ou r heels. (Rom ans 16:20)

MOSES

“ And o f Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.” (D eute
ronom y 33:22)

You will rem em ber th at Jacob said o f Judah, “ Judah is a lion’s w help.” And we
described w hat it m eant. It is the young playful lion who is im m ature. Read it again,
and you will understand how it is, th at there is such a close resem blance betw een the
tribe o f Dan and th e tribe o f Judah. B oth have this same nature in them . Again, I
w ould like to m ention th a t I feel th at m any who think they belong to the tribe of
Ju d ah , really belong to the tribe o f Dan.

“ He shall leap from Bashan.”

Bashan was the territo ry around Laish which was conquered by Dan. The word
“ Bashan” m eans “ fruitful ground.”

Moses sees Dan leaping o u t o f his territo ry because he has becom e fruitful And
indeed, this is w hat Dan did. Because his original territory was too small, he leaped
way over in to Laish, which is a city o f the region o f Bashan; and there, w ith the feroci
ty o f a lion, he possessed the territo ry for his fam ily.

Dan m ust only be careful th a t when he leaps, he leaps in the anointing o f the

20
Holy Spirit and in the will o f God. It is only after his life has become fruitful that God
-will com m and him to leap into a new adventure, a new calling, a new m inistry. If he
leaps before th a t, he will find him self building altars to false purposes, false visions,
false gods.

POSITION O F DAN

Around the tabernacle: Dan was situated on the n o rth side o f the tabernacle
beside Naphtali and Asher. You will rem em ber th a t N aphtali was his blood brother.
They had the same m other, Bilhah. The three tribes m arched under the banner o f Dan.
When on the m arch they were in the rear.

In the Promised Land: When they entered into Canaan, the lot which fell to them
was at the sea coast in the area where Herzlia is now. Here they were surrounded by
the Philistines: to the south by Ephraim , Benjamin and Judah. In the no rth they were
adjacent to Naphtali.

I would like us to take tim e to study the meaning o f some o f the names o f his
towns and cities. (Joshua 19:40-47)

Zorah: “ hornet, wasp place, warehouse, d ep o t.” This was Sam son’s birthplace.
(Judges 13:2) It was also one o f the places where the 600 men came from who a t
tacked Laish. (Judges 18:11)

Eshtaol: “ to desire, to wish, to plead.”

Ir-shemesh: “ city o f the sun.”

Shaalabbin: “ the place o f the fox.”

Ajalon: “ wild district, deer’s place.” It was here th at the sun stood still in the
days o f Joshua. (Joshua 10:1 2) There is also a place called Aijalon in the country of
Zebulun. (Judges 12:12)

Jethlah: “high place.”

Elon: “ the possesser, the strong one, acorn.”

Thim natha: “ an established place, possession.”

Ekron: “ torn away, rooted o u t, unfruitful.”

Eltekeh: “ his fear is G od.”

21
 G ibbethon: “ high city.”

Baalath: “ belonging to Baal.”

Jehud: “ w orthy o f praise.”

Bene-berak: “ sun o f lightning.”

G ath-rim m on: “ the wine cellar by the pom egranate tree.”

Me-jarkon: “ yellow w ater.”

Rakkon: “ well w atered.”

Japho: “ beautiful,” (know n as Jaffa today.)

Dan in the Millenium: D an’s is the first portion m entioned in the Kingdom age.
He is no m ore at the tail. He is now a t the head o f the list. He is the farthest northern
portion o f Israel. (Ezekiel 4 8 :1 )

G ate o f Dan in the New Jerusalem : Dan’s Gate is located on the east side to
gether w ith Joseph and Benjamin. (Ezekiel 48:32)

Again I ask the question. Why is Dan not m entioned in Revelation? Is he truly
b lotted out o f G od’s book? Is there any hope for him at all? Is th a t the end o f a
tribe, th e end o f a people? Is G o d ’s great sym bol o f the eternal plan o f the ages going
to stay forever uncom pleted w ith o u t this precious tribe, this son o f Jacob? Will they
have no portion w hatsoever in the millenium? Will one o f the families o f Israel be
missing for eternity?

I d o n ’t believe it. I believe th a t G od, in His m ercy, shall restore Dan to his part
in G od’s eternal plan. Just as G od restored th a t back-slidden D anite, Samson, and let
him win the greatest o f his victories after he repented, God will do th e same for Dan.
The fact th at God has allocated a portion for them in Israel through th e millenium and
th a t they will possess one o f the gates on the east side o f Jerusalem (m aybe even the
great Eastern G ate through w hich the prince will enter,[E zekiel 4 4 :1 -3 ]), shows me
th a t Dan will have a very im p o rta n t p art to play in G od’s eternal plan.

I cannot explain why he is n o t m entioned in Revelation 7, no r w hy he is seeming

ly forgotten in som e o f the genealogies o f the Old Testam ent, b u t I know th a t some
day God will reveal this to us.

22
 THE MYSTERY OF DAN

A nother o f th e m ysteries concerning the tribe o f Dan is found in Judges 5:17 as

Deborah and Barak as th e question, “ Why did Dan rem ain in ships?” We know that
Dan was located on the west coast near Herzlia. It is a beautiful place to live, right
there on th e sea coast. One can enjoy the swimming. It is real fun to swim in the
M editerranean; those waves toss you back and forth and you can get on the ships and
go o u t to sea, fishing. It is especially a nice place to be when there is trouble and war
in the o th er part o f the country!

But let us look at this w ord, “ ship.” It comes from the Hebrew word aniyah
(on-ee-yaw) which comes from the root-w ord anah (aw-naw) which means “ to groan,
lam ent, m ourn as in the anguish o f a contraction.”

The m ost painful m om ent o f birthing is th at second stage before the head appears
and as the baby is coming through the birth channel. It seems, from this word, that
God is trying to say som ething m ore than the fact that Dan was having a good time
sailing his boat on the M editerranean. Perhaps we should read it like this. “ Why did
Dan remain in the anguish o f a contraction?” It seems as if Dan was always “ about to
be b irthed” spiritually, b u t never quite accomplishing it. For a while, because he is not
num bered, it alm ost seems like he was a “ still-born” child. It seems as if Deborah,
knowing w hat God was trying to do through Dan, cried o u t in travail for him, “ Oh
Dan, why did you stay in the birth channel? Why did you n o t come forth?”

I have seen m any people in this place, spiritually. Oh, the groaning, the crying,
the travailing! Many m en, whose wives have agonized for years, just never seem to
“get birthed.” They have no idea w hat they could be in God. They don’t realize how
trem endous their place in God would be, if they could come fo rth into th at sonship,
th at is destined for them , if they will only let go o f the womb o f their present exis
tence. The w orld is waiting for their cry o f LIFE - that first cry o f a new-born babe
which sounds so heavenly! It w ould break the power o f the “ Philistines” once and for
all.

DAN KNOWS THE MOVING O F THE SPIRIT

In I Samuel 3:20 we read th at all o f Israel knew th a t Samuel was anointed to be

a prophet. It says, “ And all Israel from DAN even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was
established to be a prophet o f the Lord.” Yes, Dan knew that m uch, th at God had
anointed th a t boy to be a great prophet.

It was in th e land o f Dan th a t one o f the greatest miracles o f all times happened,
when Joshua said in the sight o f all Israel, “ Sun, stand thou still upon G ibeon; and
th ou, M oon, in the valley o f Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the m oon stayed,
until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies...So th e sun stood still in

23
the m idst o f the heaven, and hasted n o t to go down about a whole day. And there was
no day like th a ‘> before it or after it, th at the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a m an: for
the Lord fought fo r Israel.” (Joshua 10:12-14) Yes, and God fought for Israel in the
dom ain o f Dan. He was fighting fo r Dan’s property.

Last o f all, I w ant to conclude Jacob’s prophecy for Dan, “ I have waited for thy
salvation, O L o rd .” (Genesis 4 9 :1 8 )

Dan is the only tribe th at Jacob intercedes for so intensely. He cries out th a t he is
waiting for th e salvation, the restoration, the com plete redem ption o f Dan. This word
also m eans “ Healing and w elfare.”

How m any years has Jacob waited for the salvation o f Dan? Somehow Dan got
lost in the tangles o f life. The devil used Dan’s cunning and his gifts to lead him astray;
his self-confidence caused him to fall by the wayside. But I believe th a t in the end,
God is going to restore the D anites, even as He restored Samson.

If we d o n ’t give up pleading for Dan, then God is able to bring them in, because
He is m arried to the backslider. (Jerem iah 3:14) In the end “ their hair will grow” and
like Samson, Dan will rise to his finest hour to win his greatest victory. The world has
n o t yet heard th e last from Dan!

The strength o f Dan shall be restored to him again and together w ith his hum ility,
he will rise w ith th e deliverers in the end-tim e to deliver his people.

Obadiah verse 2 1 , “ And saviours (deliverers) shall come up on m ount Zion to

judge th e m o u n t o f Esau; and th e kingdom shall be the L ord’s.” This is the w ork, the
high calling o f D an...to rise to judge, for his name is JUDGE.

So let us pray and travail for his birthing. He is still in the birth canal. His
head has to be “ shaped,” so th a t he can come forth. This is the trouble with Dan; he
is having a hard tim e w ith his head. But once God has finished hum bling him, he shall
surely come fo rth in the glory o f the anointed one.

It has been generally accepted by prophetic students, b o th ancient and m odern,

am ong Jews and G entiles, th a t the anti-christ will spring from the tribe o f Dan. T hat is
possible, b u t there is no proof. I d o n ’t think th at th a t should indicate th at Dan should
be wiped o u t, as som e say. G od is bigger than th at. Judas was probably of the tribe
o f Judah and he sold Jesus, b u t th a t did not cause God to obliterate the whole tribe of
Judah. Peter betrayed the L ord, b u t he was n o t wiped o u t, no r his tribe. God is too
big for that.

Some say th a t the descendants o f Dan w ent up in to Magog and today their
descendants are th e people o f Russia. This could be, b u t I am speaking about the spiri
tual Dan and n o t th e natural. The natural is only a sym bol o f the spiritual and eternal.

24
 Dan is appointed to judge the tribes. We are waiting for thy salvation, O Lord!
One o f these days, he shall com e, leaping out o f Bashan, to stand with us all at the
great judgm ent seat o f Christ. Dan, we wait for y our salvation!

25
Sam son a n d Delilah, by A ndrea Mantegna (c. 1431-1506)
BY GWEN SHAW
 N A P H T ALI
(N EPT H A U M )
" w r e s t li n g "
G 3 0 :8
__________ N A P H T ALITES
JA H Z EEL GU NI JEZER SHILLE M
( J A H Z IE L ) a 4 6 :2 4 G 4 6 :2 4 (S H A U U M )
G 4 6 :2 4 I I G 4 6 :2 4
I C h 7 :) 3 I I IC h , 7 :’ 3
JA H ZEELITES G U N ITES JEZERITES SHILLE M ITES
N 2 6 :4 8 N 2 6 :4 8 N 2 6 :4 9 N 2 6 :4 9

EN A N
C a p t a in A H IR A V O P H SI
N 1 :1 5 : 2 :2 9 ; 7 :7 8 ,8 3 : 1 0:2 7 N A H B f, p rin c e
h e a d o f th e t ri b e d u ri n g N 1 3 :1 4
f h * j o u r n e y In t h e w il d e r n e s s s p y s e n t b y M O SES

This chart was tak en from The A d a m and E ve F am ily Tree, produced by th e Good
Things C om pany. Used by permission.

C o v er by C aro ly n W right

Copyright 1982, Gwen R. Shaw

End-Time Handmaidens, Inc.
P.O. B ox 447
Jasper, Arkansas 72641

All rights reserved.

P rinted in the U nited S tates o f A m erica

 PRAYER

“ Beloved F a th er in Heaven, we come to You in the name o f Jesus, asking that

Y ou will open o u r hearts to understand the truths concerning this precious tribe called
N aphtali. Lord, Y our Word tells us th at You knew us from our m o th er’s womb. Sure
ly You have know n Naphtali even when You were in the act o f creating this one. I
pray th at You will help us to look deep into the work o f creation in the life o f this
tribe th a t we m ay understand it in our tim e and be able to m inister to those o f Your
children who are called by this name. In Jesus’ name. Am en.”

THE NAMING OF NAPHTALI

And Bilhah Rachel s maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. And
Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed : and
she called his nam e N aphtali.” (Genesis 30:7,8)

Naphtali is the sixth son o f Jacob, and the second he had by Bilhah Rachel’s
maid.

MEANING OF TH E NAME

Naphtali comes from the Hebrew word naphtaliy (naf-taw-lee). Its root-w ord is
pathal (paw -thal), which means “ to struggle, wrestle, forw ard, be (morally) tortuous
self-unsavoury, to tw ine.”

Naphtali m eans to wrestle, and it doesn’t just mean to wrestle, it means to wrestle
and to conquer and win the victory. Rachel said, “ I have wrestled and I have prevailed.
I have won the victory.”

It is n o t enough to wrestle, it is im portant th at we wrestle right through until we

indeed have prevailed and won the victory. T hat is why, when we pray, we m ust re
m em ber th at there are m any different types o f prayer. It is not ju st enough to “ rest
in the arm s” o f the Lord and rejoice in His presence, though that is a type o f prayer,
b u t m any tim es we are called in to a prayer th a t is a true wrestling against the powers of
darkness and doing great battle with dem on spirits and spiritual wickedness in high
places.

N aphtali (the wrestler) was bom o f Bilhah. Bilhah means “ God is to be feared, is
terrifying.” Some o f us need to realize how terrifying God really can be. Most people
are afraid o f a God who is to be feared. They only w ant a God who is loving and
cuddles them all the tim e. They want a God who spoils them and pets them and
pam pers them . B ut if you really want to know G od, you have to know Him in all as
pects o f His personality and attributes. It was only as Bilhah could realize the terro r of

1
God in her life th at she could becom e a vehicle for producing the wrestler. You need
to know the terro r o f G od, so th at out o f your life comes a wrestling m inistry, a minis
try that will shake hell’s fbundations. It is good for our names to be known in hell.
Most of us only w ant ou r names to be known in heaven. Everybody’s name is known
in heaven, even the sinners’. But there are some names known in hell. Those are the
ones that are the adversaries o f hell.

The evil spirit spoke out o f the demon-possessed man in Acts 19:15 and said,
“ Jesus I know, and Paul I know; b ut who are ye?” The evil spirits know G od’s anoint
ed ones and fear them .

Bilhah not only means “ God is terrifying,” it also means, “ tender, soft and deli
cate.” The Hebrew language has m any meanings, even as the English language some
times has. We see that her father was called Rotheus. He had been a man o f high de
gree and God-fearing, related to the family o f Abraham. The Lost Books o f the Bible
tell us that he had been caught in a war and sold as a slave. Laban had bought him and
brought him to his house, given him one o f his handm aidens, Eunah, as his wife, and
from 'this union both Bilhah and Zilpah were born. You will rem em ber that Bilhah was
born the same day as Rachel. That is why her father. Laban, gave Bilhah to Rachel as
her personal maid. Zilpah became Leah’s personal maid, because Leah was older and
Zilpah was older, so when Leah was born, she was the first to get her handm aid. All
of these four wom en, Leah and Zilpah. Rachel and Bilhah are women of great honour
because they are the forem others of the genetic Israel. They are to be honoured for
the great part they played in bringing forth the tribes of Israel.

SYMBOL

The sym bol of Naphtali is taken from the prophecy that Jacob, their father, gave
them . “ Naphtali is a hind let loose:” (Genesis 49:21)

The hind is the female o f the red deer, in and after its third year. Let us think
about the deer. Most o f the tim e, the deer lives in the forests and wooded areas but
some live in open country and marshy areas. They swim well and are not afraid ot
water. Next to the rabbit, the deer is the most hunted of all animals. Its meat is good
and tastes like beef. In the Lapland the deer is dom esticated and used for milk, as a
draft animal and for riding. In China, the breed known as “ Pere David” is dom esti
cated. It is on the verge of extinction. When there is an overabundance of them they
can be very destructive to the crops. The deer is lithe, com pact, short-tailed, with long,
slender ears, long, slender legs and paired hoofs. Its sense of sight, hearing and smell is
well developed. It is m ost active early in the m orning and late in the afternoon, resting
at mid-day and during the night. They live in small bands (family groups). The males
are usually solitary. An interesting thing about the deer is th at it has no gall bladder.
The deer breeds any tim e, except in colder climates, where it breeds in autum n or
winter. The males are polygam ous, having a harem o f more than one m ate. They are

2
very jealous o f o th e r males and will engage in ferocious battles over the does (hinds).
Sometimes th eir antlers becom e so firmly engaged with each other that they die of
starvation. The deer is known to be shy and furtive, and yet the large ones can be dan
gerous. T heir disposition is described as “ irascible” which means “ easily angered, quick
tem pered, irritable.” They will attack with antlers and hoofs; with the antler they will
impale their victim , and with the hoofs they slash it.

Because the hind is fem ale, I will use the feminine gender when speaking o f the
tribe o f N aphtali.

Jacob said, “ Naphtali is a hind let loose.” Let us look at this expression, “ let
loose.” The w ord “ loose” comes from the Hebrew slialach (shaw-lakh), which means
“ to send aw ay, cast away, to cast o u t, conduct, forsake, leave, let depart, push aw ay.”

The Holy Spirit is saying through Jacob that Naphtali is like a young female deer
who, at the tim e when she is old enough to produce her own kind, suddenly has a
tem ptation to act like a calf let out wild in the field. This is a sign of reckless imma
tu rity. G od said to His people whom He wanted to bring into m aturity, “ But unto you
that fear m y nam e shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and
ye shall go fo rth , and grow up as calves o f the stall.” (Malachi 4:2)

In this scripture God is showing the difference between the calf “ let loose and
the one raised “ in the stall.” And by the way. one o f the meanings of the word “ hind
is calf. So this scripture is applicable to Naphtali.

G od’s Spirit sees th at strong self-will o f Naphtali, which He must harness and
bring under His control in order to make it a power for Him.

One o f the amazing things about the deer is that it has no gall bladder. The gall
bladder is a very interesting part o f the anatom y. In the Testim ony of Naphtali, which
is given in The Lost Books o f the Bible. Naphtali says, “ For God made all things good
in their order, the five senses in the head, and He joined on the neck to the head,
adding to it the hair, also for comeliness and glory, then the heart for understanding,
the belly for excrem ent, and the stom ach for grinding, the windpipe for taking in the
breath, the liver for w rath, the gall for bitterness, the spleen for laughter, the reins for
prudence, the muscles o f the loins for power, the lungs for draw ing in. the loins for
strength, and so fo rth .” (chapter 1, verse 20) The gall bladder is a m em branous sac
attached to the liver, in which excess gall, or bile, is stored and concentrated. Bile is
the b itter, yellow-brown o r greenish fluid secreted by the liver. It is discharged into
the duodenum and aids in digesting, especially o f fats. It is a type of bitterness of
spirit, choler and anger. N aphtali, being pictured as a female deer, having no gall
bladder, reveals the beauty o f this tribe in th at it is w ithout bitterness. It cannot keep
anger long, or a bad spirit. N aphtali has her faults, as we will see, but one o f them cer
tainly is not bitterness.

3
 The fact th a t she is bom in wrestling and is a tribe w ithout bitterness enables her
to fulfill her God-given m inistry. The m inistry o f the hind is pictured in Job 39:1 and
Psalm 29:9.

“ Knowest thou the tim e when the wild goats o f the rock bring forth? or canst
thou m ark when the hinds do calve?” (Job 39:1)

“ The voice o f the Lord m aketh the hinds to calve...” (Psalm 29:9)

Being a fem ale, she has the gift o f m otherhood, the ability to travail to birth and
bring forth the calves. The greatest gift o f the tribe of Naphtali is her strength to inter
cede in prayer, and to lay hold o f the horns o f the altar and not let go until God hears.
Naphtali will hang on tenaciously to the vision which God has given her, wrestling until
she prevails.

To wrestle m eans to struggle hand-to-hand with an opponent in an attem pt to

throw or force him to the ground w ithout striking blows. Naphtali has great agility;
th at is why she has the characteristic o f the hind. To wrestle, one must be sure-footed
and this surely describes the hind, for the Word says in Psalm 18:33, “ He m aketh my
feet like hinds feet, and setteth me upon my high places.”

Surely, God is going to call forth his tribe of intercessors in the '.ast days who shall
wrestle, not with flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers o f the darkness o f this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
(Ephesians 6 :12) This is the high calling of Naphtali, and she is able to fulfill it as long
as she keeps her heart pure from all bitterness. As soon as bitterness comes into her
heart, she will not be a true intercessor, for the intercessor loves the fallen, the unclean
and demon-possessed one, and even the “ Judas” in the camp. It is impossible to pray
effectively for anyone if there is bitterness in your heart toward that person. Naphtali
has this gift, th a t she can, through the Holy Spirit’s power, approach the throne o f God
in prayer w ithout the taint o f bitterness, and while wrestling in travail, she will birth
her calves at the com m and o f the Lord. (Psalm 29:9)

One could take m uch space com paring the hind with Naphtali, but you would do
well to make a private study on it yourself.

GEMSTONE OF NAPHTALI

The gem stone o f the tribe o f Naphtali is the diam ond. There are different grades
o f diam onds. The im perfect ones are kept for industrial use. These are so im portant
that a deficiency o f them w ould affect the m anufacturing industries o f the entire
world.

Then there is the diam ond dust called bort. It is used for grinding. Diamonds are

4
used for drilling also, both in dental work and in oil wells.

The thing th a t makes the diam ond so beautiful is its high refractory power. It is
able to refract the light in such a brilliance th at it is also called the “ stone o f fire.”
There are different shades o f diam onds: colourless, pale blue, yellow, and even black.
It takes a terrible tem perature to m elt the diam ond, 3,700 degrees Centigrade. In
earlier times m ost diam onds came from India. In the 18th century diam onds were
discovered in South America. Then in 1870 diam onds were discovered in South
Africa. Today 97% o f the w orld’s diam onds come from South Africa. Annually their
production runs as high as 4'/2 tons, which is 26 million carats.

Some o f the fam ous diam onds are:

1. The G reat Mogul, which was said to have weighed 787 carats in the rough. It
was last seen in 1665 by a French traveller. It came from India.

2. T he Koh-i-nor, which also came out o f India. It was taken from a royal family
in 1304, and brought to England. It was 191 carats. It has been recut and now weighs
108 carats. It is the central stone o f Queen Elizabeth’s state crown. There is specula
tion that it m ight be a part o f the Great Mogul stone.

3. The Hope D iam ond, which has a bluish colour and is reputed to have brought
bad luck to its owners. It is in the Sm ithsonian Institution in Washington. D.C.. It is
4 4 Vi carats.

4. The Star of the S outh was found in the mines at Bagagem, Brazil, in 1853. It
weighed in the rough 261.6 carats.

5. The Star o f South Africa or D udley, was discovered in 1869, and is 47.45
carats cut. Since th at time m any more large stones have been found.

6. The Cullinan. the w orld’s largest gem diam ond, was found in 1905 in South
Africa. It weighed in the rough 3,106 m etric carats, (about 3 1/3 pounds). It has
been cut into four large and five smaller gems and today they are a part of the crown
jewels o f England.

The diam ond is, as we said, known for two things: its hardness (its ability to
grind everything down except itself), and its ability to reflect the light like no other
gem.

Surely this depicts the tribe o f Naphtali. They instantly attract you to themselves
by the sparkle o f their nature, b ut d o n ’t let them fool you, they are hard. No one is
going to tell a N aphtalite w hat to do. They have their own minds and they are going to
use them . T heir sweetness and sparkle does not reveal how set they can be in their
own ways. No one can catch th at diam ond, for ju st when you think you have it in

5
your hand, like a h ind, it will give one big leap and be far away from you. You can beg
and you can w eep, and y o u can try anything, b ut you will n o t be able to catch that
hind and bring it back into the stall, once it has been out free on the hills. The Lord is
the only one w ho can control N aphtali. She will only listen to His com m and.

N aphtali’s diam ond, like the ability to reflect light, reveals the tru th o f the pro
phecy given by th e p rophet Isaiah in Isaiah 9:1 and fulfilled in M atthew 4:15,16, “ The
land o f Z abulon, and the land o f N ephthalim , by the way o f the sea, beyond Jordan,
Galilee o f the G entiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them
which sat in th e region and shadow o f death light is sprung u p .” This was fulfilled
when the Lord cam e in to th a t area bringing the light o f the Gospel. Zebulun and
N aphtali are b o th know n as the tribes who dwell in the light.

F o r N aphtali, there is nothing that can light up her life like the presence o f the
Lord Jesus Christ. He is her Beloved and her first love. It is alm ost impossible to come
betw een a N aphtalfte and the Lord. Her dedication and her life o f intercession gives
her strength. Her biggest problem s are her absolutely independent nature and her
diam ond hardness, which are good when controlled by the Holy Spirit, but destructive
when ruled by self-will.

PROPHECIES TO NAPHTALI - JACOB

Genesis 4 9 :2 1 , “ Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly w ords.”

The word “ goodly” comes from the Hebrew shephar (she-fer), which means, beau
ty .” Its root-w ord is shaphar (shaw-far), which means “ to glisten, to be fair and goodly.

The word “ giveth” in this case means “ to apply, ascribe, assign, bestow , bring
fo rth , charge, to recom pense, to distribute, to shoot forth, to sing, to u tte r and to
w eep.”

We see th a t N aphtali is called to a m inistry o f sharing w ith others fair^and

glistening w ords. This w ord “ w ords” is usually used only in connection w ith “ the
word o f the L ord.” So we see th a t Naphtali is called, n o t to a lot o f idle and em pty
chatter th a t bores people and tires them , but to give th at glistening “ diam ond which
is theirs to give and to give it in the name o f the Lord. Sometimes she gives it in a
song, som etim es w ith weeping. The Naphtalis weep easily and people cannot under
stand why th ey cry so quickly when they give their words, but this is a part o f N aphta
li. Som etimes to o , she “ shoots fo rth ” the word th at God gives her to give and then it
pierces like an arrow ; o th er tim es she distributes it lightly, but with a purpose. This is
her gift and it is a blessed gift. I also should say th a t Naphtali has the gift to scribe
the words God gives her. In this way and in her gift o f light she is close to Zebulun.
There are m any sim ilarities betw een Naphtali and Zebulun and they always get along
very well together.

6
 MOSES

D euteronom y 33:23, “ And o f Naphtali he said. O Naphtali, satisfied with favour,

and full w ith the blessing o f the Lord: possess thou the west and the south.”

This is the first tim e Moses uses the expression, “ O” in connection with his pro
phecies to the tribes. It is n o t to be ignored, as it is drawing our attention to some
thing th a t God wants to alert Naphtali to. The words th at follow are very beautiful,
“ satisfied w ith favour.” The word “ satisfied” means “ to be full o f ’ and “ to be satis
fied w ith.” The word “ favour” here means “ delight, acceptable, favour, pleasure.”

Naphtali is a happy tribe, gifted by God to enjoy the pleasures which the Lord has
promised her, even the joy th at comes w ith freedom to fulfill the will o f God. Naphta
li will not accept bondages o f any kind. She is that female hind let loose. D on’t try
to catch her! She will not com e, except she does it o f her own free will.

“ Full w ith the blessing o f the L ord.”

This speaks o f the fulness which God wants to give all of His children who walk in
His favour. He said. “ Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires
o f thine h e a rt.” (Psalm 37:4) It is only as Naphtali is let loose to seek the green pas
tures and to be led by the Spirit o f the Lord to the still w aters, like the hart o f Psalm
42, th at she can be filled with the blessings which, God provides for His beloved.

“ Possess thou the west and the so u th .”

The west speaks o f the land that lay to the west o f Naphtali, which was the
m ighty M editerranean Sea. It was the gateway to new lands and new adventures. God
wants Naphtali to possess the nations and to move out across the waters into new
places in G od, both spiritually and in the natural also.

The south speaks o f the pleasant things which lie at the foot o f Naphtali. Just
west o f N aphtali was Zebulun. God wants the uniting o f Naphtali and Zebulun. It
was in the southern coast o f Naphtali th at Jesus preached m ost o f His life. That was
the sea coast o f Galilee, the tow n o f Capernaum and the little town round about. Here
is where the great Sermon on the M ount was preached. God wants Naphtali to possess
this message o f the Sermon on the M ount....the “ Blessed art th o u !”

FAM ILY T R E E O F NAPHTALI

The sons o f Naphtali were:

1. Jahzeel: “ God (El) leads him .”

2. G uni: “ p rotected, covered, coloured, p ainted.”

7
 3. Jezer: “ one who m oulds, one who creates, one who constructs.”
4. Shillem : “G od has rew arded, God has repaid, God has restored, refunded,
com pensated.”

As we m entioned earlier, when the people in Bible days named their children,
they were revealing the experiences o f their lives. All o f these names are very beauti
ful and their meanings are also w orth considering.

Jahzeel means “ God (El) leads him .” It speaks o f how Naphtali, the .lind let
loose, did n o t take her own freedom to do what she would like to do, but perm itted
the Lord to lead her. This is the best way for a person from the tribe o f Naphtali to
begin their life, to tru st and allow the Lord (El) to lead them . It is a right beginning.

Guni means “ p rotected, covered, coloured, painted.” As Naphtali is led by the

Lord, she is “ abiding under the shadow o f the Alm ighty.” There is a special blessing
promised Naphtali. This is the promise o f protection if she will let El lead her. The
colouring speaks o f the camouflage which God gives His own to hide them among the
trees and the bushes o f the field so that the wild beasts and hunters will not see His
hind and destroy it.

Jezer, which means “ one who m oulds, one who creates, one who constructs,” is
the third son, who was letting God do a work in his life. But not only th at, he himself
was creative. He was, no d o ubt, another Michelangelo who could create sculptured
works o f art and construct beautiful buildings. Rem em ber, that m agnificent St. Peter s
o f Rome was designed by the sculptor and artist, Michelangelo!

Shillem means “ God has rew arded, God has repaid. God has restored, refunded,
com pensated.” What a beautiful way to finish a life’s testim ony! Naphtali gives this
glory to God th at God will bless those who put Him first in their lives by rewarding
them . My father used to say, “ God is no m an’s d e b to r.” I can confirm this, th at God
does indeed reward us faithfully for every sacrifice that we make for Him.

CHARACTERS OF THE TR IB E OF NAPHTALI

There are different men who are m entioned in the tribe o f Naphtali.

1. Ahira (Num bers 1:15), “ O f N aphtali; Ahira, the son of Enan.” He was the
prince and captain o f the Naphtali armed forces. He is also m entioned in Numbers
10:27. In Num bers 7 :7 8 he is called the prince o f the tribe o f Naphtali.

The name “ A hira” m eans, “ my b rother is angry,” or “ my brother has met w ith an
accident.”

This is an indication th at some calam ity happened to Naphtali. When they en

8
tered the wilderness, they num bered 53,400 and when they entered Canaan 40 years
later they were only 45,400, having lost 8,000 souls. Som ewhere, there was a spiritual
weakness in this tribe for which they were cut o ff in num bers, which is evidenced by
the nam e o f their prince, Ahira.

2. Nahbi: Num bers 13:14, “ O f the tribe o f N aphtali, Nahbi the son o f V ophsi.”
Nahbi was one o f the chosen spies who were sent into Canaan to spy out the land. His
name m eans, “ buried, hidden, the Lord is p ro te c to r.” This speaks o f real suffering and
danger in the life o f Naphtali. His father’s name was Vophsi, which means, “ My G od’s
supplem ent, G od’s overweight m easure, God is praise.”

The nam ing o f these m en took place at least 400 years after Naphtali was named
by Rachel. It seems they were going through terrible ordeals. Who knows, maybe
some o f them had even died under the whip of their Egyptian or Hebrew taskm asters,
for som etim es the Egyptians used Hebrew taskm asters over their slave labour. In
Exodus 5:14 they were called officers. These officers w orked under the com m and of
Egyptian taskm asters.

3. Pedahel: Num bers 34:28,29, “ And the prince o f the tribe of the children of
Naphtali, Pedahel, the son o f Am m ihud. These are they whom the Lord com m anded
to divide the inheritance u n to the children o f Israel in the land o f Canaan.”

Pedahel was prince o f the tribe whose work it was to officiate the dividing o f the
land o f Canaan when they came in to possess it.

The name “ Pedahel” m eans, “ to buy off, to ransom , to be set free, Jehovah has
redeem ed.”

His fa th e r’s nam e, A m m ihud, means “ my nearest relative, my covering is splen

dour, my people are fam ous, splendid, high, h o n o u red .” Certainly this is a high and
lofty nam e. As long as N aphtali lives with this a ttitu d e, she will succeed in her God.

Naphtali pays a great price to be “ let loose.” The secret o f her freedom is her
obedience to G od. She has learned the pow er o f fasting. Ramona Dicks has w ritten a
beautiful song which the Olive Branch sings at our conventions, “ I’ve fasted and I’ve
prayed, and I ’m free.” This is the glorious freedom o f the children o f God. The old
yokes and bondages o f traditionalism have dropped off. God has called us out of
bondage into the liberty o f the children o f God. (Rom ans 8:21) This is the only
covering th at Naphtali needs, even the covering o f her P rotector, the L ord God o f
Israel.

4. Ahim aaz: I Kings 4 :1 5 , “ Ahimaaz was in N aphtali; he also took Basm ath, the
daughter o f Solomon to wife.” Ahimaaz was one o f the officers in Israel under King
Solom on. The name “ A him aaz” means “ b rother o f pow er, m ighty one.” Basmath
means “ the fragrant one.”

9
 5. Hiram : I Kings 7 :1 3 ,1 4 , “ And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram o u t of
Tyre. He was a w idow ’s son o f the tribe o f N aphtali, and his father was a man o f Tyre,
a w orker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to
work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his w ork.”
The rest o f the chapter goes on to tell about the splendid work that this N aphtalite
did in the tem ple o f Solom on. He worked along with the Danite who was gifted in
o th er ways, to prepare the m agnificent tem ple for the Lord.

One o f his m ost m agnificent works o f art was the casting of the tw o great pillars
o f brass, 27 feet high, 18 feet around with 4 inch walls, which stood in the entrance of
the tem ple. This was a very difficult task to accomplish. This son o f Naphtali excelled
in all brass w ork. The name o f one o f the pillars was Jachin and the other Boaz.
Jachin means, “ He shall establish” and Boaz “ in it is strength.”

Beside the tw o great pillars he made the m olten sea, which stood upon 12 oxen,
10 bases o f brass, 10 lavers o f brass and many vessels for the house of the Lord.

This confirm s the tru th o f the name Jezer. “ one who moulds, one who creates,
one who constructs.” N aphtalites are im portant in the Lord s building programme and
in the designing o f His dwelling place.

BARAK

Please read Judges chapters 4 and 5.

6. Barak: Judges 4 :6 , “ And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of
Kedesh-N aphtali, and said u n to him, Hath not the Lord God o f Israel com m anded,
saying, Go and draw toward m ount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men o f the
children of N aphtali and o f the children o f Z ebulun?”

Barak is the great hero o f the tribe of Naphtali who has been admired and loved
for centuries. The name “ Barak” means, “ lightning, lightning sw ord.” His father’s
nam e, “ A binoam ” m eans, “ father o f grace, charm , sweetness, the h ero .”

Barak was o f the tribe o f Naphtali. Let us first of all review again the characte
ristics o f this tribe. Rem em ber she is a “ hind let loose.” Having been set free after
some kind o f bondage, prison or confinem ent, she is just like a calf, leaping and
jum ping around the fields, or like a little dog, just let o ff the chain, jum ping and skip
ping about, barking, “ yip, yip, y ip .” She is so happy to get free. T hat is Naphtali. She
never wants to get in to bondage o f any kind. She is a free-born soul. If you try to tie
her dow n, you will really lose her. When you go back to find her, all you will find at
the end o f her chain is the collar. She is gone! If you want to keep up with her, you
had better get moving. She is n o t going to hang around. Naphtalis are quite im patient
when they think it is time to get moving. This expression, “ let loose” has the implica

10
tion o f one who has escaped from the hunter. Once the hunter has caught you and
you have escaped the ordeal, you are not easily caught the second time. You will
praise God for y our freedom . It also speaks o f fleetness o f fo o t, a running deer.

Barak was a typical N aphtali. He wasn’t the kind th at was easily conscripted to
be a soldier. The Lord had already spoken to him and D eborah, the prophetess, knew
it. She sent a message to him and said, “ Hasn’t the Lord God o f Israel commanded
you to start m arching tow ards M ount Tabor and take 10,000 m en with you from the
tribes o f Naphtali and Zebulun?” Her prophecy was really a confirm ation o f what the
Holy G host had already told him.

I think th a t prophecy should often be a confirm ation o f w hat God has already
spoken to you about. It w asn’t easy for Barak to take up this challenge to go to war
against the hosts o f Sisera because they had 900 chariots o f iron. T hat is like 900 big
arm y tanks, and he d idn’t have one gun. He didn’t even have a sword. There was t a
sword in Israel. Some would say he was a fool. Many would hang out the white flag
o f surrender. I see m any people hang out their “ flag o f surrender” and give up even be
fore they get started.

Barak was no doubt hiding behind this white flag when God sent Deborah (which
m eans “ bee” ) after him. She was a bee with a good “ stinger.” A bee doesn’t only make
honey, she stings some o f the Baraks now and then who are slow in moving into their
calling. That is why the Deborahs are not too often appreciated. They make them
uncom fortable. You can’t calm a bee down either. But you sure can enjoy her honey!

Barak was inspired by the Holy Spirit that came upon him through the prophecy
o f this woman o f God. She was a wom an who could give him G od’s word for the
hour. I know some o f the greatest men o f God in the world today who have allowed
the Holy Spirit to use a w om an’s m inistry in their lives.

Barak means “ lightning, lightning sw ord.” This is so typical o f Naphtali, the hind
“ let loose,” the quick deer in the m ountains. Sometimes they are too quick, they run
ahead o f the Lord and do their own thing and then they fall into a terrible snare and
they cry and weep and howl and wail. And God feels sorry for them and blows their
red nose clean w ith His big heavenly handkerchief, because He knows they didn’t
really deliberately try to disobey God.

It wasn’t easy for Barak to go to war because some o f the tribes had forsaken him.
(Read verses 15-18) They were not standing with him, but God had given a word of
prophecy and so he obeyed. As long as Naphtali obeys the word o f the Lord to her,
she is safe.

Barak is n o t afraid or embarassed to honour the w om an’s place in the m inistry.

Barak said, “ If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go w ith me,
then I will n o t go.” (Judges 4 :8) He is not afraid o f sharing the glory with a woman.

11
He realizes th a t she will be his covering because she has the w ord o f the Lord for him. A
m an o f the tribe o f N aphtali never feels intim idated or th at he is some kind o f an “ under
dog” when a wom an o f God gives him the word o f the Lord. He will say, “ Praise God,
sister. I’m glad y o u told m e th at! T hat really confirm s som ething I ’ve been feeling in my
heart already.” He never feels beneath her ju st because God has sent her to him w ith His
word. Instead h e ’ll p u t on his “ lightning shoes” and he will go after Sisera, taking her
prayers w ith him , and he will defeat the enem y and when the battle is over, the tw o of
them will share the platform in singing loudly the praises o f God and giving God the glory.
There will be no jealousy, no resentm ent, envy or fear o f a woman usurping his place in his
m inistry. O ur N aphtali brothers are the treasures o f God to the women o f God. They are
the friends o f all wom en m inistries, the strength o f the prophetesses o f God.

N either are the N aphtali m en effem inate. They are a m an’s m an and big enough
to know th at they will n o t lose their respect because they respect and honour the
daughters o f the Lord. Even as a N aphtalite man is m asculine, so the Naphtalite
daughters are very fem inine, disliking anything masculine at all. You can hardly get
them to wear slacks or to cut their hair short.

What is m ore, they can sing. My, can they sing! One o f the m ost beautiful songs
o f the Bible was sung th at day by Barak and Deborah. Read it. (Judges 5:1-31) They
sang in the Spirit, bringing joy to Israel. God has anointed the Naphtalites to give
goodly words in song, whereas Zebulun is m ore anointed to write them out. These two
tribes work well together.

T hat day Barak and Deborah sang a song o f freedom , o f being “ let loose.” They
praised the Lord for the victory He had given Israel when the people willingly offered
themselves. N aphtali, sing y our song o f freedom! Let others desire your freedom .
Don’t let yourself be intim idated by the other prisoners o f war. You have been set
free. Praise the Lord for it! God is using you to be an exam ple o f His liberated people.

One o f the beautiful parts o f their song is found in Judges 5:18, “ Zebulun and
N aphtali were a people th at jeoparded their lives u nto the death in the high places of
the field.” These tw o tribes stood together as one in the heat o f the battle. Judges
4 :1 0 says, “ And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he w ent up with
10,000 men at his feet: (just as Deborah told him to ) and Deborah went up with
him .” She even told him when to attack.

Judges 4 :1 4 , “ And D eborah said u n to Barak, UP; for this is the day in which the
Lord hath delivered Sisera in to thine hand: is n o t the Lord gone o u t before thee?”
Barak attacked w ith such vengeance and anointing th a t “ all the host o f Sisera fell upon
the edge o f the sw ord; and there was n o t a m an left.” (verse 16)

The N aphtalite m en do n o t like to fight, b u t if they have to , w atch out! Under

the anointing there is nothing th a t can stand before them , especially when they are
united together w ith Zebulun, the tribe to their south.

12
 HISTORICAL EVENTS IN THE TRIBE OF NAPHTALI

When the children o f Israel came into the Promised Land, the tribe o f Naphtali
was w ith those th at stood on M ount Ebal to u tter the warnings th a t would befall the
nation if they forsook G od’s comm ands. A N aphtalite is called to warn G od’s people.
Some o f us are called to bless and everybody loves us because we ju st go around
smiling and blessing people. It would be so nice to belong to one o f these “ bless you”
tribes, but some o f us have to belong to the tribes th at warn people o f coming judg
ment? if they do n o t line up w ith G od’s holiness.

Some o f us are sleeping in a bed o f comprom ise because we will not speak the
word o f the Lord. Even in the midst o f their song o f praise, Barak and Deborah repri
m anded the people who did not obey the call to warfare. They scolded Reuben and
Dan and Asher, leaving a m ark against these three tribes that has never been blotted
o ut until this day.

TH EIR FA ILU RE

Read Judges 1:33, “ Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants o f Bethshe-
m esh, nor the inhabitants o f Betlianoth; but he dwelt among the Canaanites o f the
land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became trib u ta
ries unto th em .” Naphtali did not com plete their God-given task to drive out all the
enemies. There was a spirit o f com prom ise in them also. They dwelt among the
Canaanites, the inhabitants o f the land. Instead of cleaning house, they collected taxes
from their enem y. This is a warning to you Naphtalites. Do not comprom ise lest you
lose y our inheritance. You have this weakness in you that you can settle down and live
with “ the inhabitants o f the land” whom God wants to get out o f your life. You can
even “ collect taxes” from them . That means, you receive financial or physical com fort
from them . Beware, lest after the great freedom God has given you, you return to
sleep in the bed o f comprom ise. May God fulfill in you the calling of a hind “ let loose.”

B ethanath means “ the house o f the C anaanites.” Bethshemesh means “ the house
o f the sun god.” He was an idol. The N aphtalite must be careful that he has no idols
in his life. G et rid of the enem y in your life. Do not make concessions
w ith anything the devil would use to destroy you and keep you from possessing the
entire land which the Lord gives you to possess.

NAPHTALI UNDER KING DAVID

I Chronicles 12:34, “ O f Naphtali a thousand captains, and with them w ith shield
and spear th irty and seven thousand.” This was a part o f the great army o f Israel that
gathered w ith David in Hebron. A ltogether there were 38,000 men from Naphtali.
When you com pare the num ber o f soldiers th at came from the different tribes, you

13
realize that Naphtali was one o f the three greatest in num ber, only superceded by
Asher’s 40,000 and Z ebulun’s 50,000. From the o ther side o f the Jordan came the
tribes o f Reuben, Gad and half the tribe o f Manasseh, totalling 120,000 from them ,
making it about 40,000 in each tribe. So we can reckon that Naphtali was still dedica
ted to the cause o f the Lord in a great way during the tim e o f David.

I w ant us to see som ething beautiful regarding this tribe and the tribes o f Issachar
and Zebulun. It says that they could keep rank, they came with a perfect heart to
Hebron to make David king over all Israel. They were there with David three days,
eating and drinking; for their brethren had prepared for them . Issachar, Zebulun and
N aphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and m eat,
meal, cakes o f figs, and bunches o f raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep
abundantly: for there was joy in Israel. (I Chronicles 12:40)

A true Naphtali will give and give and give and give. This is true o f Issachar and
Zebulun also. Notice the loads o f food that they brought down to Hebron! Maybe it
is because they like to eat! They gave because it was a time o f rejoicing. King Saul had
died. Naphtali was like a hind “ let loose" and she was going to celebrate, for she came
full with the blessings o f the Lord to King David.

NAPHTALI DURING REVIVAL

Under Josiah: II Chronicles 34:6. “ And so did he (King Josiah) in the cities ol
Manasseh. and Ephraim , and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their m attocks round
ab out.” Josiah went up into Naphtali. breaking the idols which the tribe ot Naphtali
had perm itted to be put up in their territory. This had no doubt happened during the
days o f Jezebel, for she ruled over Naphtali also with her husband Ahab and w rought
havoc in all of Israel. Terrible tragedy had happened because o f Israel's sins and now
God was bringing them to repentance. He was using the holy King Josiah o f Judah to
touch Naphtali one m ore time before she went into captivity.

GOD JUDGES NAPHTALI

Because o f her backsliding, God began to punish Naphtali.

In B.C. 958: 1 Kings 15:20, “ So Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the
captains o f the hosts which he had against the cities o f Israel, and sm ote Ijon and Dan,
and Abel-beth-m aachah, and all C inneroth, with all the land o f Naphtali. This was the
beginning of the suffering o f Naphtali. Asa, king o f Judah, made a league with Ben
hadad, king of Syria, and hired him to invade Israel. This Benhadad is believed by
some to be the same as Hadad, the Edom ite, w ho rebelled against Solomon. (I Kings
11:14)

14
 In B.C. 810: II Kings 15:29, “ In the days of Pekah king o f Israel came Tiglath-
pileser king o f Assyria, and to o k Ijon, and Abel-beth-m aachah, and Janoah, and Ke-
desh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land o f Naphtali, and carried them
captive to Assyria.”

II Kings 17:6 adds, “ In the ninth year o f Hoshea the king o f Assyria to o k Sama
ria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by
the river o f Gozan, and in the cities o f the Medes.” God goes on to enum erate the sins
o f Israel and why He had judged them , and ends with “ So was Israel carried away out
o f their ow n land to Assyria u n to this day.” (verse 23)

It is a sad story. The beautiful hind was again caught in the snare that the hunter
o f her soul had laid for her. But some day, God will again set her free to leap on the
hills o f Galilee!

A PRAYER FO R NAPHTALI

The psalmist in Psalm 68:27 prays for Naphtali, and rem em bers how she came up
into the house o f the Lord playing upon instrum ents, her damsels playing tam bourines
as he says, “ there is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes o f Judah and their
council, the princes o f Zebulun, and the princes o f Naphtal!. Thy God hath com m an
ded thy strength: strengthen, O God. that which thou hast wrought for us.” He is
looking into the future and seeing Naphtali coming into the tem ple bringing presents to
the Lord w ith songs o f praise and their daughters playing the songs o f Zion, which is so
typical of N aphtali, the tribe that honoured G od’s anointed daughters.

The com forting thing is th at Naphtali is an intercessor. She bows low in her grief to
travail through to victory. Isaiah 9:1 promises us, “ But there shall be no gloom to her that
was in anguish. In the form er time he brought into contem pt the land o f Zebulun and the
land o f N aphtali, but in the latter tim e hath he made it glorious, by the w ay, of the sea. be
yond Jordan, in Galilee o f the nations.” (verse 1. Revised Version) “ The people that
walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land o f the shadow of
death, upon them hath the light shined.” This is G od’s w onderful end-tim e promise to
Naphtali and Zebulun. It was partly fulfilled when Jesus came preaching in their borders,
b u t it will be com pletely fulfilled in the future, for Naphtali is able to travail herself
through to victory. She knows the key to redem ption. She will cry and travail, and pray
and praise and sing and prophesy and fight and leap over the hills and trust in God as her
covering, and fast until she is FREE. And she SHALL BE MADE GLORIOUS. (

POSITION

In the wilderness, around the tabernacle: Naphtali was located on the north with
Dan and Asher. (Num bers 2:25-34)

15
 In the Prom ised Land: N aphtali was located in the n orth. She was bordered by
Asher on the w est, Zebulun on the south, Manasseh and the River Jordan on the east,
the small p o rtion o f Dan (where the golden calf was) in the n o rth east and Lebanon in
the n orth. Her borders touched Galilee, and Capernaum was in N aphtali.

In the M illenium: Naphtali will be situated betw een Asher and Manasseh towards
the n o rth . (Ezekiel 4 8:3)

The G ate o f N aphtali: The Gate o f Naphtali in the New Jerusalem will be situa
ted on the w est side together w ith the Gate o f Gad and the Gate o f Asher. (Ezekiel
4 8:34)

CONCLUSION

God is surely raising up His Naphtalites in the last days. The Baraks will be called
forth to set the people free. Even as Barak went from M ount T abor and ten thousand
men A FTER him , w ith his m en following, so the N aphtalites will com e, leaping ahead
o f the troops, leading them to victory for they are the sure-footed hind, not afraid to
climb the high places o f God and to win the victory, planting their ensign of liberty
and freedom for those in bondage.

Listen when Naphtali speaks. God has given her “ goodly w ords.” She comes, full
with blessings, her heart is generous, ready to give to all. God has blessed her that she
m ight bless others. She has paid the price in travail and now she is being sent forth like
the dove was sent o u t o f the ark o f Noah to proclaim the good news that the judgm ent
o f God is lifted and God is preparing to do a new thing in the earth.

16
 ©•e sc Up graffito ©zfl)

(Be b <3^
£&E*SR>&fienE» ?§&9Q

^ g* ^ g®3SKS8&

(P m M fa (fit? B m rtS b sG a fx g & n m to Q

 PRAYER

“ Heavenly F ather, F ather and C reator o f all people since Adam, we hum bly ask
You to open the heart o f o u r understanding to find Y our son, Gad, in the Spirit
Truly he is a beautiful and special servant and son o f Yours, and our brother. We need
to know o u r brother. There are some o f us who have his characteristics, his calling and
his m arking in our lives. Let us learn the lessons th a t Gad learned th at we may conquer
the evil one and be counted w orthy to stand before You, even as he was. In Jesus
nam e. A m en.”

TH E NAMING OF GAD

“ When Leah saw th at she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her
Jacob to wife. And Zilpah Leah’s m aid bare Jacob a son. And Leah said. A troop
com eth: and she called his nam e G ad.” (Genesis 30:9-11)

Gad was Jaco b ’s seventh son, his first by Zilpah, Leah s maid.

T H E MEANING OF TH E NAME

Gad comes from the Hebrew word gad (gad). It has more than one meaning.
The first is “ a tro o p ,” and it also means “ fortune, to attack, to overcom e, to invade,
and to gather tog eth er.” (This last one could be expressed in our m odern coloquialism
as “ ganging up together for an attack. )

Gad was also the name o f a Babylonian deity.

His m other, Zilpah, who bore him , was the handm aiden o f Leah. She was the
sister o f Bilhah. Her name m eans, “ drop, tear, closeness, wet with m yrrh.” It was
Leah who nam ed Gad. She had stopped giving birth for some tim e, but after Kache
gave her m aid, Bilhah, to Jacob as a concubine, Leah decided to do the same with her
m aid, Zilpah. This was no love-affair betw een Jacob and Zilpah; this was only for the
purpose o f giving birth to m ore children. When Gad was b o m , Leah felt a great sense
o f victory over Rachel and th a t is why she called this son of Zilpah’s Gad.

SYMBOL

T he sym bol o f Gad is three tents. The larger o f the three is in the f° reSround *
the center and the o th er tw o are on either side in the background. In those days the tent
was the dwelling place o f th e Children o f Israel, the sons o f Jacob. They would not
live in houses until they came into Egypt, and then m ost o f their dwelling places wou
be very prim itive. It was n o t until they possessed the land o f Canaan that they would

1
 dwell in houses. But Gad never did come in to his inheritance on the other side o f
Jordan, th e Promised Land, because he chose his inheritance in the land o f Gilead.
Therefore his whole life was one o f never really being settled down. He is known as
the pilgrim and th e stranger. This is typical o f Gad to d a y ; he is a roam er. He loves to
keep on th e m ove and n o t settle down long in one place. In fact we have used his
nam e, gad, to coin an expression th a t m eans “ to wander about in an idle or restless
w ay, as in seeking am usem ent.” The prophet Jerem iah, when rebuking Israel, said
“ Why gaddest th o u ab o u t so m uch to change thy w ay?” (Jerem iah 2:36)

One thing rem arkable about the sym bol o f Gad is the way the three tents rem ind
us o f the scene o f Calvary where Jesus was crucified, w ith one person on each side of
Him also being crucified. The te n t is a dwelling place, a habitation. The word “ te n t”
comes from the Hebrew word ohel (o-hel) m eaning, “ a covering, a hom e, a taber
nacle, a te n t.” In II Corinthians 5:1-4 we read, “ F or we know th at if ou r earthly
house o f this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building o f G od, an house n o t m ade
w ith hands, eternal in the heavens....For we th a t are in this tabernacle do groan, being
burdened: n o t for th a t we w ould be unclothed, but clothed upon (covered), th at
m o rtality m ight be swallowed up o f life.” So we see th at the “ tabernacle” is a type o f
the body. Jesus’ body was a “ tabernacle” or a “ te n t” ju st as ours also is. The sym bol
o f Gad, w ith the three tents, is a picture o f the three bodies that hung on crosses that
day, w ith Jesus being the one in the foreground and the m ost prom inent.

God is speaking to Gad to look to Calvary for the forgiveness o f his sins and then
to live the crucified life. Gad m ust be crucified w ith Christ at all times or he cannot
come into his full m aturity which God desires o f him.

TH E GEMSTONE OF GAD

The gem stone o f Gad is called the ligure. This nam e is only used twice in the
Bible, and b o th tim es are in connection w ith this stone in the breastplate o f the high
priest. It comes from the Hebrew word leshem (le-shem) which has an unused ro o t
o f uncertain m eaning, it is perhaps the jacinth. The jacinth is m entioned in Revelation
21:20 as being one o f the foundations o f the New Jerusalem . It is described in
Strong’s Concordance as a gem o f a deep blue colour. There are beautiful deep blue
gemstones in Egypt and Arabia which could easily be this stone. The breastplates o f
the horses in Revelation 9:17 are described as consisting of, or appearing to be like,
jacin th and brim stone. This speaks o f a terrible heat. We know th at the higher tem
perature o f h eat is a blue colour.

Gad is form ed in the heat o f the battle, through great trials and testings. It takes
the m ost intense heat to perfect the Gadite. And G od, in His tender love, will perm it
Gad to pass through these fiery trials th at he m ight com e fo rth in the likeness o f
heaven, fo r blue is the colour o f heaven.

2
 PROPHECIES CONERNING GAD - JACOB

Genesis 4 9 :2 0 , “ Gad, a troop shall overcom e him : b u t he shall overcome at last.”

Jacob looks into the life o f Gad and sees a tim e in his life when he is defeated by
the enem y. There is som ething very strange about this enemy. His enemy is called by
the nam e “ a tro o p .” In o th er words, God is saying th at G ad’s worst enem y is Gad.
Gad is a tro o p , his nam e means “ a tro o p ” and he will be overcome by “ a tro o p .”
I feel th a t this is tru e o f alm ost everyone o f G od’s children. O ur own worst enem y is
the “ s e lf ’ w ithin us. F o r Gad it was extra hard, because this troop is one th at is
destined to overcom e th e pow erful enem y raised up against him, and appointed by his
enem y to destroy him.

Within each o f us is a trin ity : body, soul and spirit. The spirit is the innerm ost,
purest p art o f o u r being, and the closest to the Spirit o f God. But working against the
spirit is this soulish self o f ours which gets m uch encouragem ent from the flesh (the
body). Paul recognized this warring in his innerm ost being and knew his only source of
help was the Holy Spirit. So too w ith Gad, he is overcome by self, his strong will, his
independent nature, his doing his own thing, and it is only as the Holy Spirit takes over
in his life, th at he can overcom e “ the tro o p ” which is his w orst enemy. Gad has to
fight Gad. G ad’s enem y is n o t his neighbour, it is th at man w ithin, th at old nature
which m ust be overcome so th a t the beautiful blue o f heaven can shine through his
life.

God has given to Gad the symbol o f his victory in the cross
of Jesus, the scene o f Calvary. I think there is som ething you may
enjoy about this sym bol o f Gad. It is very m uch like the Chinese
word for COME. Chinese is m ade up o f radicals and symbols.
the character for “ m an.” The cross is the sign for ten
(which is the num ber o f com pletion.) When you put a man on the
cross and add another on each side, you have the word for come,
lai. Do you see the resem blance betw een the Chinese w ord for
COME and the sym bol o f Gad? Rem ember th a t the Chinese
language is very, very ancient. Could there be some relationship
betw een these two? C ertainly, it is only as Gad comes to the
cross, th a t he can overcom e the old nature. Paul says, “ I am
crucified w ith Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, b u t Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith o f the Son o f G od, who loved me, and
gave him self for m e.” (Galatians 2:20) In Galatians 5:24 he says, “ And they th at are
Christ’s have crucified the flesh w ith the affections and lusts.”

MOSES’ PROPHECY TO GAD

D euteronom y 3 3 :20, “ And o f Gad he said, Blessed be he th a t enlargeth Gad: he

3
dw elleth as a lion, and teareth th e arm w ith the crown o f the head. And he provided
th e first p a rt for him self, because there, in a portion o f the lawgiver was he seated, and
he came w ith the heads o f the people, he executed the justice o f the Lord, and his
judgm ents w ith Israel.”

This is a trem endous prophecy and it is packed full o f w onderful and interesting
m eanings. Let us take it p art by part.

“ Blessed be he th a t enlargeth G ad:”

Enlargem ent is a trem endous, im portant thing in the m inistry o r in business.

When a m inistry stands still, it begins to die. This is true o f the business world also.
Enlargem ent speaks o f expansion, grow th, larger volum e, broadening o u t increasing in
size to speak or write at greater length, to reproduce, and to release from pnson.
( Webster’s New World Dictionary ) God promises a blessing to anyone who blesses
Gad by helping them to grow in G od and develop into w hat He has called them to be,
and w ho releases them from their prison. Gad does have prisons to o ; they are the
prisons o f the lim itations which he sets for himself. Gad is hard to get moving. He
w ants to stay wherever he is p u t. He needs constant encouraging and pushing and
prodding to move o u t and to expand. It can becom e a tiring thing to try to get Gad to
enlarge his borders and capabilities. T hat is why a special prom ise o f blessing is given
to those who will take the effo rt and the tim e to encourage Gad to move into the
things God has for him .

“ he dw elleth as a lion,”

This lion is called lebaoth in Hebrew. It is the same one th at is used in Genesis
4 9 :9 referring to Judah in his m aturity. This is the great, old, sto u t lion who has come
to m aturity. Moses sees Gad as a “ lion” the king o f beasts, resting in confidence and
strength.

This reveals the ferociousness also o f this tribe. People surrounding Gad were
afraid o f him , and we read th a t the countenance o f their warriors was like th at o f a
lion. When the com panies o f the tribes came to David at H ebron, it is said o f the
soldiers o f G ad, “ And o f the G adites there separated themselves u n to David into the
the hold to the wilderness m en o f m ight, and m en o f war fit for the battle, th at could
handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces o f lions, and were as swift as
the roes upon the m ountains;” (I Chronicles 12:8) Then it goes on to name eleven of
these great lion-like m en. We will look into the m eaning o f their names later in this
study. This was 700 years a fter Gad was born. Think how they kept their lion-like
nature and how they grew in strength there on the east side of the Jordan!

“ and teareth th e arm ”

The arm is th e part o f the body th a t holds the spear o r bow and arrow. Gad does

4
n ot fool around. He goes straight to the source o f danger. He strikes out at the source
o f hum an strength and hum an effort to disarm the enemy.

“ w ith th e crow n o f the head.”

T he only ones w ho wear crowns are royalty. Gad goes after th e ruling m onarch.
He doesn’t waste tim e w ith the foot-soldier, he wants to get the king, the one w ith the
crow n on his head. Those w ho are Gadites are called to a m inistry in deliverance, going
right after th e ruling pow ers o f spiritual wickedness. He is trained for this kind o f war
fare through his own experience in fighting these strong “ kings” in his own life.

“ A nd h e provided the first p art fo r him self.”

This part makes me smile. This afternoon I walked into our com m unity kitchen
here in Bethlehem , Engeltal, the hom e o f the End-Time Handmaidens. There was a
great discussion going on. Som eone had picked a nice big cucum ber o u t o f ou r garden.
One o f o u r End-Time Handm aidens had come in to the kitchen and found it. She was
asking th e cook to please pickle this one cucum ber just for her. It so happens th at this
particular handm aiden who w anted the pickle is from the tribe o f Gad.

When Israel was m arching and fighting their way through to the Promised Land
they conquered m ighty kings and armies. Og was king o f th at region and he was a
giant. He had the first “ king-sized” bed th at we read ab o u t in history. It was 15 feet
by 6 feet, 8 inches. (D euteronom y 3 :11) Moses says, “ And this land, which we
possessed at th a t tim e, from Aroer, which is by the river A m on, and half m ount
Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the R eubenites, and to the G adites.” (Deu
teronom y 3 :1 2 ) This was the land they possessed. The reason th a t Moses gave it to
them is because when they saw it, they realized it was a beautiful land for pasture, and
they had m uch cattle, so they asked for it. “ Now the children o f Reuben and the
children o f Gad had a very great m ultitude o f cattle: and when they saw the land o f
Jazer, and th e land o f G ilead, th a t, behold, the place was a place for cattle; the children
o f Gad and the children o f Reuben came and spake u n to Moses, and to Eleazar the
priest, and u n to the princes o f the congregation, saying...let this land be given unto thy
servants for a possession, and bring us n o t over Jo rd an .” (Num bers 32:1,2,5)

C ertainly, Gad was looking out for himself. In this way, he is m uch like the tribe
o f Benjamin who “ devours th e prey.”

“ there, in a p o rtio n o f the lawgiver, was he seated.”

The word translated “ lawgiver” comes from the Hebrew chaqaq (khaw-kak)
m eaning, “ to be a scribe, to cu t o r engrave in to stones in prim itive times, to appoint,
decree, governor, p rin t.”

From this unique prophecy we see th a t the tribe o f Gad is gifted in anything that

5
had to do w ith writing o r printing the message o f God. This is their appointm ent. Put
them in front o f a typew riter and they will have a message for som eone. Put them in a
printshop and they will be able to learn the m odern art o f “ engraving” called printing!
Now, the strange thing ab o u t Gad is th at he doesn’t know he is a scribe. He would be
the last person to confess to having this gift. But as he allows the Holy Spirit to de
velop the gifts, he will find th a t there are w ithin him m any treasures still lying dorm ant.

“he came with the heads o f the people,”

I think God had to tell Gad th at he was the head and n o t the tail because th at is
exactly where he thinks th at he is. Gad has such a tendency to think, “ O h, I’m only a
G ad!” He doesn’t really appreciate his tribe as he should. God is saying to you
G adites, “ You are com ing up together with the heads o f the people. You are on top!
Stop feeling so inferior!”

“ he executed the ju stice o f the Lord, and his judgm ents w ith Israel.”

God is going to give Gad a portion with Dan, in th a t, as the head o f G od’s people
and His scribe, even an old lion-scribe, he is going to have a portion in judging Israel.

We see in Gad a resem blance to four tribes:

1. Judah...the old lion,

2. Benjam in...providing the first portion for himself,
3. Levi...the scribe o f Israel,
4. D an...the judge o f Israel.

Maybe th at is w hy the Gads have a hard tim e identifying themselves, simply

because o f the fact th a t they have the characteristics o f so m any o f the other tribes.
And then of course they lived close enough to Reuben and the half-tribe o f Manasseh
th at they could take on some o f their identity also.

TH E FAM ILY T R E E O F GAD

The sons o f Gad were:

1. Ziphon or Z ip h io n : “ w atching, concealed, hidden, secret, occult” ;

2. Haggai: “ celebrated, w elcom e” ;
3. Shuni: “ peaceful, h ap p y ” ;
4. Ezbon (also Ozni): “ splendid, beautifully form ed” ;
5. Eri: “w atchful, m y w atcher, awake in G o d ” ;
6. Arodi: “ a roam er, h u m py, hunchback, a com e-down, be reduced, sickly” ;
7. Areli: “ warlike, one w ho fights over a thing, courageous o ne.” He was the
7th son o f a 7th son.

6
 L et us look a little m ore closely at these names o f the sons o f Gad.

1. Z iphon: It is strange th a t Gad would name his first-born son Ziphon. It

speaks o f som ething dark, hidden, som ething th at one should w atch o ut for. It cer
tainly is a negative nam e to give your first-born son. He m ust have been born during a
tim e w hen G ad’s life was in turm oil. Z iphon was th e father o f the Ziphonites.

In The Lost Books o f the Bible, the testim ony o f Gad is very interesting and very
sad. He confesses the terrible sin o f anger and bitterness th at he had towards Joseph
and he tells w hy. I would like to share a part o f it with you.

“ Now Joseph, m y b ro th er, was feeding the flock w ith us for upwards o f thirty
days, and being young, he fell sick by reason o f the heat. He returned to Hebron to
o u r fath er, who m ade him lie down near him , because he loved him greatly. And Jo-
seoph told our father th a t the sons o f Zilpah and Bilhah were slaying the best o f the
flock and eating them against the judgem ent o f Reuben and Judah. For he saw th at I
had delivered a lamb out o f the m outh o f a bear, and p ut the bear to death; but had
slain the lam b, being grieved concerning it th a t it could n o t live, and th at we had eaten
it. And regarding this m atter I was w roth w ith Joseph until the day that he was sold.
And the spirit o f hatred was in me, and I wished not either to hear o f Joseph w ith the
ears, or see him w ith the eyes, because he rebuked us to our faces saying th a t we were
eating o f the flock w ithout Judah. For whatsoever things he told our father, he be
lieved him . I confess now m y sins, my children, that oftentim es I wished to kill him,
because I hated him from my h eart.”

He told how such hatred entered his heart that it affected his liver. Remember
th at N aphtali said, that the “ liver is for prudence.” When a person loses their pru
dence, they lose the pow er o f right judgm ent. This makes them act foolishly and do
things which they will regret later. He said th a t he suffered mercilessly for eleven
m onths and would have died if his father, Jacob, had not prayed for him. He told how
he acted peaceably in the presence o f his father towards Joseph, b u t that when he was
away from his father the spirit o f hatred and darkness entered his mind and stirred up
his soul. He exhorted his sons to love one another from the heart, saying, “ If a man
sin against thee, speak peaceably to him , and in thy soul hold n o t guile; and if he re
pent and confess, forgive him , but if he deny it, do n o t get into a passion w ith him , lest
catching the poison from thee he take to swearing and so thou sin doubly. If he be
shameless and persistent in his wrong-doing, even so forgive him from the heart, and
leave to G od the avenging.”

This is the message o f Gad to the Gadites. It is a warning, th a t the Gadites must
be careful lest hatred for a brother o r jealousy enter their souls and m ake them so
b itter th a t th eir own life is destroyed. Gad was innocent b u t still he allowed bitterness
to enter his heart when Joseph reported an incorrect story to his father and his father
believed it w ithout finding o u t the details. You can be right and your brother wrong,
b u t if bitterness enters y o u r liver, Gad, it will destroy your whole soul.

7
 It probably was at this time that his first son was bom .

2. Haggai: “ celebrated and w elcom e.” You can see how God is beginning to do
a w ork o f restoration in Gad. Haggai was the father o f the Haggites.

3. Shuni: “ peaceful and h ap p y .” Peace and happiness comes into G ad’s heart as
he m akes things right w ith his G od. Shuni was the father o f the Shunites.

4. E zbon (also called Ozni) m eans, “ splendid, beautifully form ed, a listener, one
w ho has ears.” Gad is growing into m aturity through the word o f grace God is doing in
his life. Ezbon was the father o f th e Oznites.

5. Eri: “ w atchful, my w atcher, o r awake in G od.” Can you see Gad rising to his
spiritual experience w ith God as he begins to cleanse his life o f th at hatred and jealousy
and anger th at he had against his brother? You will never rise o u t o f darkness in to the
realms o f G od’s beauty and glory and the final great victory o f being in the firstfruits,
translated com pany, unless you can come with a fully repentant heart and get these
things o ut o f y o u r life and y o u r heart. You m ay feel you have a right to be angry and
h u rt over som ething th a t happened, b u t if it destroys you, what good is it? Eri was the
father o f the Erites.

6. Arodi: This nam e has a negative m eaning, “ a roam er, hum py, hunchback, a
com e-down, be reduced, sickly.” Here we see “ the tro o p ” coming against Gad. Gad
had one last, great, terrible battle in his life that he had to win the victory over. We see
him going through some great struggle. It could be that this son was born during the
tim e when they were going through real suffering, as there was famine in the land.
M aybe the child’s m o th er was starving at the tim e from lack o f nutritious food and the
child was bom sickly because o f th at. Arodi was the father o f the Arodites.

G ad, there will come times in your life when you will have to go through great
trials and testings, even as y o u r forefather, the patriarch, did. Many tim es these things
are w ritten for our exam ple so th a t we know th a t, as they came through into victory,
we also can overcom e in the end. Satan is always on the alert, ready to attack us just
about the tim e th at we are ab o u t to arrive at ou r perfection. When we are within
sight o f the goal he tries to trip us up. So m any tim es, heaven’s view is before us, and
for one m om ent, because o f th e sweat and the heat and the weariness o f the race, with
o u r eyes blinded by perspiration, o u r bodies ready to collapse within sight o f the
touchdow n, Satan sends a “ tro o p ” against us. T hat is the tim e to lift up our heads,
take a second breath and press forw ard to the prize o f the high calling o f God in Christ
Jesus. (Philippians 3:1 3 ,1 4 )

7. Areli: “ warlike, one who fights over a thing, courageous one.” God is going
to bring the Gadites through in to herolike victory. He is raising up His courageous
ones o u t o f this tribe. Areli was the father o f the Arelites.

8
 GADITES MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE

I Eliasaph: Num bers 1:14, “ O f G ad; Eliasaph the son o f Deuel.” Eliasaph
m eans “ G od has added th e re to .” He was the head o f the tribe of Gad.

2. Geuel was one o f the 12 spies who were sent to Canaan. (Num bers 13:15)
Geuel m eans “ G od is sublim e, God is grand, God is saviour.

3. Machi: “ w ounded, beaten .” He was the father o f Geuel, the spy.

EXPLOITS OF THE TR IB E OF GAD

Census- When the census was taken in the wilderness there 45 <550 Just
before Israel came in to the Promised Land .here were 40,500. Over ,000 ha led n
the wilderness. Again we see indications where they were overcom e by the troop
th at came against them . (N um bers 26.18)

One w onders what w ould have happened if all the tribes had taken their
possessions on the west side o f the Jordan. They probably would have
the giants and the enemies o f Israel. But because they were spread o u t so thinly, much
o f the land th a t God had prom ised them was not possessed until m uch lcter. Even at
the tim e o f David the Jebusites held the stronghold o f w hat is called Jerusalem to y.
David’s m en to o k it in B.C. 1048 (400 years later). (II Samuel 5:1-9)

When Gad decided to stay on the east side o f the Jordan River, Moses warned
them th a t they would weaken the fighting strength o f their brothers if they did
continue fighting at their side. So they continued in the_battle: w ithIsrael even thoug i
their families stayed behind. 40,000 soldiers crossed the Jordan to fight with the sol
diers o f Israel. It was five years before they could return hom e to their families. That
w a s a great price to pay. They go. w hat they asked for, b u t they paid dearly. G ad h as
to be careful, because in his heart there is a tendency to ju st go o ff and do h s o
little thing.” And when he does, he often causes intense distress in all o f Israel lea g
hurts and pains and m isunderstanding. The G adite has to be careful that e oe
h urt the ones he loves the m ost because, often like U v i, he can dem and,.real
o f himself. Som etim es, because o f their “ rough edges” they irritate others. O n e .mus
be careful to n o t go to w ar against a G adite, because there is som ething in them that
m a k e s you feel like going a fte r them , taking them by the hair o f the head and shaking
them and saying "W hat are you doing?" U ke Reuben and Manasseh, they will find
themselves o fte n 'b u ild in g an altar to Jehovah exactly w here ™ nt
They are often zealous for the wrong thing. This is why they built the altar Ed. (
shua 2 2:34) They thought they were doing som ething helpful, b u t mstea ey
causing “ confusion in the cam p.”

The Gadites are w arriors, ready for the battle once they get stirred up. Otherwise

9
they will keep to themselves. You will rem em ber th at they to o k th e land o f the
Am m onites. These were a very cruel people. Some o f them w ould attack the Gadites
again and again. T hat is w hy Gad had to becom e a warring tribe, ready for instant
warfare. They lived in their ten ts w ith their sword at their side, ready to go to battle at
all times. But this was their fault. They had chosen th a t territo ry , and then asked God
to bless w hat they had chosen.

GADITE SOLDIERS IN THE TIME O F KING DAVID

Again we want to look at the great soldiers who came up to join w ith King David
at Hebron. (I Chronicles 12:8-17)

They were m en o f m ight, m en o f war, fit for the battle. They could handle the
shield and buckler. Their faces were like the faces o f lions and they were as swift as
the roes on the m ountains. It is w ritten o f them , “ These are they th at w ent over
Jordan in the first m o n th , when it had overflown all his banks; and they put to flight
all them o f the valleys, b o th tow ard the east, and tow ard the w est.” (I Chronicles
12:15)

These were G od’s kind o f m en — men who were not afraid to cross the Jordan
when its banks were swollen. God said through his prophet Jerem iah in Jerem iah 12:5,
“ If thou hast run w ith the footm en, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou
contend with horses? and if in the land o f peace, w herein thou trustedst, they wearied
thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling o f Jo rdan?” We know that the Children of
Israel crossed over into Canaan when the Jordan overflowed its banks and God held
back the waters. (Joshua 3 :1 5 ) God is looking for an arm y o f Gadites who will be
fearless when the floods rise. I believe th at He will have them , and they will be fearless
G adites, whose faces are like those o f the lion, swift as the roes on the m ountains.
Through their lives o f suffering as nom ads, fighting against the A m m onites, defending
their little ten ts and their pastures against the wicked enem y, they had become strong
in. their G od, true m en o f m ight, men o f courage, men who were fit for the battle.
Those are the qualifications th at God is going to find in Gad when the camp o f Gad is
ready for the battle. God puts Gad through a stiff “ boot-cam p.”

If you are a G adite and say to yourself, “ I w ould rather stay right here and not
cross over to the b a ttle ,” then get ready for trouble. God is n o t finished working with
you yet! He is going to take th a t “ little b o y ” o u t o f you and m ake a soldier o u t o f
you who is fit for the battle. I d o n ’t know w hat He will use, b u t He knows how to
train you until you can handle the shield and the buckler and y our face will be the face
o f a lion, y our feet like the roe on the m ountain tops.

Let us look at the names o f these 13 soldiers o f Gad.

1. Ezer: “ help”

10
 2. O badiah: “servant o f Jah ”
3. Eliab: “God is fath e r”
4. M ishm annah: “strength, rigour”
5. Jerem iah: “ Jah is high”
6. A ttai: “seasonable”
7. Eliel: “ God is G od.” He becam e one o f David’s m ighty men (I C hro
nicles 11:46)
8. Johanan: “ God is gracious”
9. Elzabad: “ God is endow ing”
10. Jerem iah: “ Jah is high”
11.M achbanai: “ th ick.”

They added m uch to David’s strength. They were men th at could break through
the greatest difficulties. They swam over Jordan while it overflowed all its banks.
They are fit to be em ployed in the cause o f G od. Men who venture thus in dependence
upon the Divine protection in spite o f difficulties or dangers, in obedience to the path
o f d u ty , will surely play a great part in the end-tim e overcom ers’ arm y.

JEPH TH A H , THE JU D G E AND SOLDIER

Judges 11-12

Jephthah was born in Gilead. (Gilead belonged to Gad and Reuben) His name
means “set free.” He was a judge in the 12th century B.C. His father was called
Gilead, and because there is a Gilead o f the tribe o f Gad m entioned in I Chronicles
5:14, it is possible th a t this could even be o f the same family. Jep h th ah ’s m other was
a harlot. His half-brothers by his fath er’s lawful wife rejected him because they were
afraid he would share in their inheritance. He fled into the land o f Tob, in the wilder
ness, and there he becam e the leader o f a band o f robbers. Like David, he became a
skilled and daring fighter. Judges 11:1 says he was a m ighty warrior.

When the A m m onites came against Gilead, his people asked him to come back
hom e and lead them in fighting the enem y. He was b itter about the way they had
treated him and asked, “ D idn’t you hate m e, and drive me out o f my father’s house?
Why have you come now , when you are in trouble?” (Judges 11:7, Amplified Bible)
But he agreed to lead the arm y if they would accept him as the tribal leader. The
covenant was m ade in M izpah, a place in Gad where the Israelite defenders had
gathered together for the battle.

The first thing Jephthah did was to atte m p t to secure a peaceful settlem ent, b ut
when this was impossible he m arched south in a wide sweep and attacked the Am
m onites from the rear. Israel still fights this.w ay today. He won the victory. But he
had m ade a vow to God before he w ent in to battle th at he would sacrifice to the Lord
whatever w ould come o u t o f the door o f his house when he returned victoriously. To
his horror, his only child, a daughter, came o u t to welcom e him , singing and dancing

11
 and playing the tam bourine. He tore his clothes in grief as he loved her dearly. But
she encouraged him to keep his vow and at her request he let her go into the m ountains
and bewail her virginity for tw o m onths, after w hich she returned and the sacrifice
was carried out.

A fter this quarrel broke o u t betw een the m en o f Gilead and the tribe of Ephraim
across the Jordan. As the Ephraim ites came tow ards Gilead in battle array, Jephthah
drove them back tow ards the river and sent detachm ents ahead to cut them o ff at the
fords. All those w ho tried to escape back in to Ephraim were tested by a word. They
were asked to say the word “ Shibboleth,” which means an “ ear o f w heat.” If they
pronounced it “ S ibboleth,” according to the dialect they spoke, they were slain im
m ediately. Many thousands o f Ephraim ites lost their lives.

Jephthah judged for six years and was burned in Gilead. He was later m entioned
by Samuel. (I Samuel 12:11)

Jephthah is typical o f G ad. He does the unconventional thing, like building

the m onum ent called Ed. No one asked him to sacrifice his daughter. It was one of
those unnecessary sacrifices th at Gad is always ready to m ake for God, even when God
does not require it o f him .

We n ot only see a m an o f Gad in this sto ry , we see the beautiful strength o f a

wom an o f Gad. His daughter, upon hearing about his vow to God said, “ My father, if
th o u hast opened th y m outh u n to the Lord, do to me according to th a t which hath
proceeded o u t o f thy m o u th ; foreasm uch as the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of
thine enem ies, even o f the children o f A m m on.” (Judges 11:36)

The daughters o f Israel never forgot the great sacrifice th at this daughter o f Gad
had m ade. Yearly they honoured her by a special day o f m ourning. The first woman
m artyr th at we read about in the Bible is this daughter o f the tribe o f Gad. She was a
wom an who had the courage to encourage her father to pay his vow to God. The
women o f Gad are strong w om en, they do n o t go back on the vows th at they m ake to
God. They have the courage to rise above their natural desires and to surrender their
desires o f m otherhood to becom e “ virgins” for the Lord, living a life o f dedication and
sacrifice. They are willing to lay dow n their lives as a sacrifice upon th e altar o f the
Lord. They are strong, like th eir m en, and they to o are ready to cross Jordan when it
overflows its banks.

ELIJA H , TH E PROPHET

“ And Elijah the T ishbite, w ho was o f the inhabitants o f Gilead, said u nto Ahab,
As the Lord God o f Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall n o t be dew no r rain
these years b u t according to m y w o rd .” (I Kings 17:1)

12
 In the m idst o f the idolatry and paganism o f Jezebel, God needed a prince to
shake Israel. Everyone was afraid o f this wicked woman. Many prophets had already
been slain. The whole o f Israel was given over to idolatry, and Ahab had no strength
against his ow n w ife’s evil, for she was controlled by dem ons and she controlled Israel
through dem onic powers.

Suddenly, onto this scene steps a m an across the Jordan river from the land o f
Gilead, called Elijah (“ my Lord is Jehovah” ) right in the m idst o f the courts o f Jezebel
and Ahab. He lifts up his voice and announces th a t he is going to stop the rain from
falling o u t o f heaven.

Can you imagine the im pact? All o f Samaria was shaken by one man. His voice
kept King Ahab awake on his bed at night and filled Jezebel w ith frenzied fury. Here
was one G adite who fulfilled the prophecy o f Moses to his tribe, “ he dwelleth as a
lion, and teareth the arm w ith the crown o f the head....In a portion o f the lawgiver
was he se ate d ; and he came w ith the heads o f the people, he executed the justice o f the
Lord, and his judgm ents w ith Israel.” (D euteronom y 3 3 :2 0 ,2 1)

Surely Elijah ripped the pow er out o f Jezebel’s hand and tore the crown from off
her head. He stood before th e throne, judging the leaders o f Israel. He broke through!
Hallelujah! When the Spirit of God came upon him and the anointing of the Lord broke
through upon his soul, he became that lion-man. He was the elect o f the elect. He
broke through all the weaknesses of his tribe, the reservations o f his personality, and
executed the justice o f the Lord in Israel. He called fire dow n from heaven and it fell.
He sealed the clouds, and they held back the rain. He called for a dow npour and it fell.
He ate angel-bread and ran in the strength o f it 40 days and 40 nights. He was fed
by ravens and m ultiplied oil and meal. He was a m an’s m an, a lion in Israel. He
anointed two men to be kings and one to be a prophet in his stead. He bequeathed a
double portion o f his pow er to a farm er boy who w ent in th at anointing to work a
double portion o f miracles. And last o f all, he broke through all lim itations o f the
flesh and was translated in to the heavens, the firstfruits o f the tribes o f Israel to be
ushered into the New Jerusalem , by-passing the valley of the shadow o f death.

Elijah left us an exam ple o f a G adite who breaks through into ultim ate and per
fect victory through the pow er o f the Holy G host in his life. And God is going to have
an arm y o f Elijahs who shall en ter in to the fulness o f their destiny by the same resur
rection power. Even as the Gadites were know n for their ability to swim the Jordan
when it overflowed its banks, so shall they sweep through the “ deep river” of Jordan,
called death, to stand before the Lord o f G lory in their resurrected bodies.

Had Moses not said, “ He provided the first part for h im s e lf’? Yes, indeed! And
th a t first part is not only the first part o f the land, b u t the first p art o f the promises o f
G od, as he becam e the firstfruits o f them th a t are resurrected.
 CITIES O F GAD

Joshua 13:24, “ And Moses gave inheritance u n to the tribe o f G ad.”

“Their coast was Jazer (Jah helps),” an A m orite tow n in Gilead. It was rebuilt
by Gad and assigned to the Levites. It was fam ous for its vineyards. (Isaiah 16:8,9) It
was west o f A m m on, and n o rth o f Heshbon. Isaiah lam ented because the enem y later
destroyed this beautiful place, leaving it in ruins.

“All the cities o f Gilead.” This shows us th at any city th at is in Gilead belongs to
Gad.

“ u n to A roer.” A roer m eans “ ruins.”

Heshbon: “intelligence, reckoning.” It was the capital city o f Sihon (Numbers

21:26), king o f the A m orites, on the boundary betw een Reuben and Gad. The ruins
are 20 miles east o f Jordan, opposite the no rth end o f the Dead Sea, on an insulated
hill, scattering over a space m ore than a mile in circuit. There still are m any cisterns
and a large reservoir near the base o f the hill, rem inding us o f the words in Song of
Solomon 7:4, “ Thine eyes are like the fishpools o f H eshbon.”

Ram ath-m izpah: “ high place o f the w atch-tow er.” It stands on the boundary o f
Gad, where Jacob and Laban set up a m onum ent o f stones.

Betonim : “ pistachio n u ts.” A city in Gad.

M ahanaim: “ tw o cam ps.” It is 18 miles east o f Jordan now known as Birket

Manneh. Here Jacob divided his people and flocks into tw o bands, through his fear o f
Esau. It was on the border o f the tribes o f Gad and Manasseh, but given to Gad. Abner
selected it as the capital o f the kingdom o f Ishbosheth, and crow ned him as king over
Israel here. (II Samuel 2:8,9) David took refuge here when Absalom rebelled, and sat
between the two gates o f the walled city when the news o f the death o f his son was
brought to him. (II Samuel 1 7 :2 4 ,1 8 :2 4 ,3 3 ) It is m entioned in Song o f Solomon 6:13.

Betharam : tw o miles east o f Jordan.

Bethnim ra: “ House o f pure w ater,” opposite Jericho. It is possibly the same
place as Bethabara o f John 1:28. This is where Jesus was baptized. It is an appropriate
name. It is a blessing for the G adites to know th at it was in their land th at Jesus was
baptized, and where m any o f Israel came to repent and be baptized.

Succoth: “ b o o th s.” It was here th at the m etal w ork for Solom on’s tem ple was
cast.

Zaphon: “ n o rth w ard .”

14
 POSITION O F GAD

A round the tabernacle: In the wilderness Gad was stationed on the south side
w ith Reuben and Simeon.

In their inheritance: They were on the east side o f Jordan betw een Reuben in the
south and the half tribe o f Manasseh in the n o rth .

In the Millenium: The tribe o f Gad will be in the farthest south, just below Zebulun.

T he G ate o f Gad: The G ate o f Gad in the New Jerusalem is situated on the west
side w ith Asher and Naphtali.

TH E CAPTIVITY O F GAD

B.C. 884: Gad, Reuben and the half tribe o f Manasseh were the first parts of
Israel to be w hittled down by Hazael, king o f Syria who m urdered his m aster according
to the prophecy which Elisha gave him. -(II Kings 10:32,33) He was very cruel.
Elisha had w ept because he saw in the spirit the evil that this cruel man would do to
Israel. “Their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay
with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child. (II
Kings 8 :12) All this was fulfilled, beginning w ith these three tribes on the east side of
Jordan.

B.C. 741: They were great warriors, but they gave themselves over to idolatry
and were carried into captivity by King Pul o f Assyria and Tilgathpilneser. They were
taken into Assyria. (I Chronicles 5:25,26)

GILEAD

The name “ Gilead” means “ rocky region.” It is so m ountainous that it is some

times called Mt. Gilead. (Genesis 3 1:21) The m ountains of Gilead included Pisgah,
Abarim , and Peor, which is 2,000 to 3,000 feet.

In the land o f Gilead there grew a shrub from which a sap or gum exuded. The
shrub was 12 to 15 feet high. It was fam ous in m any parts o f the world as the “ Balm
o f G ilead.” This balm was carried from there to Egypt, and travelled w ith Joseph down to
Egypt when he was sold into slavery by his brothers. (Genesis 37 :2 5 ; 43:11)

Jerem iah cried out to the people o f G ad, “ Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no
physician there? why then is n o t the health o f the daughter o f my people recovered?”
(Jerem iah 8:22) This was after they had gone in to captivity and he was grieving for
what had happened td them .

15
 Even to day, the Spirit o f the Lord is grieving fo r the healing o f the daughters o f
Gilead, the daughters o f Gad.

God has n o t cast o ff Gad.
m arried to His beloved Gilead.
land o f captivity, and use them
lieve th a t in the M illenium, th e
the nations.
He says in Psalm 108:8, “ Gilead is m ine.” God is still
He w ants to gather them back in to the fold, from their
to bring healing to the nations one m ore tim e. I be
balm o f Gilead shall go o u t as leaves for the healing of

In Micah 7 :1 4 , the Lord gives a beautiful promise to the inhabitants o f Gilead,

“ Let them feed in Gilead, as in th e days o f o ld .”

And again in Zechariah 10:10, 12, He says, “ I will bring them again also out o f the
land o f Egypt, and gather them o u t o f Assyria, and I will bring them in to the land of
Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall n o t be found for them ....A nd I will strengthen
them in the L ord; and they shall walk up and dow n in his nam e, saith the L ord.”

Yes, the “ tro o p ” m ay overcom e Gad, b u t Gad shall overcome the “ tro o p ” at the
end, and he shall once m ore be swift as the roes on the m ountains, even as he was in
the days o f King David, the great King o f Israel. For, praise God, “ King David” shall
return to His city, and take His seat on the throne o f Israel and u nto Him shall the
tribes o f Israel be gathered, and Gad shall be there.

16
ftsfier
BY GWEN SHAW
This chart was taken from The A dam and Eve Fam ily Tree, produced by the Good
Things Company. Used by permission.

Cover by Cynthia Peal!

Copyright 1982, Gwen R. Shaw

End-Time Handmaidens, Inc.
P.O. Box 447
Jasper, Arkansas 72641

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States o f America

 PRAYER

Beloved F ather in Heaven, we thank You th at Y ou have th e key to knowledge.

We are longing to know the tru th which You desire to reveal to us. As we approach
these last days, we ask th a t Y ou will cause Y our tru th to be m ade know n u n to us, for
Y our Word says th at knowledge shall increase. We ask for this increase o f knowledge
and understanding concerning Y our Word. As we study the tribe o f Asher, we ask that
you will open o u r hearts to understand these, Y our people. In Jesus’s nam e. A m en.”

TH E NAMING O F ASHER

Genesis 3 0 :1 2 ,1 3 , “ And Zilpah Leah’s m aid bare Jacob a second son. And Leah
said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name
A sher.”

Asher was Jacob’s eighth son and his second by Zilpah, his concubine.

M EANING O F TH E NAME

T he nam e “ Asher” comes from the Hebrew w ord asher (aw-shoor) meaning,
“ h ap p y .” Its root-w ord is ashar, m eaning, “ to be straight, level, right, to go forw ard,
be honest, prosper, bless, guide, lead, relieve, blessed.”

Asher is the happy tribe. His happiness is n o t the result o f th e blessings which he
has received, b u t the jo y o f the Lord which springs up from w ithin. True happiness
does n o t come from w hat we receive o r possess, it comes from what we can give to
others, and Asher has the calling to give, “ He shall yield royal dainties.” Jesus said,
“ It is m ore blessed to give than to receive.” (A cts 2 0 :3 5 ) Asher is blessed by giving.

Asher’s jo y is a challenge to the o th e r tribes. Many tim es people think th a t Asher

has no troubles a t all, b u t this is n o t true. Asher has the same share o f problem s and
heartaches as any o th er tribe, b u t Asher has learned the great blessing o f turning the
troubles in to “ bread.” Every Asherite will m ake a serm on o u t o f his b itter experien
ces. Som ehow they find som ething good to preach about every tim e they go through a
trial and a test. It seems th a t the m ore b itte r the trial, the m ore royal the “ dainties.”

SYMBOL

T he sym bol o f th e tribe o f Asher is the big, fruitful olive tree. This is because
Asher has to have a good supply to enable him to “ dip his fo o t in oil.” He doesn’t get
th a t oil from some outside source, he him self is th e olive tree.

1
 In ZecharipT 4 we read a b o u t tw o olive trees th a t stand on either side o f the
candlestick whiu* has a bow l fo r holding the oil. From the olive trees there are two
golden pipes th a t drain the oil from th e trees in to the bowl. God tells Zechariah that
these tw o trees are His tw o anointed ones, Zerubabel, the governor o f Judea and
Joshua the high priest. These tw o trees are typical o f Asher, who has the constant
supply o f oil th a t keeps the lam ps lit.

This oil is a ty p e o f th e H oly Spirit. It is called “golden oil.” Gold speaks o f

D eity in the Bible, so we know th a t this is Divine oil. The tribe o f Asher is called to
be the source from w hich the Holy Spirit can be poured o u t to bring light and blessing
to m any. In this way, Asher, like Naphtali and Zebulun, is called to be a shining light
in the tem ple o f G od.

In Revelation 11:1-12- we read about tw o witnesses who shall prophesy for 1,260
days. These are described as “ tw o olive trees, and tw o candlesticks standing before the
G od o f the e a rth .” (verse 4) We can see th a t God is going to have His anointed ones
during the tribulation tim es who shall know th a t they have the source o f their power
and strength to witness (in spite o f terrible opposition and persecution), from the Holy
Spirit th a t dw elleth w ithin them . They will be as olive trees. This does n o t mean that
th ey are from the tribe o f Asher. But it does mean th at Asher is a type o f the kind o f
w itness God needs in tribulation tim es. God is calling you to becom e th a t source of
anointing oil.

Jesus said, “ out o f his belly shall flow rivers o f living w ater.” (John 7:38) Thus
spake He o f those who w ould received the Holy Ghost. When you have the indwelling
presence o f the Holy Spirit, then y o u , yourself, becom e th a t source o f holy oil. You
becom e that olive tree. This is especially spoken by the Spirit to Asher, b u t you and I
can claim it to o through the prom ise which Jesus gave th at day at the feast o f taber
nacles in Jerusalem .

GEMSTONE OF ASHER

The gem stone o f Asher is the agate.

The agate is one o f the m ore hum ble gem stones in th at it is m ore com m on, as it is
found in m any countries th ro u g h o u t the world. It is n ot costly, nor is it difficult to
find.

There are different types o f agates. I would like to describe how they are m ade.

“ The m ost agates occur in eruptive rocks o r ancient lavas, w here they fill the
cavities w hich were produced by th e liberation o f gas during the solidification o f the
m olten rock. These agates have a banded structure, successive layers being approxi
m ately parallel to the sides o f th e cavity.” (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2
 When a cross section o f the agate is cut, one can see
m any different bands o f colours, in circular design. This
type o f agate is used for cutting cameos, one layer forming
the m edallion, the other the design in relief.

Some have a green colour, some black o r brow n. If

the agate is artificially stained, it can have varied colours.
If the agate is soaked in a sugar or honey solution for
several weeks and then treated w ith sulfuric acid, it will
change it to dark brown o r black. The acid carbonizes
the sugar, thus colouring the m ore porous layers brown o r
black, b u t leaving the m ore im perm eable layers w hite to
obtain an alternation o f light and dark bands. Agates are stained red by ferric oxide,
green by chrom ium and nickel solutions, and yellow by hydrochloric acid.

Agate is created through a process o f intense heat and millenia o f tim e, w ith water
w orking on it to polish it. You see, this gem is form ed o u t o f tribulation. God allows the
Ashers to go through m uch tribulation so th at the agate can be produced out o f their lives.
$
The agate stone is used a great deal in China for the purpose o f carving different
things such as boats, pagodas, anim als, etc. Their varied types and colours make them
beautiful. One o f the m ost beautiful pieces o f jew ellery th at is used today is th at of
the cam eo, w here a part o f the layer is carved to stand out and give a three-dimensional
image. Some cameos are exquisitely beautiful w ith fine w orkm anship. Italy has some
o f the m ost m agnificent cameos.

Asher is born o f the hum ble handm aid o f Leah, and yet he brings intense joy just
because he is Asher. Asher means “happy.” I am sure th at every tim e his name was
called, people would have smiled. “ H appy, com e h ere!” “ H appy, H appy, H appy.”
Even saying the name is a positive confession. It produced a joyful spirit. This is what
Asher is anointed to do.

His happiness comes from the Holy Spirit, the fire o f God w ithin. The agate is
created by the intense heat o f the erupted lava pouring through the earth. So Asher is
created by the workings o f the Holy Spirit erupting from his innerm ost being in the
intense flame o f Pentecost. And then the w ater o f the Word is poured over Asher’s
being until he becomes th a t gem stone o f beauty and strength.

Even as the agate can take on different colours so readily, so Ashers can adapt
themselves easily to all kinds o f situations. They are n o t easily irritated by change o f
scenery or ways o f living. In fact they enjoy w hat others find difficult.

Also, the softness o f the agate m akes it adaptable to carving. God has put into
Asher this same type o f softness and tenderness th a t they can fit in to any situation,
and be carved easily into the “ cam eo o f the likeness and image o f Jesus Christ.”

3
 PROPHECIES TO ASHER

Jacob: “ O ut o f Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.”
(Genesis 4 9:20)

Moses: “ And o f Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed w ith children; let him be
acceptable to his b reth ren , and let him dip his fo o t in oil. Thy shoes shall be iron and
brass; and as th y days, so shall th y strength be.” (D euteronom y 33:24,25)

JACOB

“ his bread shall be fa t:”

The word for bread does n o t ju st m ean a loaf o f bread. It comes from the Hebrew
word lechem (lekh-em ) which m eans “ food (for m an o r beast), grain, fruit m eat, victuals
besides b read.” It is th a t w hich you eat to obtain nourishm ent.

God is saying through Jacob, th at out o f the tribe o f Asher there will come very rich,
strong m eat. If God has ordained you in to the tribe o f A sher,you will n o t be a person who
is content w ith “ Sunday-school preaching.” You will w ant to get the deep meat o f the
Word o f G od. You will find th a t you are discontent and dissatisfied when you go to
church if all th a t the preacher does, is give some little discourse or serm on which you,
yourself, could ju st as easily have given. When an Asherite opens the Word, he sees
tru th s th a t no one has ever seen before. God has given you a very special revelation in
the d ep th o f y o u r soul.

This word “ fa t” com es from the Hebrew shamen (shaw-mane) which means
“ greasy, plenteous, rich .” Its root-w ord means “ oily,” or “ to shine.” It is an indication
o f som ething th a t has been richly anointed.

In M atthew 4 :4 we read, “ Man shall n o t live by bread alone, but by every word
th a t proceedeth o u t o f the m o u th o f G od.” Jesus is saying that the Word o f God is the
bread o f heaven. Bread is sym bolic o f G od’s Word. So we see th at the bread that
Asher has to give to others is none o th er than the Word o f God. And because it is
“ fat,” it m eans th at it is an o in ted , plenteous, and truly rich food for the soul.

I like to think o f th e bread o f Asher as being like the European bread which is so full
o f nourishm ent and rich in grain. If you eat one slice o f it, you feel as though you have just
had a m eal. It is very strengthening and healthy. I have w ondered why so m any European
people do n o t have grey hair, o r else they have very little. I believe it is because o f the
bread th a t they eat which we can’t get here in the United States. Probably this is why
God is speaking to m any Am erican wom en to start to bake their own bread. B ut I
w ant to encourage y o u to be careful about w hat kind o f flour you use. If you do not
use th e right kind o f flour, y o u m ight ju st as well buy y o u r bread. Ezekiel 4:9 lists six

4
ingredients th a t m ade a very nutritious bread. It had to be nutritious, because it was
all Ezekiel w ould eat for over a year: “ Take th o u also u n to thee w heat, and barley, and
beans, and lentils, and m illet, and fitches, and p u t them in one vessel, and m ake thee
bread thereof, according to the num ber o f th e days th at th o u shalt lie upon th y side,
three hundred and ninety days shalt thou e a t th ereo f.”

“ and he shall yield royal dainties.”

The word “ royal” comes from the Hebrew word melek (meh-lek), meaning
“royal, a king.” It is the same word as is used in I Kings 10:13 where it speaks o f Solo
m on giving to the Queen o f Sheba o f his “ royal” bounty.

The w ord “ dainties” is maadannah (mah-ad-an-naw). It means “ a delicacy, delight,

pleasure, som ething cheerful.” It is connected w ith anad which m eans “ to lace fast,
bind, tie.”

The w ord “ dainties” is only used once in the Bible, though it is found twice or three
times in th e King James Version, b u t this particular w ord for dainties, maadannah, is
only used once in the original. It means “ a delicacy, a pleasure, a delight.” It is like the ad
verb for “ cheerful, happy, a b o n d .” We see by this how Asher shall be able to give forth
words th at will n o t only be strong, healthy m eat, b u t also choice pieces which are real
delicacies.

When A sher preaches hard things, it m akes people uncom fortable, b ut then God
gives this balance into the soul o f the Asherites, th at they can also give forth truths
th at are ju st a pleasure to receive and a jo y and com fort to the soul. So we see the
well-rounded and well-balanced m inistry o f Asher.

When A sherites are preachers or teachers, we always marvel at the tru th s which
they can find in th e Word o f G od. They are beautiful tru th s which we have never seen
before. T hey d o n ’t need to spend long hours preparing to speak either; it seems as
though G od reveals these choice “ dainties” in a few m om ents o f tim e. I praise God
th a t this kind o f m inistry is available for G od’s saints today.

So, I w ould like to encourage you, dear Asherites, don’t be tim id about w hat the
Lord has given to you. Share it w ith others. We are waiting to hear the w onderful
truths th a t God is revealing to us through you in these last days. They are “ royal”
truths com ing straight from the throne o f God. These tru th s will strengthen us and
enable us to continue in ou r work which God has called us to do.

It was so w onderful th a t Solomon shared his “ royal b o u n ty ” with the woman

from the south. She w ent hom e a new person because o f the royal blessings she re
ceived from his hand. We look to you, Asher, for these royal dainties as we tu rn to
face the heat o f the desert. We m ay n o t be able to sit at y o u r feet forever, but the
tru th s you have taught us will live on in ou r hearts.

5
 MOSES

“ L et A sh er b e blessed w ith ch ild re n ;”

Jacob gave A sher tw o blessings and Moses gave him five, m aking it seven alto
gether T h at is th e perfect blessing. And surely, Asher has been w onderfully blessed.
One o f th e greatest blessings o f Asher is his children. God is going to bless Asher w ith
natural children if he so desires, and also w ith spiritual children. Many w e lc o m e and
call him “ fath er,” o r her “ m o th e r.” And it is no w onder. Watch the lady th a t hands
o u t the cookies o r candy and you will always see th e children o f the neighbourhood
m aking a pathw ay to her door. She is blessed with an abundance o f children because
th ey like her “ royal dainties.”

However, th e “ cookies and candy” th a t Asher gives o u t will be spiritual treats

w hich will a ttrac t those w ho are hungry. They will be nutritious and strengthening,
and the hungry will find th eir way to his door. They w on’t w ant to stay away. I be
lieve th a t in A m erica and o th er parts o f the world G od’s people are still hungry for_the
deeper things. T hey are tired o f the shallow serm ons preached by their m inisters. This
is one reason th e End-Time H andm aidens have started to publish books. We believe we
have an anointed, deeper-life message and people w ant it. We can’t get in to their
churches, b u t they can pick up o u r books and read them and be blessed. We wouldn
have tim e, or even th e strength, to go everyw here, b u t we can write one message and it
will change thousands o f lives.

The children Asher has been prom ised, are those whom God h a s decreed shall be
his. I believe th a t as Asher enters into prayer and intercession, God is going to m ulti
ply his m inistry. His church will grow, his organization will expand; he will have to
stretch o u t his curtain, lengthen his cords and strengthen his stakes, for God has
prom ised to bless him w ith children.

“ let him be acceptable u n to his b reth ren :”

There are som e things ab o u t the personalities o f some o f the tribes th at m ake it
difficult to get along w ith th em . But this is n o t so with the Asherites. They don t get
on o u r nerves.” Y ou can flow along w ith Asher. They are great pals to take a lo n g on a
trip , drink coffee w ith, tell y o u r troubles to , go shopping w ith, and ju st chat w ith. In
the church, th e p a sto r never has trouble w ith them . They never give him a “ headache
like som e o f his o th e r tribes do. They are n o t trying to run the show, o r usurp authori
ty . They will stay p u t w herever y o u place them . They are never pushy or dom ineering
or insist on th eir ow n way. W hatever the pastor says for them to do, they will do it. If
he says, “ L et’s clap our h an d s,” they will clap th eir hands. If he says, “ Move o u t in
the holy dance,” th ey will dance. If he says, “ W ednesday night we are having a pot-
luck dinner,” th ey will be th ere w ith th e biggest p o t o f stew. They are ju st th a t kind
o f acceptable folks. They are called to the gift o f hospitality and have the gift o f helps.
(I Corinthians 12:28)

6
 A fight o r argum ent is agony for them . They w ant to please everybody, and al
ways get along w ith people. There is only one thing th a t gives them the strength to
contradict som eone they w ant to get along w ith, and th at is their strong convictions,
which lie deep inside o f them . But then w atch out! If you get in the way o f w hat they
feel is right, they will p u t th eir iron boots on and walk on to p o f you. They are loyal
to their friends, to the point o f where they can t see their faults. T o have an Asherite
as a friend and co-w orker is a blessing from God.

“and let him dip his fo o t in oil.”

This is n o t only a prophecy; it is a prayer. Moses begins the n e x t prophecy about

the shoes o f iron and brass, and even before he utters the w ords, he prays quickly, for
God to “ so ften ” the tread o f Asher, lest when he steps dow n on you with those feet,
shod in brass and iron, there will n o t be m uch left o f all o f us.

The word “ dip” comes from the Hebrew word tabal (taw-al) meaning “ to
plunge,” as well as ju st to “ dip in to .”

God calls Asher, through the prayer o f Moses to stop and plunge his foot in oil.
In o th er w ords, he has to get his feet “ b ap tized ” in the oil. The oil is a type o f the
anointing. God is calling Asher to be very careful th at his walk is anointed w ith the
oil o f the Holy Spirit. The m ost im p o rtan t part o f Asher is his walk. He m ust keep
walking in the anointing so th a t he can continue to give out the goodly words, those
royal “ dainties.” You can know how im portant it is th at his walk is anointed, because
who will listen to his words if he doesn’t w alk in the anointing? It is not only in the
words th at are spoken, th a t we are edified and blessed and exhorted, but by the walk
o f those w hom God uses to show us His way. We all see m ore than we hear.

When the feet are bathed in oil, they are cleansed. There are a lot o f saints
walking around w ith dirty feet. It is tim e for a Holy G host “ foot-washing” in the lives
o f m any o f G od’s children. There is sin in the camp. Their walk is not holy. They
have copied each o th er rather than Jesus Christ. They think th at because someone else
can get away w ith it, they can too. So sin is ram pant in G od’s house. Our lives m ust
be holy or God will judge us. God is calling Asher and all o f us to a new, holy, anoint
ed walk.

“T hy shoes shall be iron and brass;”

When an Asherite puts on those shoes, after having plunged his foot in the oil o f
the Spirit, he has a message to deliver th a t will shake the world. Those shoes o f iron
and brass are the shoes o f G od’s judgm ent. He suddenly changes from som eone who
is giving o u t “ royal dainties,” in to som eone w ho has a hard message, even one o f judg
m ent th at will m ake people squirm in their seats and start to hate the Asherite whom
God is using because his message is going to “ stand on their toes.”

7
 In his iron and brass shoes, the Asherite has strength to go into hard places, even
very dangerous places, behind curtains o f iron. It takes shoes o f iron to walk behind
curtains o f iron. But the shoes o f iron are n o t sufficient, rem em ber, the feet m ust be
plunged in the oil!

Asher is fearless. He ju st anoints his feet, puts on his brass boots and starts
marching. The devil had b e tte r watch o u t, for som ebody is coming th a t has m ilitary
footw ear to equal him . Surely the feet o f Asher are shod w ith the message o f the
Gospel! (Ephesians 6:15)

“ as thy days, so shall th y strength be.”

Asher is promised strength for the day, n o t m ore than he needs, b u t just exactly
w hat he needs. ‘If he tries to stretch it o u t, he may find he runs o u t o f strength.

I am not an Asherite, b u t I have claimed this scripture through the years and God
has given me supernatural strength to do the work that He has called me to do. I be
lieve th at this strength is n o t only physical strength, but spiritual strength and m ental
strength. No m atter the need, the supply is there.

He giveth m ore grace when the burdens grow greater;

He sendeth m ore strength when the labours increase.
To added affliction He addeth His m ercy;
To m ultiplied trials, His m ultiplied peace.
His love has no lim it; His grace has no m easure;
His pow ’r has no boundary know n unto men.
F o r out o f His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth and giveth again.

When we have exhausted our store o f endurance,

When o u r strength has failed ere the day is half done.
When we reach the end o f our hoarded resources,
O ur F a th er’s full giving is only begun.
His love has no lim it; His grace has no m easure;
His pow ’r has no boundary known unto men.
For o u t o f His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again! *

One o f the secrets o f A sher’s strength is because he has anointed his feet in oil.
Podiatrists tell you th a t m uch o f the health o f a person is determ ined by the con
dition o f the feet. There are specialists in foot-care in the O rient who know the art
o f medical science in how to tre a t people by foot-care. The nerve endings in the body
end in the soles o f the feet, so the whole body is affected by the feet.

G iveth More G race” by A nnie Johnson Flint and H ubert Mitchell, copyright 1941, renew ed 1969 b y Lillenas
Publishing Com pany.

8
 It is no w onder th en th a t Asher has this supernatural strength. His nerve-endings
are anointed. Much o f our strength depends on our nerves. God wants to get at the
core o f o u r being and strengthen us from th e inside out.

When A sher puts on those shoes, he can walk on thistles, stones, rocks and
nothing will h u rt him. This particular Hebrew word for “ shoes” im plies “a shoe th at is
laced u p .” It m eans, “ closing in and bolting up.” It seems to be a ty p e o f arm our for
the feet, a covering o f iron, like th e soldiers wore in medieval tim es. When you wear
th at kind o f shoes, the snakes cannot bite you, and you can m arch in dangerous places,
because th e old serpent cannot get his siing in to your flesh, fo r you are protected by
the shoes o f iron. Surely th e Lord has equipped Asher for end-tim e warfare!

TH E FAMILY TR EE O F ASHER

Asher had four sons and one daughter whose nam e is given.

Genesis 4 6 :1 7 , “ And the sons o f Asher; Jim nah and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah,
and Serah their sister: and the sons o f Beriah; Heber and Malchiel.”

At the tim e o f their going into Egypt, Asher had 4 sons, 1 daughter and 2 grand
children.

Jim nah: Jim nah means “ fortune, success, prosperity, happiness, good results and
effects, to get away successfully, and to make escape out o f a difficult situation.”

With a name like Asher (happy), and a disposition like he had, he started o ff his
family w ith the same “ positive word o f confession.” He w anted everything to keep on
going, ju st like it had been. It seems as though Asher was a m an w ith few problems.
He didn’t m ake problem s for others and he had none (or very few) o f his own. More
over, if there was a possibility o f him getting into trouble, he had learned the key of
how to “ escape o u t o f any difficult situation.” But how can one grow up like that?
God has to train us, and He cannot do it while we are “lying on a flowery bed o f ease.”

Ishuah: “ The Lord is sufficient, to m atch up w ith, to be adequate, to comply

w ith, to be in accordance w ith, or to correspond w ith.”

There is a m ystery about Ishuah. He is only nam ed here and then he disappears.
A pparently, after Asher w ent to Egypt, his son m ust have died. So the tribal families
of Asher do n o t include his second son.

Isui: “ God has need o f him , or obedience to Jehovah.”

The way Asher nam ed his sons describes how some o f ou r lives are. A t first,
everything is going along ju st fine. Asher has had his first-born son, happiness and good
luck, and everything is w orking o u t ju st perfectly. There are no problem s whatsoever.

9
He has the second one and it is the same “ positive confession.” Asher doesn’t expect
anything to go wrong! He is going to be equal to the task, sufficient for the need, wise
for the problem . Then suddenly, a tragedy happens. G od’s hand reaches down into
that family, and tragedy strikes. Asher begins to wake up and realize that God has
spoken. So, looking back and rem em bering the death o f his second son, he names the
third one “ Isui,” m eaning “ God had need o f him .” The naming o f this son speaks o f a
father coming into spiritual m aturity and an awakening. Suddenly he realizes that God
needed his son. God took his son. God needs to wake m any o f us up to the realization
that He is talking to us. He w ants us to wake up and realize that He has need o f us.
Sometimes the only way th at God can speak to some o f us, is by taking our children
or allowing our marriages to fall apart, or some other tragedy. Then we realize, “ God
has spoken, He needs me. I m ust be obedient to Him.

As long as we continue in ou r indifferent, prosperous, happy “ bless me attitude,

we do not even know w hat life is all about. American Christians have been “ coasting
along” just like that. We have been only thinking o f how we can make life more com
fortable, more enjoyable, m ore rich, more happy, and suddenly, God is speaking to this
nation! The bottom is dropping out o f our econom y and God is saying. “ America, 1
need you. 1 need your sons. 1 need your m oney. I need your tim e.” We have been
spending our tim e on ourselves, our m oney on ourselves and we have allowed our
children to do the same. There is a reckoning day coming and it is coming really soon.

Beriah: “ a gift, prom inence, eminence in tribulation and atfliction. distress and
sorrow, the unhappy o ne.”

He probably was born during the time o f famine. But we see here a m aturity in
the life and faith o f father Asher. He is learning to know that the God o f prosperous
time is still around when things go bad and that He will give strength in tribulation and
affliction. Beriah was a gift o f th e Lord in time o f sorrow.

Serah: Serah is named a fter her great, great grandm other on her father's side.
Sarah. This means “ princess.” Asher did well to honour the wife ot Abraham, his own
great grandm other by nam ing his daughter after her. It was the lirst time that the
name o f any o f the daughters was m entioned, except for Dinah. It is significant
that her name was given. In Num bers 26:46 it is spelled “ Sarah."

There are three tribal families in the tribe o f Asher (Num bers 26:47):

Jim nah, the father o f the Jim nites;

Isui, (also spelled Jesui), the father o f the Jesuites;
Beriah, the father o f the Beriites.
 CENSUS

When Asher came o u t o f Egypt they num bered 41,500. When they were ready to
cross in to Canaan there were 53,400. They had increased by 11,900. Surety this is an
indication o f th e fulfillm ent o f the prophecy given by Moses, Let Asher be blessed
w ith children.”

In D euteronom y 2 7 :1 3 we read th a t Asher was chosen to stand on M ount Ebal to

give the people th e warning o f th e curses th a t would come upon them if they did not
walk in th e ways o f the Lord.

FA U LTS IN ASHER

It is hard to find anything seriously wrong w ith Asher. But the Word o f God tells
us the whole story and so, in ord er th a t we may speak w ith the same honesty we, too,
m ust warn G o d ’s Asherites so th a t they can beware o f the things th at would hinder
them from having G od’s best in their lives. When we know our weaknesses, we can go
to S o d for help Confession breaks the pow er o f sin. All the tribes had weaknesses
and sins. All needed G od’s m ercy and help th at they m ight be corrected God is faith
ful to chastise those whom He loves, especially His sons. (Hebrews 1 2 :7,«)

In Judges 1:31 we read, “ N either did Asher drive o u t the inhabitants o f Accho
nor the inhabitants o f Z idon, nor o f Ahlab, nor o f Achzib, n o r o f Helbah noi- o f
A nhik nor o f Rehob: But th e Asherites dw elt am ong the Canaanites, the inhabitant
of^the land: fo r th ey did n o t drive them o u t.” It was a terrible tragedy that they d.d
n o t fulfill th e w ord th a t God gave them to drive them o u t and to take the whole land.
Later during the tim e o f King Ahab, it was a daughter o f their possession Jezebel of
Tyre and Sidon, who introduced the worship o f Baal in Israel and destroyed thousan s
o f G od’s people. How m uch b e tte r, if they had been obedient to God when He sent
them in to Canaan and told them to destroy the inhabitants! We m ay get by with a lot
o f problem s for a while when we com prom ise, b u t later on, our children will suffer for
it in a terrible way.

Let us look m ore closely at the nam es o f the cities th a t Asher did not overcome.
Perhaps they will reveal to us m ore clearly the weaknesses o f Asher.

1. Accho: Accho comes from the w ord akkow (ak-ko), m eaning “ to hem in.
Satan wants to “ hem in” Asher and keep him from fulfilling G od’s will. He has many
ways o f doing it.

2. Zidon: Zidon comes from the word tsiydon (tsee-done). Its Hebrew root-word
means “ to catch an anim al, to chase, to catch a fish, to h u n t, to take provision.

Asher was com prom ising w ith the hunters w ho would provide for his needs and

11
in doing this, he became the fish th a t was caught in th e net.

3. Achlab: Achlab comes from the root-w ord th a t m eans, “ fatness, fertile.” God
had prom ised Asher his ow n “ fatness” through the anointing o f the Holy Spirit. He
did n o t need th e “ fatness” th a t the world could give him. God has also promised him
fertility. We m ust be careful th a t we do n o t look for the source o f ou r supply o r the
fulfillm ent o f G od’s prophecy to us from any source o th er than G od, Himself.

4. A chzib: Achzib comes from the w ord akziyb (ak-zeeb) which means “ deceit
ful (in the sense o f a w inter-torrent which fails in summ er). How m any times have we
looked for a source o f o u r supply from stream s th at dry up when the heat comes!
Asher was deceived by the deceitful one. The enem y had appeared to be Asher’s
supply, only to becom e a disappointm ent in the end. Asher needs to be careful th at he
does n o t “ forsake th e fountain o f living waters, and hew him out cisterns, broken cis
terns, th at can hold no w ater.” (Jerem iah 2:13)

5. Helbah: Helbah comes from the word chelbah (khel-baw). It means “ fertili
ty , richest p a rt, best, fattest, e tc ..” Again we see the same weakness as in the word
“ A chlab.”

6. A phik: A phik comes from the word apheq (af-ake) meaning “ fortress.”

We can trust no o ther fortress than God. The psalmist says, “ He is my refuge and
my fortress: my G o d ;in him will I tru st.” (Psalm 9 1 :2)

7. R ehob: Rehob comes from the word rechob (rekh-obe) which means “ a broad
place.”

Jesus warns us in M atthew 7:13, “ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the
gate, and broad is the way, th a t leadeth to destruction, and m any there be which go in
th e re a t:” It was when Asher began to go th at “ broad” way that he lost the anointing
on his feet and could no longer m arch in the name o f Jehovah with those special shoes
o f iron and brass which God had given to him.

One thing th at is typical o f Asherites is, th a t they ju st d o n ’t like to go to war.

They aren’t the kind th a t really w ant to fight for their rights, and you have to keep
encouraging them and stirring them up to rise up and take their God-given rights.

In Judges 5 :17, we read again how Asher failed a t a tim e o f great national crisis.
D eborah and Barak are singing the song o f victory and God is rebuking Asher in the
m idst o f this song o f jo y . “ Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his
breaches.” This w ord w hich is translated “ breaches” is only used once in the Bible. It
comes from th e Hebrew w ord miphrats (mif-rawfs) meaning “ a haven, a break in the
shore line.” Its root-w ord is parats (paw-rats) which means “ to break away from , to
scatter.”

12
 The New King Jam es Version gives it very clearly, “ Asher continued at the sea
shore, and stayed by his inlets.” Lamsa Bible says, “ He rem amed m his harbours.

In the tim e when the Children o f Israel needed help against th at strong army
under th e com m and o f Sisera, and every able-bodied m an needed to play
Asher was n o t available. There was great consternation and great trouble in Isr .
Deborah is prophesying and Barak is preparing to go to battle, w ith the enemy who i
m uch larger than he is, b u t Asher is staying hom e on the beach, enjoying the sea sho ,
resting in the sunshine and the sand.

O h, beloved Asher, do n o t let your love fo r quietness and

place in G od’s end-tim e arm y! Beware o f your ow n love to escape from the n° ise>
turm oil and the strife o f the battle! Beware, lest your love for quietness and ^ shore
o f the coast and the playing-in-the-water hinder you from answering the call o f Debo
rah and Barak' G et those feet o u t o f the sea-water and into the oil, Strap your iron
boots on y our feet and begin to m arch over the hills. There is a battle going on in
Israel. You are needed. D on’t miss it, lest you grieve the Holy Spirit, and miss your
destiny and y o u r life’s calling.

ASHER ANSWERS TH E CALL TO BATTLE

In Judges 7:23 we read, “ And the m<-n o f Israel gathered themselves together out
o f N aphtali, and o u t o f Asher, and o u t o f all Manasseh, and pursued after the M.d.a-
nites.’

We know the story o f G ideon’s 300 men. A fter the Lord used Gideon and his
men to rout the M idianites, the battle-royal began. Asher, Naphtali and Manasseh
got stirred up and joined in the chase o f the enem y. They fought right through till
end o f the battle.

If you light a fire under an A sherite, you are going to have som eone th at is going
to be a good, loyal soldier right through till the end. They will stick by you. They wi
be loyal and faithful.

SOLOMON’S SOLDIERS

I Chronicles 7:30-40 lists the names o f the families o f Asher. Verse 40 says, “ All
these were the children o f Asher, heads o f their father’s house, choice and jnen
o f valour, chief o f the princes. And the num ber throughout the genealogy o f the
that were apt to the war and to battle was tw enty and six thousand men.

The officer under Solom on was Baanah, the son o f Hushai. (I Kings 4 .1 6 ) His
name means “ son o f suffering.”

13
 It is through their suffering th a t Asher is raised up in the anointing to take their
place as soldiers in th e arm y o f the King o f Kings. It is through hard trials th at the
Asherites becom e experts in w ar, ready fo r b attle, m ighty men o f valour and chiefs
am ong the princes o f Israel. Hallelujah! Do n o t be overcom e in the warfare. God is
going to bring you through, dear Asherite.

ASHER DU RING TIMES O F REVIVAL

II Chronicles 30:10,11 tells us ab o u t the revival that took place in Jerusalem

under King Hezekiah in B.C. 726. When the call w ent out to the different tribes to
come to Jerusalem and seek the Lord, the message also came to Asher. Praise God,
they heard and came! It is w ritten concerning Asher, “ ...divers o f Asher and Manasseh
and o f Zebulun hum bled them selves, and came to Jerusalem .” (verse 11)

I am so glad th a t they were there for th e last great touch o f God. It was the last
outpouring o f the Holy Spirit upon the ten n o rth ern tribes. A fter th at, they were
carried into captivity. A fter th a t, it w ould be to o late.

But here we see Asher com ing dow n, hum bling him self and going to Jerusalem .
F o r hundreds o f years Samaria had been the capital o f Asher, and the people, in their
pride, had refused to go up to the Holy City. But when the call o f the Spirit came to
Asher, he hum bled him self and came. When he got there he found th a t the anointing
o f God was still upon Jerusalem . God visited His people for 14 w onderful days o f revi
val. Truly, G od was preparing Asher before he w ent in to captivity. It would be the
last tim e th a t he w ould “ dip his fo o t in oil.”

We never know when our last o p p o rtu n ity comes to plunge into the river o f G od’s
anointing, so we m ust make use o f every single o p p ortunity to get the touch o f God
upon our souls. As Asher leaves his beaches and his sea shores to com e up to Jerusa
lem, he is preparing to m arch in to captivity, where, sad to say, she still is today. (Ze-
chariah 7:14)

CHARACTERS IN ASHER

Pagiel: Pagiel, the son o f Ocran was th e captain o f the hosts o f Asher. (Num
bers 1:13) In N um bers 7:12 he is called the prince o f Asher. The nam e means “ God
(El) is m y destiny.”

Sether: Sether, the son o f Michael was the representative o f Asher when the 12
spies w ent in to Canaan to spy o u t the land. Sether m eans “victor.” Sad to say he did
n o t bring a victorious rep o rt back w ith him.
 ANNA

The m ost prom inent m em ber o f the tribe o f Asher was Anna. Let us look at her
life and m inistry.

Luke 2:36-38, “ And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter o f Phanuel,
o f th e tribe o f Aser (New T estam ent spelling): she was o f a great age, and had lived
w ith an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow o f about fourscore
and four years, which departed n o t from the tem ple, but served God with fastings and
prayers night and day. And she coming in th at instant gave thanks likewise unto the
Lord, and spake o f him to all them th at looked for redem ption in Jerusalem .”

A nna was 84 years old. She had been a widow after being married only seven
years. She probably was about 16 or 17 years o f age when she m arried. Add 7 years
to th at, and we can understand th at she was probably in her early or middle twenties
when she became a widow. She never rem arried. She had lived in widowhood for
about 60 years. She had dedicated her entire life to God, living in the tem ple and
spending her tim e in prayers and service to the Lord. She witnessed a great deal and
lived a life o f fastings. N otice, it does not say “ fasting,” but “ fastings.” That indicates
there are m any ways for a person to fast. Food is not the only thing one can abstain
from . One can fast from sleep, from sex and from am usem ents also. A nna’s life was
com pletely devoted to God.

She also served God by witnessing to people. I can see her moving about among
the women o f Jerusalem , encouraging them and telling them w hat God was doing and
w hat He was showing her would shortly come to pass. Surely she knew, for she was a
prophetess. It does n o t say “ she prophesied.” She WAS a prophetess. This was her
calling. She knew the secrets o f God. Her life of fasting and prayer had brought her
into such a high plain o f revelation th a t she was able to know what God was going to
do.

This A nna surely was led
tem ple th a t day and saw Baby
tem ple. Y ou can be sure there
o f Israel, b u t they didn’t know
nized Him, b u t Anna did.
by the God th at she served, when she came into the
Jesus. There were hundreds o f women around that
were even thousands m ore who saw Baby Jesus in all
who He was. Even some o f His relatives never recog

The life o f fasting and prayer has its rew ards. It was no d oubt a difficult thing for
her to spend her life-time in the tem ple. Som etim es she m ust have gotten weary with
the “ show-business” o f the religious w orld, the pride, the cerem ony, the tradition, the
people w ho served God w ith their m ouths, b u t whose hearts were afar off, yet she did
n o t becom e discouraged and give up ju st because others were n o t living w hat they were
preaching. She kept to her calling.

I believe th a t this precious daughter o f Asher came in right on schedule because her

15
feet were “ dipped in oil.” She had the anointing th at leads Asher in to the perfect will
o f God- You will never miss y o u r appointm ent w ith God if y our feet are “dipped in
oil.” You will be led by the Spirit o f God and see great and glorious things.

When she saw Jesus, she p u t on her shoes o f iron and brass and started m arching
around Jerusalem telling everyone w ho was looking for redem ption th a t the Redeemer
had come! O h, w hat a glorious mission! She had prayed through! She had seen Him!
Now she could go fo rth and tell it. But she did n o t tell all. No, she only told those
who were looking for redem ption.

She w ent through the streets o f the Royal City o f King David to give o u t the
“ royal dainties” announcing th a t the Son o f David had arrived on th e scene. She,
whose right it was, as a daughter o f Asher, to share the anointed BREAD, could tell
all who hungered to hear, th at the “ Bread o f Heaven” had arrived.

I am so glad th a t she was an older w om an, even a very old wom an. It tells me
th at the Holy Spirit has no age barrier. Even if you are in y o u r 80s or m ore, you can
dip y our feet in the oil and p u t on those iron shoes and go o u t with the message o f re
dem ption to the w orld.

I can imagine her walking into the house o f a friend, full o f excitem ent, her
cheeks flushed red, calling at the door, “ Rachel, Rachel, I have w onderful news! Just
w ait till you hear it! You will rejoice. I was led by the Lord to go in to the tem ple
area where the w orshippers are and even as I came in, I saw som ething strange hap
pening. There was old Simeon, you know him , he was standing there talking to a
couple who had ju st brought a little baby for dedication. Sim eon’s hands were lifted
up and he was crying; the tears were just running dow n his cheeks and I heard him say
the m ost w onderful words. He to o k the baby in his arms and began to bless him ,
saying, ‘Lord, now lettest th o u th y servant depart in peace, according to thy w ord:
F o r mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face o f all
people; A light to lighten the G entiles, and the glory o f thy people Israel.’ Rachel, He
is here! At last He has arrived —ou r Saviour, our Prince, the Son o f David, our M essiah!”

I can see her sinking in to th e chair th at is extended to her, overcom e with em o

tion. I can see the w om en running together to hear the glad sound.

How strange! It was a w om an who told the news th a t the Messiah had com e, and
it was a wom an w ho to o k the glad message “ He is risen!” from the em pty tom b in the
garden.

A nointed feet th a t are dipped in oil, wearing shoes o f iron and brass, shall
trium ph. And w ho know s, m aybe the daughters o f Israel will bring the end-tim e
message to o , in a way th a t has never, ever y et been told.

16
 POSITION OF ASHER

In the wilderness: They were situated on the n o rth side o f the tabernacle with
Dan and Naphtali.

In the Prom ised Land: Their lot fell to them on the northern sea coasts o f Pa
lestine, b u t they did n o t possess all o f it. They were bordered on the north by Leba
no n , the east by N aphtali, th e south-east by Zebulun.

In the M illenium: In the Millenium Asher will be im m ediately below Dan. (Eze
kiel 4 8:3)

T he G ate o f Asher in the New Jerusalem : Asher’s Gate will be on the west, to
gether w ith the Gates o f Gad and Naphtali.

It is interesting how N aphtali who also is the son o f Zilpah is so closely connected
with Asher all the tim e from the wilderness, to Canaan, in the Millenium and at the
gate. God puts together those who belong to each o ther and who get along together in
a beautiful way.

CONCLUSION

In The Lost Books o f the Bible Asher leaves a very beautiful testim ony to his
children. He tells th at when the unrighteous die, they are m et by the evil spirit whom
they have served in lusts and evil works. And then he adds, “ But if he is peaceful with
jo y , he m eeteth the angel o f peace, and he leadeth him in to eternal life.”

He prophesied concerning the coming o f the Saviour, telling how the Most High
shall visit the earth, coming as a m an, and eating and drinking with m an, and breaking
the head o f the dragon. We know th at Jesus did th at in His death. (Genesis 3:15)

He warned them concerning their sin and to ld them th a t God would judge them .
“ And therefore shall ye be scattered as Gad and Dan m y brethren, and ye shall know not
your lands, tribe and tongue. But the Lord will gather you together in faith through
His tender m ercy, and for the sake o f Abraham , Isaac and Jacob.”

Yes, God is going to restore Asher and raise him up in the last days. It m ay not
be in the natural, b u t surely the spiritual tribe o f Asher shall arise again to receive his
inheritance. The Word o f the Lord has spoken it and His pow er shall perform it.
Asher shall see the Redeem er, even as the daughter o f Asher did th at day in Jerusa
lem.

17
Issachar
BY GWEN SHAW
This chart was taken from The A dam an d E ve F am ily Tree, produced by the Good
Things Com pany. Used by permission.

Cover by Carolyn Wright

Copyright 1982, G w en R. Shaw

End-Time H andm aidens. Inc.
P.O. Box 4 4 7
Jasper, Arkansas 72641

All rights reserved.

P rinted in the U nited S ta tes o j Am erica

 PRAYER

Lord we hum bly bow our heads and ask You to anoint us. We cannot do any
thing w ithout Y our anointing. We th an k You for the Word o f God. It is truly a gold
m ine” and as we begin to dig to d ay , we ask You to show us w here to p u t in the dnU.
We w ant to find gold, Lord. As we look into the ancient prophecies concerning our
b ro th e r Issachar one o f the princes o f Israel, w ith whom we will share e te rn ity , please
5 ? t “ 'e S . e n m e „ t th a , we’ m ay see the hidden tru th which is ,o be revealed » «
these last days. Lord, it is said o f Issachar that he had understanding o f the tim es,
please let this same gift be ours now. In Jesus name. Amen.

TH E NAMING O F ISSACHAR

“ And Reuben w ent in the days o f the wheat harvest, and found m andrakes in the
field, and brought them u nto his m other Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give m e, I
pray thee, o f th y so n ’s m andrakes. And she said u n to her, Is it a small m atter th at
thou hast taken m y husband? and w ouldest th o u take away my son s m andrakes a so.
And Rachel said, T herefore he shall lie w ith thee to night for thy son s m andrakes.
And Jacob came o u t o f the field in the evening, and Leah w ent o u t to m eet him . and
said T hou m ust come in unto m e; for surely I have hired thee w ith my so n s m an
drakes And he lay with her th at night. And God hearkened u n to Leah, and she
conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. And Leah said, God hath given me my hire,
because I have given my m aiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.
(Genesis 30:14-18)

MEANING OF THE NAME

The name Issachar comes from the Hebrew yissakar (yis-saw-kar). It means, he
will bring a rew ard.” It comes from the root-w ord nasa m eaning “ to lift, to advance,
arise, bring fo rth , carry away, exalt, high, hold up, lofty, raise up, etc.. Is this where
our NASA space centre gets its name? The second root-w ord is sakar m eaning pay
m ent o f contract, salary, fare, hire, price, rew ard, wages.”

Issachar was b o m under very strange circum stances. He was conceived in the tim e
o f the wheat harvest, the m onth o f Sivan which is from late May till m id-June. So his
birthday would be in the m onth o f Adar, which is March (the first three weeks).

His brother R euben, about whom we read under the tribe o f R euben, had found
m andrakes in the field and was bringing them hom e to his m other, Leah, when Rachel
saw him and took them away from him. This made Leah angry and she came over into
Rachel’s tent and dem anded, “ Is it a small m atter th at th o u hast taken my husband,
and wouldest thou take away my son’s m andrakes also?” There was m uch rivalry and
jealousy between these tw o precious sisters. Leah had b o m Jacob four sons, and
Rachel had n o t b o m him any, b u t she had his love. However, Usah was miserable be
cause she did n o t have her husband’s love and Rachel was miserable because she did
not have any children.

It was believed th a t m andrakes could m ake a wom an fruitful, so th a t she would

be able to bear children. Rachel therefore w anted these m andrakes so th a t she could
becom e with child. Leah also had stopped bearing children, so she needed them too.
But w hat good were th e m andrakes to her, w ith o u t a m an? So she made a transaction
w ith Rachel, w hich Rachel had herself suggested, th a t Jacob would be “rented or
“ hired o u t” to Leah fo r one night in exchange for the m andrakes. From this we under
stand th a t Jacob likely had stopped sleeping w ith Leah com pletely. Anyway he had four
wives by now , so he was kept busy w ith the o ther three, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah.

When Jacob cam e in from the fields, Leah w ent o u t to m eet him and tell him
about th e arrangem ent she had m ade w ith Rachel. As one reads the story, it fills your
heart w ith pity fo r this unloved and love-hungry w om an, Leah. She was so unasham ed,
so hum ble to be able to hum iliate herself to such a degree as to tell her husband th at
she had actually hired him for one night. And yet, m any wom en do the same thing to
day, only they do it in o th er, m ore subtle ways. There are m any ways to get a man to
bed w ith you. And som etim es a w om an’s m otive is n ot as pure as Leah’s. Leah w ant
ed children, and she w anted them so badly, th a t she was willing to hum ble herself in
order to conceive.

T hat night, Leah prayed w ith all her heart, th at God would do a miracle and open
her w om b which had now been closed for a long tim e. She had cast herself on God
alone She was n o t trusting in the “ fruit o f the m andrakes” to give her fruitfulness,
b ut in the goodness o f Jehovah. If she could not hold her husband in her love-hungry
arms, at least she could hold the children th at God would give her, and she would be
com forted.

Many broken-hearted wom en fall asleep w ith their little children in their arms,
and they are com forted by the presence o f th a t child o f their womb while the husband
sleeps in another w o m an ’s arms. You wom en who have gone through it, know w hat 1
am talking about. How m any tim es have we been com forted by our own children.

God heard her cry, and th a t night she received pow er to conceive seed. Issachar
was b o m , not by flesh alone, though there was th at natural contact, b u t through the
inspiration and Divine will o f G od. T hat is why she called him Issachar, which means
“ I paid for w hat I h ire d ,” or “ I got paid back.” It also m ight m ean, “ It was w orth it
all.”

Issachar carried th a t token o f his m o th e r’s deed on his life all the days he lived.
“ Hired! Hired! I was bought and paid for by a few m andrakes.” This token became
stam ped in the very character and personality o f Issachar and all through his life, Issa
char and his descendants have carried the m ark o f servitude and o f being hired and paid

2
for upon their lives. Issachar is a “ b o m servant.” He is b o m to serve He is a servan
o f hum ility. He is a m an o f compassion and he cannot get away from ^ because th a t
the m ark th a t G od p u t upon the tribe o f Issachar from th e night in which he was con
ceived.

Issachar is a hum ble tribe, he is unobtrusively present. You do n o t notice him in

a crow d b u t ju s t let him be missing and you will realize it im m ediately, because you
really need him all th e tim e. If you w ant a job done, look for Issachar, he is ready o
help, because this is his calling, this is his inheritance.

T here is also som ething else ab o u t his nam e which we m entioned briefly and that
is the root-w ord nasa which m eans “ to lift, exalt, raise up, e tc .” Was th e nam e o f he
N ational A eronautics and Space A dm inistration chosen so its acronym , NASA, would
be this Hebrew root-w ord? If it was n o t intentional, th en it is a strange coincidence.

What happens at NASA? It is identified w ith o u r space program m e where research

and m uch activity relating to our space travel takes place. I have visited the place and
thrilled to see th e actual space ships th at have gone way up into o u ter space and
even landed on th e m oon. I have seen movies o f ou r spacemen as they float around in
side their space capsule-like a com bination o f a bird and a fish. And I have thrilled and
w ept at the revelation th at in every hum an is th e natural, God-given desire to fly, to
be lifted up, rise u p , to go up high, high, to just nasa. And I see in Issachar this longing
to n o t only “ lift up the burden and carry it,” b u t to , him self, be lifted up high, in the
presence of G od. This is one o f the meanings o f his name. And I thm k o f an Issachar
whom I know very well, who is b o th a burden-bearer and also a pilot who was even in
volved w ith the space program me. I believe th a t the Issachars are natural pilots, for it
is in their nam e...“ to lift off, to raise up, to carry away, lo fty , high, etc.. And m the
wings o f the planes they fly, I see the tw o burdens th at Jacob saw in his vision-prophe-
cy he gave Issachar.

Certainly, one reason that the Issachars m ake good pilots is because they are
careful, deliberate, cautious, and n o t easily excited or disturbed. They keep cool
under pressure, especially when they are in lofty, high places.

SYMBOL O F ISSACHAR

The sym bol o f Issachar is the hum ble donkey. More recently I have also seen the
sign o f a sun shining at noon-day surrounded by four stars to the left th at shine o u t o
a dark night and four to th e right th at are darkened because o f the bnghtness o f the
day This is a pictu re o f o u ter space w ith the heavenly bodies in plain view. Surely this
is a significant sym bol for Issachar, whose nam e is derived from the root-w ord nasa,
which means “ to lift up, high, lofty, e tc ..”

3
 TH E GEMSTONE O F ISSACHAR

The gemstone o f Issachar is the am ethyst. It is a violet o r purple variation o f

quartz. The am ethyst was used as a gem stone by the ancient Egyptians, and was large
ly em ployed in ancient times for carving Figurines, etc.. The Chinese still use it for this
purpose to this day.

The nam e “ am eth y st” is derived from the Greek w ord am ethystos which m eans
“ n o t intoxicating.” This expresses the old belief th at the stone p ro tected its owner
from strong drink. It was believed th at wine, drunk o u t o f a cup o f am ethyst, would
n o t intoxicate.

This rem arkable belief about the am ethyst being able to guard against intoxica
tion, fits w ith the life’s testim ony o f Issachar in The Lost Books o f the Bible. He
states, “ I drank no wine, to be led astray th ereby.”

The am ethyst’s royal colour m akes it a favourite stone. It is sym bolic o f the ba
lance and poise in the life o f the Issacharite.

PROPHECIES TO ISSACHAR

Jacob: “ Issachar is a strong ass couching down betw een tw o burdens: And he saw
that rest was good, and the land th at it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear,
and becam e a servant u n to trib u te.” (Genesis 49:14,15)

Moses: “ And o f Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going o u t; and, Issa
char, in thy tents. They shall call the people u n to the m ountain; there they shall offer
sacrifices o f righteousness: for they shall suck o f the abundance o f the seas, and o f
treasures hid in the sand. (D euteronom y 33:18,19)

JACOB’S PROPHECY

“ Issachar is a strong ass couching betw een tw o burdens.”

There is no d o u b t about Issachar’s great strength. He is n o t only strong physi

cally, he is also strong spiritually.

I can rem em ber w hen I was in the Him alayian m ountains in India, som eone pointed
o u t to me som ething very interesting about the donkey. They have m any o f them
there. They are used for carrying loads up and down the m ountains. They are such
sure-footed beasts th a t they can go w here no o th er beast o f burden can. They carry
trem endously heavy loads. What I saw th at day on the back o f this little donkey
brought tears to my eyes. It was the m arking o f a cross right on the to p o f his back

4
and dow n each side. I was inform ed th a t every donkey had this same m ark. Now, I
do n o t know if this is true o f donkeys in o th er parts o f th e w orld, b u t I looked at
enough donkeys in India to see th a t it was a fact there.

This is w hat th e Issacharites are, they are carriers o f the cross. They not only
carry their ow n crosses, b u t they are carrying half a dozen o th er crosses at the same
tim e B ut praise G od, God says through Jacob, th at Issachar is a strong ass. God has
built into this “ donkey trib e” sufficient strength to n o t only climb the Himalayan
m ountains, b u t to also carry a load on the way up. It portrays a^very^beautiful
strength o f character, th at the Issacharites are able to bear the burden th at is im
puted to them to carry.

T he Issacharite was bom to bear big and heavy burdens. God has given him an
inbuilt strength The ass is the beast o f burden, the hum ble vehicle th a t was chosen by
Jesus Christ to bring Him , the King, in to Jerusalem . Rem em ber He did n o t choose a
camel; He did n o t choose a costly Rom an horse. Oh no! He chose the hum ble m ark
o f Issachar to com e riding into Jerusalem . “ Rejoice greatly, O daughter o f Zion; shout,
O daughter o f Jerusalem : behold, thy King com eth u n to thee: he is just, and having
salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal o f an ass.
(Zechariah 9 :9)

I would like to say a special word here to wome n w ho are asking God for a hus
band. Be careful th a t you do n o t choose after the “ seeing o f the eye. God said to
Samuel, “ Look n o t on his countenance, o r on the height o f his st a t u re; because I have
refused h im - for the Lord seeth n o t as man seeth; for m an looketh on the outw ard
appearance, but the Lord looketh on the h e a rt.” (I Samuel 16:7) Many marriages are
falling apart because they were not based on the will o f G od. Women fell in love with
big, husky, handsom e m en, and when they needed som eone to help them with the
burden o f life, they found th at the one they had chosen w asn’t there to support them
or their children, o r carry their load. If they would ask God to give them men who
would be willing to assume the burden and responsibility o f marriage and a family,
even if they were n o t the handsom est in the w orld, they would find that life would be
filled w ith unexpected happiness.

“ couching dow n betw een tw o burdens:”

The word “ couching” comes from the Hebrew w ord rabats (raw-bats) which
means “ to couch, to lay dow n, to get dow n low .”

Notice th at it says TWO burdens. Issachar is always carrying m ore than one
burden. A nyone can carry ONE b urden; but an Issacharite carries a double portion.
This is because he carries his own burden and som ebody else’s. He is always concerned
about his neighbour. But this double burden gives him balance.

In China y o u will never find a Chinese carrying a burden with one hand. They say

5
they can’t do it. Instead they use a “ carrying pole” which they lay across the shoulder.
On both ends o f the pole you see the load th at they are carrying. They tell you that
if you try to carry a load any o th er way, you will become crippled; it makes the back
go out o f place. M aybe th at is w hy our “ spiritual backbone” is not in order. Maybe
we need to ask God fo r one m ore burden, even His burden. Perhaps it w ould give us
m ore spiritual balance in our lives, m ore poise. The Chinese will never carry ju st one
pail o f water. They carry tw o, one on each end o f the pole. And they do not walk
then like they norm ally w ould. They begin to walk com pletely different, w ith shorter
steps and a swinging m otion. They have to swing like th at, o r the w ater would spill out
o f the pail. If the burden gets too heavy, o r to o aw kw ard, m aybe it is because we have
n o t learned to “ swing w ith it,” or “ roll w ith it” (as we w ould say in m odern collo
quialism).

Sometimes, I have seen in China, th a t when the load gets very, very heavy,
they begin to sing a sort o f sing-song. “ Ah-ah, ah-ah. ah-ah.” This gives them strength,
for they keep up with the rhythm and beat o f their chant. This is typical o f an Issa-
charite. He will call o u t, “ hee-haw. hee-haw” like a donkey braying. You will hear
him as he comes into the house, or sits dow n in the chair, he will let o u t a big, long
sigh. “ H m m m m !” You w onder if he is in pain. But when you ask. you find there is
nothing wrong. He is ju st moaning and groaning under his burdens. But it expresses
his feelings and you m ust n ot take offence over it either.

Your Issachar is hum ble, he has learned that as he “ couches down beneath the
burden and in hum ility accepts the load that is laid across his back, that he will receive
the strength to carry the burden. He has learned long ago, that if he is too proud to
get down low beneath the burden, he will never be able to carry it.

When Jesus, the true Issacharite (though He was o f Judah, b u t in His perfection
He is all things to all m en), bent over with the cross as He carried it, the load was so
heavy that He even fell beneath it.

“And he saw th at rest was good,”

If there is anything that Issachar longs for, it is the day when he can sit down in
the easy-chair and p u t his feet up in front o f him , but he never gets there. An Issa
charite will never retire. Oh, he m ight “ retire” and even get a pension, but he will
never stop working until the last day o f his life. Som etimes I w onder w hat happens to
an Issacharite when he is put to rest in his coffin! I w onder if he is lying there
worrying if the thing has been p ut together correctly, and if the nails are rust-proof!

His hard work and his weariness has given him a great appreciation for rest but he
never gets to it. He w orks until he is overcom e and then he falls asleep just where he
is. It m ight be in the m iddle o f a ball-game, a church service, or a visit with a friend.
His wife is so em barrassed, she could ju st shake him . She pokes him secretly and gives
him a dagger-look. He shakes him self awake, feels a little sheepish, and soon nods o ff

6
to Sleep again' He will w ork and work, until he falls asleep on the job. He is worn out,
a n d he asks for n o th in g for his long hours o f service, but a little love a little apprecia

tio n and a little sleep. If an Issacharite was to be paid by piece work, he would be rich,
except for the fact, th a t in spite o f his long hours, he is usually very, very slow. This is
because he w ould ollapse if he hurried at w hat he was doing, for he works such long
h o u K and cam es su c h ’a heavy toad for everyone else Can you imagine a donkey
running and skipping up the m ountain w ith the tw o burdens.

Icsachar is always going to read about 99 books, b ut he never gets around to it

because when he goes to bed and props him self up with his pillows, he falls asleep at
the b o tto m o f the first page. It makes him so upset and he w ould like to find someone
to blam e b u t there really is no one to blame at all. God m ade him that way. Someone
else will have to read the o th er 98 books, he will do well if he can get through one in a
he m ight, it w on't w ork. He will wake up 4 hours later w ,th the book
fallen out o f his h and, and w ith a stiff neck.

“ and the land, th a t is was pleasant;”

The Issacharite loves the good earth. He never is a “ city m an.” He doesn’t care
for city life. He has a great appreciation for the creation o f God. He does not count
the th fn L that oth ers value as im portant. He loves G od’s creation rather d,an man-
m ade "asphalt jungles." He loves the trees, the flowers, the hills, the sea and the sky.
These are the things in which he delights.

“ and bow ed his shoulder to bear.”

For these simple things - to own a little plot o f land, a garden behind the house,
a cottage in the hills, a river, or a brook running by. an Issacharite will become a s a .
He w ilf never ask for anything. If you offer to pay an Issacharite. you cheapen him he
dT sdllm m oney. He loves the things that God can give him . H - s t e mos w, hn
love-slave. If you are married to an Issacharite. you are blessed. But please accep
your gift from G od: d o n ’t try to turn him into a “ prince ot Judah.

“ and becam e a servant unto trib u te.”

This word for servant is not used anyw here else in the Old Testam ent. It is from
the Hebrew word abaci (aw-bad). which means “ to w ork, to serve, to keep in bondage,
bond-service. com pel, dress, husbandm an, labour.

This reveals th a t there are things that can ensnare the soul o f an Issacharite. It is
possible to get him all tied up so that he is never able to fulfill God s plan for his h e.
Jacob, his father, saw it and warned him.

It is not big things that bring Issachar into bondage, but a lot of little things,
which to the rest o f the tribes seem insignificant, but to an Issacharite seem a lmpor-

7
tant. These are such things as the accum ulation o f innum berable odds and ends which
m ost o f us would th ro w into the garbage. But not so with the Issacharite. He saves
everything. He becom es a veritable “ pack-rat.” His house, his garage, his office, is
literally littered with w hat we would call JUNK and he would call treasures.

Most o f the tim e things are so piled up and in such orderly confusion, th at we just
run to escape from it all. But not so with Issachar. This is his heaven. He expects he
will need any one o f those odds and ends o f strings, bolts, screws, pieces o f glass, rem
nants o f cloth, old shoes. 20 year old ties, pants, dresses (if it is a w om an), etc..
Issachar can’t get rid o f anything. He is sure that the day is not far hence when he will
need ju st the very thing he threw away.

We can become addicted to the things that we treasure and be unable to part from
them . One o f the dangers o f the Issacharite is that he easily can becom e a “ w orkaho
lic.”

The word “ trib u te ” comes from the Hebrew word mic (m ees)...“a burden that
causes one to faint, a tax in the form o f forced labour.” So m any Issacharites become
enslaved by their need to do everything so perfectly correct. They spend hours re
pairing old. broken-dow n m ixers, toasters, which only work a few hours after all the
tim e they have spent on it. It would be better if they would throw it o u t and buy
another. They become enslaved with details. Again it is a case o f “ there is no point in
doing well that which should not be done at all.” O h. the wasted hours! They have to
beware o f becoming enslaved with “ forced la b o u r/' God said this and He warned Issa
char. I pray that the beloved Issachars will one day truly know what the correct priori
ties are.

MOSES’ PROPHECY

“ And o f Zebulun he said. Rejoice. Z ebulun. in thy going o u t; and. Issachar. in thy
tents.”

We see som ething rem arkable here. Zebulun and Issachar are linked together be
cause they are two opposites. Zebulun rejoices in going out and Issachar enjoys staying
in his tents. Zebulun is an extrovert and Issachar is an introvert. Yet they are linked
together in this end-tim e prophecy that Moses gives.

“They shall call the people u n to the m ountain;”

“ T hey,” it says, not Zebulun alone and not Issachar alone, but the tw o o f them
together. They need each o th er and God needs them to be together. They com pli
m ent each other. One can chase a thousand, but the tw o. together, can put 10,000 to
flight. (D euteronom y 3 2:30) God has linked them together by an affinity that comes
through opposites. It is the positive and the negative, the conductor o f pow er, the

8
m agnetism o f creation. Zebulun is outgoing, and always going ou t. Issachar would
rath er stay p u t It is th e hardest thing in the w orld to get him started on a journey. He
w orks till the last m inute, packing everything he can th in k o ff in his sl“ tcase and ®V^
o th er suitcase he can find to p u t s tu ff in to , and the plane is already due to take off,
before you get him o u t o f the door. Y ou pray all the way to the airport, th a t y o u wi
n o t miss y o u r flight, and th an k G od, God answers prayer!

B ut once y o u get them going o u t together, they are going to have a message for
th e people! T hey will “ call them to the m o u n tain .” Issachar is n o t a grand-stander o
a “ gate crasher” b u t wherever he goes, he will leave his tracks in the sand. People will
rem em ber him w ith fondness. He does n o t seek fo r fam e or acclaim o r ™
recognition. He will never push people o u t o f his way. He is never at the fro n t o f the
line, b u t he will be there, helping som e weaker, older person to get to the fro n t o f the
line.

Can you see th e w onderful team th at God has? Z ebulun’s going o u t his exube
rance his spirit o f adventure, and Issachar’s strength and reasoning, always slowing Ze
bulun dow n. T ogether, they call th e people to the m ountains. It does n o t say they
call them “to th e c ity .” They w ant to get the people back to the basics, the true basics
o f life They have a real m inistry for the end-tim es. Especially as God is calling m any
people o u t o f the cities. Everyone th a t doesn’t NEED to live in the city, o r is not
called there to do m issionary w ork, should GET OUT. The Zebuluns and Issachars are
calling the people o f God to go in to the m ountains in these days. They are calling
them “ to the lan d .”

“ there they shall offer sacrifices o f righteousness:”

It does n o t say th at they shall serve God in “ great tem ples.” No! They are not
interested in “ tem ple-righteousness,” or “ tem ple-offerings ” R ather, they love the
quiet, rem ote areas w here they can start a retreat centre, o r a camp m eeting and bnng
together the alert people o f the end-tim e w hom God is calling to sim plicity and quiet
w orship from a h e a rt th a t is filled w ith gratitude. They hate religious show-business.^
They detest th e smell o f “ burning flesh” on the altars o f our m odem synagogues.
They w ant to serve God w ith a pure m otive and a pure.heart and they are looking for
others who will do the same. They have discovered th at true w orship m eans to
w orship the F a th e r in Spirit and in T ru th .” And o th er tribes will join themselves to
these for they to o will soon awaken to see the real need. But Zebulun, w ith his going
o u t and adventuresom e spirit has found the tru th s o f God and Issachar (w ho has been
lifted up in G od, even as he lifted o th er burdens) will be there ahead o f the other
tribes, leading th em , because Issachar has the gift o f “ understanding o f the tim es, to
know w hat Israel ought to d o .”

“fo r they shall suck o f the abundance o f the seas,”

Zebulun and Issachar will have a great harvest in this end-tim e. The “seas” in

9
th e scriptures is a sym bol o f hum anity, th e nations o f the w orld. God is saying here
th a t Z ebulun and Issachar are going to possess th e abundance o f the wea a is
hidden in th e nations o f th e world. The great w ealth o f the world is souls.

Y ou will rem em ber th a t Zebulun lives on the coastal regions, he has th e ship as his
sym bol. This depicts his going o u t, his sending the ships o u t to m any ports; in m any
parts o f th e world. G od has promised these tw o tribes the hidden treasures o f the seas.

These treasures are the deep tru th s o f God th a t are hidden from the eyes o f m m .
G od is going to take his Zebulunites and Issacharites dow n in to the d ep th o f the seas
where He will reveal to them the treasures hidden in the sands o f tim e th a t have ai
there a t th e b o tto m o f th e earth since the beginning o f tim e. T hink o f the m any m u i-
tudes o f souls th a t have suffered ship-wreck! Their ships have gone dow n, loaded with
precious cargo. They are there at the b o tto m waiting for us to go and bring them back
up.

When Enoch was taken, when Noah laid his head in the arms o f Jehovah for the
last tim e, when Moses disappeared on the m ountain, when Elijah to o k o ff ™
Nasa T p .c e centre, th ey to o k w ith them tru th s and secrets o f God which they had
learned in their years o f living. We are going to go down in to the depths o f G o d s
ocean o f love to bring these tru th s back up. I am not saying th a t these great saints and
patriarchs suffered som e kind o f spiritual “ ship-wreck.” What I am sa y in g :is t h a : . is
a great tragedy th a t th e y left, w ithout leaving us so m uch o f the tru th th a t God had1.or
us But we will go dow n to the seas and in the sands o f tim e where we will discover
again w hat they knew and possessed.

These secret treasures that are hidden in the sand are only found w ith diligent
seeking and hard digging. N ot only are their treasures found “
the sand. Now, the greatest place to find oil is in sandy areas o f the world. What else
is in th e earth? Beside oil, there is gold and w ater and p reci o us jewels. God is saying
th a t we are going to “ suck” oil and w ater and all these treasures out o f the earth. The
Issacharite, the Z ebulunite and the Asherite have one thing in com m on. God ha
prom ised them th at th ey will “suck” the treasures o u t o f the sand. As>her was told that
he will dip his fo o t in oil. Even now , G od’s people are digging for oil in this spot,
w here the “ fo o t” o f Asher is on the m ap o f ancient Israel and they are expecting to
find oil.

These three tribes will n o t have to run here and there looking for “ oil.” They
have their ow n prom ise o f a supply o f oil and w ater and all treasures o f the sand and o f
the sea. They need it to o , because the people are going to come to them in droves
looking for help and for advice and for m inistry. Then they will j ust have to dig
another oil well to m eet the needs o f m ultitudes th at shall come to their m ountain.

Y ou will n o t find these tw o tribes going o ff to look for a blessing in some dead
church. They will n o t get m uch o f a blessing o u t of a ritualistic service, because mos

10
o f them get a far greater blessing o u t o f th eir ow n well. They have the s u p p ly jig h t
tiipir nw n well They ju st “ p u t dow n the drill,” and glory to G od, just
G od is going to give them tru th s in this end-tim e
th a t have been hidden from th e foundation o f the earth. They will know tru th s tha
they will n o t even be able to share w ith others.

Tn the end-tim es the tw o will stand together as a du et o f trum pets, sounding the
alarm ” or^pe^j^e to gather together, fo r they have this precious * f t o f ^ n erstandm g
concerning th e tim es, to know w hat Israel ought to do. (I Chronicles 12.32)

TH E FAM ILY T R E E O F ISSACHAR

Issachar h ad fo u rso n s. Genesis 4 6 :1 3 , “ And th e sons o f Issachar;T ola,andP huvah

and Jo b , and S him ron.”

1 Tola: “ elongated, stretched o u t long, like a worm is s ti t c h e d o u t.” It also,

means “ purple, crim son.” Tola was the father o f the Tolaites (Num bers 26.23)

2. Phuvah (also spelled Pua): “ shining, bright, to bray like a donkey, to call
o u t.” Phuvah was the father o f the Punites.

3. Jo b (in an o th er place he is called Joshup): “ It probably means “ Jehovah re

m em bered.” He was the father o f the Jashubites.

4. Shim ron: “ to w atch, to be w aitful, to be a keeper and a guardian.” He was

the father o f th e Shim ronites.

These fo u r nam es picture Issachar very exactly. At the beginning he will stretch
him self o u t b ey o n d norm al. T he Issacharite has to be very careful, he is just like a
w orm . He is always trying to do everything. He will take on five jo b s a t
and th a t jo b and th e n e x t o ne, until he is going around in circles and has forgotten
w hat he first o f all started o u t to do. He has usually got about ten pots on a four-
burner stove and is trying to get them all cooking at the same tim e. He is so busy,
th a t if you speak to him at the wrong m om ent he is irritated because, after a , e even
pots are ju st to o m uch, even for an Issacharite! Catch him at the wrong tim e, and he
will “ bray” it o u t a t you!

The little donkey isn’t always th e docile angel th at he appears to be. I have heard
him “brav o u t” in India. W hat a horrible noise! He w ould wake up anybody.
“ Hee-haw hee-haw, hee-haw !” There are tim es, even in the life o f an Issacharite, when
he ju st can’t take any m ore and then he “ explodes.” He might^even pick up one pot
off the stove and thro w it o u t the w indow. Let us hope it isn t p o t num ber eleven.

Afterw ards he is going to feel terrible, because he doesn’t w ant to be like th a t, and

11
he is so ashamed o f him self, b u t thank G od, he usually has the grace to say, I am
sorry.” As Issachar com es in to m aturity he looks back and rem em bers the good things
th a t G od has done fo r him and he is grateful to G od. The Lord finally fulfills the
destiny o f an Issacharite as he becom es w atchful over his inheritance and enters into
the m inistry o f guardian and keeper o f G od’s children. The Issacharites m ake beautiful
spiritual fathers, pastors, and shepherds o f the flock o f the Lord. As a * w atcher he
will be the last one to lock up the door at night, m ake sure the windows are closed if
it rains, notice if there is gas in the tank and w ater in the radiator, when the car is
ready for a jo u m ey , and all these little things, th a t m ost o f the tribes don t even think
about.

The Issacharite will w onder “ why couldn’t others think about these things? Why
didn’t others get the car ready fo r the jo u rn ey ?” He won t understand these things.
But they can’t, they are n ot Issacharites, and unless they are willing to be trained, they
will only forget again. It is the d u ty and the responsibility o f an Issacharite to make
sure th at there is air in the tyres. This is his personality, and he is a beautiful person.
Any mission or m inistry that doesn’t have an Issacharite is going to have a lot more
problem s because they are an essential part o f the body o f Christ. They will notice
every “ loose screw” in the place.

A woman who is an Issacharite is always going to be careful that there is enough

m ilk for the baby, sugar for the coffee, bread for the children. She is n ot going to run
o u t o f potatoes o r rice; n o t an Issacharite wom an! She is going to be stocked up ahead
o f tim e, there will always be provision in her house.

HISTORICAL CHARACTERS O F TH E TR IB E O F ISSACHAR

Census: When Issachar came into the wilderness there were 54,400. (Num bers
1:29) When they came to Canaan land, there were 64,300. God had surely m ultiplied
them greatly. (N um bers 26:23)

N athaneel: “ gift o f G od.” Num bers 2:5, “ And those th at do pitch next unto him
shall be the tribe o f Issachar: and N ethaneel the son o f Zuar shall be captain o f the
children o f Issachar.”

Igal: “ God set free, God will redeem , God will buy back.” Num bers 13:7, “ O f
the tribe o f Issachar, Igal the son o f Joseph.” This is n o t the Joseph who was one o f
the brothers o f Issachar. This is a m an o f the tribe o f Issachar who was nam ed after
Joseph.

Igal was one o f th e twelve spies w ho w ent in to Canaan to spy o u t the land. He
went into Canaan land w ith a nam e th a t he couldn’t live up to. Because he was not
able to really believe th a t God w ould “ buy back Canaan from the devil.” Sometimes
we find we have nam es we can’t live up to , b u t I believe th at if we are willing to n o t

12
ru n w ith the crow d and n o ,
" h “ n nam ed hy th e L ord, even t h o u ^ our parents didn’t
know they were doing it by the com m and o f God.

Paltiel- “ G od delivers, ou r salvation is o f G od.” Num bers 3 4 :26, “ And the

prince o f the tribe o f the children o f Issachar, Paltiel th e son o f Azzan.

Paltiel was prince of the tribe when Israel came in to Canaan.

Historical acco u n t: Issachar stood on M ount Gerizim to bless the Children of

Israel and to speak o u t the promises o f God.
. t in - i “ And after Abim elech there arose to defend

was buried in Shamir.

Tola, who was nam ed after one o f the sons o f Issachar was a judge over Israel for
23 years. He was the 7th judge over Israel.

He was the son o f Dodo, which m eans “ beloved, his friend or uncle or

s itu a lll'b e 'c a u s e L X d t h r i f t o f

being a true Issacharite, a guardian o f God s people.

THE WEAKNESS O F ISSACHAR

D u„. n 1 5 1 6 -1 6 :1 3 ) King Baasha, the second king over Israel was o f

the trib e 'o f Issachar. (I Kings 15:27) Please read the story for full understanding.

It seems as if God raised him up to destroy the h o u se o f Jeroboam , the>first king

~ :s ssss r = s a
will make thy house like the house o f Jeroboam the son o f Nebat. (I Kings 1 6 .2 .J)

We find in th is story such a tragedy. Issachar is such a beautiful p e jo n , but e^ „

in him we find weaknesses and sins. There is som ething w ronS ^ i
Lord said that he “ did evil in His sight.” He becam e proud and hfted up. He was the

13
hum ble “ donkey” o f Israel. How could this happen to him? God rem inded him that
he had “ exalted him o u t o f the d u st.” How could he fall so far, th a t God n o t only
wiped him ou t, b u t also all his posterity?

The trouble cam e when Issachar “ exalted him self.” God had lifted him o u t o f the
dust, b u t he th o u g h t he had lifted him self up. W henever an Issacharite forgets th a t he
came o u t o f the d u st, he is finished! An Issacharite m ust always rem ain hum ble. This
is his strength. His greatest tem p tatio n comes to him when he is m ade a king or de
liverer, or given a position o f prom inence. It is so easy, a t th at m om ent when he has
an exalted position, to “ lord” it over those who he thinks are inferior to him . He’ll
look dow n at them , as if they are so m any “ worm s crawling under his feet.” But as
long as he rem em bers th at he him self gave birth to “ a w orm ,” (rem em ber Tola, his
first-born, means “ w orm ” ) and th at he is a “ n o b ody,” there is absolutely no lim itation
in the life o f an Issacharite.

As soon as an Issacharite loses his hum ility, he loses his identity, and then he has
no destiny. The curse o f God came on Baasha when he came against king Asa o f Judah
who was really quite a good m an. He planned to do som ething against Asa. He built a
great fo rt that he called Ramah. It was like a wall. It was the first wall ever recorded
in the Bible that was built betw een countries. It rem inds me o f the Berlin wall
betw een East Berlin and West Berlin which has been built by the Com m unists. Satan is
always putting up walls betw een husbands, and wives, parents and children, a rd
betw een m em bers o f the body o f Christ.

When this happened, King Asa o f Judah got alarm ed. He saw that Israel was sepa
rated by religion, separated politically, and now they would be separated by the wall.
King Asa lost co n tro l, and in a m om ent o f frenzy and fear, he hired the enem y coun
try, one o f the G entile nations, to come over and fight with him and to defend him.
And o f course, God d id n ’t bless him for that. God sm ote him and he was crippled in
his legs over that also, because God was saying to him , “ D on’t you know that the eyes
o f the Lord run to and fro thro u g h o u t the earth to show Himself strong in behalf of
those who put their tru st in Him. I could have helped you, why didn’t you ask Me?
Why did you go and hire help from the enem y? Why d id n ’t you trust in Me?”

They w ent to b a ttle ; King Baasha was destroyed and all his fam ily was killed.
That was the end o f th e second dynasty. So we see an Issacharite’s weakness is this,
th a t he can becom e tem pted to leave his hum ility and becom e lifted up. If he does he
will lose his purpose fo r life. Pride cannot carry burdens. When I think that Issachar
could have carried on the royal fam ily o f Israel, I realize w hat a tragedy happened to
him. But then, I really believe th at it was never m eant to be. To the Issacharites I
would like to say, “ D o n ’t ever try to be a Judahite. T hat is Ju d a h ’s place in God. If
God exalts you, t h a t’s fine, but always rem em ber, you are exalted from the dust.
Never forget it!”

14
 LATER GENEALOGY OF ISSACHAR

I Chronicles 7:1-5 gives us an interesting record o f the genealogy o f Issachar

dating about the tim e o f Kind David. It tells us th at the sons o f Tola were valiant^men
o f m ight At the tim e o f David they num bered 22,600. They had m any wive and
sons They were lusty, loving, big-hearted, valiant men and they m ade great soldiers
and were the kind the Lord needs for His front-line battle fields. They were some of
the greatest men in David’s arm y.

MEN O F UNDERSTANDING

1 Chronicles 1 2:32 says, “ And o f the children o f Issachar, which were men that
had understanding o f the tim es, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads o f them
were tw o hundred; and all their brethren were at their com m andm ent.

An Issacharite doesn’t speak m uch. He is usually a quiet, reserved person He is

not a “ b labberm outh,” like some o f the rest o f the tribes are, b ut when an Issacharite
has som ething to say, even if it takes him a while to get it o u t, you really ^ u l d l i s t e n .
because he has understanding concerning the times. God is raising up the 12,000 Issa-
charites to be His leaders in these days. They are going to be men who may never be
seen behind pulpits, they may not even be great prayer-w arriors. but they are going o
have understanding concerning the times. They are going to make preparations for
what is coming and they will work together with the Josephs in laying up the store or
the days o f fam ine. They see ahead, and know that born w ithin them is an instinct ot
what is going on in governm ent and in high places.

They will always try to keep up with what is happening politically and econom i
cally in the c o u n try . They will always be subscribing to newspapapers and magazines
that have this type o f inside inform ation, b u t never getting around to reading them ,
because they are ju st too busy to read, but they will read a headline here and a column
there, and they will be alerted.

It is the Issacharites who know when to buy up stock on the stock m arket and
when to make investm ents. We need them in this hour to tell us (Israel) w hat to do.

When David came into pow er, he founded a new dynasty. It was an eternal
dynasty. A new kingdom was being established upon the earth , an eternal one. The
Issacharites are going to be called o u t to stand up and do battle for a new dynasty that
is going to take over all the world in these times.

THE GENEROUS SPIRIT O F ISSACHAR

I Chronicles 12:40, “ M oreover they th at were nigh them , even u n to Issachar and

15
Zebulun and N aphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on m ules, and on
oxen, and m eat, m eal, cakes o f figs, and bunches o f raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen,
and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.”

This is what these three tribes did in David’s new kingdom . They brought these
supplies for a great, big feast. First o f all, there was bread on asses. 1 w onder who
supplied the asses. No d o u b t, they came from the “ donkey tribe.” Issachar will al
ways have the vehicle, the m eans o f transport. They love cars, they love anything that
moves Any old pile o f ju n k is like a treasure to them . If it is broken dow n and falling
apart, som ething they paid $50.00 for, and 15 years old, it is even that m uch m ore an
object o f affection. Haven’t they spent hours o f loving care, working on it? A fter all,
th at old pile o f ju n k isn’t ju n k to an Issacharite. It has a personality, it is alm ost a
living thing.

Look at all they brought: m eat, flour, grain, figs, raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and
sheep in abundance. This is one thing about the Zebulunites and Issacharites and
N aphtalites, they are very generous people. They give everything they have got to give.
They ju st give, and give, and give, and give. They have a giving heart. It takes that
giving heart, when a kingdom is new. when a work is new (like David’s kingdom was),
to stand behind it and believe in it and sacrifice for it, and make it grow.

God needs people who ire generous-hearted, who will give their hom e, their
car. their jew ellery, their pay-eheque, their tim e, and their love. He needs people who
will dig deep into their bank account. And that is how Issachar gives, and when there
is nothing left to give, he cries. He is broken-hearted, because there is nothing left to
give. But when they give, they are tilled with such joy and rejoicing because they
know they have m ade a wise investm ent in the Kingdom. Hallelujah!

One thing about Issachar is this, that because he has understanding concerning
the tim es, he will only give to the m inistry that is doing som ething for God. He is not
going to be deceived into supporting som ething that is not a part ot King David s king
dom.

Then too, he will give, because he knows w hat is coming soon upon the earth and
he w ants to make an investm ent th at will be eternal. He knows that no anti-christ
system can take from him th at which has already been deposited in the bank of
heaven. It is the only secure place that there is left now.

ISSACHAR IN TIMES O F REVIVAL

II Chronicles 3 0 :1 8 ,1 9 , “ F or a m ultitude o f people, even m any o f Ephraim , and

Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the
passover otherwise than it was w ritten. But Hezekiah prayed for them , saying, The
good Lord pardon every one T hat prepareth his heart to seek G od, the Lord God of

16
his fathers, though he be n o t cleansed according to the purification o f the sanctuary.”

When the great revival took place in Jerusalem under Hezekiah. Issachar had a
p art in it. They had understanding concerning their tim es. According to the laws o f
Judaism , they should n o t have been perm itted to eat the passover. But Hezekiah
prayed from th em , and although they did n ot go through the ritual laws o f purifica
tion. G od saw th a t their hearts were pure before the Lord and He spared them and let
them receive His blessing.

WOMEN O F GOD IN TH E ISSACHAR TRIBE

Abishag: (I Kings 1:1-4) Abishag is the beautiful Shunam ite woman who was
chosen, for her beauty and tenderness, to take care o f David in his old age. She was
very fair and she cherished the king. It was not a passionate affair, but a kind of
“ m otherly love” th a t she had for him. Even though she was young, she had th at
instinct o f know ing how to take care o f him.

It was good th at they chose an Issacharite because the women o f Issachar are in
deed “ m others in Israel.'7 This is their gift, just like the men are “ fatherly and guar
dians.” Only an Issacharite would think. “ What does the dear, little, old man need
now? O h. o f course, he needs his back rubbed."

Only an Issacharite woman would be able to take this place o f hum ility, for even
though she was young, she could accept not being able to be fulfilled by a normal
marriage relationship. David d id n ’t need a passionate Bathsheba. His time o f love
affairs was over. He needed an Issacharite who would love him in the gentle way as
only a daughter o f Issachar can. Any man who is m arried to an Issacharite. though she
may not be the “ belle o f the to w n .” will love her and appreciate her m ore and m ore,
because she will be there to serve him. When he comes home from work, she will
have the meal on the table. She will not be sitting, watching TV. because she wants
to serve, she was born to serve. She has a beautiful servant's character. And you men
should stop looking for “ glam our girls” and ask C.od to give you an Issacharite. I tell
you th at anyone who marries “a d o n k ey ” will have a happy life...except the Balaams,
because the donkey is going to keep the rebellious Balaams from going into sin. That
stubborn instinct o f that donkey (Issacharite). will keep the one he loves from des
truction. no m atte r how difficult.

T he Shunam ite wom an: (II Kings 4:8-37) In this amazing story we read the
story o f a great w om an o f the Shunam ite family o f Issachar. She seems to have had a
great heart, a hospitable spirit, which is typical o f the Issacharite w om an. She asked
her husband to prepare a “ p ro p h et’s cham ber” where Elisha, the man o f G od, could
stay when he was travelling through the land. She put in a few pieces o f furniture, a
bed, a table, a stool and a candlestick. And every tim e th at Elisha came through there,
he stayed in th at hom e, and she “ m othered” this prophet. She was not a very old

17
wom an either. She was still in child-bearing age. The Bible says th a t he turned m
th ith er to “eat b rea d .” So we can see how she fed him and blessed him . This is typical
o f the generous, loving heart o f an Issacharite housewife.

As a reward, Elisha prophesied th a t she would have a son. Like m ost Issacharites
she had a hard tim e believing it. But nevertheless, it came to pass.

When her son becam e sick, she had “ understanding concerning th e tim es and
knew w hat Israel ought to d o .” When her son died, she laid him on the bed, shut the
door, w ent o u t, saddled an ass, rode o ff as fast as she could to the prophet o f G od, not
telling her husband one word (which is typical o f an Issacharite, rem em ber, they can
keep th eir m ouths sh u t) and, casting herself dow n at Elisha’s feet, hung on to them te
naciously until he prom ised to accom pany her back to her house. He returned with
her and raised her son from the dead.

Years later a fte r her husband seems to have died, Elisha warned her of a famine
th at God would send on the land for 7 years, and he advised her to take her family and
go wherever she felt was best. She left the area and w ent to live in the land o f the
Philistines for seven years. At the end o f th at tim e she returned, and when she found
th at som eone else had taken over her land, she w ent to see the king to ask him to give
it back to her. G od was looking o u t for her. Just as she came before the king, it
happened that G ehazi, the servant o f Elisha, was telling the king about the miracle that
had happened to her. Even while they were talking about it, behold, the woman
arrived in the royal court. When Gehazi saw her, he was amazed and said, My lord O
king, this is the w om an, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. When the
king’ found this o u t, he im m ediately ordered th at her land should be restored to er
plus all the fruits o f the field since the day she left the land until then. (II Kings 8. - )

That story shows you how the Issachartie women have understanding concerning
the tim es. She knew exactly when to stand before the king. She was n o t one m m ute
too early or one m inute to o late. T hat is the w onderful thing about the Issacharites, it
seems th at even though they are often so slow, they still are always right on schedule
with G od’s timing.

Surely this Shunam ite was a “ m other in Israel” who knew how to claim and
possess what was hers.

DEBORAH

I know some o f you will be surprised to see th at I nam e Deborah as an Issacharite.

There is a great deal o f controversy over the tribe o f this woman o f G od. I have
studied and searched and prayed and I believe God has shown me. But first o f a
w ant to show you w hat tribes she m ight be, and why.

18
 N aphtali: Som e people believe she was o f th e tribe o f Naphtali because she
prophesied to Barak who was o f N aphtali (Judges 4 :6 ), and she worked in co-operation
w ith him m arching a t his side, to win a glorious victory over th e enemy.

Zebulun: N aphtali and Zebulun are often found united in the same cause.
(Judges 5-18) T he story tells us th a t she told Barak to “take with thee 10,000 m en of
the children o f N aphtali and o f th e children o f Z ebulun.” Why would she call for m en
o f these tw o d ifferent tribes, if she did n o t have some special influence on b o th o f
them - Barak as a N aphtalite and herself as a Zebulum te? Surely b o th tribes res
ponded to th e call o f these tw o leaders.

Ephraim : M any believe th a t she belonged to the tribe o f Ephraim because she
lived in a place betw een Ram ah and Bethel in M ount Ephraim (Judges 4 :5 ) It is high y
probable th at she w ould be an Ephraim ite wom an if she lived in Ephraim . B ut then it
is also possible th a t she could have m arried an Ephraim ite and moved to live in his
tribal region. So this does n o t prove she was an Ephraim ite, just because she lived
there. Israelite w om en were expected to leave their own inheritance to live w ith their
husbands in theirs.

Manasseh: The tribal sym bol for Manasseh from ancient tim es is the palm
tree. Deborah lived under “ the palm tree o f D eborah.” Is it n o t possible th a t this
palm tree, th at we identify w ith Manasseh could have its roots in D eborah’s hom e,
the place where she prophesied and where the children o f Israel came up to her for
judgm ent? (Judges 4:5)

Issachar: One o f the sym bols o f the tribe o f Issachar, which is n o t often seen, is
th at o f the sun, in all o f its brightness, even the noon-day sun. This sym bol is the sign
th at Israel chose to use for its tribe-stam ps to signify the tribe o f Issachar.

In Judges 5:31 we read, “ So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: b u t let them
th a t love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his m ight.” The New King James
Version translates it “ as the sun w hen it comes o u t in full strength.”

This verse is th e very last verse o f D eborah’s song, which she w rote and which she
and Barak sung together.

Is it n o t significant and highly probable th a t this “ sun which comes o u t in full

strength” and w hich is believed to be the sym bol o f Issachar, refers to Deborah herself?
F or surely she loved the Lord and she was stating th a t the one who loves Him should
be th a t shining noon-day sun.

Jewish trad itio n identifies her as an Issacharite. I have accepted it. You can do
w ith this w hat y o u wish.

Looking u p o n her as an Issacharite, we see some m arks o f identity to this tn b e.

19
 1 She was surely “ a m other in Israel.” She even calls herself by this name.
(Judges 5:7)

2. She had understanding concerning the times and knew what Israel ought to do.

3. In her wisdom she could see:

a. whom G od had called to lead His people:
b. w hat tribes should go to battle:
c. how m any soldiers were needed:
d. the strategy o f where to attack :
e. when to attack (“ this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into
thine h a n d :" ):
f. she knew th a t God had gone out before them (Judges 4:14):
g. she knew th a t a woman would get the honour (Judges 4:9):
h. she m arched right along with Barak. (Judges4:10>

Josephus says. “ Barak said that he would not be the general, unless she would
also go as a general w ith him .” She was a real soldier herself, fearless, wise, daring,
and courageous. She had the characteristics o f the m ilitary nature o f her tribe who
were true warriors in Israel.

Deborah left us all an example o f the greatness that God can put into one o f His
daughters. She was a judge in Israel for apparently quite a long time. Josephus says
that Barak was judge for 40 years and that they both died almost at the same time.

POSITION OF ISSACHAR

In the wilderness, around the tabernacle: Issachar was situated with Zebulun
and Judah on the east side. I w ant to draw your attention to the fact that Issachar
and Zebulun are alw ays together. They were com panions throughout history and on
into the future.

In the Prom ised Land: The lot for Issachar fell from M ount T abor, towards
Jezreel and in the area o f Shunem (this is where the two Shunam ite women we m en
tioned came from ). The fact that Mt. Tabor is located at the boundary o f Issachar. is
also a p ro o f that D eborah was an Issacharite. The location o f Issachar is listed in
Joshua 19:17-23. T heir neighbouring tribes were Manasseh on the south. Zebulun on
the n o rth , w ith the Jordan River located on the east.

In the M illenium: Issachar will be located betw een Simeon and Zebulun.
(Ezekiel 48:25)

T he G ate o f Issachar: In the New Jerusalem , the Gate o f Issachar will be on the
n orth side with Simeon and Zebulun.

20
 And so we see again the close relationship w ith Issachar and Zebulun. You know
th a t they are bound to succeed as they live together and labour together, loving each
o th er and serving the Lord. What God has joined, let no man put asunder!

CONCLUSION

Issachar, you beautiful tribe, in conclusion let me say a few things. Please listen
to m e, and listen carefully.

One thing a b o u t you is, that you do take tim e to listen. It is hard for you to
always be ob ed ien t to w hat the Lord says to you. You try . but you have m any doubts
because your ow n nature is very firm and unm ovable. I would speak to you as a
m other in Israel,” even though I am not o f Issachar. but I am closely related to this
tribe, in th at I feel I can find you “ in the Spirit.”

Y our nam e signifies tw o opposites in your nature. One: you are a servant with
a servant’s h eart, low ly, burdened and faithful. The o th er thing is that there is another
m eaning to y o u r nam e, a m eaning that has been hidden through the centim es, and that
is the root-w ord nasa , which means “ to lift up high, to fly."

Please rem em ber this beautiful tru th when the burden gets so heavy that you do
not know how you will carry it any longer. Lay it at the feet of the Lord. He said.
“ Come unto m e. all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(M atthew 1 1:28)

There are burdens you do not need to carry. These are burdens ot your own
making. Satan knows your weakness is in your strength and in your own calling. He
would “ bog you d o w n " with a lot of unnecessary burdens, which are not ot the Lord,
b ut rather from y o u r own heart and your own spirit. Learn to take all these things to
God and let Him sort them out for you. so that your back is not broken spiritually.
You will lose o u t with G od. if you are not careful. You are troubled about many
things that d isturb your quiet spirit. Learn to take each day at a tim e. Spend more
tim e in prayer, reading the Word o f God. Do not becom e a slave to work. Be careful
that you do n o t let the devil tell you that you will get rewards for all the unnecessary
burdens which you carry.

Jesus is standing there at your desk. He wants you to share your burden with
others. Do n o t assume th at no one else can do as perfect a job as you can. Maybe it
is true that they can ’t, but let them at least try to help you. We love you! We need
you! Please try to let your soul be freed from the shackles o f your own slave-labour
cam p. God w ants to give you your wings. The tim e for them to be given to you is
now . He w ants to lift you up high into His presence. How will you ever rise to meet
Him in the clouds if you can’t rise to m eet Him day by day in the spirit?

21
 Force yourself to pick up your Bible in the morning when you get out of bed.
Discipline yourself in Godliness and spiritual devotion. And one day, all those burdens
will be left behind at Calvary and you will be lifted up into the glory of His presence
and realize what a servant to tribute you have been for so long. And I pray for you.
beloved Issachar. that that day will be this very day.
Z ebulun
BY GWEN SHAW
This chart was taken from The A dam an d E ve F am ily Tree, produced by th e Good
Things Com pany. Used by perm ission.

Cover by Cynthia Peal!

C opyright 1982, Gwen R. Shaw

End-Time H andm aidens, Inc.
P.O. Box 447
Jasper, Arkansas 72641

Ail rights reserved.

P rin ted in the U nited S tates o f A m erica

 PRAYER

“ Beloved F a th er in heaven, we hum bly ask You to come now and to u ch us, th at
we m ay see beyond the natural and beyond our own lim itations o f understanding to
discern w hat You w ould have us to know concerning Your son, Zebulun.

We know th a t this is a special tribe in so m any ways, for you have blessed them
beyond w hat they deserve. Help us today to share the blessing w ith the anointing that
comes from the “ pen o f th e w riter.” (Judges 5:14) In Jesus’ name. A m en.”

TH E NAMING O F ZEBULUN

“ A nd Leah said, G od h a th endued me w ith a good dow ry; now will my husband
dwell w ith m e, because I have born him six sons: and she called his nam e Zebulun.
And afterw ard she bare a daughter, and called her nam e Dinah. (Genesis 3 0.20,21)

Zebulun is th e te n th son o f Jacob and the sixth son o f Leah. He was the last son
th a t Leah bore her husband.

TH E M EANING O F THE NAME

Zebulun was nam ed by his m other. You will have noticed th at all o f Jacob’s
sons were nam ed by th eir m others. The only one th at was nam ed by the father was
Benjam in, and th a t is because Jacob changed it after his wife, Rachel, died.

Z ebulun comes from the Hebrew word zebuluwn (zeb-oo-loon) which m eans “ to
dwell in ,” and comes from the root-w ord zabal (zaw-bal) which m eans, “ to enclose, to
reside, dwell w ith .”

With his b irth , Leah breaks fo rth in trem endous m aturity in G od. Her striving,
her struggle, has been transcended. She has moved into the m atu rity o f know ing th at
God has done it. She said, “ G od has endued m e w ith a good dow ry.”

The w ord “ d ow ry” com es from the Hebrew w ord zebed (zeh-bad) and m eans “ a
gift, a dow ry.” Please notice the sim ilarity betw een these tw o words. Leah is saying,
“ God has endued m e w ith a good zebed, and she called his nam e Zebulun. It is
alm ost like a play o f w ords, and I feel th at Zebulun m eans m ore th an dwelling, th a t it
also m eans “ a gift.” She thanked God fo r her dow ry o f six sons. Webster defines
dow ry as, “ The p ro p erty th a t a w om an brings her husband at marriage. A natural
talent, gift o r endow m ent.” Surely Leah had given Jacob the double p o rtio n , for, as I
explained earlier, if a w om an gives a m an three sons in the O rient, she is consi
dered to be a very special and honourable wom an w ho has received great gifts from
“ the gods.” Leah had twice as m any as th at. She was happy and she was content. Her

1
arm s were full o f love. The burning passion, th e unfulfilled needs o f the night had
becom e a thing o f the past. She had a dowry and for th a t she praised God.

The wom en o f Am erica are destroying their “ dow ry” by abortion. They do n ot
realize the greatness o f their inheritance in God. They are casting their treasures out o f
th eir bodies and rejecting the greatest gift th a t any wom an can have while on this
earth , her children. A w om an’s dow ry is still her children.

“ N ow will my husband dwell w ith m e.”

This w ord, which has been translated “ dw ell” in the King James V ersion, is used
only once in the Bible. It comes from the Hebrew word zabal (zaw-bal) w hich, as I
said, m eans “ to enclose, to dwell w ith, to reside.”

You know th at she had to “ hire Jacob” on the night th at she conceived Issachar.
But now , she knows in her h eart th at Jacob is going to move over and live in her tent.
She believes that God is going to cause Jacob to turn to her fully and m ake his habita
tion in her ten t. She is going to “enclose,” to surround, to wrap some invisible fence
around him , so th at he is hers, and hers alone.

Zebulunites w ant to do this. They have an inner instinct o f w anting to protect

others against the w orld. T h at is why they are hospitable people. They w ant to put
their arms around o th ers End keep them safe from all h u rts and evils. They would
gladly build walls around th eir best friends and children, n o t w anting them to ever
leave the safety o f hom e, because they have th a t natural, God-given instinct th a t every
body who lives w ith them will be safer than out in the w orld. They m ay n o t always be
able to express it (Zebuluns find it very hard to express their true feelings), b u t they
feel it deeply, when those w hom they love, leave them to strike it out on their own.

It grieves them to see th eir children leave hom e, their co-workers take o th er jobs,
their friends to depart. A ny division or separation is to rm e n t for the Zebulunite.

One o f the reasons th a t the Zebulunites cannot share their true feelings easily, is
because they n o t only p u t a wall around the ones whom they love, they also p u t a wall
around their own hearts. They are so afraid o f being h u rt. A ctually they are very, very
sensitive people, b u t because o f th a t wall they have around their hearts, very few
people know how sensitive they are, because they try so hard n o t to show it. Only
those who are close to th em , can see the “ weeping behind the curtain o f the ten t.

SYMBOL

The sym bol o f Zebulun is the ship. This sym bol comes from the prophecy th at
Jacob gave Zebulun, and also from the one th a t Moses gave him . I will enlarge on its
m eaning in detail u n d er th e prophecies.

2
 Because a ship is referred to as fem inine, I will speak o f Zebulun in the fem inine
gender.

GEMSTONE

T he gem stone o f Zebulun is very fitting. It is the aquam arine. The aquam arine
was form erly know n as th e beryl. The Encylopaedia Britannica states, “ The aquam a
rine is a transparent variety o f th e beryllium ore beryl. It is valued as a gem , having a
delicate blue or bluish-green colour, suggestive o f the tin t o f sea w ater. Em erald is
the green variety o f th e same m ineral. Some o f the finest come from the U.S.S.R..

When you realize th a t the em erald and the aquam arine are so closely connected,
you can understand the relationship th a t exists betw een Judah and Zebulun, for there
is an affinity betw een these tw o tribes, even though Zebulun and Issachar are linked
together alm ost as though they were twins.

Because Z ebulun’s inheritance is related to th e sea, it is very fitting th at the gem

stone o f this tribe is the aquam arine. The word “ aquam arine” comes from tw o Latin
words: aqua, m eaning “ w ater,” and marine, m eaning “ the sea.”

Every tim e a Z ebulunite looks at her beautiful aquam arine ring, she is lifted up
out o f the land and in her spirit she is “ sailing the blue-green seas.” She feels the call
o f d istant shores, th e far away places w ith strange sounding names begin to call Zebu
lun. She wears th e stone well, and it fits her personality and her spirit. Both the gem
stone, and the colour are beautiful on a Z ebulunite wom an.

PROPHECIES - JACOB

“ Zebulun shall dwell at th e haven o f the sea; and he shall be for an haven o f ships;
and his border shall be u n to Z idon.” (Genesis 49:13)

When Zebulun stands on the sea shore and looks o u t in to the distant horizon, she
can see far, far aw ay. Z ebulun has this view o f far horizons. She sees ahead, and this is
why she fits in so well w ith Issachar who also has understanding into the future. Zebu
lun has a view and a vision. This gives her a concern for distant lands and people.
People who they m ay never see in this lifetim e, will still be rem em bered and thought
about by the Z ebulunite. Som ething inside o f her goes o u t to those far-away
people, som ething calls her to them .

The Z ebulunite at the haven o f the sea looks o u t in to the distance and w atches the
ships going o u t in th e face o f the storm . She also sees th e little ones, trying to come
into th e shelter because a storm is apppoaching. Zebulun watches the d ark clouds
covering the sky. She sees the storm -tossed sailor on his ship, trying to m ake it safely

3
to the shore, and Zebulun cares and prays. Zebulun will always feel the need to throw
o u t th e life-line across the dark waves.

T hrow out th e Life-Line across the dark wave,

There is a b rother whom som eone should save;
Som ebody’s brother! oh, w ho then will dare
To th ro w o u t the Life-Line, his peril to share?

R efrain:
T hrow o u t the Life-Line!
T hrow o u t the Life-Line!
Som eone is drifting away;
T hrow o u t the Life-Line! Throw o ut the Life-Line!
Som eone is sinking today.

T hrow o u t the Life-Line w ith hand quick and strong.

Why do you tarry , why linger so long?
See! he is sinking; oh hasten to d ay —
And o u t w ith the Life-Boat! away, then away!
Refrain

T hrow o u t the Life-Line to danger fraught m en,

Sinking in anguish where y o u ’ve never been:
Winds o f tem p tatio n and billows o f woe
Will soon hurl them out w here the dark w aters flow.
Refrain

Soon will th e season o f rescue be o’er,

Soon will they drift to e te rn ity ’s shore;
Haste th en , m y brother, no tim e for delay,
But thro w o u t the Life-Line and save them today.
Refrain

This burden for souls will m otivate the life o f Zebulun. T hey, like Issachar, have
a burden to o , b u t it is a burden for souls, whereas Issachar’s burden is m ore o f a bur
den for th e work th a t m ust be done so th a t these souls can be reached. Zebulun is a
winner o f souls. She will go and go and go, and when she cannot go any longer, she
will look for other ships th a t she can send o u t to sea to find the ship-wrecked souls
th at are crying for help in the darkness and the storm .

The Z ebulunite will climb the highest m ountains, cross the h o t and burning
desert, to reach these souls th a t need to be brought into the “ enclosure, even the fold
o f the sheep (sheep-fold).

“ and he shall be a haven fo r ships;”

4
 The Z ebulunite has a special m inistry for the traveller who is weary w ith the
journey o f life. Her m inistry is to m ake a hom e for the w anderers, the lost, the deso
late ones. The Z ebulunite always has a stretched-out hand, a concern for the soul that
comes w andering by. The d estitute will always find an open heart w ith the Zebulunite.
N or m ust they ever close up th a t h eart o f com passion, for they will suffer if they do.
There are times w hen God would have them to be firm , and to guard the lam bs in His
enclosure, against the w olf, who also comes knocking a t the d o o r o f the Zebulunite,
looking fo r a way in which he can come in and rend the sheep because he knows that
the loving Zebulunite can hardly tu rn anyone aw ay, even a wolf. And this is th e weak
ness o f the Zebulunites. They som etim es have perm itted wolves to come in and make
strong in-roads in to their hearts and m inistry, only to find later, th at they have paid
very dearly for it. The devil always uses o u r strong points and o u r good points to
destroy us.

“ and his border shall be u n to Z idon.”

Zidon Was G entile territo ry through all o f the Old Testam ent tim es, b u t it was
given to Asher, only he never possessed it. Rem em ber th a t the nam e Zidon comes
from the Hebrew tsiydon (tsee-done), which m eans, “ to catch fish.” This is so fitting
a prophecy for Zebulun. They are called and appointed by G od to catch “ fish,” even
big fish. They are fishers o f m en. It was in the area o f the Zebulun territory th a t Jesus
said to His disciples, “ Follow m e, and I will m ake you fishers o f m en.” (M atthew
4 :19) This word “ fishers” comes from the G reek halieus (hal-ee-yoos) and it means
“ sailor,” as well as “ fisher.”

It is quite a different thing to be a fisher on a river o r lake and one o u t on the

ocean. The fish are different, the dangers are greater, the am ount th a t one can catch
out at sea is stupendous. I rem em ber going fishing w ith m y husband and some Nova
Scotia fisherm en o ff the coast o f Canada. In several hours we caught over one hundred
huge blue-fish. It was unbelievable. They were so big and heavy. I couldn’t have
pulled them on to th e boat. And they were caught so quickly and with tw o or three
lines o u t, we were pulling them in constantly.

This is the life o f Zebulun. When the o th er tribes stand on the shore and admire
the view, Zebulun is looking beneath the surface and “seeing the fish” who are waiting
to be caught by th e life-line o f the Blood o f Jesus.

MOSES

D euteronom y 3 3 :18, “ And o f Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in th y going

o u t; and, Issachar, in thy tents. They shall call the people u n to the m o u n tain ; there
they shall offer sacrifices o f righteousness: for they shall suck o f the abundance o f the
seas, and o f treasures hid in the sand.”

5
 “Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out.”

This is a com m and to Zebulun to rejoice when she prepares to go on a journey.

Zebulun is n o t p erm itted to stay hom e very long. There are tim es when she would like
to unpack her suitcase long enough to get her clothes in to the draw er, but God has a
way o f pu ttin g the “ hornets after her.” God has ways o f making it easier for Zebulun
to say good-bye to h er fold, which she loves so m uch, and go out across the w aters to
those o th er folds w here she m ust also preach the Gospel. Once she gets on the road, it
is n o t so hard to keep going. It is th at last day, just before the journey, when all the
packing has to be d one, and the heart has to get itself ready to say good-bye, th a t the
call o f the Z ebulunite is the m ost difficult. To be a Zebulunite does n ot always mean
th a t one LIKES to travel. It means though th at one is CALLED to travel.

The com m and to REJOICE is from the Lord, and He fulfills what He comm ands.
He does create His jo y in the heart o f the Zebulunite, as she obeys the L ord’s com
m and.

N ot all Zebulunites are com m anded to leave their hom es. Some m ust also go in
prayer and intercession, or in their finances (by sending others). If you are a Zebu
lunite, you may never get to the missionary field, but you will always have the call and
the burden for missions all the days o f your life, and you will radiate His joy from your
life, only as you fulfill the calJ o f God on your life, to “ go o u t” in any way th at you
can.

The Word o f God says, “ And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is
w ritten, How beautiful are the feet o f them th at preach the gospel of peace, and bring
glad tidings o f good things!” (Rom ans 10:15) Zebulun has tw o office-works. One is
to go and the o ther is to send others. Many o f the great missionaries (the “sent ones,”
for that is the m eaning o f the name “ m issionary” ), when they have grown too old to
travel, have organized great missionary organizations th at have sent thousands to the
missionary fields. Once a missionary - always a missionary. Once a Zebulunite - al
ways a Zebulunite.

And oh, the “ fish stories” th at the Zebulunite can tell! You just can’t keep her
quiet. She is always talking. She always has one “ b e tte r” to tell than the last one. As
a Z ebulunite, I m ust confess, th at I DO know one b e tte r too. After all my years of
experience on the mission field (since 1947), I have so m uch to share. I have been in
over 100 nations. I have lived with the people. I know their heart-beat. I know better
stories about the devil than anyone else. I know better stories about angels than any
one else, b u t I always ask the Lord to help me n o t to talk so m uch. But a Zebulunite is
“ out-going” and so she cannot keep it to herself. If she cannot tell it, then she wants
to write it. Tell us Zebulunites to keep quiet, and we will “ die.”

“They shall call the people u nto the m ountain;”

6
 W ith Z ebulun’s gift o f speech, she m akes a good “ tow n crier.” She is never
happier than when she is sounding the alarm, preaching the gospel or shouting it from
the housetops.

Like Issachar, th e Zebulunites have a vision, and so they call the people in to the
place o f revelation, new revelation; “high m ountains” speak o f new revelation in God,
new heights in God th a t have been conquered.

“ there they shall offer sacrifices o f righteousness:”

The Zebulunites are ready to offer the sacrifice o f righteousness because they
have th e burden o f the Lord. They m ake w onderful prayer warriors. They often have
been given the m inistry o f intercessory prayer. They w ant purity and honesty and real
holiness. They cannot stand sham or false spirituality. They hate the Babylonian sys
tems. There is no way th at they can work along w ith m an’s program m e. It means
nothing to them .

N either is there any lim itation to the sacrifices th a t Zebulun will m ake. They are
radicals, when it comes to serving the Lord and giving the best that they have to Him.
D on’t try to stop them , they will only pull up the anchor and sail for a b e tte r fishing
spot. They love th e freedom o f the open seas and they will take advantage o f fulfilling
their calling by setting th eir sails to take them to lost horizons and unchartered seas
where they will discover lost continents not yet know n to m an.

“ fo r they shall suck o f the abundance o f the seas,”

And no one know s the secret o f the abundance o f w ealth and supply o f food, th at
lies in the seas, like Zebulun. She does n o t only go o u t in the day tim e. Even in the
hours o f the night her boats are o u t there, w ith their lights on, attracting the fish into
their nets. For Zebulun shall dwell in the light and this light will a ttrac t others to her.

ZEBULUN IN BATTLE

Zebulun makes a w onderful fisherm an, b u t a terrible soldier. She will avoid any
confrontation as long as it is possible. But when the tim e comes th a t she m ust defend
her fold, then she is ready to m uster her arm y, and when th a t happens, w atch out!
It will seem as though she has saved all her energy for one BIG battle.

In Judges 4 and 5 we read the story o f Deborah and Barak. D eborah was o f the
tribe o f Issachar and Barak was o f the tribe o f N aphtali. But Zebulun knew a righteous
cause when they saw one and so they were forced into battle.

Besides, they heard the call o f the Holy Spirit. When God spoke in prophecy
through D eborah, His prophetess, “ Take w ith thee ten thousand men o f the children

7
o f N aphtali and o f the children o f Z ebulun,” Zebulun was ready to obey the comm and
o f the Lord. If Z ebulun is convinced G od has spoken, nothing will hold her back.

They had suffered under the cruel sword o f Jabin, the king o f Canaan long
enough. It was tim e to be liberated. They were faced w ith an issue from which they
could n o t escape, and they knew that the hour had come when they had to come face
to face w ith the enem y. There was no turning back.

She could n o t bear the suffering o f the people any longer. T hat is the only thing
th at will challenge a Zebulunite.-.love and compassion for her people. It is the only
thing th a t will m ake h er go to battle. She will not fight for herself, but she will for er
little ones whom the Lord has given her. If it was just herself who was concerned, she
would unfurl the sails and sail on.

What a battle th a t was! Josephus says that when “ they came down to close fight,
there came dow n from heaven a great storm , w ith a vast q u an tity o f rain and hail and
the wind blew the rain in the face o f the Canaanites, and so darkened their eyes, that
their arrows and slings were o f no advantage to them , nor would the coldness o f the
air perm it the soldiers to m ake use o f their swords; while this storm did so m uch
incom m ode the Israelites, because it came in their backs. They also to o k courage,
upon the apprehension th a t God was assisting them , th at they fell upon the very midst
o f th eir enem ies, and slew a great num ber o f them ; so that some o f them fell by the
Israelites, some fell by their own horses, which were put into disorder, and not a few
were killed by their ow n chariots.” The hail and heavy rains turned that battle field ot
Jezreel in to deep m ud and their chariots were useless. God gave Zebulun and Naphtali
a m ighty victory on th a t day.

God honours these tw o tribes in the words of the song o f praise th a t Deborah
w rote and sang w ith Barak, “ Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their
lives unto the death in the high places o f the field.” (Judges 5:18) This kind o f sacri
fice is w hat Zebulun believes in. They love the cause th at is pure and righteous and
for it they are willing to lay down their lives, if need be. They are fearless o f t e
strongest enem y, and they will willingly stand up and fight, even if it is a WOMAN who
has given them the challenge and called them forth, for they have the ability to under
stand it is n o t flesh o r b lo o d , b u t the Holy Spirit who is doing the calling.

“ In the high places o f the field.”

This word “ high” com es from the Hebrew marowm (maw-rome) m eaning, “ ele
vated, height, upw ard, far above.” It means th a t Zebulun is n o t only ready toi sail the
seas b u t to climb th e m ountains for her God. She hears the call o f the Spirit.
Zion,...get thee up in to the high m ountain;...and say u n to the cities..., Behold your
G od!” (Isaiah 40:9)

8
 “ OUT OF ZEBULUN THEY TH A T HANDLE THE PEN OF TH E W RITER”
Judges 5:14

G od has given Zebulun the gift and the anointing to use the pen as o th er men use
the sw ord. But let us look m ore closely at this verse. It comes from the Hebrew word
shebet (sheb-awt). It has m any interesting meanings, “ to branch off, a stick used for
punishing, w riting, fighting, ruling, walking, correction, rod, sceptre, staff, trib e .” Its
Hebrew word is only used once in the entire Bible.

T he word ‘w riter” is caphar (sef-ar), meaning “ to score with a m ark, as a tally, to

record, to inscribe, to enum erate, to declare, scribe, speak, shew fo rth , tell out,
w riter.”

God has given Zebulun m any gifts. These gifts will enable her to branch o ff into
m any directions and grow far o u t o f the range o f her im m ediate surroundings. God has
also given her the rod o f counselling, and the ability to give correction to those who are
entrusted into her care. She can use th at rod to punish the one who needs correction.
Zebulun has the sta ff for guidance, and the sceptre to rule her tribe is also a part o f her
inheritance. T hen, she has been given in this same shebet the pen that will score with
a m ark, tally up, record, write out w hat God wants recorded. The shebet is also used
to conduct music by the leader. So we see the musical ability o f Zebulun, for she can
sing as she can speak. God will give her songs in the night, poetry in her deep valleys
and high praises on her m ountain tops. Blessed is Zebulun, indeed!

Zebulunites are gifted people. They are m uch m ore gifted than they th ink they
are. Because they have a tendency to run away from even their gifts, because every gift
or talent th at we receive from God has responsibility, and with responsibility comes
sw eat, and sacrifice, and also criticism . This is what Zebulun fears, th at som eone will
n o t like the thing th at she has produced through her anointing and th at they will criti
cize w hat she feels God has given her, for she knows th at w ithout His help, she could
not have done anything at all.

I never knew I was a writer. When I was a young girl o f 15, I used to wish that I
could be a w riter. I wished th at I could some day write songs and m ake up little
stories. But everything I tried fell flat. I lacked som ething. It was the anointing o f the
Holy Spirit. W ithout this anointing my pen was dry, my poem s were dead.

But one day, w hen I was m any years older, through heartache that I was passing
through, I cried o u t to God from the agony o f my soul and a still voice w ithin me said,
“ D aughter, read the Song o f Solom on!” I knelt dow n by my bed, m y Bible open in
front o f m e and I began to read. Suddenly the “ Teacher” came and began to teach me.
I was lifted up above m y situation, m y environm ent, m yself, and as the T eacher taught
m e, I listened. I saw things th at no man could teach me. When I opened my eyes,
three hours had gone by. It had seemed like 5 m inutes. I sat in G od’s presence day
after day from 9 o ’clock in the m orning till 12 noon, five days a week, and always the

9
Lord spoke to me and I recorded it. I never dream ed it would turn into a book. I
didn’t th in k anyone w ould read it. But it has been published and been a blessing to
thousands o f people. It is the song o f the bride and her heavenly Bnedgroom . It is
our song o f love. I give all the glory to God.

A fter the experience G od has given me m any m ore beautiful books and songs, and
He constantly increases the anointing to do m ore and m ore for Him, for everything we
have comes from Him and everything we do, belongs to Him.

IN TH E TIME O F GIDEON

Judges 6:35, “ Arid he (G ideon) sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who
also was gathered after him : and he sent messengers unto Asher, and u n to Zebulun, and
unto N aphtali; and th ey came up to m eet them .” •

When the angel o f the Lord called Gideon to lead his people in a battle against the
Midianites, he called fo r the Zebulun tribe to join him in the battle and they came
willingly to help. I do n o t know how m any o f them returned hom e, but certainly o
the num ber o f those th a t were left (300), there m ust have been some from Zebulun.

Zebulun is faithful to answer the call when there is a need. They are true fie n d s ,
even willing to lay dow n their lives for a friend. They are loyal and n o t double
hearted.

IN THE TIME OF KING DAVID

When the soldiers o f the tribes came dow n to join w ith David in H ebron, it is
w ritten o f Zebulun, “ O f Zebulun, such as w ent forth to battle, expert m war with all
instrum ents o f war, fifty thousand which could keep rank: they were n o t o f double
h eart.” (I Chronicles 12:33) This word “ double-hearted” means th at they were not
double-m inded.

People who are double-m inded are unreliable. James says (James 1:8) A double
m inded m ind is unstable in all his ways.” Zebulunites will shun someone whom they
have found to be double-m inded. They fear th at person like the plague. You only
need to deceive a Z ebulunite one tim e. You will never win their confidence again, un
less you have proven y o u r loyalty after a long tim e. They will watch you to see if you
have changed. A Z ebulunite dem ands o f her friends the same loyalty as she gives them .

The trem endous num ber o f 50,000 soldiers in the tim e o f David who were “ ex-

*“ Song o f Love” by Gwen R. Shaw available from End-Time Handm aidens, P.O. Box 447, Jasper, ARK 72641
S3.95 plus postage and handling.

10
pert in war” proves th a t Zebulun was ready for the b a ttle when the need arose. There
were m ore from this tribe than any o th er in Israel w ho joined themselves to David and
this was because th ey were tired o f the corruption in Saul’s reign. They knew th at
David was genuine, and th a t he was anointed o f God and they w anted th e real thing,
the “ righteous sacrifice.”

THEY COULD KEEP RANK

This is a beautiful quality. It speaks o f the ability to know their place in the
arm y The buck-private didn’t w ant to be the drill sergeant and the drill sergeant
didn’t w ant to be th e general. They m arched in perfect unison, they fought shoulder
to shoulder. It also m eans “ to m uster th e b a ttle .”

T hey joined in the celebrations w ith King David, bringing along their share of
good things to feast on like Issachar and N aphtali did. (I Chronicles 13:40)

ZEBULUN AS JUD GE

In Judges 1 2 :11,12 we read about a Z ebulunite w ho was a judge.

“ And after h im , Elon, a Z ebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel 10 years.
And Elon the Z ebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.

Elon means “ th e prom inent, elated, exalted, noble one; oak, strong o ne.” He is
nam ed after one o f the sons o f Zebulun.

FAM ILY TR E E O F ZEBULUN

Zebulun had three sons. Genesis 4 6 :1 4 , “ And the sons o f Zebulun; Sered, and
Elon, and Jahleel.”

Sered: the fath e r o f the Saradites. His name m eans “ to get away, escape, flight,
save, pasture-land.”

Elon: the fath e r o f the Elonites. The m eaning o f Elon is “ the prom inent, elated,
exalted, noble one, oak, strong one.”

Jahleel: the fath e r o f Jahleelites. Jahleel m eans, “ wait upon G od.”

Let us look a t the m eaning o f these names m ore closely. Surely they describe the
nature o f Zebulun.

11
 Sered reveals the weakness o f Z ebulun to flee from a situation, to escape and get a-
way from anything th a t will give her pain. She is an “ escapee.” You w ould call this kind
o f person an “escapist.” And certainly this is true. If she has no place she can flee to in
order to escape a d ifficu lty , she will escape in to herself, pull down her shade, o r build
up her wall around h e r and y o u ju st try to get inside o f that! It is practically im pos
sible. It m akes her look hard and cold, b u t really, it is only her protection against the
pain she feels. The d efinition fo r this word, “ pastureland” also reveals how when one
is fleeing from a situ atio n , he is looking for greener pastures elsewhere. Zebulun in
herited this trait from his fath er, Jacob, who fled from the face o f his b ro th er, Esau.
He also fled from his father-in-law , Laban.

The Z ebulunite is never going to stand and face an issue if she can avoid it. If she
has to , th o ugh, she will face it w ith courage and strength. But if she can avoid it, she
certainly will. She will escape on the first b o a t leaving, the first plane taking off, or the
first car driving off. If she sees a battle getting ready, and she can avoid it, she will
sneak o u t a t the back door. This is especially true o f a Zebulun in her im m ature
nature. As she grows in to m atu rity , God begins to p ut “ iro n ” in her soul. She will her
self be surprised at th e strength she suddenly finds inside herself.

Elon: As Z ebulun grows in to m atu rity , she becomes the L ord’s strong oak. She
is n o t always looking fo r an easy way to escape the situation. She realizes th a t there is
no place to get away to and she m ust face the problem s sooner or later. This is the
beginning o f her prom inence in the Lord and God can begin to make a “ noble one”
o u t o f her. If you are a Z ebulunite, you will never becom e strong in G od, unless you
stop running away from difficult situations. You have to determ ine to get hold o f
your natural weaknesses and p u t dow n roots right where you are, so th a t you can be
th a t strong oak th at stands firm , no m atter how the storm blows. Then you will see
the pow er o f God w ork on y o u r behalf.

Jahleel: This nam e m eans “ w ait upon G od.” When a Zebulunite reaches her
m aturity in G od, she learns, th a t the secret and the key o f being strong, is to wait upon
God. She is n o t in a hu rry to board the first ship leaving the harbour. She enters into
a place o f rest where she know s th a t she can trust for God to w ork things o u t in her
life. She rem em bers th a t th e W ord o f God says, “ They th at wait upon the Lord shall
renew th eir strength; th e y shall m o u n t up w ith wings as eagles; they shall ru n , and not
be w eary; and they shall w alk, and n o t fain t.” (Isaiah 4 0 :3 1 ) She knows it, not
because she read it, b u t because it has becom e an experience to her. It works!

ZEBULUN ON MOUNT EBAL

In D euteronom y 2 7 :1 3 we read th at Zebulun stands w ith R euben, Gad, Asher,

Dan and N aphtali to u tte r th e warnings to the people o f G od. This is the only place
where Zebulun and Issachar are separated. Issachar stands on Mt. Gerizim to bless,
while Zebulun stands on M t. Ebal to curse. They are n o t together. But I rem em ber I

12
told y o u they were opposites. So it is still all in the plan o f God. One m ay preach the
Word from this angle and another from th at angle, but it is still the same message and
we are united in th e Lord.

WEAKNESSES O F ZEBULUN

In Judges 1:30 we read, “ N either did Zebulun drive o u t the inhabitants o f K itron,
no r the inhabitants o f Nahalol; b u t the Canaanites dw elt am ong th em , and becam e tri
butaries.”

While it is true th a t Zebulun drove o u t m ore o f the enem y than m any o f the other
tribes, still there were tw o different ones th at they did n o t get rid of. Let us look at
them .

1. K itron com es from kithliysh (kith-leesh) and it m eans, wall o f a man.

One can still see by this the wall th a t Zebulun builds around herself. It is a long
standing weakness in her character, which she only can overcom e through the power of
the Holy Spirit w orking in her life. If she is n o t careful, she will becom e separated
from the ones she loves, because th a t wall will cause a com m unications break-down
betw een herself and those w ho love her. Many marriages have fallen apart because the
dem on “ K itron” sits betw een husband and wife, and the wall he builds up is so strong
th at only prayer and fasting can break it dow n, and som etim es even th a t does not
w ork, because everyone is a free m oral agent.

2. Nahalol com es from th e Hebrew nahalol (nah-halole) which m eans “ bush and
pasture.”

Y ou see, the weakness - the desire to escape to the pastures or in to the bushes -
rem ains still in Zebulun.

It m ay seem ridiculous, b u t the tru th is that if we know our weaknesses, we have

won h alf our battle.

Zebulun did n o t drive o u t all o f these inhabitants. They only fought as m uch as
they had to fight. They felt th a t if it wasn’t necessary, they would ju st settle down
and m ake “ peace treaties” w ith the adversary. Many people are like th at. ‘ Peace, at
any price” is their m o tto . And it is true th at peace is blessed, b u t n o t at ANY price.

REV IV A L IN ZEBULUN

II Chronicles 3 0 :1 0 , “ So the posts passed from city to city through the country
o f Ephraim and Manasseh even u n to Z ebulun: b u t they laughed them to scorn, and

13
m ocked them . Nevertheless divers o f Asher and Manasseh and o f Zebulun hum bled
themselves, and came to Jerusalem .”

We have m entioned this revival under King Hezekiah earlier, b u t we will ju st trace
it briefly in connection w ith Zebulun. Here again we see the weakness in Zebulun.
“ They laughed them to scorn and m ocked th em .” This is the im m aturity o f a Zebu
lunite before God gets hold o f her. She will m ock and laugh and deride u ntil she is
convinced it is God.

Before the Lord cam e in to my life, I was ju st like th at. I would sit in a revival
m eeting and ju st m ock and ridicule th e messenger o f God. It was a part o f m y nature.
It was only after God cam e in to m y life, th a t He to o k the m ockery out o f me.

But I thank G od, th a t even though Zebulun has a tendency to m ock, th a t some of
them hum bled themselves and came to Jerusalem . There are those who will hum ble
themselves when the call comes fo rth to go up to Jerusalem , the place o f revival, the
place o f G od’s visitation.

I th an k God th at, in spite o f the fact th a t I was a m ocker, when the Holy Ghost
got a hold o f me, I hum bled m yself by the grace o f God and came “ up to Jerusalem ,”
the city o f sacrifice, and laid m y life on the altar and m y life was com pletely turned
around. I was no “bench-w arm er.” I said, “ Yes L ord!” I dedicated my life to God. I
gave God 100%. And this is the way the Zebulunites m ean business when they
surrender their lives to G od. They cannot bear to live a double life. It is n o t in their
character. They give all to G od, or nothing at all.

A T TH E MOVING OF TH E ARK

In Psalm 68:27,28 we read, “There is little Benjamin w ith their ruler, the princes
o f Judah and their council, th e princes o f Zebulun, and the princes o f N aphtali. Thy
God h ath com m anded th y strength: strengthen, O God, th at which thou hast w rought
for us.”

When David m oved the ark, Zebulun was there in Jerusalem rejoicing and praising
the Lord. Zebulun always enjoys the blessings o f the Lord; the moving o f the ark has
always been a tim e for Zebulun to come and sing and shout and praise the Lord. And
God has promised to strengthen them . God knows th at Zebulun needs the extra
strength in their life, so they w o n ’t run away from the challenge, but rather fulfill
G od’s will in their lives.

LIGHT IN ZEBULUN

In Isaiah 9:1-5 th ere are five w onderful prophetic verses concerning Zebulun. I

14
love these verses. They are full o f promise for Zebulun.

“ Nevertheless the dimness shall n o t be such as was in her vexation, when at the
first he lightly afflicted the land o f Zebulun and the land o f N aphtali, and afterw ard
did m ore grievously afflict her by the way o f the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee o f
the nations. The people th at walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that
dwell in th e land o f the shadow o f d eath, upon them h a th the light shined. T hou hast
m ultiplied the n atio n , and n o t increased the jo y : they jo y before thee according to the
jo y in harvest, and as m en rejoice when they divide the spoil. F or th o u hast broken the
yoke o f his b u rd en , and the staff o f his shoulder, the rod o f his oppressor, as in the day
o f M idian. F o r every b a ttle o f the w arrior is w ith confused noise, and garm ents rolled
in b lo o d ; b u t this shall be w ith burning and fuel o f fire.”

This is a prom ise o f a special visitation o f God upon Zebulun and Naphtali. God
says th a t though they were in gloom and darkness and they were lightly esteem ed at
the first, afterw ards, in Galilee o f the G entiles, He is going to send a great light th at will
come shining o u t upon the Gentiles from Zebulun and N aphtali. The light will be so
bright th a t those w ho are sitting in darkness are going to see it, even those in the land
o f the shadow o f death.

God prom ises to send them w onderful jo y , even the jo y o f the harvest tim e, when
they divide the harvest because He is going to break the yoke and the burden th at is
upon their shoulder like He did on the day He broke the yoke o f Midan.

Zebulun understood this language. They loved the tim e o f harvest w hen there
was feasting and rejoicing and laughter. As m issionaries, they have a great concern to
bring in th e harvest. And when God sends a wave o f revival, they will be right there in
the m iddle o f it, rejoicing and shouting and praising the Lord. They know th a t when
the blessing o f the Lord falls, all the yokes are broken and all the burdens are lifted
o ff their shoulders. No one can force a Z ebulunite to carry any yoke or burden that is
not o f the Lord. They ju st shake it off. You m ust rem em ber, they run from trouble,
so they will run also when it is good to run. Som etim es it is good to get away from
trouble. It is n o t always necessary to stay and fight things o u t till the finish. God also
said, “ Be still and know th a t I am G o d .” Zebulunites love this scripture.

Verse 5 is a very descriptive and sad verse. God says that the sandal o f everyone
o f the soldiers w ho fell in the b attle, and everyone o f the garm ents (uniform s) th a t are
covered in blood will be used for fuel to light a big fire. T hat could refer to enemy
soldiers, b u t it could also refer to soldiers o f Zebulun. Sometimes in the battle we lose
our shoe, we get o u r garm ents bloodied, b u t if God turns ou r bloody garm ents into a
covering o f fire, then th a t is good to o . I know He has done that w ith m e, and I praise
Him for it, though at the tim e it was n o t easy.

We m entioned th a t Elon, the Z ebulunite judge, was buried in Aijalon o f Zebulun.

Aijalon was the place where Joshua com m anded the sun to stand still and the m oon

15
n o t to rise up over the valley. It was in the land o f Zebulun where the sun shone for
m any hours longer th an the day is naturally. “ So th e sun stood still in th e m idst of
heaven, and hasted n o t to go dow n ab o u t a whole d ay.” (Joshua 10:13) How fitting
it is, th at God let the sun shine these long hours over the tribe o f Zebulun. God was
helping Zebulun to fight for th eir possessions. They removed the wicked o ff the face
o f the earth and possessed th eir land.

Zebulun is the land o f light. T he Z ebulunites love to have all the lights on in the
house. They are always w asting electricity. They cannot stand darkness. They hate to
pull dow n th e shades. They d o n ’t even care th a t m uch for candle-light. They w ant all
the bright lights sw itched on, big picture windows. They hate dark glasses and can’t
stand to see people w earing them all the tim e. If they go into a dark restaurant, they
feel like saying to the w aitress, “ Please, tu m the light on here.” The Zebulunites are
“ children o f light.” T he sun d oesn’t go dow n easy over their heads. They will be up
till the last one goes to bed at night, they ju st d o n ’t w ant to waste the tim e sleeping.
There is so m uch to do. They w ant to stretch the day o u t ju st as long as they can
stretch it. If you get a Z ebulunite and an Issacharite together, they just never get to
bed.

JESU S IN ZEBULUN

Jesus came preaching the Gospel o f light and glory all through the district o f
Zebulun. The scripture o f Isaiah was fulfilled here at the Sea o f Galilee, ju st as the
prophet Isaiah had prom ised. Here the Light shone and covered the area around it,
reaching o u t in to the G entile nations. Perhaps, this is where Zebulun got its missionary
heart, even when Jesus’ sandaled feet walked over it. It was His garm ents, rolled in
blood, that bought Z eb u lu n ’s salvation, and from His sacrifice the fire was started
which burns in the heart o f every true Z ebulunite today.

POSITION OF ZEBULUN

In the wilderness: Zebulun was located on the east side o f the tabernacle to
gether w ith Judah and Issachar.

In th e Prom ised L and: Zebulun was given its lot tow ards the north. Its northern
tribe was N aphtali, its so u th ern Issachar, its western Asher, and the Jordan River and
the Sea o f Galilee were on th e east.

In the M illenium: In th e Millenium Zebulun will be in the far south just betw een
Issachar and Gad.

Gates o f the Holy C ity: Z ebulun’s gate is located on the south side w ith Issachar
and Simeon.

16
 Did you notice th a t throughout tim e Zebulun and Issachar are together? They
surely have a special relationship w ith each other, which we already m entioned under
Issachar.

ZEBULUN’S TESTIMONY

In The Lost Books o f the Bible Zebulun tells an interesting story o f how he loved
Joseph because they were so close together in age and when his brothers tried to kill
Joseph, Zebulun fled behind him, beseeching them not to kill him. He tells how Si
m eon, Gad and Dan were the ones who hated Joseph the m ost and wanted to kill him,
b u t were convinced by the other brothers to sell him . He grieves over the terrible deed
they did, b u t is afraid to tell his father Jacob.

Zebulun tells how God spared him sickness when all his brethren were sick and
th at G od rewarded him , for he said, he had lived a pure life w ithout known sin.

When he lived by the sea-coast, he m ade a boat to sail upon the sea. He said that
God told him how to do it, and he describes what it was like, sailing along the shore.
He started catching fish for the house o f Jacob and supported the family in this way,
until they came into Egypt. Every sick, aged, or stranger th at came his way, was al
ways given a free fish-fry. The strange thing is th at this custom still continues in
northern Scotland today among the fisherfolk.

One day, in w inter, he saw a man w ithout clothing and he secretly stole a garment
from his father’s house to give to the poor m an, so great was his compassion for others.

He gave a warning to Israel that in the day they are divided into tw o heads, they
would lose their strength and be swallowed up by their enemies. He prophesied that
after m uch suffering, the Lord would arise and He would be seen in Jerusalem .

He closes by saying, “ I shall rise again in the m idst o f you, as a ruler in the midst
of his sons; and I shall rejoice in the m idst o f my tribe, as m any as shall keep the law of
the Lord and the com m andm ents o f Zebulun their fath e r.”

CONCLUSION

In closing, I would like to say a word to my fellow-Zebulunites. Surely you are a

blessed and beautiful people. The Lord has given you some o f the greatest blessings of
all o f the tribes. He has given you the sea w ith its riches, the sands o f the earth with
its w ealth o f oil, w ater and m inerals, the burden for th e nations and the ability to go
out to distant ports and bring the Light to those who sit in darkness.

He has blessed you with the true Light that lighteth every man th a t com eth in

17
the world and has called you His children o f Light. It is your task to send it out to others.

God has given you the shebet, th at powerful ability in your hand for writing,
fighting, ruling, correcting, guidance and leading others. Use it wisely. Do n o t waste
this gift. N either disregard it as though it were not im portant. Treasure it!

He has given you the com panionship o f Issachar and Naphtali and the under
standing o f Judah.

The Lord has walked on y o u r shores and done miracles there. He has graced Ze
bulun w ith the true light o f heaven.

You have been given the word o f revelation, the secrets o f eternity and com
missioned you to share it w ith others by word o f m outh and by pen.

You have a peaceable spirit, but you are ready to fight when it is necessary.

God has given you the gift o f hospitality and m ade you a haven to m any ships.
Keep the heart enlarged and th e doors o f your house open, and God will surely bless
your going o u t and y o u r com ing in, even as you.do the same for others.

R em em ber your weaknesses. God has warned you. Do n o t run from a difficult
situation and seek o u t those green pastures to get away from the crowd. Do not build
a wall around yourself w hen you are h urt or offended. Forgive!

When I come to see y o u , have y our supply o f fish ready to share it with me! To
gether we will enjoy a good fry, dear Zebulunite.

18
Zebulun - Hymn Words and Music by

Used by permission.
5. For ships a haven to maintain
the open sea Thy fish domain,
Thy sons are fishing free and frank,
throw out their nets on bo th its flanks.
7. Thy Holy Ghost blows us thus far,
with loyal minds, unlocked we are;
We pray to Thee, Emmanuel:
“ Light \^>^11 tribes o f Israel!”
8. If people see in their own mind
their descent from real Isr’el kind,
thus Zebulun will firstly see
His coming Light Which set them free.
Thus blessed Jacob Zebulun
before captivity began
this blessing bro’t Him to the coast
where he may dwell, called by our Host.
(Christmas) Now standing, Lord, close by Thy sea,
on Christmas Eve, expecting Thee,
we pray to Thee, Emmanuel:
“ Light up all tribes o f Israel!”
1 Twelv’ thousand out of Zebulun
arise before His Light’ning Throne
Extol the Lamb and praise His name,
All Israel a golden flame.
BY GWEN SHAW
P rinted in the U nited S tates o f A m erica
 PRAYER

“We pray, oh Lord, th a t the Holy Spirit shall indeed come upon us and quicken
us w ith th at pow er th at comes from on high. Thank You Lord for opening Y our Word
to us now and giving us a quickening and discerning through the aid o f the Holy Spirit
to understand th e tru th s concerning this w onderful tribe o f Manasseh. Am en.”

THE NAMING O F MANASSEH

“ And u n to Joseph were born tw o sons before the years o f famine came, which
A senath, the daughter o f Potipherah priest o f On bare u n to him. And Joseph called
th e name o f th e firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, h ath made me forget all my
toil, and all m y fath e r’s house.” (Genesis 4 1 :50,51)

MEANING O F THE NAME

The nam e “ Manasseh” means “ one who makes to forget, one who lets you forget
th e suffering and the father’s house, replacem ent, substitute.” The m odem Jewish
interpretation o f it is, “ The gaining back o f the inner balance in difficult circumstan
ces in spite o f being separated from the accustom ed and familiar life which had given
you happiness.”

This is a beautiful name and one which will bring encouragem ent to those who
belong to this tribe, or who are closely related in some way to a m em ber of the tribe.
We are living in tim es in which we m ust go through m any heartaches and trials. So
m any o f us have been deeply wounded in ou r spirits by past experiences and tragedies
which we have had to suffer. Some have even been wounded in the spirit from the
tim e they were in their m other’s wom b when they suffered rejection in a subconscious
way. We m eet people whose m others tried to abort them , but were unsuccessful in the
atte m p t physically, however still it has left a scar on the soul and the spirit. Others have
been wounded in childhood by hate and rejection. And then there are those who have
suffered rape, beatings, the cruelty o f war, the shedding o f blood, and the nagging o f
a wife o r husband. The world is full o f deeply scarred people. Joseph suffered rejec
tion by his ow n brethren and m any o ther terrible experiences, b u t when he held Ma
nasseh in his arm s, th e miracle o f forgiveness took place in his heart, for it is impossible
to forgive w ith o u t forgetting.

The spirit o f Manasseh is the ability to forgive and n o t hold a grudge. If one is a
Manassite and cannot forgive, then he never reaches his true calling. Satan tries to keep
the Manassites from achieving this calling by constantly rem inding them o f the hurts
they have suffered in the past, b u t as they enter into perfection, they will achieve this
high place in G od where, because they can forgive and forget, they will be able to mi
nister to thousands and reach o u t to save nations, as well as their own family.

1
 Many tim es, because the Manassite is sentim ental and deeply fond o f certain indi
viduals, he is m ore easily h urt than other tribes. He will love with a great deep love
and becom e very attached to one individual, and then, when th a t one offends or disap
points him , it is alm ost impossible for the Manassite to get over it. ^He just files it m his
little “com puter” and says, “ I will never tru st th a t person again. But God is calhng
him to rise above this tem ptation and weakness, to be able to n o t only forget and for
give b u t to call o thers to forgive and forget, so th a t th e y , together, m ay e a e o
gain’ back th at inner balance in difficult circumstances and adjust themselves to the
new life which they m ust live, in spite o f being separated from th a t which they have
learned to love and w hich has given them so m uch happiness in the past As Manasseh
comes to perfection, he can say a good “ good-bye” to all th at he holds dear to his
heart. But this is only as he reaches the strength which comes from the Lord, lh e
Manassite does n o t like change o f anything. D on’t ever tell a Manassite th a t he is going
to do som ething, and then change your m ind. You are in for a shock. A Manassite
wants to know w hat th e future holds and wants to plan for it. He is very system atic
and organized. The Manassites make good directors, pastors, secretaries and organizers.
But they are apt to get so set in a pattern th at it is difficult for them to accept some
thing new and different.

They are loyal and faithful friends and are not easily fooled by a lot o f flattery
and artificial friendliness. They look over a situation, pass judgm ent in a few m inutes
and th a t’s it! D on’t try to change their m ind. All the talking in the world won t help.
The Manassite has m ade up his m ind, and th a t’s it! And they usually are correct in
their first impression o f people. The problem w ith this is th at they find it hard to love
and have compassion on those who are im perfect, so they have a real struggle in their
spirits over it. But G od is able to give them His love, so that they can see their neigh
bours” in the Spirit and love them with the compassion o f Christ.

When God brings a perfected Manassite into our lives, we are im m ediately com
forted by th at beautiful, loyal friendship which brings com fort to ou r hearts and
balance back into o u r lives after we have suffered the hurts o f separation from those
whom we love and w hom we have lost. May God bring a Manassite into each o f our
lives so th at we can rise above ou r “yesterdays” into the glorious future o f the children
of God!

SYMBOL

The sym bol o f th e tribe o f Manasseh is the palm tree, even the Royal Palm-tree.
The palm tree is one o f the m ost beautiful and well-loved trees in the world. There are
probably betw een 3 ,0 0 0 and 4,000 species. The Royal Palm is one o f the m ost beauti
ful o f all palm trees. Its great tall trunks resemble pillars that have been erected by a
m aster architect. Psalm 92:12 states, “ The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.
The palm tree th at produces fruit is known fo r its ability to produce its best fruit m
old age. The ro o t o f the palm tree is often the same length as the height o f the tree.

2
 The palm tree is know n for several things. It grows in the desert; it stands strong
and tall and firm when the winds blow. It is because o f its long roots th at the tree has
such great strength. It also will bend w ith the wind. I have seen great typhoons come
up in Hong Kong and when other trees are broken dow n by the strong wind, and
chopped to pieces, the palm tree just bends w ith the storm . It bends, and bends, and
bends.

Now, th at has its disadvantages, if you bend when the devil makes you bend. But
there are times when God wants to m ake you bend and you d o n ’t w ant to bend. If
you do not have the ability to be flexible in a difficult situation, you will be broken by
the storm . Som e people always w ant to fight, even when they cannot win, but it is
better to “settle o u t o f co u rt,” as Jesus advised in M atthew 5:25, “ lest at any tim e the
adversary deliver th ee to the judge, and th e judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou
be cast into prison.” I recom m end a message I preached on this subject.*

When the wind blows you just say in your heart, “Well, today it’s m y turn to dip
over this way, Lord, and so I’ll bend. Tom orrow the winds are going to turn around
and i t ’s going to blow me another way, so then I will bend th at w ay.” You know that
God is going to take care o f you in the storm . I have lived for m any years in the
Orient where every year several typhoons pass through. I know the dangers that they
bring, the loss o f lives and property. But I have never seen a palm tree broken by the
storm . If you are a true Manassite, you will not “ crack u p ” when the storm s blow. The
Chinese call the typhoon Kwei-feng which means “devil’s w ind.” And surely the devil
blows up some real storm s against us, but the Manassite will still be standing tall when
the storm is passed over.

The palm tree grows best in the heat o f the desert. A true Manassite will flourish
all by him self w ith o u t the help o f a lot o f Christian com panionship or churches to
attend. In fact, he often would just as soon be alone at hom e with his Bible, enjoying
the presence o f th e Lord. There, in the desert, he makes his own oasis and becomes a
source of blessing to the pilgrims passing by. People think he is back-slidden because
he does not w ant to run to every religious m eeting and so he is m isunderstood. But his
roots are deep and he gets his water from hidden sources which nobody knows any
thing about.

A s,he comes into old age, he finds th at in his tw ilight years he produces even
more fruit and blesses m ore lives than he has ever been able to do in his younger
years. The branches o f some palm trees have leaves th at m ay grow 3 or 4 feet broad
and 10-20 feet long and some exceed a length o f 50 feet. In the Bible they \yere used
as a token o f victory. Every tim e a Manassite looks at his sym bol, he should rem em ber
th at God has given him the sym bol o f VICTORY! There will be palm trees in heaven,
as John saw them in the book o f Revelation. “ A fter this I beheld, and, lo, a great

*G144 “ Settle O ut o f C ourt ” by G w en R. Shaw available from End-Time Handm aidens, P.O. Box 44 7, Jasper, A R K 72641
each tape $3.50 o r $10 .0 0 fo r 3 tapes plus postageand handling-

3
m ultitude, which n o man could num ber, o f all nations, and kindreds, and people,
and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes,
and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God
which sitteth upon th e throne, and unto the Lam b.” (Revelation 7:9,10)

The palm tree has m any uses. Leaves o f some o f the palms are used as thatching
material for prim itive tropical homes. I have preached in m any a thatched shelter
called “ pandals” in India. The walls were open; the roofs were made o f palm leaves.
O ther products o f the palm tree are sugar, starch, oil, coconut, wax, dates, and just
plain beauty . M editate on these.

There is a species o f palm which is valued for its “ cabbage,” the term inal bud
which, if rem oved, will cause the death o f the tree. It is served in some o f the finest
restaurants in the U nited States under the name millionaire s salad.

In the heart o f every Manassite is a bud called the “ soul” which must be treasured
because if it will ever be destroyed, it will cause the death o f th at one. A true Manassite
will n o t easily sell his soul for the messes o f pottage that the world has to offer because
he knows what it will cost him.

GEMSTONE

The gemstone o f the Manassite is the onyx. Many times we think of the onyx as
being a black stone, b u t this is n o t necessarily the case. The onyx is a striped agate,
a variety of quartz, in which white layers alternate w ith black. When brown or red
bands occur, instead o f black, the stone is term ed sardonyx. The Romans applied this
name originally to a type o f marble, now called onyx marble. Because o f the resem
blance between its well-defined white and yellow veins and the shades in the finger
nail, it was given the name onyx which is Greek for “ fingernail. It has been used a
great deal in m aking cameos. Because of the different layers in the onyx, beautiful
relief w ork is possible. The best cameos are those produced by the ancients. Beauti
ful onyx is a true flesh-pink colour. This is the colour o f the tribe o f Manasseh and
Ephraim because th ey do not have separate gemstones. There was only one gemstone
in the breastplate o f the high priest for b o th o f the sons o f Joseph. They were sepa
rated in their sym bols, but united in their gemstone.

F or m any years cameos became almost extinct, but in the middle o f the 19th
century a new source o f onyx was discovered in South America and so the art has been
revived. Every w om an desires to own a beautiful cameo. The value o f the cameo de
pends n o t only on th e stone, b u t also on the workm anship. The cameo is a com bina
tion o f the creation o f God and the creative work o f m an. As Manasseh co-operates
w ith God, a beautiful work o f the Holy Spirit can be w rought in his life to produce a
gemstone th at is fit fo r the mansions o f eternity. Even as the onyx became rare and
only recently has been discovered, so it is, th a t God is reviving and calling out the tribe

4
o f Manasseh in these days. And they are discovering their beauty and value as God
works His w orkm anship into their lives by cutting and buffing and carving, so that the
beauty o f the M aster’s touch can make them a special gemstone for the breastplate ot
Jesus Christ, the true High Priest.

PROPHECIES

There is a great deal o f hidden m ystery in the prophecies o f Manasseh and

Ephraim. When Jacob blessed them on his death bed, he blessed them under the name
o f their father Joseph and did n o t separate them in a noticeable way. Moses did the
same However, Jacob blessed the sons o f Joseph when he first came into Egypt and
it is here th at we m ust search to find the difference in the blessings between these
tw o tribes.

JACOB

“ And Joseph took them bo th , Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand,
and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him.
And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim ’s head, who was the
younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands w ittingly; for
Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my
fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this
day, The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name
be named on them , and the name o f my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow
into a m ultitude in the midst o f the earth .” (Genesis 48:13-16)

Father Jacob blessed them with the identical same blessing. It was only after
Joseph interrupted and said som ething, th a t Jacob added to the blessing he had already
given.

“ And w hen Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of
Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from
Ephraim ’s head u n to Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said u n to his father, Not so, my
father: for this is the firstborn; p u t thy right hand upon his head. And his father re
fused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he
also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed
shall become a m ultitude o f nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee
shall Israel bless, saying, God m ake thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: arid he set
Ephraim before M anasseh.” (Genesis 48:17-20)

In Genesis 48:5,6 we read th at Jacob said earlier to Joseph, “And now thy two
sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land o f Egypt before
I came unto thee into Egypt, are m ine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

5
 And thy issue, which th o u begettest after them , shall be thine, and shall be called after
the name o f their brethren in their inheritance.” There is no record or scripture o f
Joseph having any o th er children.

We m ust rem em ber that the eyes of Israel were “ dim for age, so that he could not
see.” (Genesis 48:10) It was not something that he did o f his own voluntary will. The
Spirit o f the Lord was no doubt upon him. He did n o t look at the beauty o f Ephraim
and prefer him above Manasseh. God was revealing that Ephraim would become
more powerful and m ore influential than Manasseh. But both o f them united together
would be a blessing to th e world. God has the right to do what He chooses. It does not
mean that He loves one tribe more than another. The blessing was the same to begin
with. It was only after Joseph interfered that Jacob declared that the younger brother
would be greater than the older and that his seed would become a m ultitude o f na
tions. This word, translated “greater” by the translators, is only used two more times in
the Bible. Once is in Genesis 4 1 :40 and the o ther time in Lam entations 4:6. It comes
from the Hebrew w ord gadal (gaw-dal), which means “ to advance, boast, bring up,
exceed, excellent, m ake great, increase, lift up, m agnify, be m uch set by, nourish, pass,
prom ote.” It seems to refer to positions of power and government. And indeed it was
in Ephraim th at the 10 tribes broke o ff from the rest o f Israel, separating the 10 tribes
from Judah and Benjamin. In fact, it was an E phrathite, Jeroboam , who lifted up his
hand against King Solom on and caused the kingdom o f Israel to be divided until 1948
when Israel again becam e a nation. (I Kings 11:26; 13:26-33) He not only was an
anarchist, who com m itted treason against the throne o f Solomon, he also was the
founder o f a rebel religion against Jehovah when he erected the golden calves in Bethel
and Dan. He called the northern ten tribes “ Ephraim ,” and that name stuck. The ten
tribes became known as Ephraim. Even God called them by that name. Throughout
the book o f Hosea, God calls the 10 northern tribes by the name o f Ephraim.

I believe that the Spirit o f God was looking ahead into the future and seeing just
these things take place. There is a greatness th at power, valour, wisdom, and knowing
the right people brings. But there is also a greatness that comes when the Lord pro
motes you; and this is the kind o f greatness that we must strive after. Manasseh
must never ever be envious o f Ephraim ’s greatness. For Manasseh has a greatness of
his own which comes from the strength o f his deep roots in God and his ability to bend
with the situation th a t he finds himself in. Also, God is able to change the Word He
has spoken and leave a blessing in its place.

Let us look m ore closely into the united prophecies given by Jacob and Moses.

JACOB’S PROPHECY TO JOSEPH

“ Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run
over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him , and shot at him, and hated him:
But his bow abode in strength, and the arms o f his hands were made strong by the

6
hands o f the m ighty God o f Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
Even by the G od of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall
bless thee w ith blessings o f heaven above, blessings o f the deep that lieth under,
blessings o f the breasts, and o f the womb: The blessings o f thy father have prevailed
above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utm ost bound of the everlasting hills:
they shall be on the head o f Joseph, and on the crown o f the head o f him that was
separate from his brethren.” (Genesis 49:22-26)

“Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run
over the wall:”

The word “ bough” in the Hebrew is ben (bane) which means “ a son, anointed
one, builder o f th e family nam e,” as well as “ a bough o f a tree.”

The word “ branch” in the Hebrew is batli which also means “ daughter.” In this
case it is the plural and can be interpreted, “ Joseph is a fruitful anointed son, even a
fruitful son by a well; whose daughters run over the wall.” And this certainly became
true o f the daughters o f Joseph, particularly o f the tribe o f Manasseh which we will
look into more fully later under the heading of INHERITANCE.

The word “ well” is used in connection with a fountain. It is typical o f the palm
tree of Manasseh who gets his source of water from the hidden, underground springs
and fountains through his great, long roots.

“ The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

This reveals the suffering of Joseph. The word “ archers” is chets (khayts) and
means, “ a piercer, i.e. an arrow, a w ound, the shaft o f a spear. 1 It is in the wounding
and the suffering that Manasseh becomes great. But this is not only true of Manasseh,
it is also true o f Ephraim. Manasseh and Ephraim are united in their suffering and so
they are united in the resurrection glory. Rem ember that Paul said, “That I may know
him, and the pow er o f his resurrection, and the fellowship o f his sufferings, being made
conform able u n to his d eath.” (Philippians 3:10)

The Josephs (Manasseh and Ephraim ) are called to be united in suffering with
Jesus. The “ archers” in the life of Joseph were his very own family. No one can hurt
you like those to whom you are the closest.

“ But his bow abode in strength, and the arms o f his hands were made strong by
the hands o f th e mighty God o f Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of
Israel:)”

Joseph is defending himself with the same weapon that is attacking him. Even as
the arrows o f his enemy are shot from the bow, so, he too fights back with the bow.
The Holy Spirit says that it is a strong bow, one th at “abides in strength.” It is only as

7
Manasseh and Ephraim stay grounded in the Lord th at they have the strength to con
test their enemy. G od promises th at their hands would be m ade strong. The Ma
nassite and Ephraim ite are also gifted in their hands to accomplish every task to which
God calls them .

“ (from thence is the shepherd, the stone o f Israel:)”

Jacob, whose life was th a t o f a shepherd, was lifted in the spirit of revelation to
see th a t there was an o th er shepherd, even the Great Shepherd o f the sheep, who came
from the mighty God o f Jacob, and th at He was n o t only Chief Shepherd, but also
the Rock o f Israel.

“ Even by the G od o f thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Alm ighty, who
shall bless thee with blessings o f heaven above, blessings o f the deep that lieth under,
blessings o f the breasts, and o f the w om b:”

This is a com plete and w onderful blessing. It includes the blessings o f the heavens
which are the blessings o f the rain, the sunshine, the dew, good w eather, the planets, the
stars and then the blessings o f God the Father and His mighty angels. If heaven is on
your’ side, Joseph, w hat more do you need? And yet God has promised even more.

The “ blessings o f the deep that lieth under.” The riches o f the world is reckoned
by gold. Gold is “ dow n under.” God has promised to the sons o f Joseph the wealth
o f the minerals, the gemstones, the oil, the fountains o f the deep, and the fertile
ground. What more th an that can God promise Joseph, and yet He has promised even
more than this, too.

The “blessings o f th e breasts, and o f the w om b:” What good would all that riches be
if we did not have children to hand it down to , or to share it w ith. It is our children
who give us joy and w ho continue our life-line even after we have left this world. So
God promises Joseph th e blessing o f children - children who will bring com fort and
blessing to others, children who will be nourished from the m other s breasts. This
also means spiritual children who are nourished by the Word o f God through the Ma
nassite and Ephrathite.

And who is this God who promises all this? Jacob calls Him “ the Alm ighty,”
which is the femine nam e for God (the breasted one). God appears to Joseph as the
God who has the special love (like th at o f a m other) for these tw o tribes. Perhaps it is
because Joseph grieved so deeply the loss o f his own m other, Rachel, who died when
she gave birth to Benjamin, while he was still a young boy o f about 6 years. So God,
to com fort this m otherless child, reveals Himself as the God who loves like only a
m other can love.

“The blessings o f th y father have prevailed above the blessings o f my progenitors

unto the utm ost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head o f Joseph,

8
and on the crow n o f the head o f him th a t was separate from his brethren.”

Jacob is saying, the blessings th at Joseph’s father has given him are greater than
the blessing which he received from his own forefathers. It seems impossible to believe
th a t anything could be greater than the blessings o f Abraham and Isaac, and yet this is
w hat Jacob is saying. It is because he blessed him , not as Jacob, the supplanter, but
as Israel, the Prince o f God.

“ Shall be on the head o f Joseph, and on the crown of the head.” This reveals
th a t Joseph’s descendants would also have a royal line, as indeed they did through the
kings o f the no rth ern kingdom , b u t n o t all the kings o f Israel were o f the family of
Joseph.

“ O f him th a t was separate from his brethren.” The w ord “separate” comes from
the Hebrew w ord nazir (naw-zeer), which means “ to separate, consecrated, which is
the exact same w ord used for the Nazarite. Surely God is calling the children o f Jo
seph to a life o f separation from the conventional way o f living, even a life th a t is
different than th e rest o f the Lord’s children. The Manassite and E phrathite are
called to the holy life o f separation, no m atter how great the cost. In their suffering and
in their dedication lies their greatness and their strength. To be separate means that
one is different, and surely the family o f Joseph is different in m any ways. For
exam ple, Manasseh was the only tribe th at was divided and received tw o portions. (Dan
also had a second portion, b u t they did n o t receive it from God.) We shall learn more
about their differences from the other tribes later.

MOSES’ PROPHECY TO JOSEPH

“ And o f Joseph he said, Blessed o f the Lord be his land, for the precious things of
heaven, for the dew , and for the deep th at coucheth beneath, And for the precious
fruits brought fo rth by the sun, and for the precious things p u t forth by the m oon.
And for the chief things o f the ancient m ountains, and for the precious things o f the
lasting hills. And for the precious things o f the earth and fulness thereof, and for the
good will o f him th a t dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head o f Joseph,
and upon the to p o f the head o f him th a t was separated from his brethren. His glory is
like the firstling o f his bullock, and his horns are like the horns o f unicorns: w ith them
he shall push th e people together to the ends o f the earth: and they are the ten thou
sands o f Ephraim , and they are the thousands o f Manasseh.” (D euteronom y 33:13-17)

This prophecy which Moses gave the children o f Joseph is almost the saine as the
one th at Jacob gave. It is n o t necessary to repeat word for word the explanation of
w hat we have already covered, b u t there are some added points which I feel we would
be blessed to look into.

“ And for th e precious things p u t fo rth by the m oon,”

9
 There is no d o u b t b u t that the m oon has a trem endous influence on this planet.
But it is remarkable th at America, which is considered by some to be the land o f the
children o f Joseph, should be the first and only nation so far to have landed on the
m oon.

“ and for the good will of him th at dwelt in the bush:”

Moses was referring to his own great'visitation o f God, when the Lord spoke to
him o u t o f the burning bush in the wilderness and his life was changed. It was from
there th at he went fo rth to deliver the Children o f Israel. Moses knew that this same
God could change the life o f anyone who would be visited by the Lord. The word for
bush is ceneh (seh-neh) and is the exact same word as th at used in Exodus 3:2 where
it says that the Lord appeared to Moses in the flaming bush in the desert. It is wonder
ful to know that God wants to visit the children o f Joseph in the exact same way that
He visited Moses, him self. Surely God is no respecter o f persons. Moses knew th at he,
too, had been separate from his brethren for 40 years in the wilderness and th at as a
result o f this lonely life, God prepared him and honoured him to be a deliverer and
Saviour o f His people, even as He had prepared Joseph by the same means and for the
same purpose. Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold into slavery. He was 30
when he stood before Pharaoh and his brothers came after the first 7 years o f abun
dance. So Joseph m ust have been separated from his brethren for at least 20 years,
which was just half as long as Moses was separated from his people.

“ His glory is like the firstling of his bullock,”

The firstling is the portion th at belongs to the Lord, and although it suffers, be
cause it m ust be laid upon the altar, still there is glory in knowing th at it is G od’s
offering com pletely, and this is the honour o f the family of Joseph. God calls for com
plete dedication o f this family line. Half dedication will never suffice for a m em ber of
the family o f Manasseh or Ephraim.

“and his horns are like the horns of unicorns:”

This “ unicorn” is believed to have been the Urus, an extinct species o f buffalo
and not the rhinoceros. It is spoken o f as a pow erful and violent animal. (Job 39:
9-12) So it is th at, as th e unicorn couldn’t be tam ed, the Lord is saying, the sons of
Joseph have the same individuality and are only tam ed by the Lord. D on’t try to
harness an unicorn, y o u m ight get a horn in your side. Only love can make them your
servant.

“ with them he shall push the people together to the ends o f the earth:”

How w onderful, th a t the same horns which protect the unicom from being
pushed around are th e instrum ent that he is going to use to push the people to the ends
of the earth! The fam ily o f Joseph make great missionaries. They are pushers, and

10
they will push, and push, and push, till they get what they want.

“and they are t he ten thousands of Ephraim ,and they are thethousands o f Manasseh”

So this is Manasseh and this is Ephraim and they together make the tribe of
Joseph and beside them there is no hidden tribe o f Joseph. They are both included
in these tw o great blessings o f Jacob and Moses. Jacob made a difference when he
blessed them as lads, but when they became older, he blessed them unitedly, and so did
Moses except th a t Moses did m ention that Ephraim would have a greater num ber in
the tribe, yet in the end-time we are going to find that God will unite them together
again into one trib e , even the tribe o f Joseph.

The first-born son o f Joseph was Manasseh. The Hebrews would call him Ma
nasseh ben Joseph. And in some places in the Bible, the tribe of Manasseh is called the
tribe o f Joseph, e.g. in Numbers 13:11, “ O f the tribe o f Joseph, namely of the tribe of
Manasseh, G addi, the son o f Susi.” Here we see that Moses deliberately calls Manasseh
by the name o f Joseph and clearly explains th at the tribe o f Joseph is the tribe o f Ma
nasseh. In verse 8 he identifies the spy o f the tribe o f Ephraim and calls it the tribe of
Ephraim . He does n ot identify Ephraim as the tribe o f Joseph, but rather Manasseh.

EXPERIENCES OF JOSEPH

The experiences o f Joseph are so many that it would be impossible for me to

m ention them all here in this study. You must read the account from the Bible. Take
time to slowly study from Genesis 30:22-24 and chapter 37 to the end o f Genesis. It
is full o f the life story o f Joseph. And you need to know his life to be able to under
stand the tribes o f Manasseh and Ephraim.

When he was born, his m other, Rachel, called him Joseph which means God
gives increase, he will gather together, he will bring in, he will take away.” The num e
rical value o f the word “Joseph” is 156. One is for aloneness, five is for grace, and six
is the num ber o f man. Even as Joseph lived those m any years o f loneliness as an
unloved b ro th er, a slave who was a stranger in the land and an accused criminal in a
lonely cell, so it was that he was prepared through the grace of God working in his life
to m inister to hum anity. He gathered together the grain o f Egypt in the storehouses to
provide for needy hum anity. He was indeed a saviour o f the people. All o f these
blessings came upon the lives o f Joseph s sons.

FAMILY TR EE OF MANASSEH

The fam ily tree o f Manasseh is very interesting. In Numbers 26:29-34 and I
Chronicles 7:14-19 we read about the family tree o f Manasseh up to that time. Ma
nasseh only had two sons, Asarchiel and Machir, and it was from Machir that the

11
Machirites came. I: ;;eems th at his first-born m ust have died, because there is no record
o f his family line. The Lamsa Bible says, “The sons o f Manasseh; Asarchiel, who his
concubine bore him ; she. also bore Machir the father o f Gilead.” Perhaps Manasseh’s
wife was barren and could n ot give him children and so he took the concubine who be
came the m other o f his children. The King James version says th a t she was an Arami-
tess, which means th a t she was a Syrian woman. The German Martin Luther transla
tion also says that she was Syrian and that she bore Manasseh two sons, Asarchiel and
Machir. Now, let us look at the meaning of these two sons o f Manasseh.

Asarchiel means “ God is fighter, God is victor, God is praised, God is my help.”

Machir means “ w ounded, stricken, sold, given away, a trad er.”

It appears from this, that Manasseh’s sons were born through great travail. And it
is no wonder, for he w ould always have been reminded o f the prophecy that his grand
father Jacob had given him and how the left hand o f Jacob had been laid upon his head
instead o f the right one, which was his birthright as the first-born. It seems that
Manasseh hasn’t forgotten as m uch as he should forget! Also he is rem embering the
suffering o f his father Joseph and he puts that mark o f identity on his own son,
Machir, “ wounded, sold, given away, traded.”

Machir was married to a woman called Maachah (a Benjaminite), and they had a
son called Gilead. Gilead became known as the founder o f the family called the
Gileadites. They are very well known. They lived in the land o f Bashan on the east
side o f the Jordan. They were great warriors. It was these descendants o f Manasseh
who fought against m ighty giants.

Maachah: She was the sister o f Huppim and Shuppim. I Chronicles 7:12 tells us
that they were Benjaminites, the children o f Ir. The name Maachah means “pressure,
weight, burden.”

The name o f their son was Gilead. Gilead means “ little hill, a stone-pile witness.”
Gilead’s sons were (Num bers 26:30-32):

1. Jeezer (the fam ily o f the Jeezerites);

2. Helek (the fam ily o f the Helekites);
3. Asriel (the fam ily o f the Asrielites);
4. Shechem (the family o f the Shechemites);
5. Shemida (the family o f the Shemidaites);
6. Hepher (the family o f the Hepherites).

Hepher had a son called Zelophehad. Zelophehad died in the wilderness. When
it came tim e for this generation to possess their inheritance, the children o f Zelophe
had would n ot receive any in the Promised Land because they were all women and
women were not given an inheritance. The names o f these five sisters were:

12
 1. Mahlah: “ sick, weak, pleasant, charming, delicate” ;
2. N oah (should not be Noah, b u t rather Joah): “m ovem ent, to stir up, em otion,
flexible” ;
3. Hoglah: “ partridge” ;
4. Milcah: “ advice, council, queen” ;
5. Tirzah: “ fear, scare, foundation, establishm ent, commercial or financial
enterprise.”

In those days it was a catastrophe for the family when there were no sons because
the inheritance only went to the sons. But these daughters o f Manasseh dared to be
lieve God for a new thing. Read Numbers 27:1-11.

“ Then came the daughters o f Zelophehad, the son o f Hepher, the son o f Gilead,
the son o f Machir, the son o f Manasseh, of the families o f Manasseh the son of Joseph,
and these are the names o f his daughters; Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and
Tirzah. And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest, and before the
princes and all th e congregation, by the door o f the tabernacle o f the congregation,
saying, Our father died in the wilderness, and he was n o t in the com pany of them that
gathered themselves together against the Lord in the com pany o f Korah, b ut died in his
own sin, and had no sons. Why should the name o f our father be done away from
among his fam ily, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among
the brethren o f ou r father. And Moses brought their cause before the Lord.

What kind o f a man was Zelophehad who had daughters like these? The name
Zelophehad m eans “ the one to be feared is our protection, sharp wounds, the first
break, the first-born.”

They said to Moses, “ Give us therefore a possession among the brethren o f our
father.” T hat m eant th a t they w anted the same portion th at their male cousins would
have. They asked for their father’s portion in his name. Do you not see the horn of
a unicorn here? This is th at horn th at is going to push and get the blessings whether
they be man o r wom an. It stands before the Lord and dares to ask for m ore than what
God has prom ised. “ God, I w ant my portion in what you are doing for the sons o f
m en!” is the cry o f every true Manassite woman. She cries o u t for all th at God has for
her and m ore. “ Lord, I w ant th at blessing! I w ant it in my body, I want it in my
spirit, I want it financially, I w ant to be blessed in my m inistry, I want it for my fami
ly, I want m y blessing!”

Hang in th ere, Manasseh, you are going to get it all. D on’t worry! The Lord loves
to see us ask great things o f Him.

Moses to o k th eir request before the Lord. Moses did not m ake any laws on his
own. He went to God for guidance in everything. “ And th e Lord spake unto Moses,
saying, The daughters o f Zelophehad speak right: th o u shalt surely give them a
possession am ong their father’s brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance o f their

13
father to pass unto them . And thou shalt speak t o the children o f Israel, saying, If a man
die and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter. And
if he have no daughter,, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren. And if he
have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his father’s brethren. And if his
father have no breth ren , then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next
to him o f his family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be unto the children of Israel a
statute o f judgm ent, as the Lord comm anded Moses.” (Num bers 27:5-11)

How wonderful th a t these five women dared to obtain the inheritance which
would have been their father’s even though he “ died in his sins.” I praise God that we
women o f God in this end-tim e are going to claim back our lost inheritance which was
lost to us by the sins o f our forefathers. Daughter o f Manasseh, do not give up easily!
The Lord has w ritten a statute for you, that you can have the blessings which your
father lost because he refused to serve the Lord.

God made an am endm ent to His own law. That is why “ wisdom is justified of
her children.” (Luke 7 :35) If God has issued a decree, He has the prerogative to
change it.

God n o t only changed the law for the daughters o f Manasseh, but for all women
of all tim e, because five women had the courage to go up to the great men and ask
for their portion. We know that when we have five women fighting for their rights,
poor Moses doesn’t have a chance! Can you imagine the storm they created in the
whole campground? Five women demanding their inheritance! They were all single
women too! The conventional thing which the law expected o f them , was to marry
some man and be c o n ten t with the inheritance they received through marriage. But their
vision was for more than that. They wanted their own independence, they wanted
their own bank account. Have you ever heard o f a married woman having her own
bank account? Only in this m odern day. What is m ore, they wanted their own mi
nistry. They were n o t satisfied with their husband to have all the inheritance while
they trailed along behind, “ yes dear, yes dear, yes dear!” They wanted to hear G od’s
voice. Who ever heard o f a woman hearing G od’s voice? But these women o f Ma
nasseh had a case th a t stirred the very halls o f heaven, for God knew all about it and
God gave a decision on it in their favour.

I think that all o f us who are liberated in God have a little bit of the blood o f Ma
nasseh in us for this end-tim e, for this blessing and this privilege was for all women of
all times. It was such a sensational thing th at it was m entioned several times in the
Bible. The religious scribes couldn’t stop talking and writing about it. (Numbers
: , 2 7 :1 -1 1 ,3 6 :1 -1 3 ; Joshua 17:3).

Numbers 27:8 says, “ ...If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his in
heritance to pass u n to his daughter.”

Kathryn Kuhlm an said, “ I am preaching because the men w on’t answer the call.”

14
That is why so m any women have answered the call to go to the nations o f the world,
to lay down their lives as missionaries in the foreign lands. The men would n ot answer
the call and souls are perishing, so God is now calling out His daughters and giving
them the inheritance which their fathers and their brothers are losing. When there is
no man to answer this end-tim e call, God will call the daughters of Manasseh, and they
will arise in the pow er o f the Holy G host and claim their inheritance. They will put
on their m arching boots and their soldier’s uniform and go into the land o f that old
giant, Og, and his m ighty pow er and size and strength will not even frighten them , be
cause they know w hat God has promised them and He is going to fulfill His Word to
them . Women o f God are going to “ blow Og right out o f his big bed.” They will take
the land and possess it, and in th at land o f Gilead they will produce the balm o f Gilead.

O ut o f the loins o f the daughters o f Manasseh will flow the balm which will bring
healing for the nations o f the world. All good m edication came out of the balm of
Gilead. In these last days, through the women o f God who dare to arise and take their
possessions, there shall come a sweet, healing balm . But sisters, we have got to push
with our horns! If you are not ready to push with your horn, if you are not ready to go
up before th at Moses and the Joshuas and the high priests and demand your inheri
tance in G od, you will be swept under the rug. Take your place in God, for God is on
your side. Read it again in your Bible and underline it and put a great, big “ Halle
lujah” beside it. (Numbers 27:7) We want our possessions and. God has said that we
can have them because He wants to give the land o f the enemy to som ebody who cares
enough to pay the price to take it and care for it.

I am n o t trying to ridicule the servants of God. Those o f you who know what
God is doing, recognize that you, too, need the women o f God on your side, fighting
with you like Deborah fought with Barak, because so m any o f the brethren will not
share your burden or your vision with you and if it was not for the women in your
church who support your m inistry with tithes and prayer and deeds, you would soon
have no church. So give honour to whom honour is due.

LOCATION OF MANASSEH

In the wilderness, around the tabernacle: Manasseh was situated on the west side
together w ith Ephraim and Benjamin. Manasseh, Ephraim and Benjamin were the sons
(and grandsons) o f Rachel, and they were correctly placed close together because they
had the ability to flow together in the Spirit. There was a great kindred feeling
among them because o f their m other and grandm other Rachel. Manasseh num bered
32,200. So you see, God had been with them and blessed them and they had m ulti
plied in spite o f m uch persecution.

In the Promised Land: The tribe o f Manasseh received a double portion. Now
this is a contradiction to the blessing which was given to them by Jacob. But, remem
ber, 1 told you that the Manassehs are going to push and fight for their portion,

15
and when they w ent up into the land o f one o f the greatest enemies o f Israel, they
fought w ith the power o f God and won mighty victories.

In D euteronom y 3:11-17 we read about King Og o f Bashan and his great bedstead
o f iron which was 13% feet long and 6 feet wide. Joshua tells how he gave this portion
o f land, which is now called M ount Gilead to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the ha
tribe o f Manasseh.

In Joshua 17:1-6 we read again the account o f the inheritance given to the half
tribe o f Manasseh. Verse 1 says, “ There was also a lot for the tribe o f Manasseh; for
he was the firstborn o f Joseph; to w it, for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father
o f Gilead: because he was a man o f war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.”

Verse 2 tells us th a t Manasseh also received a second lot which gave them the area
which was on the west side o f the Jordan and Shechem was named after one of these
warriors o f the children o f Manasseh.

Verse 5 tells us th a t Manasseh had ten portions, and again the writer tells about
the five daughters o f Manasseh who obtained their inheritance, (verses 3,6)

Verses 7-9 tell ab o u t the portion of the land that was given to the second half
o f the tribe o f Manasseh who came across the Jordan and possessed their portion next
to their brother Ephraim . It was bordered by Asher, Zebulun and Issachar on the
north-east and by Ephraim on the south. Jordan was on the east and the M editerra
nean sea was on the west coast.

The amazing thing is that Manasseh got the double portion. They pushed for it,
fought for it and they even fought great and m ighty giants. King Og was one o f the
last great giants, but n o t the very last, for David fought a giant in his day also and so
did some o f his m en. T hat is why God gave Manasseh the land o f Bashan, for it was
the land of King Og and they had conquered him and taken his land for their
possession. They didn’t give up until they had it. I thank God that God can bless us
beyond the prophecies and predictions that are given over us. God can take that litt e
blessing, th at left-over portion, and give us a double portion th a t is even m ore than we
expected. Manasseh was given the “left-handed” blessing but he received the right-
handed” portion. So d o n ’t give up easily and say, “ Well, I guess I am n o t predestined
to be anything special.” That is rubbish. You are predestined to be made in to His like
ness and conform ed in to His image. You are destined to rule and reign with Him, and
to take y our place in G od. Believe it and push for it. Some of you just sit on your
rocking chair and sing, “ whatever will be, will be; the fu tu re’s not mine you see....
But God is calling you to rise up and possess the land!

In the Millenium: (Ezekiel 48:4) The portion o f land belonging to Manasseh

shall be betw een Naphtali and Ephraim.

16
 T he Gate o f Manasseh: It is interesting to note that the Gate o f Manasseh is not
m entioned b u t neither is the Gate o f Ephraim. There is only one gate m entioned for
these tw o tribes, and th at is the Gate o f Joseph. (Ezekiel 4 8:32) So we see th at the two
tribes will be able to come together in peace and unity and forget their differenc
during the millenium o f peace on earth. They will stop pushing with their hom s^ They
will come together under their father’s name. T hat is so beautiful. They lose their se
parate identities and become one in the Kingdom o f God as they enter the Holy Jerusa
lem , the city o f G od.

In Genesis 48-5 Jacob says, “ And now thy tw o sons, Ephraim and Manasseh,
which were bom u n to thee in the land o f Egypt before I came u n to thee into Egypt,
are m ine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be m ine.” He gave them Reuben s blessing
and he gave them Sim eon’s blessing. He, as it were, grafted them in, and th a t is what
G od does for the Manassites and the Ephrathites. God grafts them in and gives em
m ore than they are really supposed to have according to the law and according to
tradition God gives them th a t special p ortion, that special blessing, and th at special
provision o f w ealth and riches. If you feel th at God has m ade you a Manassite or an
E phrathite, you will be blessed financially. With your little horn you can get just
about anything y o u w ant from God. You will be blessed spiritually, physically, and
you will be prolific in sons and daughters, either natural or spiritual or b o th, if you so
desire.

These two tribes together had m ore children than any o f the other tribes. So if
you are a Manassite o r an E phrathite, get ready to have children. “ Enlarge the place of
thy tent and let them stretch fo rth the curtains o f thine habitations: spare n o t, lengthen
thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; F or thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on
the left; and th y seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be in
habited.” (Isaiah 54:2,3)

And because Manasseh is a child of inner balance, God gives him the double
portion o f trials and testings to m atch his great blessing, otherwise he would be a
“m onster.” God has to keep working on him and cutting him until His work o f grace
is done in his life. The Manassite will laugh w ith the blessing and weep and travail in
the trial and shall becom e a “great people.”

GIDEON, TH E MIGHTY W ARRIOR OF TH E TRIBE OF MANASSEH

Judges 6 T —8 :32 tells us the story o f Gideon in detail. It is one o f the most
amazing and encouraging stories in the Bible. It shows us again, how God can choose
whoever He will, to accom plish His task.

“ And the Lord looked upon him (G ideon), and said, Go in this th y m ight, and thou
shalt save Israel from the hand o f the Midianites: have not I sent thee? (Judges 6:14)

17
 God is try; to stir up the sons o f Manasseh to rise to their hidden greatness. But
m ost of them ai^ ju st like Gideon was. He answered the Lord, “ Oh my Lord, where
with shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in
my father’s house.”

God looked at th a t fearful young Manassite who had n ot yet come into his great
ness in God and said, “ Surely I .vill be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites
as one m an.”

The name “G ideon” m eans, “one who chops down trees, to break dow n, mighty
fighter, destroyer.”

When God told Gideon th at he would fight the enem y as “ one m an,” God was
saying, “ I am going to be with you so that all the hordes will be ju st like one person.”
Gideon was a true son o f Manasseh. He was going to m ake sure that he was hearing
straight. He had to p u t o u t tw o different “ fleeces” before he was going to take a
chance of doing anything th at wasn’t o f the Lord. And he did this A FTER the Spirit
o f the Lord came upon him. Gideon had to have “ p roof.” The Manassite will not fall
into error as quickly as m any o f the o ther tribes because he will surely ask God to
reveal to him the way o f tru th .

He called his arm y together. They came from the tribes o f Manasseh, Asher.
Zebulun and Naphtali to m eet him. There were 32,000. It sounded like a lot, but the
Midianites had at least 120,000 fighting men. (Judges 8:10) However, God was not
going to let this M anassite get any glory, so God told him that he had too m any men.
God said, “ Go to , proclaim in the ears o f the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and
afraid, let him return and depart early from m ount G ilead.” And the next morning
22,000 went home and there were 10,000 men left. Can you imagine how Gideon
felt? What was 10,000 against 120,000? The enemy out-num bered them more than
10 to 1. But God was testing his faith..

Then God said to G ideon, th a t there were still too m any, and that this time He
was going to test them Himself. “And it shall be, that o f whom I say u n to thee, This
shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and o f whom soever I say unto thee,
This shall not go w ith thee, the same shall n o t go.” (Judges 7 :4) When God finished
testing the 10,000, only 300 were left.

The Manassite m en knew they were great soldiers. Had they not taken the land of
Bashan and won great victories under Joshua? But now God was saying, “ Manasseh,
ju st get th at horn into your pocket, or better still, use it to blow o n .” God is Calling
the perfected M anassite to take th at horn o f pow er which is on his head and cut it o ff
so th a t he has a tru m p e t to use for the battle th a t is coming up. This last great battle is
not going to be won by our “ horns,” but by the strength and the glory o f God. Turn
y our horn into a tru m p e t and w atch what God will do for you. Rem em ber th at the
trum pets in those days were m ade from horns.

18
 But Gideon w h s filled w ith fear. So God said to him , Arise, get thee down to the
host o f the M idianites and do a little spying around.” God says to you, dear Manassite,
who is shaking and trem bling in his boots, you go dow n into the middle o f the camp o f
your enemy and ju st listen, ju st spy around and you will see them shaking. God didn’t
have to tell G ideon to be quiet and n o t talk. His m outh was so dry that he couldn’t
have said a w ord anyway.

Suddenly Gideon and his servant, Phurah, whose name means “ treader o f the
wine press, fruitful, beautiful,” could hear the whisperings o f the enemy soldiers as they
lay in their te n t. Gideon and Phurah bent their heads against the flap o f the tent to
listen.

“ Listen, I ju st had a nightm are. There was this huge loaf o f barley bread that
came tum bling dow n into our camp. It h it our tent and knocked it flat!” The other
soldiers replied, “ Y our dream can mean only one thing! Gideon, the son o f Joash, the
Israeli is going to come and massacre all the allied forces o f Midian! ”

The Living Bible says, “ When Gideon heard the dream and the interpretation,
all he could do was ju st stand there worshipping G od!” He knew that God had spoken
to him through th e words o f his enemy.

At m idnight that night, just after the enemy had finished changing the guards,
Gideon and his 300 men crept to the o uter edge o f the camp o f Midian; they blew their
trum pets and broke their clay jars so that their torches shone in the darkness of the
night, as they shouted on the top of their voices, “ The sword of the Lord and of
G ideon!”

The sword o f the Lord we know, is the Word o f God. “ ...and the sword of the
Spirit which is the word o f G od;” (Ephesians 6:17)

God is calling His dedicated soldiers to venture forth in holy faith and courage
with the Word o f the Lord in their hearts and the anointing o f the Holy Spirit in their
lives. He is going to win a great victory through them , ju st as he did through His
soldier and servant, Gideon.

Also, the Lord is showing the Manassite that he is the Lord’s “barley loaf.” You
have to stay hum ble so th at God can use you to throw over the enem y’s tents. Always
rem ember that you got the “ left-handed” blessing, but if you will be faithful, God will
give you m uch m ore than you expected. T hat is w hat God did for Manasseh because
they walked hum bly before the Lord. When they were counted at the beginning o f the
40 years in the wilderness, there were 32,200 and when they came into their inheri
tance, there were 52,700. Whereas, Ephraim who received the “right-handed” blessing
had 40,500 in th e wilderness, and only 32,500 were living to enter into the Promised
Land. The “ left-handed” blessing is equal to the “ right-handed” one if the Almighty
God gives you y o u r portion.

19
 Manasseh was a fruitful people; they got four times as m uch territory as
Ephraim did and they produced the healing for the nations. They had valiant
daughters who rose up and took their possessions from God. I believe that in these
last days, we are going to see the Manassites, especially the women Manassites, coming
into their inheritance in God. Make Joseph’s portion your own portion, Manasseh.
D on’t say that the promises o f God were only for Joseph 3600 years ago. Claim them
for yourself today!

CONCLUSION

Let us look again at what the name Manasseh means. “ And Joseph called the
name o f the firstborn Manasseh: For God, saith he, hath made me forget all my toil,
and all my father’s house.” So Manasseh means “ one who makes to forget, one who
lets you forget the suffering and the tim e you spent in your father’s house, replace
m ent, substitute.” And the m odern Jewish interpretation is, “ the gaining back o f the
inner balance in difficult circumstances in spite o f being separated from the accus
tom ed and familiar way o f life which had given y our happiness.”

God is calling the Manassites to forget, and it means to forget in such a way that
you are able to '"orgive, and to forgive in such a way that you are able to cancel it out.
God needs Manassites. A person who has this anointing in their life, this m inistry, this
calling o f God in the Lord’s everlasting plan, is a great person. They do not hold a
bitter grudge in their life. They are able to forgive and forget. They are able to try one
more time and give the one who failed them a chance to try one more time.

I thank God for the Manassites because, even though th ey ’ve been pushed to the
side, and many times they are pushed to the side, and their brothers, who are younger,
get the blessing which was m eant for them , still they are able to reach o u t past their
lim itations and receive more than what God has promised them .

They are also able to forgive their younger brother, and live with the situation and
press in with their horn and get their portion o f the blessing. And they do get the
blessing because they are “pushers.” They are not going to let anything keep them
back from getting w hat they w ant from God, w hether the Manassite is 12 years, or 50,
or 80, he will not give up until God hears his prayer. Watch out if a Manassite is
coming down the road. He is going to get his sharp elbows o u t and get past you and
get to the altar and get th a t blessing. He will hang on to the horns o f the altar, because
he wants that touch o f God upon his life. He knows th at he is in com petition w ith his
brother and he will never forget it, but he will strive against all opposition and get to
the top with God. He will not be held back by all kinds o f opposition, traditions, or
the reasonings o f m an.

What the Manassite wants, he wants RIGHT NOW! And this is a very tim ely day
for the Manassite, for he possesses some very strategic territory. Do you know that the

20
fertile valley o f Megiddo where the Arm ageddon is going to take place, belongs to the
tribe o f Manasseh? Have you ever been to Megiddo? If you have, you have stood on
Manasseh territo ry . Megiddo was know n as the mighty fort through all the history of
the Old T estam ent. It was a place where m any great battles were fought. And this is
where the last battle will be fought, called the battle o f Armageddon. Revelation
16:16, “And he (the Lord) gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew
tongue A rm ageddon.” This is where God is going to pour out His w rath upon the na
tions th at have gathered against Israel.

The word “ A rm ageddon” is Hebrew. It consists o f two words: har (har), “a

m ountain, a range o f hills, co u n try ,” and m egiddow (meg-iddo), “rendezvous, to gather
together in tro o p s.” Arm ageddon can be interpreted as “ m ountain o f the gathering to
gether o f the troops, where the hosts are stopped, the cursed troop-gathering.

That is where the last great battle between the forces o f the nations o f the world
and Israel will take place. I fear th at even the United States will stand against Israel on
th at day, because G od’s Word says th at all these soldiers will be utterly destroyed.
Ezekiel 38:14-16, “Therefore, son o f m an, prophesy and say u nto Gog, Thus saith the
Lord God; In th a t day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know
it? And thou shalt come from thy place out o f the north parts, thou, and m any people
with thee, all o f them riding upon horses, a great com pany, and a mighty arm y: And
thou shalt com e up against my people o f Israel, as a cloud to cover the land, it shall
be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know
m e, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.”

The rest o f that chapter tells how God will judge these nations and Ezekiel 39:
9-16 tells how vast this judgm ent will be. This could take place any time.

When Israel invaded Lebanon in the late summer o f 1982, they discovered 18
miles o f tunnels, 45 feet around that were stored with weapons. Enough missiles, can
nons, tanks and o th er arm oured vehicles to equip a m odern army were turned up in the
underground depot. A special radar and electronic com m unication system occupied
a self-contained wing o f the com plex. There are huge comm and and storage halls,
some of them large enough to shelter fleets o f helicopters. All this was built and
supplied by the Soviets w ith the co-operation of the P.L.O.. The devil knows that
there is going to be an end-time war in Israel’s territory and he is trying to precipitate
G od’s time plan, b u t Israel, led by the Holy Spirit, was able to abort his vast design
because they were guided by the Holy Spirit to invade Lebanon. C ertainly, the devil
hates Israel fo r th a t and will try to malign and destroy her and her leaders and many
will believe his lies. An unexpected discovery in the Soviet fortress beneath' Saida of
Lebanon was a group o f files listing im portant firms and personalities w ho, for one
reason or another, including blackm ail, have been supporting the Palestinian cause poli
tically and financially; and m any turned o ut to be American.

Yes, M anasseh, the last great battle o f all times will take place on your Promised

21
Land, and it is im p o rtan t to you th at you stand in the full anointing o f God in these
last days. You defeated King Og 3400 years ago, and your daughters took his
possession. Today th a t land o f Og is called the Golan Heights. It too is Manasseh
territory. I call upon yo u , daughters o f Manasseh, to stand against the enem y, even
your enem y. Do it now . Do not let him have your inheritance. There is another evil
King Og (Og means “ long-necked giant” ) and Russia is a long-necked giant, reaching
out even as far as Israel who is going to m ake warfare against y o u , b ut as you move in
the Spirit and stand y o u r ground against him , you are going to defeat him . Daughters
o f the Lord, your G od has decreed th a t you have spoken right, you shall have a portion
in the land. Do n o t give up y our claim to victory.

Jacob also prophesies th at your branches (th at is y our daughters) shall run over
the wall. You will break all traditions and all barriers and all lim itations to fulfill
your Divine destiny. A nd God bless you as you obey your calling in God.

22
“And he said unto them , Look on me, and do iik c w is c . and, behold, when I come to
thp outside o f the camo. it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.” (Judges 7:17)
NOTES
BY GWEN SHAW
 11 P O T I- P H E R A H
p rie st o f O n
G 46:20

w i f e s = s P O TIP H A R
J O SEP H == A SE N A T H
" a d d in g " E g y p tia n
G 3 9 : 7 - 19 E g y p tia n G 3 0:2 4; 46:19 G 4 1 : 4 5 . 50
" C a p t a in o f t h e G u a r d ' 5 0 : 2 2 , 2 6 ; Jo 2 4 : 3 2 I 10 y r
G 3 7 : 3 6 : 39:1 ( Z A P H N A J H P A A N E A H ) G 4 1 :45

EP"H RAIM
fru itf u l
G 4 1: 52 1 4 6: 2 0

E P H R A I M IT ES
( E P H R A T H IT E S )
f
S H U T H EL A H B E C H ER TA H A N

I
S H U T H A L H IT ES B A C H R IT ES
(B E K E D )

T A H A N IT ES
N 2 6: 3 5 N 2 6:3 5 N 6: 35 .

ER A N
E R A N IT ES I
N 26- 36 Z U r n , E p h r a t h it e
TO HU
ELI H U
JE R O H A M
PE N I N N A H = ELK A N A H = :H A N N A H
1 S 1:2 I S 1:2 I S 1 :2
c h il d r e n 2 Ch 28: 7
o ffic e r u n d e r A H A Z

SA M O ET “J I----
so ns
2 d a u g n fc rs
ask e d o f G O D
N a z a r if e I S 2:21
This chart was taken from The Adam and Eve Family Tree, produced by th e Good
I S 1:11 : 2 0 ; 25:1
Things Com pany. Used by permission. su c c e e d e d E L I
'J o r t -’ A BIA H
( V A S H N I) 1 Ch 6 :28
I S 8:2

h em X n
1 C h 6: 33
L e v i t e m u sic i a n

A M M IH U D
C a p t a i n ^ LIS H A M A r e p k Ia h
N 1 : 1 0 : 2 : 1 8 ; 10: 22 RES H EP H
T EL A H
b e r £d
TAH A N
TAH ATH LA A D A N
A M M IH U D
Cover by Cynthia Peall and Mary Ellen Rawls EL A D A H E LIS H A M A
TAHATH
ZABAD Nufvl
(N O N )
S H U T H EL A H I C h 7 : 2 5 - 2 7 , N 1 1 :28
E Z fcK , fct E AT) I 110 y e a rs
I C h 7 : 2 0 , 21 JOSH U A J o 24 2 9: J u 2: 8
(O SH EA ) N 13:8
( JE H O S H U A ) N 1 3: 1 6
( JE H O S H U A H ) I Ch 7 : 2 7
(H O S H E A ) 0 32:4 4
Copyright 1982, Gwen R. Shaw ( JE S H U A ) Ne 8:17
( JE S H U A H )
End-Time Handm aidens, Inc. ( JE S U S ) A c ts 7 : 4 5 : He 4 : 8
P.O. Box 447 E 1 7 : 9; 33:1 1
Jasper, Arkansas 72641 N 1 4: 6, 3 0, 38; 2 6 : 6 5 : 2 7 : 1 8 ; 3 2: 1 2
D 1 : 3 8 ; 3 : 2 8 ; 3 1 : 2 3 : 3 4: 9
J o 4 : 1 4 ; 14: 6, 13

m
All rights reserved. t h e s u c c e ss o r o f M O SES w h o l e d th e
Is r a e l i t e s a c r o ss t h e J o r d o n R i v e r

* The G r e e k form o f the

H e b r e w , JE H O S H U A ,
Printed in the U n ited S tates o f A m erica m e a n i n g S a v i o u r.
 PRAYER

“ Beloved F a th e r in heaven, we hum bly beseech You to give us a special anointing

to understand th e heart o f Ephraim . I rem em ber th e cry o f Y our heart through Y our
p rophet Hosea, ‘How shall I give thee u p , Ephraim ?’ Y our heart has bled for
Ephraim . T o no people have You expressed Y our love in a greater way than to
Ephraim . Help us to capture this tru th as we begin th e study o f this great tribe.
In Jesus’ nam e. A m en.”

TH E NAMING O F EPHRAIM

“ And th e nam e o f the second called he Ephraim : F o r God h ath caused m e to

be fruitful in th e land o f m y affliction.” (Genesis 4 1 :52)

Ephraim was Joseph’s second son by his Egyptian wife, A senath. Ephraim
m eans “ double fruitful, double fruit, double portion in the inheritance, descendants,
fruitful ones.”

A SENATH, THE M OTHER OF MANASSEH AND EPHRAIM

Asenath m eans “ dedicated to N eith (a goddess o f E gypt), o bedient.”

Asenath was th e daughter o f Potiphera, the priest o f On. The nam e Potiphera
means “gift to th e sun-god, dedicated to the sun-god, belonging to the sun.” The
name Potiphar, m entioned in Genesis 39:1 is the shortened form for this nam e. It
could have been the same m an, b ut we have no proof. Potiphar was an officer of
Pharaoh, captain o f the guard, whereas Potiphera was the priest o f On. Some people
believe it was th e same m an, and th a t Potiphar later becam e a priest.

The city o f O n was one o f the m ost im portant religious centres in E gypt. It was
later know n by th e name o f Heliopolis, nam ed after helios, the Greek word fo r the sun,
and the name o f an ancient deity , the sun-god. During the tim e o f the Old Testam ent,
On was th e seat o f the worship o f the Egyptian sun-god Re (Ra). It stood about 7
miles from w hat is presently the centre o f m odem Cairo, and is now a suburb o f the
city. The great tem ple o f Re stood there and its priesthood wielded great influence,
particularly during the 5th dynasty (25th-24th century B.C.) when the worship o f Re
becam e the state cult, and kings, claiming to be sons o f the sun, erected large obelisks,
symbols o f th e su n ’s rays, by their tom bs. The priests were well educated in history.
Its schools o f philosophy and astronom y are said to have been visited by Plato and
o ther Greek scholars.

Little rem ains today o f this great and learned city. Much o f the stone was taken
by th e Arabs to build Cairo, and even the 12 mile circuit o f the walls is difficult to

1
trace. T he one rem aining m onum ent is the obelisk o f Sesotris at M atariya, the oldest
obelisk in existence. In ancient tim es the city m ust have been filled w ith these m onu
m ental shafts. O f th e obelisks erected by T hutm ose III, now known as C leopatra’s
Needles, one stands on the Thames em barkm ent in London, and the other in Central
Park, New York City.

Unless one has been to Egypt and visited these great archeological cities, one has
no way o f beginning to understand the im pact th at the worship o f these deities had
upon the people o f E gypt. It was their whole life. It affected their political decisions
and all the activities o f the people from the throne to the prison.

A senath, the daughter o f the priest o f O n, was dedicated to this worship from her
birth. Her name m eans “dedicated to N eith.” N eith was the warrior goddess who was
also w orshipped as th e creatrix who wove the world on her loom . Her chief shrine was
in the ancient Egyptian city Sai. (Sais in Greek) It seems th at Pharaoh arranged this
marriage. It was the linking together o f the head o f the governm ent and the powerful
religious family o f Egypt.

SYMBOL

The symbol o f Hphraim is a cluster o f grapes. It is a beautiful sym bol and re

minds one o f the cluster o f grapes th at the Children o f Israel brought back from the
land o f Canaan and th a t they had cut dow n from the brook o f Eshcol. It was so
large that they had to carry it betw een tw o men on a staff.

It is the will o f G od for his people to be fruitful. This was the first com m and that
He gave hum anity. While still in the garden o f Eden, the Lord said to Adam and Eve,
“ Be fruitful and m u ltip ly .” He said it tw o times. (Genesis 1:22,28) Again, He said it
to Noah, “ Be fruitful, and m ultiply, and replenish the earth .” (Genesis 9:1,7) God
promised to make Abraham (Genesis 17:6), Isaac (Genesis 26:22), and Jacob (Gene
sis 35:11) fruitful. Colossians 1:10 gives us the desire o f the Lord for His children,
“That ye might walk w orthy o f the Lord u n to all pleasing, being fruitful in every good
work, and increasing in the knowledge o f G od;”

I believe that Ephraim still has this promise o f fruitfulness in their lives and they
must strive to attain u n to this blessing. God wants to make them fruitful in every way.
No one has more right to claim the promises o f God to His people than Ephraim .

“ And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if th o u shalt
hearken u n to the voice o f the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and
blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit o f thy body, and the fruit
of thy gound, and the fruit o f thy cattle, the increase o f thy kine, and the flocks o f thy
sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou
comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thow goest out....T he Lord shall comm and

2
th e blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all th a t th o u settest thine hand unto;
and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord th y God giveth thee....T he Lord shall
m ake thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit o f th y body, and in the fruit o f thy cattle,
and in the fru it o f thy ground, in th e land which the Lord sware u n to th y fathers to
give thee. T h e L ord shall open unto thee his good treasure,”

But these promises were conditional for Ephraim :

1. “ If th at thou shalt hearken diligently to the voice o f the Lord thy G od.”

2. “ If th a t th o u hearken u n to the com m andm ents o f the Lord th y G od, which I

com m and thee this day, to observe and to do them . And thou shalt n o t go aside from
any o f the w ords which I com m and thee this day, to the right hand, o r to the left, to
go after o th er gods to serve them .” (D euteronom y 28:1-14)

Ephraim has this w onderful prom ise from G od, but Ephraim has a weakness
w hereby they can lose it very easily, and th at is a part o f their inheritance also, through
their m other A senath and their grandfather who was dedicated to the worship o f the
false gods. Ephraim m ust never forget th at this is a part o f their inheritance also, even
the idolatry o f Egypt is in their blood. So they have to keep a guard over their hearts
at all times.

GEMSTONE

The gem stone o f Ephraim is the same as o f Manasseh. It is the onyx. I will repeat
w hat I w rote u n d er the tribe o f Manasseh.

Many tim es we think o f the onyx as being a black stone, but this is n o t necessarily
the case. The onyx is a striped agate, a variety o f quartz, in which white layers alter
nate w ith black. When brow n o r red bands occur, instead o f black, the stone is term ed
sardonyx. The Rom ans applied this name originally to a type o f m arble, now called
onyx m arble. Because o f the resemblance betw een its well-defined w hite and yellow
veins and the shades in the fingernail, it was given the name o n y x which is Greek for
“ fingernail.” It has been used a great deal in m aking cameos. Because o f the different
layers in the o n y x , beautiful relief w ork is possible. The best cameos are those
produced by the ancients. Beautiful onyx is a true flesh-pink colour. This is the
colour o f th e tribe o f Manasseh and Ephraim because they do n o t have separate gem
stones. There was only one gem stone in the breastplate o f the high priest for both o f
the sons o f Joseph. They were separated in their symbols, b u t united in their gem stone.

F o r m any years cameos becam e alm ost ex tin ct, b u t in the m iddle o f th e 19th
century, a new source o f onyx was discovered in S outh America and so the art has
been revived. Every wom an desires to own a beautiful cam eo. The value o f the cameo
depends n o t only on the stone, but also on the workm anship. The cameo is a com bi
nation o f the creation o f G od and the creative work o f m an. As Ephraim co-operates
w ith G od, a beautiful w ork o f th e Holy Spirit can be w rought in his life to produce a
gem stone th a t is fit fo r the m ansions o f eternity. Even as the onyx becam e rare and
only recently has been discovered, so it is, th at God is reviving and calling o u t the tribe
o f Ephraim in these days. A nd they are discovering their beauty and value as God
works His w orkm anship in to their lives by cutting and buffing and carving, so th a t the
beauty o f the M aster’s touch can m ake them a special gem stone for the breastplate of
Jesus C hrist, the true High Priest.

PROPHECIES

There is a great deal o f hidden m ystery in the prophecies of Manasseh and

Ephraim . When Jacob blessed
o f their father Joseph and did
same However, Jacob blessed
is here th at we m ust search to
tribes.
them on his death bed, he blessed them under the name
n o t separate them in a noticeable way. Moses did the
th e sons o f Joseph when he first came into Egypt and it
find the difference in the blessings betw een these two

JACOB

“ And Joseph to o k them b o th , Ephraim in his right hand tow ard Israel’s left hand,
and Manasseh in his left hand tow ard Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto
him. And Israel stretched o u t his right hand, and laid it upon E phraim ’s head, who was
the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hand w ittingly; for
Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph, and said, G od, before whom my
fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long u n to this
day, The Angel w hich redeem ed me from all evil, bless th e lads; and let m y name
be nam ed on them , and the nam e o f m y fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow
into a m ultitude in th e m idst o f the e a rth .” (Genesis 48:13-16)

F ather Jacob blessed them w ith the identical same blessing. It was only after
Joseph interrupted and said som ething, th a t Jacob added to the blessing he had
already given.

“A nd when Joseph saw th at his father laid his right hand upon th e head o f
Ephraim , it displeased him : and he held up his father s hand, to rem ove it from
E phraim ’s head u n to M anasseh’s head. And Joseph said u n to his father, N ot so, m y
father: for this is th e firstborn; p u t th y right hand upon his head. A nd his father re
fused, and said, I k n o w it, m y son, I know it: he also shall becom e a people, and he
also shall be great: b u t tru ly his younger b rother shall be greater than he, and his seed
shall becom e a m u ltitu d e o f nations. And he blessed them th a t day, saying, In thee
shall Israel bless, saying, God m ake thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set
Ephraim before M anasseh.” (Genesis 48:17-20)

4
 In Genesis 4 8 :5 ,6 we read where Jacob said earlier to Joseph, “ And now thy two
sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were b o m u n to thee in th e land o f Egypt before I
cam e unto thee in to Egypt, are m ine; as Reuben and Sim eon, they shall be mine.
And thy issue, w hich thou begettest after them , shall be thine, and shall be called after
the nam e o f th e ir brethren in their inheritance.” There is no record o r scripture o f
Joseph having any o th er children.

We m ust rem em ber th a t the eyes o f Israel were “ dim fo r age, so th a t he could n o t
see.” (Genesis 4 8 :1 0 ) It was n o t som ething th a t he did o f his own voluntary will. The
Spirit o f th e Lord was no d o u b t upon him . He did n o t look at the beauty o f Ephraim
and prefer him above Manasseh. God was revealing th at Ephraim w ould becom e
m ore pow erful and m ore influential than Manasseh. But b o th o f them united together
would be a blessing to th e w orld. G od has the right to do w hat He chooses. It does
n o t m ean th a t He loves one tribe m ore than another. T he blessing was the same to
begin w ith. It was only after Joseph interfered th at Jacob declared th at the younger
brother w ould be greater than the older and th a t his seed would becom e a m ultitude o f
nations. This w ord, translated “greater” by the translators, is only used two m ore
tim es in the Bible. Once is in Genesis 4 1 :4 0 and the o th er tim e in Lam entations 4:6.
It comes from th e Hebrew word gadal (gaw-dal), which m eans “ to advance, boast,
bring u p , exceed, excellent, m ake great, increase, lift u p , m agnify, be m uch set by,
nourish, pass, p ro m o te .” It seems to refer to positions o f pow er and governm ent. And
indeed it was in Ephraim th a t the 10 tribes broke o ff from the rest o f Israel, separating
the 10 tribes from Judah and Benjamin. In fact, it was an E phrathite, Jeroboam , who
lifted up his hand against King Solom on and caused the kingdom o f Israel to be divided
until 1948 w hen Israel again becam e a nation. (I Kings 11:26; 13:26-33) He not only
was an anarchist, who com m itted treason against the throne o f Solom on, he also was
the founder o f a rebel religion against Jehovah when he erected the golden calves in
Bethel and D an. He called the northern ten tribes “ Ephraim ,” and th at name stuck.
The ten tribes becam e know n as Ephraim . Even God called them by th a t nam e.
T hroughout th e book o f Hosea, God calls the 10 n orthern tribes by the name o f
Ephraim .

Let us look m ore closely into th e united prophecies given by Jacob and Moses.

JACOB’S PROPHECY TO JOSEPH

“ Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run
over the wall: T he archers have sorely grieved him , and shot at him , and hated him:
But his bow abode in strength, and the arms o f his hands were m ade strong by the
hands o f th e m ighty God o f Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, th e stone o f Israel:)
Even by the G od o f th y father, who shall help thee; and by the Alm ighty, who shall
bless thee w ith blessings o f heaven above, blessings o f the deep th a t lieth under,
blessings o f th e breasts, and o f the wom b: The blessings o f thy father have prevailed
above the blessings o f m y progenitors u n to th e utm ost bound o f th e everlasting hills:

5
they shall be on the head o f Joseph, and on the crown o f th e head o f him th at was
separate from his b reth ren .” (Genesis 49:22-26)

“Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run
over the wall:”

The word “bough” in the Hebrew is ben (bane) which means “ a son, anointed
one, builder o f the fam ily nam e,” as well as “ a bough o f a tre e .”

The word “b ran ch ” in the Hebrew is bath which also m eans “daughter.” In this
case it is th e plural and can be interpreted, “Joseph is a fruitful anointed son, even a
fruitful son by a well; whose daughters run over the wall.” A nd this certainly became
true o f the daughters o f Joseph, particularly o f the tribe o f Manasseh, as we already
m entioned under the title o f Manasseh, although the daughters o f Ephraim were pro
m inent also.

“T he archers have sorely grieved him , and shot at him , and hated h im :”

This reveals the suffering o f Joseph. T he word “ archers” is chets (khayts) and
means, “a piercer, i.e. an arrow , a w ound, the shaft o f a spear.” It is in the wounding
and the suffering th a t Manasseh becomes great. But this is not only true o f Manasseh,
it is also true o f E phraim . Manasseh and Ephraim are united in their suffering and so
they are united in the resurrection glory. Rem em ber th at Paul said, “T hat I m ay know
him, and the power o f his resurrection, and the fellowship o f his sufferings, being made
conform able unto his d e a th .” (Philippians 3:10)

The Josephs (Manasseh and Ephraim ) are called to be united in suffering with
Jesus. The “archers” in the life o f Joseph were his very ow n fam ily. No one can hurt
you like those to w hom you are the closest.

“ B ut his bow abode in strength, and the arm s o f his hands were m ade strong by
the hands o f the m ighty God o f Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone o f
Israel:)”

Joseph is defending him self w ith the same weapon th at is attacking him . Even as
the arrows o f his enem y are shot from the bow , so, he too fights back w ith the bow.
The Holy Spirit says th a t it is a strong bow , one th a t “ abides in strength.” It is only as
Manasseh and Ephraim stay grounded in the Lord th at they have the strength to con
test their enem y. G od prom ises th a t th eir hands would be m ade strong. The Manassite
and Ephraim ite are also gifted in their hands to accom plish every task to which God
calls them .

“ (from thence is th e shepherd, the stone o f Israel:)”

Jacob, whose life was th a t o f a shepherd, was lifted in th e spirit o f revelation to

6
see th a t there was another shepherd, even the G reat Shepherd o f the sheep, who came
from th e m ighty G od o f Jacob, and th at He was not only Chief Shepherd, b u t also the
Rock o f Israel.

“ Even by th e G od o f thy father, who shall help thee; and by th e Alm ighty, who
shall bless thee w ith blessings o f heaven above, blessings o f the deep th a t lieth under,
blessings o f the breasts, and o f the w om b:”

This is a com plete and w onderful blessing. It includes the blessings o f the heavens
which are the blessings o f th e rain, the sunshine, the dew, good w eather, the planets,
the stars, and th en the blessings o f God the F ather and His mighty angels. If heaven is
on y o u r side, Joseph, w hat m ore do you need? And yet God has prom ised even m ore.

The “blessings o f the deep th at lieth under.” The riches o f the world is reckoned
by gold. Gold is “dow n un d er.” God has promised to the sons o f Joseph the wealth
o f the m inerals, the gem stones, the oil, the fountains o f the deep, and the fertile
ground. What m ore than that can God prom ise Joseph, and yet He has promised even
m ore than this, to o .

The “blessings o f the breasts and the w om b:” What good would all th at riches be
if we did n o t have children to hand it dow n to , or to share it w ith. It is our children
who give us jo y and who continue o u r life-line even after v e have left the world. So
God promises Joseph the blessing o f children - children who will bring com fort and
blessing to others. Children who will be nourished from the m other s breasts. This
also m eans spiritual children who are nourished by the Word o f God through the Ma
nassite and the E phrathite.

And who is this God who promises all this? Jacob calls Him “ the A lm ighty”
which is the fem inine name for God (the breasted one). God appears to Joseph as the
God who has th e special love (like th at o f a m other) for these tw o tribes. Perhaps it is
because Joseph grieved so deeply the loss o f his own m other, Rachel, who died when
she gave birth to Benjamin, while he was still a young boy o f about 6 years. So God,
to com fort this m otherless child, reveals Himself as the God who loves like only a
m other can love.

“The blessings o f thy father have prevailed over the blessings o f my progenitors
u nto the u tm o st bound o f the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head o f Joseph,
and on the crow n o f the head o f him th a t was separate from his brethren.

Jacob is saying, the blessings th at Joseph’s father has given him are greater than
the blessings w hich he received from his own forefathers. It seems impossible to believe
th a t anything could be greater than the blessings o f A braham and Isaac, and yet this is
what Jacob is saying. It is because he blessed him , not as Jacob, the supplanter, but
as Israel, the Prince o f God.

7
 “ Shall be on the head o f Joseph, and on the crow n o f the head.” This reveals th at
Joseph’s descendants would also have a royal line, as indeed they did through the
kings o f the n o rth ern kingdom , b u t n o t all the kings o f Israel were o f the fam ily o f
Joseph.

“ O f him th at was separate from his brethren.” The w ord “ separate ’ comes from
the Hebrew word nazir (naw-zeer), which means “ to separate, consecrated, which is the
exact same word used fo r the Nazarite. Surely G od is calling the children o f Joseph to
a life o f separation from th e conventional way o f living, even a life th a t is different
than th e rest o f the L o rd ’s children. The Manassite and Ephraim ite are called to the
holy life o f separation, no m atte r how great the cost. In the suffering and in their
dedication lies their greatness and their strength. T o be separate means th at one is
different, and surely th e family o f Joseph is different in m any ways.

MOSES’ PROPHECY TO JOSEPH

“And o f Joseph he said, Blessed o f the Lord be his land, for the precious things o f
heaven, for the dew , and for th e deep that coucheth beneath, And for the precious
fruits brought fo rth by the sun, and for the precious things p u t forth by the m oon,
And for the chief things o f the ancient m ountains, and for the precious things o f the
lasting hills. And fo r th e precious things o f the earth and fulness thereof, and for the
good will o f him th a t dw elt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head o f Joseph,
and upon the top o f th e head o f him that was separated from his brethren. His glory is
like the firstling o f his bullock, and his horns are like the horns o f unicorns: w ith them
he shall push the people together to the ends o f the earth: and they are the ten
thousands o f E phraim , and the thousands o f Manasseh. (D euteronom y 33.13-17)

This prophecy w hich Moses gave the children o f Joseph is almost the same as the
one th at Jacob gave. It is not necessary to repeat word for word the explanation of
what we have already covered, b u t there are some added points which I feel we would
be blessed to look in to .

“A nd for the precious things p u t fo rth by the m oon,”

There is no d o u b t b u t th at the m oon has a trem endous influence on this planet.

But it is rem arkable th a t Am erica, which is considered by some to be the land o f the
children o f Joseph, should be th e first and only nation so far to have landed on the
m oon.

“ and for the good will o f him th a t dw elt in the b u sh :”

Moses was referring to his ow n great visitation o f G od, when the Lord spoke to
him o u t o f the burning bush in th e wilderness and his life was changed. It was from
there th a t he w ent fo rth to deliver the Children o f Israel. Moses knew th at this same

8
God could change th e life o f anyone who would be visited by the Lord. The word
bush is ceneh (seh-neh) and is the exact same word as th a t used m Exodus 3.2 where
it says that the Lord appeared to Moses in the flaming bush in the desert. It is w onder
ful to know th a t G od w ants to visit the children o f Joseph in the exact same way that
He visited Moses, himself. Surely God is no respecter o f persons. Moses knew th a t he,
too had been separate from his brethren for 40 years in the wilderness and th at as a
result o f this lonely life, God prepared him and honoured him to be a deliverer an
saviour o f His people, even as He had prepared Joseph by th e same means and for the
same purpose. Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold into slavery. He was 30
when he stood before Pharaoh and his brothers came after the first 7 years o f abun
dance. So Joseph m ust have been separated from his brethren for at least 20 years,
which was ju st h alf as long as Moses was separated from his people.

“ His glory is like the firstling o f his bullock,”

The firstling is the portion th at belongs to the Lord, and although it suffers, be
cause it m ust be laid upon the altar, still there is glory in knowing th at it is God s
offering com pletely, and this is th e honour of. the family o f Joseph. God calls for com
plete dedication o f this family line. Half dedication will never suffice for a m em ber ot
the family o f M anasseh or Ephraim .

“ and his horns are like the horns o f unicorns:

This “u n ico rn ” is believed to have been the Urus, an extinct species of buffalo
and not the rhinoceros. It is spoken o f as a pow erful and violent animal. (Job 39:
9-12) So it is th a t, as the unicorn couldn’t be tam ed, the Lord is saying, the sons o
Joseph have the same individuality and are only tam ed by the Lord. Don t try to harness
an unicorn, you m ight get a horn in your side. Only love can m ake them your servant.

“ with them he shall push the people together to the ends o f the e a rth :”

How w onderful, that the same horns which pro tect the unicorn from being
pushed around are the instrum ent th at he is going to use to push the people to the ends
o f the earth! T he family o f Joseph make great missionaries. They are pushers, and
they will push, and push, and push, till they get w hat they w ant.

“ and they are the ten thousands o f Ephraim , and the thousands o f Manasseh.

So this is Manasseh and this is Ephraim and they together m ake the tribe o f
Joseph, and beside them there is no hidden tribe o f Joseph. They are both included in
these two great blessings o f Jacob and Moses. Jacob m ade a difference when he
blessed them as lads, but when they became older, he blessed them unitedly, and so did
Moses, except th a t Moses did n o t m ention th at Ephraim would have a greater num ber
in the tribe, yet in the end-tim e we are going to find th a t God will unite them together
again into one tribe, even the tribe o f Joseph.

9
 I believe th a t th e prophecies th a t were given under the very great anointing o f the
Holy Spirit, are o f great im portance. T here is only one thing rem arkable about both o f
the prophecies th a t Jacob and Moses gave the tribes. T hat is the fact th a t right after
b o th o f these servants o f God prophesied to the tribes, they b o th were taken away by
the Lord. “ And w hen Jacob had m ade an end o f com m anding his sons, he gathered up
his feet into the b ed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.”
(Genesis 49:33) “A nd Moses w ent up from the plains o f Moab u n to the m ountain of
N ebo, to the top o f Pisgah, th a t is over against Jericho....So Moses the servant o f the
Lord died there in the land o f M oab, according to the word o f the L ord.” (D eutero
nom y 34:1,5)

The last words o f a great saint are always very im portant. They are w orthy of
being rem em bered. I believe th at the reason these last words are so im portant is be
cause the one who speaks them is standing betw een the gate o f earth and heaven and
that suddenly the things o f this earth are n o t so im portant as the things o f heaven.
When you stand on th e edge o f eternity, true values are realized. I rem em ber that
beautiful chorus:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His w onderful face
And the things o f this world
Will grow strangely dim
In the light o f His glory and grace.

I would that m any o f us could have th at kind o f an experience w ith God so that
we could know w hat th e true values o f life really are. Ephraim cannot come into his
inheritance, unless he has “ given b irth ” to Manasseh. Ephraim cannot dare to hold any
bitter feelings or h u rts o f the past, and still be fruitful. As long as dear Ephraim carries
the scars of the past hurts, he will lose his fruitfulness and n o t be able to be the
blessing th at he is m eant to be. Ephraim m ust always follow Manasseh. You cannot
have a fruitful m inistry until you have experienced th e healing o f memories. The book
A b u se d B u t Chosen by Elsie Isensee Hill is a w onderful story o f forgiveness. Though
physically abused as a child by her m other, she forgave and overcame through the grace
o f Jesus in her life. She lived a fruitful life w ithout bitterness, and was a missionary in
South America. U ltim ately through love she led her dying m other to the Lord.*

Ephraim ’s fath er, Joseph, had been sold by his brothers; he had been hated by -
them and separated from them . Some o f his brothers even wanted to kill him , so great
was their hatred tow ards him . N ot m any o f you have been hated th at m uch by other
Christians, that they w ould like to kill yo u , though, no d o u b t, some m ay have prayed
that God would “rem ove y o u .” T hat is w itchcraft. D on’t you ever pray like this
about any living person, except it be in compassion th at the Lord will take them to
Himself out o f their suffering and m isery, b u t then it m ust be only “in the will o f G od”

* “Abused But Chosen” by Elsie Isensee H ill available fro m E n d -T im e H a n d m a id e n s , P.O. Box 447, Jasper, ARK 72641
for $4.95 plus postage and handling.

10

J
that you pray like th a t, and never o u t o f y our own passion. Ask God to convict them ,
b ut never to strike them dow n. Rem em ber th at God is judge.

You will rem em ber once Jo h n and Jam es asked the Lord to send fire dow n on a
village th at had rejected Him and He told them th a t they d id n ’t know w hat kind o f a
spirit they were of. (Luke 9:54)

I believe th a t God wants us to reach th a t place o f glory where we can forget the
grievous things th a t we have suffered in the past, and in the present, and n o t continual
ly dwell on th em , speak about them , or brood over them . Hallelujah! This does not
m ean th at we have to crawl back into the “ snake p it” o f our form er life to “prove”
th at we have forgiven the one who has h u rt us. But we can love them and live the life
God has called us to live w ithout any bitterness from yesterday in our hearts.

One o f th e m em ories th at both Ephraim and Manasseh have to forget is their

training by their m other and grandfather, the priest o f O n. Rem em ber th a t their
m other Asenath had been dedicated to idols (th a t is w hat her nam e m eans). I am
sorry to say th at w ithin that line and lineage o f Ephraim and Manasseh there is the ten
dency to turn to idols, because o f the bloodline on their m o th er’s side o f the family.
You can know th a t when her boys were little, she w ould take them on her knee and
talk to them and tell them the stories th at her ow n m other and nurse maid had told
her. She was a w om an o f high birth, born in idolatry. In her blood were m any centu
ries o f worshipping idols, devils and dem ons. This m ark o f dolatry was to plague
Ephraim the rest o f his life. T hat is why Ephraim broke away from the Lord God
Jehovah, whose tem ple was in Jerusalem , and built a tem ple, and started another type
o f worship. It was Ephraim who set up the golden calves. An E phrathite and Ma
nassite may not worship “golden calves” b u t they m ust always be on the alert to iden
tify their weakness and guard against setting up idols in their heart. Som eone m ay not
always be near you to tap you on the shoulder and tell you th a t you are n o t supposed
to have that “idol in your h eart.” D on’t allow Satan to m ake a golden calf for you.
D on’t allow him to separate you from the fellowship you have w ith your brothers and
sisters. You see, w hen they m ade the golden calf and worshipped it, they were sepa
rated from their brothers and sisters of the rest o f the tribes.

Sometimes we can be so busy with our own activities th at we can push aside the
family devotions, and the gathering o f ourselves together for worship. Ephraim and
Manasseh both have to be careful th at they are n o t so busy doing their “ ow n little
thing” that they do not have tim e to pray and read their Bible. God has raised up a
Jerusalem , w here He wants His people to gather together for His glory and it is im
p ortant that you “com e up for the great feasts o f the L ord.” Rem em ber th a t it was
Jeroboam , the E phraim ite rebel who said, “ It is too m uch for you to go up to Jerusa
lem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up o u t o f the land o f E gypt.” (I
Kings 12:28) This spirit o f independence and o f “ doing y our own thing” is one o f the
things which b o th Ephraim and Manasseh need to fight against in their lives.

11
 THE FAMILY TREE OF EPHRAIM

The genealogy o f Ephraim is confusing because there are tw o different ones given
in the Bible. There is one in Num bers 26:35-37 and another in I Chronicles 7:20-29.

In Num bers 26 three sons are nam ed. I will go by this one as it is m ore clear. The
three sons o f Ephraim were:

1. Shuthelah: b y which the Shuthalhites were nam ed;

2. Becher: the father o f the Bachrites;
3. Tahan: the fath er o f the Tahanites.

T he meaning o f th eir names is:

1. Shuthelah: “revolution, radical change.” I believe th at this was an indication of

what was already beginning to take place in Egypt. In Exodus 1:8 we read, “ Now
there arose up a new king over E gypt, which knew not Joseph.” The scripture goes on
to tell o f the great persecution th a t began against the Children o f Israel in Egypt. It
could be at this tim e th a t E phraim ’s son was b o m , if n o t, then it was prophetic o f what
was to com e.

2. Becher: “ y o u th , first-born.” It is strange th at Ephraim gives his second son

the nam e o f “ first-born.” Could that indicate th at he also received the first-born
blessing, ju st like Ephraim did? If he did, th at was the fourth generation in a row to
give the first-born rights to the second son. Jacob was born after Esau and yet he
received the birthright blessing. Jacob’s son, Joseph, received the double portion
blessing instead o f R euben. Joseph’s second son, Ephraim , received the double portion
when he was blessed by his grandfather, Jacob. Now it seems like Ephraim gave his
second son, Becher, th e first-born blessing.

3. Tahan: I like this nam e, Tahan. It sounds Chinese to me. It means “ campsite,
new arrangem ents, goodness, m ercy.” God has to do some new arranging in our lives.
And as we are m oving on in the Lord we will see His goodness and m ercy. The name
“ cam psite” indicates th a t we are pilgrims travelling through the land, and, like Abra
ham , we have no certain dwelling place, but “we look for a city,...w hose Maker and
Builder is G od.” (Hebrews 11:10)

CHARACTERS O F THE TRIBE O F EPHRAIM

Elishama: (N um bers 1:10) He was the captain o f the hosts o f Ephraim . His
name m eans, “my G od has heard.” What a beautiful name! M aybe he was born in the
wilderness, or during th e intense tim e o f suffering in Egypt. It is evident by this nam e,
that God had heard th e cry o f His suffering people in Egypt. His fath er’s nam e was
A m m ihud which m eans “ my covering is m ighty.” These people had to keep under the

12
covering o f the Lord. A nother meaning o f this name is “ m y covering is the cloud.
We know th a t th e cloud o f the L ord’s presence was w ith them as they journeyed and
they did n o t dare move w ithout the guidance which they received through this cloud
o f glory. It is im portant in these days th at G od’s people have no o th er covering than
the glory o f th e Lord and th ey move only as He guides them and directs them through
the cloud. Read Exodus 40:34-38.

Kemuel: Kem uel was th e prince o f the tribe o f E phraim . (Num bers 34:24) The
nam e means “G od stands up, God has risen.” And truly, when the princes o f Ephraim
are anointed o f G od, God does rise up to do His m ighty works.

JOSHUA

Joshua is perhaps one o f the greatest men in history. No soldier ever fought like
he did. There have been great soldiers like N apoleon, A lexander the G reat, Lord Nel
son the great English Naval Com m ander, but only Joshua never lost a battle. In this
he was unique. He lost a tem porary battle at the city o f Ai, b u t when he w ent to God
and found o u t the reason w hy, then he im m ediately won the next battle. It was be
cause there was sin in the cam p. A holy Ephraim ite cannot bear to live w ith sin in the
camp. Like Joshua o f old, he is going to go to God and find o u t the tru th o f the
m atter. He will lay on his face all night before the Lord until God talks to him. He
wants to know th a t there is nothing wrong in his life before he goes o u t to serve the
Lord.

He was great, because he was a man o f faith and integrity. He was a pure man.
He had been trained in the path o f hum ility as Moses’ servant. I have preached a
message on the life o f Joshua, which I would like to recom m end you to listen to, as I
know it will be a great blessing to your life.*

When Joshua returned w ith the other spies from spying o u t the land, he ex
perienced his greatest testing and his finest hour. He had to stand by his convictions,
together w ith Caleb, against the angry m ob and the lying report th at the other spies
brought back. He had giant-killing faith. He said th a t those giants were absolutely
nothing in the sight o f God and th at they were well able to go up and take the land.
Read again the words which Joshua and Caleb spoke to the Children o f Israel. (Num
bers 14:7-9) “ A nd they spake unto all the com pany o f the children o f Israel, saying,
The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord
delight in’ us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which flow eth
w ith milk and honey. Only rebel n o t ye against the L ord, neither fear ye the people
o f the land; fo r they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them , and the
Lord is w ith us: fear them n o t.”

*G158“Joshua, G o d ’s Man o f Faith and Power” by G w en R. Shaw available from End-Time Handm aidens, P.O. Box447,
Jasper, ARK 7 2641. Each tape $3.50 o r $ 10.00 for 3 tapes plus postage and handling.

13
 Such words o f courage and faith are absolutely trem endous. And this is w hat lies
in the heart o f every Ephraim ite who has a glimpse o f the greatness o f G od and wants
to do the perfect will o f God in his life. His words o f faith were so g r e a tth a t
people wanted to sto n e him. Have you ever been persecuted for y our faith. Not
everybody wants to hear the word o f faith, some people enjoy their misery. They
would far rather hear a w ord th at “ confirm s their unbelief” than one th at chaUenges
their faith Tell them ab o u t God healing the sick, and they say it is n o t for today. Tell
about miracles, and th ey say th a t miracles stopped when the apostles died moreover
they will “ stone” y o u fo r believing th at Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and
forever.

God called Jo sh u a to take Moses’ place because he had strong faith. God gave
him the same anointing th at He gave Moses. Now, notice this Moses was a Levite and
they have a very strong anointing for leadership and supplication. So when an
Ephraim ite receives th e Moses-Levite anointing like Joshua did then we have a man
dynam ic capabilities. It was strange th at God raised up a m an from a tribe o th er than
the tribe o f Levi to lead His people, b u t God never “ gets in a ru t.” He always «^doing
som ething new. T hat is why m ost religious organizations can t keep up w ith G .
Joshua had the qualifications God needed: hum ility, obedience, love, sincerity, long-
suffering honesty, and faith. When all-that received the anointing, then G od had a
com m ander o f his arm ed forces whom He could send into battle to possess the land_
Rem ember that Joshua was Moses’ hum ble servant. He was n ot the vice-president of
“ Levite Incorporated.”

Joshua always stayed in the background. If Moses said, “ We go up the m oun

tain,” Joshua answ ered, “ Yes, sir ” and up they went! Because he was a very humble
servant and a very obedient servant, he was able to get closer to the glory than a
others in Israel. E phraim ites, you can do it! You can have the glory o f Levi, but you
have got to start by being Levi’s servant. This is very hard for an Ephraim ite because
he remembers th a t he has received grandfather Jacob’s blessing. He rem embers that
has th at special prom ise to be fruitful and to be great. He says to himself, D dn t
God tell me that I was going to be wealthy and mighty and th at my branches would go
over the wall? Why should I be ju st a little servant to some Levi? Not m e^ I have my
own m inistry to tak e care of.” But th e key to greatness has always been HUMILITY
Most o f us forget th a t the greatest gift we can have is hum ility. Jesus was the perfect
exam ple o f this virtue. If we simply follow Him, He will give us this grace also. But
in Joshua, the tru e Ephraim ite, Ephraim too sets us an exam ple o f the greatness and
honour which G od bestow s to those who are humble.

When Moses died, and Joshua came into his calling, God said to him , “ Moses my
servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, th o u , and all this people, unto
the land which I do give to them , even to the children o f Israel. Every place that the
sole o f y our foot shall tread upon, th at have I given unto you, as I said u nto Moses....
There shall not any m an be able to stand before thee all the days o f thy life: as I was
w ith Moses, so I will be w ith thee: I will n ot fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and

14
o f a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land,
which I sware u n to their fathers to give them . Only be thou strong and very coura
geous th at th o u m ayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my ser
vant com m anded thee: tu rn n o t from it to the right hand or to the left, th at thou
m ayest prosper w hithersoever thou goest. This book o f the law shall n o t depart o u t of
thy m o u th ; b u t th o u shalt m editate therein day and night, th at thou m ayest observe
to do according to all th at is w ritten therein: for then th o u shalt m ake thy way pros
perous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have n o t I com m anded thee Be
strong and o f a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dism ayed: for the Lord
th y God is w ith thee w hithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:2-3,5-9)

God honoured Joshua by giving him these great promises. He even nam ed a
whole book o f the Bible after him . He comes right into Moses’ inheritance. He has the
same legal rights w ith God as the Levites. He can m arch over the land and claim every
place th at the soles o f his feet step upon. God had prom ised him , As I gave the land
to Moses, I gave it to y o u .” This is the highest h onour God can give Ephraim . The
promises to E phraim were blessings, bessings, blessings, prosperity, prosperity, prospe
rity. But all this was conditional. God said th at Ephraim m ust walk in absolute
obedience to G o d . He dare n o t “ turn from G od’s will for his life,” to the right or to
the left. If you do n o t keep the laws o f G od’s holiness, God cannot prosper you. I
think that this is one reason m any ministries are failing and the leaders of these minis
tries are getting desperate. Their need is n ot so m uch for m ore finances, but for
holiness unto the Lord.

God gives Ephraim a special calling to read the Word o f God and m editate on it.
This o f course, is applicable to all o f us, but especially to the leaders whom God
raises up. God says to Ephraim , “ I will prosper you, but you m ust be careful to ‘stick
to the b o o k .’ ” If you start playing around with the w orld, the Holy Spirit will close
up your purse and He will clean out your bank account. T h a t’s right! He knows just
how to do it.

SAMUEL AND HANNAH

Two o f the greatest characters o f Ephraim are Samuel and H annah, his m other,
for he would never have been great, if she had n o t trained him in the ways o f dedica
tion and love fo r G od. If y o u , daughter o f Ephraim , w ant to see a perfect Ephraim ite
w om an, look at th e life o f Hannah. She came from a little village near Jerusalem and
she had only one desire and that was that she m ight be fruitful. But she had a barren
w om b. However, as she prayed and wept before the Lord, God gave her the promise
through the high priest, Eli, th at God would grant her p etition. She asked God for a
son and she prom ised God th a t she would give him back to the Lord all the days o f his
life and th at no razor w ould com e upon his head. T hat m eant that he would be dedi
cated to God as a N azarite. She travailed so hard, th at Eli thought she was drunk. He
did not realize th a t she was drunk w ith grief. When she had received her gift o f a son,

15
she called him Samuel, “I have been heard by God.”

A fter Hannah had weaned Sam uel, she took him to Shiloh where the tabernacle
o f the Lord was and she gave him to Eli to be raised by the Lord. As her rew ard, God
gave her three more sons and tw o daughters. God will reward the daughters of
Ephraim as they give G od their best.

While Samuel was only a young child, G od spoke to him , “ Behold, I will do a
thing in Israel, at which both the ears o f every one th at heareth it shall tingle. In that
day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house:
when I begin, I will also make an end. F or I have told him that I will judge his house
for ever for the iniquity which he know eth; because his sons made themselves vile, and
he restrained them n o t. And therefore I have sworn u n to the house of Eli, that the
iniquity o f Eli’s house shall n o t be purged with sacrifice no r offering for ever.” (1
Samuel 3:11-14) Eli had to receive this message because he knew it came from God.
The Bible says all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was established to
be a prophet o f the Lord.

More than once, G od revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh. Samuel anointed Saul
to be king o f Israel only because God told him to do it. When Saul failed the Lord,
Samuel grieved as deeply as his m other had grieved for a son. He suffered a broken
heart. Spiritual Ephraim ites are tender-hearted people and are easily grieved when they
see G od’s people going astray.

Samuel also anointed David to be king. Everything he did was guided by the
Lord, b ut he too had one weakness; he could not see the sins o f his own sons (II Sa
muel 8:15). and did n o t correct them . This is one o f E phraim ’s weaknesses. They find
it hard to see faults in their own children, and therefore it is hard for them to train
them and raise them u p in the holiness o f God. But Hannah did it, so it is possible.
Let us n o t be blind to tru th . If y o u r child needs a rebuke, give it to him. If he needs a
spanking, give it to him . He shall not die.

Samuel died at a good old age and was such a m ighty prophet o f G od, that two
books o f the Bible w ere named after him. He had power w ith God and moved the
hand o f G od. God k e p t him alive, when Saul would have killed him. When God has
His hand on you, no devil can take y our life. In Jerem iah 15:1 G od recognized Samuel
as one o f the great intercessors, linking him with Moses.

TH E SINS O F EPHRAIM

In Joshua 17:14 we begin to hear the rumblings o f what ultim ately brings
Ephraim to com plete disaster. “ And the children o f Joseph spake u n to Joshua,
saying, Why hast thou given m e b u t one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a~
great people, forasm uch as the Lord hath blessed me h ith e rto ? ” Rem em ber that

16
their b ro th er Manasseh had 52,700. T hat was 27,700 m ore. T hat is w hy G od, who is
ju st, had given them the greater p o rtion o f land. And here is Ephraim saying, “ We’re
so great, why did you only give us one lot? God has blessed us so m uch, we ought to
have m ore.”

How did Joshua, their ow n tribesm an, answer them ? “ A nd Joshua answered
them , If th o u be a great people, then get thee up to the wood co u n try , and cut down
for thyself th ere in the land o f the Perizzites and o f the giants, if m o u n t Ephraim be
to o narrow fo r th ee .” God wants Ephraim to fight fo r their land and to be fearless o f
the giants in it. Because th ey were fearful God told Manasseh to help them in the
battle. (Joshua 17:14,15)

Ephraim was a little to o spoiled. They w anted it all handed to them for free.
A fter all, had th ey n o t gotten the big blessing? Som etim es G od’s people who have
been given great prophecies ju st sit around and w ait for God to fulfill them , never
realizing th a t th ey have to wrestle w ith strong dem on powers in order to get the
promises o f G od. They need to fast and pray through and pay a price. Som etimes I
see m inistries coasting along on the prophecy th a t they got tw enty years ago. I can
hear them say, “ I can’t see why G od doesn’t bless m e. A fter all, I had a word o f
prophecy from so and so. Yet I am still standing where I stood tw o years ago, Sister
Gwen. Why can ’t I go on and see it fulfilled?”

Maybe there are a few giants in y our spirit th at haven’t been dealt w ith. I have
seen ministries destroyed because people have never been delivered from th e giants in
their lives. T here are giants o u t o f our past which each one o f us has to fight. Until
we conquer th em , we are n o t “ m eet for the M aster’s use.”

God says th a t if you w ant to possess territory, you have to fight fo r it. Fight for
it in fasting. Fight for it in prayers, fight for it in tears, and fight for it in sacrificing
u n to the cause. You will have no m ore souls than those you travail into the Kingdom
o f G od. Jesus said, “The kingdom o f heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it
by force.” (M atthew 11:12) We are G od’s storm troopers. We m ust believe th at we
can take those m ountains. With Caleb o f old we m ust cry, “ Give me this m ountain!
(Joshua 14:12) Joshua spoke the word o f faith to them , “ T hou art a great people, and
hast great pow er: th o u shalt not have one lot only: But th e m ountain shall be thine,
for it is a w ood, and thou shalt cut it dow n: and th e outgoings o f it shall be thine:
for thou shalt drive o u t the C anaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though
they be strong.” (Joshua 17:17-18) Those were m ighty words from their ow n tribes
m an, Joshua. It takes an Ephraim ite to handle an Ephraim ite!

It was only w hen Ephraim and Manasseh were united together against the giants
th at they were able to win victory after victory.

17
 GIDEON’S PROBLEM WITH EPHRAIM

When Gideon se n t to war a p in s t the M idianites, he “ s e n t messengers through

o u t all m ount E phraim , saying, Come dow n against
them the waters u n to B ethbarah and Jordan. (Judges 7 .2 4 ) In the next v y
I T i o u 7 7 h e Ereat victory Ephraim had. Then in 8:1 we read how the men o f
. - I . r id e o n “Why hast thou served us thus, th a t thou calledst us n o t,
fh “ w iS te?, to n h g h ? L h the M idianites? And they did chide w ith him
sharply.”

“ And he said u n to them , What have I done now in com parison o f you? Is n o t the
gleaning o f the grapes o f Ephraim better than the vintage o f Abiezer? Then their
anger was abated. Can you see w hat is in this story? They were cal ed to battle
but because they felt th a t they did not get the glory because they did not rout out the
entire Midianite arm y (instead, God gave them two o f the greatest Michanitp leaders,
probably men like H itler and Stalin com bined), they were angry and full o f vexation.
They were n o t c o n te n t w ith the gift and m inistry th at God had given them and t
anointing, the deliverance and the victories th at they had. They were envious a
were blaming Gideon fo r what God had n ot enabled them to do.

Look at the w isdom o f Gideon. Rem em ber too th a t he is a Manassite and that
probably there was “ brotherly jealousy” in the hearts o f Ephraim . He told them that
they were great and th a t “ to get the head o f the leaders was m ore im portant tha
get all the footm en.” T h at appeased them and they w ent hom e.

JEPH THA H’S PROBLEM WITH EPHRAIM

Here again, we see the same spirit o f envy and contention. The m en o f Sphraim
gathered themselves together and went n o rth ready to start a fight with J e p h th a i.
“W herefore passedst th o u over to fight against the children o f Am m on, and didst n
call us to go w ith thee? we will b u m thine house upon thee w ith fire. (Judges U

“ And Jephthah said u n to them , I and my people were at great strife w ith the
children o f A m m on; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out o f their hands
And when I saw th a t y e delivered me n o t, I p u t my life in m y hands and passed over
against the children o f A m m on, and th e Lord delivered them into my hand: wherefore
then are ye come up u n to me this day, to fight against me? Then Jephthah gathered
together all the m en o f Gilead, and fought w ith Ephraim : and the men o f Gilead sm ote
Ephraim , because th e y said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives o f Ephraim among the
Ephraim ites, and am ong the M anassites.”

The Gileadites captured the fords o f Jordan behind the arm y o f Ephraim and
whenever a fugitive o f Ephraim tried to cross the river, the Gilead guards chaHenged
him “ Are you a m em ber o f the tribe o f Ephraim ?” they asked. If the m an replied tha
he was n o t, then th ey dem anded, “ Say S hibboleth.” But if he couldn’t pronounce the

18
“h ” and said “ S ibboleth” instead o f “ Shibboleth,” he was dragged away and killed. So
42,000 people o f Ephraim died there at th at tim e.

This was a great hum iliation and tragedy for E phraim . But it was one th at he
deserved because he lifted up his heart in envy against th e Gileadites who were the
tribes o f Manasseh and Gad com bined.

We m ust be careful th a t we are not jealous when som ebody else wins the victory
in the battle. Have you ever had th at happen in y o u r m inistry? The devil comes
against you and through those who are watching w hat you are doing for th e Lord.
A nd he brings lies and accusations against you. He is a liar. Ephraim pretended that
they w anted to help Jephthah in the b attle, but we know th at this is n o t true for when
he called for them to help him in the battle, they w ould n o t come. B ut the pow er o f
God fell on th e Gileadites who consisted, as I said, o f Gad and Manasseh and they
fought Ephraim successfully. T hat tim e Ephraim m et som eone who could stand
against him . It takes a brother to fight a brother.

TH E EPHRAIM ITE CATTLE RUSTLERS

In I Chronicles 7:20 we read the interesting story o f how the sons o f Ephraim
went out to steal som e cattle. They were killed during this escapade an d it caused their
father, Ephraim , great grief. This is not Ephraim , the son o f Joseph, as this story takes
place m any generations later. The whole tribe m ourned m any days and his brethren
went to com fort him . The loss o f tw o sons at one tim e is a very terrible thing. It was
after this, th at he had another son, Beriah, which m eans “ a tragedy has happened to
us.” He gave him this name because he said th a t “ it w ent evil w ith his house.”

Ephraim also had a daughter called Sherah who built Lower and Upper Beth-
horon and Uzzen-sherah. Her nam e m eans, “ blood relative, fleshly, left over.” The
name o f Beth-horon means “house o f m oulding, house o f the gap, o f the hollow way,
hollow house.” T he name o f Uzzen-sherah m eans “ the ear o f Sherah, ear o f the
blood relatives.” It could be th at her brothers were killed in this area and this gave her
courage to do w hat she did.

What a w onderful strength this young wom an had, th a t she could build three
cities! B eth-horon was on the road from Gibeon to A zekah in the Philistine plain. It
was on the b o rd er o f Benjamin and Ephraim . This shows us how strong the women o f
Ephraim were. T ruly, their “ branches” w ent over the wall. Just like Manasseh’s
daughters, th e w om en o f Ephraim had trem endous strength and capabilities. Some
people think th a t perhaps D eborah was an Ephraim ite, and I thought so to o , because
it says she lived in M ount Ephraim . B ut, if you read w hat I w rote about her under
Issachar, you will understand w hy I th in k she is a daughter o f Issachar. But Deborah,
to o , is typical o f th e daughters o f Ephraim . She lived am ong them and adopted m any
o f their characteristics.

19
 O ne o f the ancient Aramaic translations, the Lamsa Bible, says, “she (Sherah) was
a w om an physician, and she healed the sick. And she also healed Edan the son o f
A m m ihud.” (I Chronicles 7 :2 4 , 5:26) N othing o f this is m entioned in o th er transla
tions. It could be th a t she was the first lady physician m entioned in the Bible.
Ephraim ite women have a gift o f healing in their hands and they are G od’s builders.
God used Sherah to bring h onour back to th e family after the tragic loss o f her
brothers, and also to bring healing to her broken-hearted father.

THE POSITION O F EPHRAIM

In the wilderness: In the wilderness Ephraim was on the west side o f th e taber
nacle beside his brothers Benjamin and Manasseh. (Benjamin really was his uncle).

In the Promised Land: They were located in the m iddle o f the Promised Land,
betw een Manasseh on th e n o rth (th at is the half-tribe th at crossed over the Jordan), on
Dan on the south-w est, and Benjamin on the south. Their inheritance was not far
from Jerusalem . If y o u travel by car, it is only about 20 miles.

In the M illenium: Ephraim will be situated betw een Manasseh and Reuben.

In the Holy City: The Gate o f Ephraim is n ot m entioned, just as the Gate of
Manasseh is not m entioned. There is only the gate o f Joseph. Ephraim and Ma
nasseh come together in a oneness o f perfection o f love, uniting together in the har
m ony o f the Holy Spirit. They lose th at independent, self-prom oting egoism, that
vying to be better th an their brother Manasseh. God wants all o f us to lose that
spirit. I d o n ’t m ean th a t you should go around and copy o th er people. Som etimes you
see people doing th a t. I have seen students o f a particular Bible school, who after their
graduation, are a perfect copy o f the principal or some ideal teacher, only they are 20
to 40 years younger. When we receive the anointing, it will m ake it possible to be our
selves.

SHECHEM

Ephraim had m an y great cities. I cannot m ention them all. But I do w ant to
m ention Shechem. It has a very im portant history. This is where Joseph is buried to
day. Y ou can still see his tom b. There are a lot o f disturbances there and tourists
have been killed by bom bs being throw n into the bus. Shechem is now called Nablus.
It is in a beautiful location and was know n as th e paradise o f the Holy Land. Jacob
purchased a parcel o f land. He told his son Joseph, th at he was giving it to him.
(Genesis 33:19, 4 8:22)

In Joshua 2 4:32 we read how Joseph’s bones were laid to rest in this place. In
Joshua 16:5-10 we can see how the land was divided to Ephraim . It tells us th at they

20
did n o t drive o u t the Canaanites th a t dw elt among them , and th a t they dw elt among
th e Ephraim ites even at the tim e th a t th e story about it was w ritten. Ephraim m ust be
careful to “ clean house.”

WOMAN A T TH E WELL

A significant thing happened here at Shechem during the tim e o f Christ. T urn to
Jo h n 4. It was here, at the well which Jacob had dug alm ost 2,000 years earlier, th at
Jesus m et and spoke w ith “ th e w om an a t th e well.” Many o f us who have gone to
Israel, have visited this well and d runk w ater from it. It is a thrilling experience. It
was here in Shechem th at Joshua gave his final farewell message. T urn to Joshua
24:1-25.

“And Joshua gathered all the tribes o f Israel to Shechem , and called for the elders
o f Israel,...And Joshua said u n to all the people, Thus saith the Lord G od o f Israel,
Y our fathers dw elt on the o th er side o f the flood in old tim e, even T erah, the father o f
A braham ,...and they served o th er gods....I have given you a land for which ye did not
labour, and cities which ye built n o t, and ye dwell in them ; o f the vineyards and olive-
yards which ye planted n o t do ye eat. Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in
sincerity and in tru th : and p u t away th e gods which y o u r fathers served on the other
side o f the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord....choose you this day whom ye
will serve;...but as for me and m y house, we will serve the L ord.” (Joshua 24:1-2,
13-15)

He gave Ephraim and all the tribes o f Israel this stem warning because he felt in
his heart th at Ephraim would go back to idolatry. He knew it in his spirit. Have you
ever known som ething in y our spirit, and no m atter how m any times people go to the
altar, they still have the idol o f th e past in their hearts?

REHOBOAM IN SHECHEM

It was here th at Solom on’s son, R ehoboam , was m ade king over all o f Israel and
it was here in Shechem o f Ephraim where the ten tribes broke o ff from Judah and re
nounced R ehoboam as their king and transferred their allegiance to Jeroboam , the
Ephraim ite rebel, who became th e king over the ten tribes. T here is a spirit o f re
bellion still in this area. One can feel it as one visits the well o f Jacob. It was less than
20 miles from Shechem th a t the golden calf was set up in Bethel. All o f this area is
alive w ith history and would be a trem endous place for archaeological diggings, b u t it is
on the West Bank and so Israel does n o t interfere m uch w ith th at area.

21
 SPECIAL SCRIPTURES REFERRING TO EPHRAIM

Isaiah 11:13, “T he envy also o f Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of
Judah shall be cut o ff: Ephraim shall n o t envy Judah and Judah shall not vex
Ephraim ” A fter the setting up o f the northern kingdom , the envy o f Ephraim towards
Manasseh was directed against Judah. G od's Spirit is going to remove all these old
grievances and smite them together because Ephraim and Judah together can rule the
world.

Jerem iah 31:6, “ F o r there shall be a day, th at the w atchm en upon the m ount
Ephraim shall c r y ,’Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion u n to the Lord our God.
Ephraim will be evangelistic in their calling, and will bring m ultitudes to the Lord.
Ephraim does not have to wait for the Millenium for th at to happen. As they receive
the m ighty anointing o f God which is available for the end-tim e, they can already en
ter into this m inistry.

Jerem iah 31:9, “ They shall come w ith weeping, and with supplications will I lead
them- 1 will cause them to walk by the rivers o f waters in a straight way, wherein they
shall n ot stum ble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.” Is it not
wonderful that God gives these great promises to Ephraim and then He. Himself, tells
them th at they are His first-born? It seems like the thing th at they have fought for and
striven for becomes theirs only as they come w ith weeping and supplication. So m any
people strive to be great in God, but the secret o f greatness and o f being used by God is
still in fasting and prayer.

Jerem iah 31-18 Read the cry o f repentant Ephraim . “ 1 have surely heard
Ephraim bemoaning him self thus: Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised, as a
bullock unaccustom ed to the yoke: turn thou me. and I shall be turned, for thou art
the Lord my G od.” As Ephraim comes into m aturity he realizes that he cannot turn
himself. It takes God to turn him , and this is certainly true o f every one o f us.

Ezekiel 37:15-17,19, “The word o f the Lord came again u n to me, saying, More
over thou son o f m an , take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the
children o f Israel his com panions: then take another stick, and write upon it For
Joseph, the stick o f E phraim , and for all the house o f Israel his companions: And join
them one to another in to one stick; and they shall become one m thine hand ...Thus
saith the Lord G od; Behold, I will take the stick o f Joseph, which is in the hand ot
Ephraim , and the tribes o f Israel his fellows, and will p u t them with him , even w ith the
stick o f Judah, and m ake them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

When Ephraim stops envying Judah and Judah stops vexing Ephraim , som ething
w onderful will happen. Envy is the root o f all their trouble. There is always a
tem ptation for G od’s people to be envious o f each other. If you once get the spirit
o f envy against one person, watch o u t, p retty soon you will envy som ebody else, be
cause it is possible fo r an evil spirit to enter. But they will be healed, and Judah, who
used to stick a th o rn into Ephraim all the tim e and make them vexed will love Ephraim
w ith the love o f G o d . Som etim es the biggest fights com e over the smallest vexations.

Zechariah 10:7, “ And they o f Ephraim shall be like a m ighty m an, and their heart
shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart
shall rejoice in the L ord.”

God is going to have His m ighty m en coming o u t o f Ephraim and it will be be

cause o f the latte r rain, fo r verse one o f this chapter tells us th a t the rain o f heaven
will fall on “every one grass in the field.” The Bible tells us th at m an is as grass.
Ephraim is grass u n til the Lord’s rain falls upon him and then every blade o f grass turns
into a mighty m an o f G od. It says, “ their heart shall rejoice as through wine. ’ Yes,
they shall be d runk in the Spirit. Praise God!

Hosea: The entire book o f Hosea is a cry from the broken heart o f God for
Ephraim . It was w ritten by the p rophet Hosea to E phraim , during the years B.C. 784
to B.C. 724 (a period o f 59 years) when Jeroboam was king o f the northern kingdom.
If you really w ant to m ake a study on Ephraim , you need to read this entire book. It
would take m any pages for me to discuss it here. But you need to understand what
God is saying, to feel His broken heart for Ephraim . I always feel the deep sorrow of
the Lord when He says, “ How shall I give thee up, Ephraim ?” (Hosea 11:8)

Hosea 7:8 , “ E phraim , he h ath m ixed him self am ong the people; Ephraim is a
cake n o t tu rn ed .” God is saying th at Ephraim is only baked on one side. He leaps out
o f the pan because he cannot stand the heat. But if Ephraim will only let God bake
him on both sides, then he shall indeed becom e bread for the nations.

Hosea 7:9, “ Strangers have devoured his strength, and he know eth it not: yea,
gray hairs are here and there upon him , yet he know eth n o t.” It is possible to lose out
w ith God and n ot be aware th at you have lost y our anointing. This happened to Sam
son. He “ wist n o t” th a t the Spirit o f God had departed from him . (Judges 16:20)
The grey hair speaks o f old age, infirm ity, senility. We know that as we walk w ith God
and His resurrection life is upon us, He keeps us young in spirit. But weariness and
hard labour will age one quickly. Ephraim turned from the joy o f the Lord to the
bondage o f worshipping calves and soon they lost th at life o f the spirit. And this is
true o f anyone w ho backslides away from the Lord and loses th e jo y o f th e Lord. For
the jo y o f the Lord is our strength.

REVIVAL IN EPHRAIM

It was only a fte r m ost o f the n o rth ern kingdom was in danger o f being carried
into captivity th at revival came to Ephraim in part.

B.C. 941: Asa had a revival in Jerusalem th at spread to Ephraim and the idols

23
were rem oved. In verse 9 we read th at even the strangers who were in Ephraim at the
tim e were affected by this revival. (II Chronicles 15:8)

B.C. 896: Jehosophat brought people from th e tribe o f Ephraim into the
awakening, “ ...and he brought them back u n to the Lord God o f their fathers.” (II
Chronicles 19:4)

B.C. 741: Under the reign o f King Ahaz Judah com m itted idolatry and abom ina
tions against the Lord. F o r th at reason God delivered them into the hands o f the Syrians
and Ephraim . (II Chronicles 28:5) When Ephraim w ent to war against Judah, Judah
was terribly defeated. 120,000 were killed and 200,000 wom en and children were
taken captives. But in verse 9 we read th at God dealt w ith the heads o f Ephraim
through the prophet o f th e Lord, O ded, and they repented o f the way they had treated
Judah. God put com passion in their hearts, and they clothed them , fed them ,
anointed the wounded ones and spoke kindly to them , and sent them hom e again.

B.C. 726: During th e revival under Hezekiah they were called to come to Jerusa
lem. (II Chronicles 3 0 :1 ) Some m ocked, b u t others came (verses 10 and 18) and
God blessed them so m ightily th a t when they returned hom e, they cleaned up the idols
in the land. (II Chronicles 31:1)

B.C. 634: During the revival under Josiah the idols were also rem oved, but not
the golden calves. (II Chronicles 34:6) Ephraim came up to Jerusalem to worship,
(verse 9) So we see th a t deep w ithin the people there is a longing for the reality of
God. Their problem was th at their leaders led them astray.

Psalm 60:7: God says, “ Gilead is m ine, and Manasseh is m ine; Ephraim also is
the strength o f m ine head; Judah is my lawgiver;” Here we see th at God not only
acknowledges Ephraim as His beloved, but also those whom Ephraim envied: Gilead
(Gad and the half-tribe o f Manasseh), Manasseh and Judah. In the end they will all be
united in the love o f the Lord.

What a w onderful thing it will be for the world when Ephraim enters into his in
heritance and lives in th a t place o f anointing. F o r surely God has given Ephraim the
birthright, but to Ju d ah He has given the sceptre. And as each one recognizes his
calling and his blessing w hich God has given him , he will be content in th at which God
is doing in his life.

In closing I w ould like to say, God bless you, Ephraim ites. We need to eat from
the wine o f your grapes. As your branches run over the wall, we to o will reach o u t and
be blessed by your abundance.

24
 APPENDIX

INTERESTING DISCOVERIES CONCERNING THE TRIBE OF EPHRAIM

When the Children o f Israel crossed th e Jordan River, God chose Shiloh as the
place fo r the first capital o f Israel, the site o f the Holy Tabernacle and o f the Ark o f
the Covenant. F o r 369 years it was the headquarters o f Israel’s im p o rtan t religious and
political activity. Here Joshua divided the land o f Israel among the tribes.

Judges 21:19 tells us where Shiloh was. It was situated right in the centre o f the
tribe o f Ephraim ’s lot. When Israel sinned and Shiloh fell to the Philistines, the Ark o f
the Covenant was captured and taken into captivity. (I Samuel 1:1-4) Eli (the high
priest) fell dead o f shock when his sons were killed in battle on the same day. The wife
o f one o f them gave birth to a son and called him Ichabod which m eans “ the glory o f
the Lord hath dep arted .” From then until now (som e 3,300 years) the glory o f the
Lord has never visited Shiloh.

Now new things are happening in Shiloh. Settlers are moving into Shiloh and
archaeological diggings are taking place. Fifty-seven married couples live there with
their 175 children. It is on a three-tiered hill. On top o f the hill the air is like wine.
T em peratures never rise above some 31 degrees Centigrade on the h o tte st Israeli
sum m er day, and .never fall below 3 degrees Centigrade in winter.

Archaeologists working in Shiloh believe they have discovered the site o f the Holy
Sanctuary where the Ark containing the Covenant was kept for those 369 years until
the Philistines captured it and destroyed the sanctuary in B.C. 1050. This discovery
was m ade after a five-week dig, led by Dr. Israel Finkelstein o f Bar-Ilan University with
the assistance o f 400 volunteers, including university students from other areas.

According to Finkelstein, there is evidence to believe th at they have uncovered

the exact site o f the Holy Sanctuary m entioned in the Bible. They have discovered
the bones o f anim als which probably were used for sacrifices there and m any clay
vessels probably used to carry the sacrifices to the area. In addition, 30 large pitchers,
virtually intact, were also discovered. It is doubted th at these large pitchers were for
private use.

So it is interesting to see how G od’s Word is confirm ed every tim e a shovel goes
into the ground in Israel. How very true are the scriptures which say, “ F o r thy
servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.” (Psalm 102:14)
Even the dust proves the tru th o f the Bible history.

Last o f all, it is significant th a t Ephraim was originally chosen as the site where
G od ordered Joshua to set up the tabernacle o f Moses, and it was there for 369 years.

25
 EPHRAIM
Hosea 10: 11, 12 words and music by
Psalm 32: 8, 9 Judith Nusse
G G C

Eph-raim is a heif- er that is bro-ken, that lov-eth to

Sow to you r-selves in__ _

right- eou s- n ess. Reap ac- cord-ing to lov- ing

D G Bm
^ "

kind n e ss. B /eak up your fal- low ground^

C G C
'J£z
£
It is time to seek the Lord, 'til He come and rain

G Fine. G Bm

righ t-eous-ness on_______you. I will in - struct thee

Ju- dah shall plow _____
C G C D . S . al sfgne

in the way
3e
j
which thou shalt go,
I j, J~31 -
I will coun-sel thee
and____ Ja- cob break his clods, And______ Eph-raim_____shall
D G. D G
ri j - j - 4
with mine eye up- on_____ th ee. Be not as the

Bm C

horse or mule which have no u n- der- stand in g , but must

i
have the bit and b ri- die to hold_______them in.
Copyright 1978 by Judith Nusse
Used by permission.
^Benjamin
BY GWEN SHAW
 Cover by Carolyn W right

Copyright 1982, Gwen R. Shaw

End-Time Handmaidens, Inc.
P.O. Box 447
Jasper, Arkansas 72641

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States o f America

 PRAYER

“ Beloved F ath er, as we approach Benjamin, the last o f the tribes, we hum bly ask
that Y ou will give us a sovereign anointing to be able to present the tru th s concerning
this w onderful tribe who we all love dearly and feel is our very own ‘little b ro th er.’
Let us see in the Spirit his perfections and his greatness and let us also see his weak
nesses and failures, th at all those who belong to this tribe will know th e tru th s o f God
which will enable them to order their lives in the plan and will o f God for them and
n o t be deceived by Satan c r pulled dow n from their highest potential through the
weakness o f the flesh. In Jesus’ name. A m en.”

TH E NAMING O F BENJAMIN

“And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was b u t a little way to come to
E phrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. And it came to pass, when she
was in hard labour, th at the midwife said u n to her, Fear n o t; thou shalt have this son
also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) th a t she called
his name Beno’n i: b u t his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried
in the way to E phrath, which is Bethlehem . And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave:
th at is the pillar of R achel’s grave unto this d ay.” (Genesis 35:16-20)

Many o f us w h o have gone to Israel have had the privilege o f seeing Rachel’s
grave w hich is on the outskirts o f Bethlehem . It is truly a soul-moving experience
to go there to pray and m editate. Bethlehem is in the West Bank, where there is a lot
o f terrorist activity, and that is why the grave site has been shut o ff for a number o f
years. But one can easily see it from the road. When I w ent there the first tim e, I
w ept, as I felt the presence o f the Lord. It was as if I could feel again the pain and the
grief that both Rachel and Jacob, and also Joseph experienced in that terrible hour
when the death angel took her from this world and from her loved ones. I had
preached for many years on many missionary fields about Rachel, and to visit this site
was a very deeply m oving experience.

THE MEANING OF THE NAME

Benjamin was given two names. F irst, his m other named him Benoni. “ And she
called his name B enoni.” Every one o f the sons o f Jacob was named by his m other.

Benoni is taken from two root-w ords, ben and oni. Ben means “ a son,” and oni
means “ to exert oneself in vain, to come to naught, affliction, evil, false idols, iniquity,
mischief, m ourning, naught, sorrow, unjust and unrighteous, vanity and wickedness.
The tw o parts together are “ son o f my o n i,” o r perhaps, “ son of my sorrow , son o f my
iniquity, son o f my unrighteousness, son o f my vanity, son o f my false idols. When
you understand this, you are seeing into the heart o f dying Rachel. As I said earlier,
the last words o f a dying person are very, very im portant. These were the very last
words th at Rachel spoke before she expired. When som eone dies, their whole li e
comes up before them , and they rem em ber every im portant detail. Certainly this was
true in R achel’s case. In th a t m om ent, as she realized she was dying she was
rem em bering her own sins th a t had brought this terrible judgm ent and w rath o f God
upon her.

RACHEL’S SIN

Genesis 31:32, “ With whom soever th o u findest thy gods, let him n o t live:” A fter
Jacob escaped from his father-in-law, Laban, w ith his wives and family and his sheep,
Laban began a desperate chase after him . When he caught up to Jacob, Jacob was able,
with the help o f G od, to m ake a reconciliation w ith Laban. But Laban w anted to
know who had stolen his idols. He accused Jacob o f having done it. But Jacob in
ignorance said that nobody had taken his idols. With confidence he said that Laban
could search everyone and th a t if he would find that anyone had stolen them , that
person should die.

In Genesis 31:34 we read, “ Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in
the cam el’s furniture, and sat upon them . And Laban searched all the ten t, b u t foun
them no t. And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise
up before thee; for the custom o f wom en is upon me. And he searched, but found no
the images.”

Rachel had subtly stolen those images (idols) from her father’s hom e as they were
departing but Jacob had no knowledge o f this and neither did anyone else. So it was
in perfect innocence th a t Jacob boldly placed the terrible “ death sentence” on his own
beloved Rachel.

Why Rachel stole these idols is hard to understand (see the appendix). It indicates
there was still hidden sin in her life. She was secretive and conniving and a th ie f I
believe that this is why she called her son Benoni. Look again at the meaning ot that
nam e. Sometimes our sin comes up before us, even though it may have been confessed.
We know th at the “wages o f sin is d eath .” God always forgives our sins, but sometimes
we have to suffer for it, there is just no way o f getting out o f it. “Whatsoever a
man sow eth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

I do n o t know how long it was after this scene w ith Laban, before Jacob realized
w hat Rachel had done, b u t in this same chapter from verses 1 to 15 we read how Jacob
had a true m eeting w ith G od. God told him to go to Bethel and dwell there; and make
an altar unto the Lord. When Jacob heard G od’s voice, he commanded his household
and all that were w ith them , “ Put away the strange gods th at are among you and be
clean, and change y o u r garm ents: And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make
there an altar unto G od.” And we read, “And they gave unto Jacob all the strange

2
 ESTHER

“ ...fast ye fo r m e, and n e ith e r e a t n o r d rin k fo r th re e days, n ig h t o r day: I also and m y

m aidens will fast likew ise; and so will I go in u n to th e king, w hich is n o t according to
th e law : a n d i f I p erish, I p erish .” (E sth e r 4 :1 6 )
gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and
hid them under the oak which was by Shechem .” (Genesis 35:2,4)
J a c o b

Josephus, in his writings about this story, says that when God appeared to Jacob,
He revealed to him th at there were idols in the camp. Jacob still didn’t know that his
wife had those idols hidden. Some o f you m en do n o t know what your wives have
hidden away. They could have things hidden th at you would never dream in y o u r life
were possible. The same is tru e about us wom en. The m en have w orkshops and places
where they could hide certain things th at we could never hope to find o u t about. But
God revealed to Jacob th at there were idols hidden in the camp. When God revealed it
to him , Jacob searched throughout the entire camp and when he made th at search, he
discovered these idols. The Bible says that he buried them there under the oak by
Shechem. They are probably still there today.

It was not long after th a t, that Rachel died in childbirth. As her soul was de
parting, she gave witness to the convicting power o f the Holy Spirit of God in her life
when she called her son Benoni, “ the son o f my wickedness, the son o f my falseness,
the son of my sorrow, the son o f my mischief, the son o f my unrighteousness, the son
of my wrong doing.”

I am glad th at she called him th at, because that bears witness th at she made a
total and com plete confession before God. Though the Lord took her, surely He
forgave her. The beautiful thing was that so great was her release from sin, so great was
her forgiveness, that the nam e was changed from Benoni to Benjamin.

BENJAMIN

Benjamin also consists o f two Hebrew root-words: ben meaning “ son,” yam iyn
(yaw-meen) meaning “ right hand, the right side, leg or eye of a person.” It also means
“the south side,” which is the m ore pleasant side. There are some Bible scholars that
say that it means “old age, m atu rity .” It also means “son o f happiness, happy o ne.”

When Jacob changed the nam e, it was a token o f h onour to his wife, Rachel.
Some people say th at it doesn’t make any sense. “ How could Jacob call his baby the
son o f his right hand?” they argue. But Rachel had been Jacob’s right hand. She was
his dearly beloved, she was as precious to him as his right hand. So when he called this
baby who had just come o u t o f her loins Benjamin, he was saying, “ this is the son that
came from the one who was as dear to me as my right h and.”

JACOB VISITS BETHEL

What were the conditions just preceding the birth of this child? There are some
very significant things th at happened in Bethel, where Jacob built the altar.

3
 1. They gave up their false gods and buried them there.

2. They washed themselves elean.

3. They changed their garments.

4. They built an altar and worshipped God.

5. God renewed Jacob’s new nam e, telling him the second tim e that his name was
not to be called Jacob, b u t Israel, the prince.

Although Jacob had twelve sons, Benjamin was the only one o f his sons to be
bom after his name was changed to Israel. So, while the others were sons o f “ Jacob
(the supplanter), Benjamin was the son o f “ Israel.” Jacob reached a new place in God
before he fathered Benjamin. So Benjamin can truly be called “ the son o f a pnnce.
For now Jacob.has his royal title from the Lord.

6. G od’s promise to give Jacob the entire land o f the Canaanites was renewed
here in Bethel.

7. It was here in Bethel th at Jacob renewed his vows to God and again gave the
Lord an offering, even a poured-out offering calied the drink offering as well as a
poured-out oil offering.

You will recall th a t the first time Jacob stopped at Bethel as he fled from the
anger o f his brother Esau, he slept on a stone and that night he was visited by the Lord.
He dream ed that he saw. a ladder set up on the earth, the top o f which reached the
heavens, and angels o f God were ascending and descending on it. God stood above it
and said, “ I am the Lord God o f Abraham thy father, and the God o f Isaac: the land
w hereon'thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the
dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the
n o rth , and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families o f the earth
be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places w hither thou
goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will n o t leave thee, until I have
done that which I have spoken unto to thee o f.” (Genesis 28:13-15)

It was at that tim e th a t Jacob took the stone which he had used for a pillow,
stood it up and poured out an oil-offering upon it. Oil was the m ost precious thing he
had, for his m other, R ebecca, had given it to him to p ut on his wounds which he would
get during his journey into the far n o rth . I believe th at Jacob was a sentim ental soul.
Now, as he again gave G od the drink offering, it was his way o f saying to the Lord,
am back here now , and I am again going to give to You w hat I gave You at the be
ginning o f my journey.

It is good to go back to the old ways and to rem em ber what God has done in the

4
past for us and then to get a fresh anointing. We need a new anointing. Let us not
think for one m om ent, that the anointing that we received back there at the start of
“ our jo u rn e y ,” when we first came to “ Bethel” (Bethel means “house o f G od” ), is
enough for our lives. We need to go back again and again. We need to renew our co
venant w ith God and get a fresh touch from Him to renew our strength, our vision
and our love. Many times I have had to build another altar to get th at fresh touch of
the Lord in my life. And there have been m any salty tears that were poured out there
as an offering u n to the Lord as I renewed my vows to God and pled for a new
anointing. No anointing can come w ithout a wonderful touch o f God th at includes
pain and hurts. But as our heart is w ounded, we come close to the Lord again. We all
need to have this new experience w ith the Lord again.

I am so glad that Jacob had this new anointing from G od, because God had to
prepare him to go through the suffering and the heartbreak that was coming. There are
a lot o f Christians that are not ready for the things that are going to take place in the
near future. Some haven’t even got the strength to face w hat is going to happen to
them in the coming year because they need a fresh anointing.

When I was speaking at a m ilitary base in F ort Polk, Louisiana, Jim and I visited
with the chaplain. F ort Polk is one o f the largest m ilitary bases in the United States. I
asked the chaplain, “What do you think, is there going to be a war?” He answered me,
“ Absolutely! A war is im m inent and it is not going to be very long before we are goirg
to be in it.” He said that the sad thing is that these boys all know it and they are
scared to death. “ Just before you came in here, I had a soldier boy in my office who
said, ‘I’ve got to get out! I’ve got to get out! 1 can’t stand it! I ’ve got to get away,
and if they don’t let me ou t, I’m going to run away because I d o n ’t want to die.’ The
chaplain called his comm anding officer and told him, “ You better release him , because
it is no use keeping him; he is no soldier, his spirit will infiltrate the rest o f the cam p.”

I asked, “ What about the rest o f them ?” He said they are all full o f fear, but they
know there is no use running away. I asked him, “What is the answer?” He replied
that the only answer is that God would send an outpouring o f the Holy Spirit upon
these soldier boys. “ The only ones th at are ready to face tom orrow are those whom
God has been visiting here in the F o rt Polk area and in other cam ps.” And then he
asked m e, “ Do you know who they are? They are the black boys. They are having a
revival and God is pouring His Spirit out upon them . They are the only ones that are
not scared to face tom orrow . They are not afraid to go into the battlefield. It is the
anointing of God that has given them the strength to face what is com ing.” Later
when I preached I witnessed the tru th o f this statem ent, as God poured o u t His Spirit
on the m en.

Benjamin was born after the anointing. I pray th at God will p u t such an
anointing in our lives th at even in tribulation times, there will be bom out o f our lives
this “ son o f sorrow ” who will turn into the greatest blessing the world has seen. I
know that the tribulation is really going to be the son o f our own foolishness. God

5
didn’t give us the tribulation; our sins are bringing it upon us, just like the sins of
Rachel brought the suffering upon her.

SYMBOL

The sym bol of Benjamin is the wolf. The wolf belongs to the dog family. The
grev or tim ber wolf is the com m onest and m ost wide spread species. A northern male
may measure seven feet in length, including the bushy tw o-foot tail. Females are
smaller than males. S outhern races are smaller than northern. The grey w olf is a
powerful animal. It is savage and fearless, quite capable of bringing down an elk, or
horse. Wolves usually h unt in small groups, rarely in large packs, catching larger prey,
deer, caribou and m oose by a chase during which they display both speed and en
durance. Their diet consists o f flesh. Wolves are prodigious eaters and when ample
food is available, will gorge themselves. They will return to an old kill to eat even after
it has become putrid, although fresh m eat is preferred.

Grey wolves m ature sexually in two or three years and after that they remain with
the family group. They often mate for life. Breeding occurs between December and
April and 4-14 pups are born 63 days later. Members o f the family group are friendly
to each other but rarely accept an interloper; more often he is driven o ff or killed. All
members o f the group solicitously care for the young. The wolf tears and rends its
victim.

In seeking the Lord as to why Benjamin was given the symbol o f a wolf, I believe
that the Lord showed me th at, as he was bom through great travail (which may have
lasted days), his m o th er’s womb was torn and rent in the terrible contractions she
endured to push him into the world. It was undoubtedly a case of death by
haemorrhaging due to a to m uterus.

When I was at a Baptist mission in Assam, India, I had the opportunity of

watching an operation which I will never forget. A young woman was brought into the
hospital half alive from one o f the tea plantations. She had been in the second stage
of delivery, but the baby could not be born because it was a case of arm presentation
only, and the rest o f the body could not be born. Because o f the terrible contractions
the uterus was badly to m and hem orrhaging took place. There are very im portant
veins and arteries which feed the uterus, and so, when bleeding starts, it is not long
before the m other dies, unless there is medical intervention. When I arrived, the
m other was unconscious from loss o f blood and almost ready to expire. The baby had
already died. The Indian and American missionary doctors worked quickly to try to
save the young m o th er’s life. They am putated the baby’s arm and then opened her
abdom en. I saw them remove the dead foetus and imm ediately after that they per
form ed a hysterectom y and removed her entire uterus. With plasma and blood transfu
sions her life was saved. Rachel did not have this kind of expert care and so she died.

6
 GEMSTONE

The gem stone o f Benjamin is the Jasper. Jasper was the last gem named in the
breastplate You will rem em ber in the A p p en d ix to In trodu ction to th e Tribes we
m entioned th at Josephus, the early historian, said th a t each stone was placed in the
breastplate in the order in which the sons were born. Benjamin is the last-born son of
Jacob.

T he Jasper stone is also the first foundation o f the stone in the New Jerusalem.
(Revelation 21:19) It is interesting to see how the laws o f God are carried through in
such hidden ways, “Many th at are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.”
(M atthew 19:30)

T he Jasper stone is very interesting. Some scholars believe it comes from the m in
eral from which copper is derived and is therefore the well-known Elath stone seen all
over Israel. Mining has started again in th e area o f King Solom on’s mines, which were
opened again after so m any thousands o f years after Israel becam e a nation. And so we
see th a t th e last is becoming the first, and the first is again given to us in th e end-time.
Jasper is a rich blue and som etim es green colour. It makes beautiful rings, earrings, and
broaches, and it is also used in other ways. In ancient tim es they believed th at it had
very special power. T here are a lot o f superstitious beliefs concerning the tw o colours
o f blue and green. In Israel the Arabs paint their windows and doors blue and green.
In ancient tim es th ey believed that these stones would prevent sorrow and give protec
tion. It was supposed to bring healing and happiness. The one who owned it had a sort
of “ good-luck charm .” In the tim e o f drought you would be able to cause it to rain (if
you had this stone). It was also a defence against spiders and scorpions.

Sm ith’s Bible D ictionary defines the Jasper stone differently, as th e diam ond,
from the description in Revelation 21:11 o f “ m ost precious and like crystal and
also infers from Revelation 4:3 th at it was a sto n e.o f brilliant and transparent light.

I thank God th at in the Jasper stone we see the one perfect gem who is Jesus
Christ. He is our true prevention and healing from sorrow. He is our protection,
He heals us and He is the source o f all happiness. If we have Him, He is b e tte r than any
charm and when we pray, He sends the rain. He is also our defence against all
dangerous insects, even snakes. Now, we can understand why the Lord placed Jasper
as the foundation stone o f the New Jerusalem . C ertainly, it is a very beautiful stone,
and one o f my favourites.

PROPHECIES - JACOB

Genesis 4 9 :2 7 , “ Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the m orning he shall devour the
prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.”

7
 This prophecy was given by his own father, Jacob. When one is in the anointing,
one is divorced from family relationship or friendship and one speaks as the oracle of
God. Jacob therefore was speaking for God and n ot for himself. No father would like
to call his son a wolf. That is one o f the m ost uncom plim entary things th at anybody
could call his son. What is God therefore saying?

I would like to draw your attention to the fact th at there are two different
stages o f the w olf in this prophecy. One speaks o f him “ in the m orning” or in the
early stages o f his life. In the beginning he shall ravin as a wolf, he shall devour his
prey. T hat is just w hat the w olf does. The w olf is looking for food and he only thinks
o f himself because he has this w olf nature in him that has to be satisfied and he doesn t
care about anyone else. If you try to take his prey away, he will turn on you and tear
you to pieces. In fact, the word “ ravin” means “ to tear to pieces.”

This spirit o f w anting for himself all he can get at all costs, he has inherited from
birth because he had a desperate struggle to get but o f his m o th er’s womb lest he die
together with her. M any infants die at the tim e their m others are going through such
an ordeal as Rachel had to experience. He tore his m other so badly, that she died, but
he was born. This is symbolical o f the birthing o f the tribe o f Benjamin. It is at a great
price and with a great struggle that they are birthed into the Kingdom o f God. They
have to fight for their very existence.

So in his y o u th , or im m aturity before he has overcome his nature, he is, as his

father, the prophet, said under the anointing, a ravin wolf who shall devour the prey.

But there is another w olf in this prophecy also. He is the older, more m ature wolf
of whom it is said, “ at night he shall divide the spoil.” He comes into a new m aturity
in which his whole nature is changed. He will share with others the spoil which he has
captured. As Benjamin reaches a place o f m aturity, he is willing to make sacrifices and
give out the good things which God has given him. No one has ever heard of a wolf
giving or sharing the carcass he has torn, except with the members of his “ family. So
it shows us that th at which was a w olf to begin w ith, turns into a com pletely different
natured creature who becomes a blessing to others. Isn’t that wonderful? This is what
God can do in the lives o f the Benjamites.

I believe that in these last days the Benjamites will come into a wonderful place of
giving and sharing w ith others the glorious truths o f the Gospel.

MOSES

D euteronom y 3 3 :1 2 , “ And of Benjamin he said, The beloved o f the Lord shall

dwell in safety by him ; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall
dwell between his shoulders.”
This is one o f the sw eetest and m ost precious promises given in the Bible. It is a
special promise o f pro tectio n th at God has given to Benjamin.

“T he beloved o f the L ord”

One can feel th a t special love that G od has for this tribe. God has found him in
the Spirit. He does n o t only see him as a “ w o lf ’ but as a desperate, struggling creature
who is fighting for his very life. God p u t His hand on Benjamin and saved him from
death at childbirth because God had a plan for his life. You Benjamites are blessed
by being called, “ the beloved o f the L ord.”

“ shall dwell in safety by him ;”

In these times o f danger the Benjamites can claim this special, Divine protection
which is given to them by the Lord. If they wear the Elat stone, it is not because they
trust in it as their p ro tectio n , like some “ good-luck charm ” b u t because it is a rem inder to
them o f the special p ro tectio n which God has prom ised to give them . They can go
into difficult and dangerous situations (in the will of God) and there they will find the
special presence o f th e Lord w ith them , watching over them .

“ and the Lord shall cover him all the day long,”

“The day” doesn’t m ean only 12 hours, sun-up and sun-down, b u t it means 24
hours. The Lord shall cover him all the day long. That means constant, com plete,
perfect protection. This is really the only “ covering” that is im portant. If you do not
have the covering o f the L ord, you are finished. He is w ith you wherever you go,
w hether you are in y o u r hom e, on the highway, flying in a plane, or in an area where
all kinds o f terrible things are happening. Yes, even in the battle front the Benjamite
can claim this special prom ise of protection from the Lord. I believe that it is a
promise that we are going to claim m ore and m ore as the evil day approaches. As a
m issionary, I have had to claim it m any tim es. I d o n ’t believe th at I could have accom
plished the great things for God th at I have, if it were not for this promise which I
too have claimed, even though I ’m not a Benjamite.

“and he shall dwell betw een his shoulders.”

I can just picture th a t great, big eagle flying through the air, w ith little Benjamin
sitting on the back o f it, hanging on. The Lord is carrying Benjamin and delivering him
to every appointed assignment. You only need to rest on His m ighty shoulders. I like
this scripture because I have had to travel so very m uch by air in the m inistry. I must
have gone well over one m illion miles for Jesus. I hope the angels have kept th e record!
I’d like to find out some day. End-Time Handm aidens has an Aero Com m ander 680
FLP “ Mr. R.P.M. Executive 800,” which we use a great deal also. My husband, Jim,
who has been flying for nearly fifty years, is our pilot. He is retired from th e United
States Air Force and is a very experienced and very good pilot. But I am glad that

9
besides Jim , we have those “ Everlasting Wings” under us. Hallelujah! Som etim es we
have to fly through very dangerous w eather and difficult situations in all hours, day
and night. We have flow n over the northern part o f the Rockies several tim es. It was
a very awesome experience a t th a t tim e, as we had a Cessna 206 which has only one
engine. A t tim es like this I like to think th at we are resting on the wings o f the Lord
and th a t His shoulders are holding us up.

Have you seen th a t little bird ju st learning to fly, how its m other throw s it o u t of
the nest and as it goes tum bling down into space, the m other bird comes and swoops
right underneath it and the little bird lands right on the shoulders o f its m other? T o
gether they make a w onderful landing. T hat is ju st w hat God says about the Ben
jam ites. A special p ro tectio n is given to them and a special training, because the
Benjamites are being trained for great warfare. They becam e the m ighty soldiers of
Israel. When you are a fierce fighter in the front line, you have got to have th at special
promise o f protection. When the battle starts, the Benjamites are not going to look
for the first hiding place. Instead they will say, “ Lord w here do you need me on the
front lines today?”

BENJAMIN’S WEAKNESS

I am glad that th e Lord said that Benjamin is His beloved, because he really was
a pam pered and spoiled child in m any ways. When his m other died, those nurses must
have spoiled him terribly. (There is nothing like a good, loving Jewish nurse to spoil
you). Also, Leah m ust have really cared for him , because now there was nothing to
vex her any more or m ake her jealous, for Rachel had died. It is evident that his
brothers never picked on him like they did on Joseph. In fact, they did everything
they could to protect him. Reuben even promised to give his two sons for the life of
Benjamin. And Judah said th at he was willing to go to prison in his place. He was so
carefully watched over and loved th at when Jacob sent his sons to Egypt for grain, he
did not send Benjamin along. Genesis 42:13 says, “ the youngest is this day w ith our
fath er.” He was “ dad d y ’s b o y ,” sticking close to his fath e r’s side.

When Joseph told them to bring their youngest brother into Egypt, o r he would
n o t release Simeon to them , they knew th at they could n ot return to Egypt for grain
unless they had Benjamin w ith them . However, when their father wanted to send them
back, because they were in desperate need, he refused to send Benjamin with them ,
even though he knew the circum stances. He even accused his sons, “ Me have ye be
reaved o f my children: Joseph is n o t, and Simeon is n o t, and ye will take Benjamin
away: all these things are against m e.” (Genesis 42:36) Then in verse 38 he reaffirms,
“My son shall not go dow n w ith you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone, if
m ischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray
hairs with sorrow to th e grave.”

Do you see how he p ro tected him? Everyone was hungry, the cattle were dying,

10
the little children were screaming o f starvation, the cupboards were bare, famine was
all over the land, and father Jacob says, “ I will not let him go!” Benjamin was not a
teenager either. He was only about 6 years younger than Joseph and Joseph was at
least 39 years o f age at this time. T hat m ade Benjamin approxim ately 33 years o f age.
We think o f Benjamin as a little fellow, about ten years o f age and daddy is saying,
“ H oney, you can’t go dow n. I m ight lose you, my little boy!” Do you see how
spoiled he was? And the tru th is that the Benjamites are always the pam pered, spoiled
ones in the family. There is just som ething so sweet about them and they never get
their due spanking. T hat sweetness and th at coyness and th at innocent look which
makes them so cute gets anything they w ant o ut o f mom and dad. And often, when
they need punishm ent, m other says, “ He ju st couldn’t be that bad,” and the blame
goes on the older brothers. Benjamin! Benjamin! As long as you are spoiled like that
you will not grow up into perfection. Benjamin has to fight against all these things,
the family hanging on to him , everybody wanting and needing him , until he can fly
w ith God in his own m aturity, guided by the Lord and not by all his devoted family.
He has to break free!

Finally, father Jacob is convinced that there is no way out and so he lets Benja
min go with his brothers. When he gets to Egypt, what happens? Joseph sits the
brothers down at the table, including Sim eon, whom he has just released from prison,
and when the food is dished out, Benjamin gets five portions. He gets five times as
m uch as the others got! Where the others get one helping o f potatoes, he gets five; where
they get one piece of cake, he gets five. Som etim es, some people are just that way.
I have eaten in m any homes and I have identified m any Benjamins! They fill up their
plates and d o n ’t look around to 'see if anyone else is waiting to have the food passed
to them . They are so hungry they can hardly wait for the blessing on the food before
they take the first bite; in fact, m ost o f the time they have “sneaked a sample or two
when no one was looking.” They will clean out the cookie jar (not all little boys are
Benjamites), and they are never happier than when they are sitting in front of their
“ five portions.”

BENJAMIN IS TRIED

God used Joseph as an instrum ent to p u t Benjamin through a real trial. While
they sat at the feast, Joseph ordered his servants to p u t his own silver cup into Benja
m in’s sack. A fter the brothers left to return to their father, Joseph sent the officers
after them who stopped them and searched their sacks, from the eldest to the
youngest. When it was found in Benjamin’s sack, he was im m ediately arrested and accused
o f theft. This started them all weeping and wailing, and you can be sure th a t Benjamin
was full o f fear. This was one tim e th a t he could not get out o f the situation. In fact,
it was the first tim e th at he had to stand on trial for anything. God knows how to train us.
He puts us into situations that we cannot get out o f until He has worked His perfect work
o f grace in our lives. Joseph may have m eant this to test his other brothers, but the shock
that Benjamin went through was som ething th at he would never forget.

11
 Som eone has said, “ If God is going to fix you, you b e tte r let Him fix you, or He
will fix another fix to fix y o u !” It sounds hum orous, but there is a lot o f tru th in it.

It was at this tim e th at Judah stepped forth and made one of the greatest pleas
as an advocate that has ever been recorded in history. He stood before Joseph, not
knowing th at he was his brother and pled for the release, o f Benjamin, offering himself
in exchange. It was this that convinced Joseph that his brothers had changed. He
hurried from the room to weep alone, and then returned, and while they were standing
there trem bling, he told them who he was, “ I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold
into E gypt.” (Genesis 4 5:4) He made peace with them , gave them wagons and told
them to return to E gypt, bringing all o f their families and his father with them .
Besides th a t, he gave each m an a change of raim ent; but to Benjamin he gave three
hundred pieces o f silver, and five changes of raim ent. Again we see th at young man
w ith the “ silver spoon in his m o u th .” Everything good seems to come his way.

THE FAMILY TREE

There is a contradiction over the sons o f Benjamin.

Genesis 46:21, “And the.sons o f Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel,
Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, M uppim, and Huppim , and A rd.”

1. Belah which m eans “ throat, gullet, to gorge, to swallow up, devour, consume,
eat up, waste, spend,” etc..

Does this not confirm what Jacob prophesied, in the morning he would raven as
a wolf? This was typical of Benjamin’s nature and his first-born son was just like him.
He had the same characteristics. He had the desire and ability to consume and devour
and gulp it all down. But this characteristic within our soul has to be overcome by the
grace o f God and he has to get to the place where he can share the spoil. In I
Chronicles 7:7 it says th at he had five sons, “mighty men o f valour.”

2. Becher: “y o u th , young male camel, first-born.” He had nine sons, mighty

men o f valour.” (I Chronicles 7:8-9)

3. Ashbel: “ correction, reprim and, reproof of G od, training, breeding, dis

ciplining o f G od.” From him came the family o f the Ashbelites. (Num bers 26:38)

4. Gera: “ foreign stalk, irritated, vexed, enm ity.” There is no genealogy for
Gera recorded.

5. Naaman: “ the favourite, the beautiful, gracious, favourable. In Numbers

26:40 it says that Naamar. was a son of Bela. Many times in the scriptures grand
children are called sons, so it could be th at he was not actually Benjamin’s son, but

12
rather his grandson. He is the father o f the Naamites. (Numbers 26:40)

6 Ehi: “ brotherly one, united, oneness.” Ehi is not m entioned any more in
any o f the genealogies. The nam e, Gera, is not m entioned in the genealogy either but
there is another nam e, A harah, the father o f the Ahiram ites m entioned and it is be
lieved by some th at he is Gera. As you know , many tim es their names were changed
in the Bible. (I Chronicles 8:1)

7. Rosh: “ head, topm ost, highest, chief.” Rosh is n ot m entioned in the gene
alogies.

8. M uppim: “ darkness, dark business.” His name was changed to Shuphan (Num
bers 26:39) which m eans, “ serpentlike, stinging.” He was the father o f the Shupham tes.

9 Huppim: “ covering, the protected, guarded, sheltered.” His name was

changed to “ H upham .” He is the father o f the Hupham ites.

10 Ard: “ strut, support, get away, take off, be spared, the runaw ay the weak,
sickly o ne.” He also was a son of Bela and not o f Benjamin. (Num bers 26:40)

Read I Chronicles 7:6-12. 8:1 and Numbers 26:38-41 for inform ation on this
family o f Benjamin and you will understand why 1 said at the beginning that it is quite
confusing.

As we study the meaning o f their names, we realize that God is doing a work
of grace in the tribe o f Benjamin. Great glory, great strength, great beauty, great
possibilities are in the tribe o f Benjamin, and also great weaknesses are in the tribe
which God had to correct.

EXPLOITS OF THE FAMILY LINE OF BENJAMIN

When the Children o f Israel came into the wilderness, Benjamin num bered
35 400. It was one o f the smallest tribes but when they came out forty years later,
there were 45,600; they had increased by more than 10,000. It is evident that God was
with them in a w onderful way.

Gideoni which means “ G od’s fighter” was the father o f Abidan who was one of
the princes of Israel.

Abidan which means “ father is judge” was the prince o f the tribe o f Benjamin.
(Num bers 1:11)

Elidad which means “God is a friend” was the prince o f the tribe o f Benjamin
when they came into the Promised Land. (Num bers 34:21)

13
 BENJAMITE RUNNER

In I Samuel 4:12 we read th at it was a Benjamite who came to Shiloh weeping,

with his clothes rent and ashes on his head to tell Eli that the ark o f the Lord had been
taken by the Philistines.

SAUL, TH E KING

It was a Benjamite th at was chosen by God and anointed by the great prophet
Samuel to be the first king o f Israel. (I Samuel 10:1) When he was hum ble in his own
sight, God used him m ightily. But as pride came in and his heart was filled with
jealousy against David, an evil spirit came upon Saul, “ and he prophesied in the midst
of the house: and David played w ith his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin
in Saul’s hand. Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall
with it.” (I Samuel 18:10-11)

It is a very strange and shocking thing to read that when an evil spirit came on
Saul, he prophesied in the m idst o f the house. N ot all prophecies are o f the Holy
Spirit. I have heard quite a few that were given by the flesh and some that were given
by an evil spirit possessing a person. He tried to kill David by the sword and w ith his
words.

God cut him o ff in a terrible way. He died a suicide death on the battlefield and
three of his sons died w ith him , including Jonathan. He led his nation into terrible
defeat. (I Samuel 3 1 :3-6)

SAUL, THE APOSTLE

There is another Saul in the New Testam ent who was anointed of God to be an
apostle and prophet. Isn’t th a t strange? We see the first one as a ravenous wolf, just
like a terror in the land, and the o ther one starts out the same. He is tearing the
Christians apart, p utting them to death. We see this w olf nature in the Saul o f the New
Testam ent. But, praise G od, on the road to Damascus he m eets w ith Jesus Christ and
is struck blind. A fter three days o f fasting and a visit from the prophet Ananias he
is healed, saved and delivered. His life is changed and he is transform ed into a new
person who is ready to do great things for the Lord and to suffer for Jesus Christ.
(Acts 9)

What a contrast betw een these tw o Sauls! The first one comm its suicide and the
second one lays down his life, a m artyr for Christ. The first one forces the suicide o f
three o f his sons, including Jonathan, the crown prince o f Israel, and the second one
anoints his sons in the Gospel, T im othy and Titus, to take the mighty message o f the
Lord to the world. The first Saul pulls his country into shame and defeat. The second

14
Saul leaves this w orld in a scene o f glory and trium ph, having brought Israel the revela
tion o f Jesus Christ and bountifully “ dividing the spoil.” What greater fulfillm ent to
the prophecy could we ever see than this, when Saul gave his people the m ystery of the
Gospel. Oh, how low a Benjamite can begin and how high he can rise in the glory of
the anointing o f God!

This w onderful victory in the life o f the second Saul is so great th at God changes
his nam e from Saul, “ the desired one, the one who asks, desirer” to Paul, “ the small
one th e lowly one.” It is only as the Benjam ite stays hum ble before the Lord, the
small one, the low one” th a t God can elevate him to the glorious h onour o f a mighty
apostle and missionary pioneer like Paul was. Rem em ber w hat God said to Saul,
“ T hou hast done foolishly: thou hast n o t kep t the com m andm ent o f the Lord thy
G od, which he com m anded thee: for now w ould the Lord have established thy
kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall n o t continue: the Lord hath
sought him a m an after his own heart, and th e Lord hath com m anded him to be cap
tain over his people, because thou hast n o t kept th a t which the Lord comm anded
thee.” (I Samuel 13:13,14)

In Philippians 3:5 we read Paul’s credentials, “ Circumcised the eighth day, o f the
stock o f Israel, o f the tribe o f Benjamin, an Hebrew o f the Hebrews; as touching the
law, a Pharisee.” Also in Rom ans 11:1 he says, “ F o r I also am an Israelite, o f the seed
o f Abraham , of the tribe o f Benjam 'n.” He knew w hat tribe he was from.

So we see this glorious Benjamite coming, giving us the “spoil,” the deepest meat
o f the Word o f G od, and again we rejoice in the fulfillm ent o f the L ord’s prophecy to
Benjamin through his father, Jacob.

QUEEN ESTHER

One o f the greatest women o f God who ever lived was Esther, the queen. Read
her pedigree in E sther 2 :5 , “Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose
name was M ordecai, the son o f Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;
It is doubtful th a t she was the descendant o f Kish, Saul’s father, because there were
several hundred years in betw een, b u t it could be if they left out the part o f the
genealogy th at lies between.

E sther was n o t nam ed “ E sther” (star) from birth. T hat is a Persian name. Her
original Hebrew nam e was Hadassah which means “ m yrtle bush.” Her beauty and the
way th at she was chosen to be the queen is a w onderful story. You need to take time
to read it so th at you m ight understand the qualifications o f a true daughter o f Benja
min. But the finest example o f true greatness in her life was when she said, “ fast ye
for m e, and neither eat n o r drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will
fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is n o t according to the law: and
IF I PERISH, I PERISH .” (Esther 4:16)

15
 There are certain qualifications 1 would like to mention briefly in the life of
Esther.

1. Her obedience to M ordecai, the man who raised her. (Esther 2:11)
2. She pleased those w ho were over her and in charge o f her. (E sther 2:9)
3. She obtained favour in the sight o f all. (Esther 2:15)
4. She required nothing, but w hat the king’s chamberlain appointed her.
(Esther 2:15)
5. She had a loving concern for M ordecai, even though she was now queen.
(Esther 4:4)
6- She knew th a t the power o f God and Divine intervention came through
fasting. (Esther 4 :1 6 )
7. She had great courage, even risking her life. (Esther 5:1)
8. She had trem endous discernm ent and poise. (E sther 5:4 and 5:8)
9. She knew the right time to speak up, and w hat to say. (Esther 7:3-6)
10. She knew how to reach the king’s heart. (Esther 8:3,4)
11. She saved her people.

To all you dear daughters of Benjamin 1 would like to say, always keep Esther as
your example of hum ility, obedience, purity, courage and devotion, and God will make
a queen out o f you. Certainly she succeeded as a queen while Saul failed as a king.

HISTORY OF BENJAMIN

In Judges 1:21 we read, “ And the children o f Benjamin did not drive out the
Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem ; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Ben
jam in in Jerusalem unto this d ay.”

One o f the weaknesses o f the Benjamites is revealed right here in this verse. They
did n o t drive out the enem y, even though they were great warriors. The only reason
for this was probably because they were a bit lazy. The Benjamite, because he is
spoiled, has a tendency to m ake him self com fortable and become indolent. The
Germans have a word for it, “ bequem ”” Jerusalem belonged to the tribe o f Benjamin,
but the Jebusites dwelt in it up until the writing o f the book o f Judges. Later, David’s
men captured it. Perhaps th at is why Benjamin had to concede that Judah had a right
to live there, for David was o f the tribe o f Judah. If you get some o f Benjamin’s
territory, he is going to let you have it; he is not going to fight for it. Benjamin does
not fight for his rights, except when he fights for the Lord and is inspired by someone
else, usually a Judah. But this is only true as he comes into m aturity. As long as he
is a “ ravin w o lf ’ he is ready to devour, but as he fulfills the prophecy given to him, he
turns com pletely away from his form er faults. T hat is what God does in all o f our
natures. O ur weakness becom es our strength. The very thing th at pulled us down is
the thing th at God uses in our lives to make us more than overcomers.

16
 VOLUNTEERING FOR BATTLE

When Deborah called for help certain o f the tribes did not come down, but in
Judges 5:14 we read th at Benjamin did come to the aid o f the warriors. A Benjamite
has no trouble working together with a woman. If you are a lady in the m inistry and
you need a husband who will work with you, find yourself a Benjamite. He will stick
together with you, fight along with you and he w on’t feel offended because God has
given you the platform . He will be happy to co-operate with the one whom God has
anointed and called to a position o f leadership. If you are a woman in the m inistry,
don’t ask God for a Judah, you are going to have a hard time.

The same is true o f a Levite, because both o f them are born leaders, they are
anointed to be leaders, and they will always be leaders. They will push you out o f the
way, even though they see G od’s anointing on you. Y ou’ll feel it in ^our spirit. They
m ay'tell you to go ahead and do w hat you feel God wants you to do, b ut your spirit
will pick it up and you will feel th at anointing which is on them , so you will always
step back and let them lead, unless you are a Judah yourself, or a Levite, then you are
going to have “ war in the fam ily.” N either do you need to be in the m inistry to have
this kind o f a problem . The only tribe that can stand against Judah is the Levite who
is anointed. Otherwise, he too will be controlled by the Judah.

TH E ALMOST TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF BENJAMIN

It was a terrible thing for Benjamin that he did not drive out the Jebusites because
they were very sinful, living a life o f sodom y and every kind o f evil. Because o f this,
it wasn’t long before Benjamin fell into the same sins. In Judges 19-21 we read a story
so terrible that it almost sickens us.

A certain Levite was travelling w ith his concubine through the country and he had
to spend the night in the tribal area o f the Benjamites, Gibeah. T hat night “ certain
men o f the city, perverted men, surrounded the house and beat on the door. They
spoke to the m aster o f the house, the old man, saying, “ Bring out the man who came
to your house, that we may know him carnally!” But the man, the m aster o f the
house, w ent out to them and said to them , “ No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act so
wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, do not com m it this outrage.
Look! here is my virgin daughter and the m an’s concubine; let me bring them out
now. Humble them , and do with them as you please; but to this man do n ot do such
a vile thing!” But the men would n o t heed him. So the man took his concubine and
brought her out to them . And they knew her and abused her all night until morning;
and when the day began to break, they let her go. Then the woman came as the day
was dawning, and fell down at the door of the m an’s house where her m aster was, till
it was light. When her m aster arose in the m orning, and opened the doors o f the house
and w ent out to go his way, there was his concubine, fallen at the door o f the house
with her hands on the threshold. And he said to her, “ G et up and let us be going.”

17
But there was no answer. So the man lifted her onto the d o n k ey ; and the man got up
and went to his place. When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold o f his
concubine, and dism em bered her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her
throughout all the territory o f Israel. And so it was that all who saw it said, “No such
deed has been done or seen from the day th at the children o f Israel came up from the
land o f Egypt until this day. Consider it, take counsel, and speak up!” (Judges 19:
22-30, The N ew King Jam es Version)

As a result, all Israel joined together to go to warfare against Benjamin and

although Benjamin fought bravely and won two battles, in the end the tribe was al
m ost wiped out. Only six hundred, who fled to the wilderness, were left. Then the
Children o f Israel sat dow n and m ourned and wept saying, “ why is this come to pass
in Israel, th at there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?” (Judges 21:3) They
built an altar and offered sacrifices to the Lord. When they found there were still some
who had escaped, they sought G od’s will as to what they should do.

Do you rem em ber th at the name o f the last son o f Benjamin (the grandson) was
Ard which means “ the one who is spared, the one who got away, the one who es
caped” ? Certainly this was prophetic of what happened in the tribe o f Benjamin.

Israel felt led to give these fugitives another chance. On the day when the
daughters danced in Shiloh the men o f Benjamin were given the opportunity to catch
these girls and take them as their wives. They did this, and so the tribe of Benjamin was
saved. The reason th at the leaders o f Israel did not arrange these marriages was because
they had made a vow n o t to give any of their daughters to a Benjamite. (Judges 21:7)

What drastic m easures the Lord had to take in order to put the rod across the
back of Benjamin and train him in the way of godliness. It would have been better
if father Jacob had done it long before. If he had, that stubborn, strong will would
have been broken and the w olf nature would have been broken. That is why we have
to correct our children when they are small.

Because o f this negligence in early training God had to whip them down to 600
and then they were changed, then they were hum bled and they were ready to move with
what God wgs doing.

BENJAMIN AND JUDAH

In I Chronicles 12:16,18,29 we read th at the Benjamites and the children of

Judah were the very first to go down into the wilderness to David while he was still a
fugitive. This is rem arkable, because they were o f the same tribe as the king. But it
proves th at they were willing to leave their own family connections, and their family
loyalty to step over and jo in with David out there in the wilderness, even though he
was o f the tribe of Judah.

18
 When I read this I know th at they had discerning for the guidance o f God. They
knew G o d ’s man o f the hour and they were more concerned to follow the anointed
man o f God than to stay with the family back hom e. People say, “ Blood is thicker
than w ater,” and often it is, but there is one thing that is more powerful, and that is
the Blood o f Jesus which draws a sword through our lives and leads us into that higher
path.

AFTER ABSALOM’S DEFEAT

A fter David’s terrible disappointm ent and the war with his son, Absalom, the
Benjamites were am ong the first to go down to m eet King David as he was coming back
to Jerusalem . There were one thousand Benjamites standing there, saying, “ Welcome
back hom e, King David!” Isn’t th at a beautiful characteristic? The Benjamites are
very loyal to the ones whom they love.

THE WARRIORS OF BENJAMIN

The warriors o f the tribe of Benjamin had one unique thing about them . Many of
them were left-handed. Judges 20:16 says, “ Among all this people there were seven
hundred chosen m en lefthanded: even one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and
n o t miss.” This is absolutely sensational. The ability to shoot stones from a sling so
accurately from the left hand was an unexpected thing for their enemy, for the enemy
always expects the danger to come from the right hand and not the left. This makes
him vulnerable.

Surely God has given the Benjamites a uniqueness which is not found among ordi
nary people. God w ants to use them in every way.

BENJAMIN READY TO FIGHT WITH JUDAH

When Rehoboam was rejected by the northern kingdom . 180,000 chosen men of
the tribe o f Benjamin, who were warriors, were ready to fight against the house o f Is
rael to bring the kingdom again to R ehoboam , the son o f Solomon. But the word of
God came unto Shem aiah, the man o f G od, saying, “ Thus says the Lord, You shall
n ot go up or fight against y o u r brethren! Let every man return to his house, for this
thing is from Me.” And they all obeyed the word o f the Lord.” (II Chronicles 11:4,
The N ew King Jam es Version)

A wonderful description is given by the Lord for the Benjamite warriors in I

Chronicles 7:11, “ fit to go out for war and b a ttle .” Isn’t that beautiful? If you are a
Benjamite, why d o n ’t you stick th at little m otto up somewhere where you can always
see it?

19
 BENJAMIN SAVED FROM JUDGMENT

When David sinned in num bering Israel, and com m anded Joab to do this evil thing
which God had forbidden, the tribe o f Benjamin was never num bered. (I Chronicles
21:6) This was true o f the tribe o f Levi also. Therefore, when the terrible plague
broke o u t over Israel, it was in Jerusalem , the city o f Benjamin, th at the angel o f death
stayed his sword, and so Benjamin was spared while in the rest o f Israel 70,000 pe
rished. (II Samuel 24:15-16)

Here we can see the w onderful promise o f God given to Benjamin through Moses
fulfilled. “The beloved o f the Lord shall dwell in safety by him ; and the Lord shall
cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.” (D euteronom y
33:12)

BENJAMIN IN REVIVAL

B.C. 726: In the great revival under King Hezekiah (II Chronicles 31:1) we see
that Benjamin was in the m iddle o f the new move of God. They went out w ith Judah
and said, “Come and repent.” They pulled down the high places where idols were
worshipped, they burned up the devil’s idols, they tore up the temples of Satan. They
cleaned up the place because they were warriors for God just as they had been on the
battlefield. There were m any tribes th at didn’t move with revival. Some m ocked,
some scoffed, some even persecuted those that came with the message. But the Benja
mites were ready to go to battle. The same thing happened in the revival under Josiah.
(II Chronicles 34:9)

^BENJAMIN SAVED FROM EARLY CAPTIVITY

When the northern kingdom was carried into captivity, Benjamin was saved be
cause he was united w ith Judah. It was only when Judah fell into sin, and Benjamin
with him, th at they to o were carried into captivity in Babylon. But they were saved
many years later.

PROMISES TO BENJAMIN FOR THE END-TIME

Psalm 68:27, “There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes o f Judah and
their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes o f N aphtali.” Isn’t it beautiful
th a t after it is all over, and history, as we know it, is coming to an end, God still sees
Benjamin as “ the little o n e” ? The characteristics we have God does not take away. He
does n o t try to make a Benjam ite into a R eubenite or any other tribe. God loves you
as you are. He does n o t w ant you to lose your identity and m odel yourself after some
one else.

20
 In Psalm 80:2 God says, “ Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy
strength, and come and save us.” The w riter of the Psalms is pleading for God to stir
up His pow er and save Benjamin. I believe we will see this all fulfilled in the last days.
There will be a m ighty dem onstration o f G od’s pow er through Benjamin.

Jerem iah 1:1: Jerem iah, the great prophet, was sent first to the priests in the land
o f Benjamin. He was a Levite dwelling in the tribe o f Benjamin. (R em em ber that
Jerusalem belonged to Benjamin.)

Jerem iah 6:1 , “ O ye children o f Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee o ut o f the

m idst o f Jerusalem , and blow the trum pet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Beth-
haccerem : for evil appeareth o ut o f the n orth, and great destruction.”

Perhaps because Jerem iah was closely connected to this tribe, or because God
loved it, a special warning o f coming judgm ent was given to Benjamin. God wants the
Benjamites in these last days o f coming judgm ent to flee out o f the m idst of the cursed
thing, blow the trum pet and set up signs o f warning through the fire o f the Holy
G host, for evil is again coming from the north and great destruction.

Jerem iah 3 3 :1 3 , “ In the cities o f the m ountains, in the cities o f the vale, and in
the cities of the south, and in the land o f Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem,
and in the cities o f Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands o f him that
telleth them (counts them ), saith the L ord,” What a wonderful promise for Benjamin
for the future. No m atter how hard things go for him , he knows that there is coming a
time o f rest and peace again.

Jerem iah 37:12, “ Then Jerem iah w ent forth out o f Jerusalem to go into the land
o f Benjamin, to separate him self thence in the m idst o f the people.” Jerem iah wanted
to leave the doom ed city of Jerusalem to find a place of refuge in Benjamin because he
remembered the promises o f God to Benjamin, but he was arrested at the city gate and
put in a dungeon.

POSITION OF BENJAMIN

In the wilderness, around the tabernacle: They were situated on the west side
with Ephraim and Manasseh. (Num bers 2:22)

-In the Promised Land: Benjamin was right beside Judah. From that tim e on Ben
jam in and Judah flowed together as they had the same vision. When they sinned, they
sinned together, when they had revival, they had revival together, when they had a
blessing, they had a blessing together, when they w ent to war, they w ent to war to
gether. When they were attacked, they were attacked at the same time. They were so
closely identified with each other th at Benjam in’s capital was Jerusalem , but we think
of Jerusalem as belonging to Judah. Benjamin and Judah shared it together. Isn t that
 beautiful? It was in Benjam in’s territory where the kings lived, even the kings o f Judah.
God wants His people to be able to adapt themselves to flow w ith G od’s anointed ones.

The way God placed them together with their neighbours reveals that God puts each
one o f us in the right place. He knows where we belong and w hat kind o f people we will be
able to work with so th at we can accomplish the work which He wants us to do for Him.

If you have a Benjamite working with you he will do anything you ask him to do.
He is ready to go to warfare w ith his “guns all shining and ready to shoot.’’ But don’t
ask him to be the one th at is going to lead into battle. The Judahs are the leaders
and the Benjamins are the followers. They make w onderful helpers and supporters and
ministers. I thank God th a t we have Benjamites in the camp of Jesus Christ today.
We w ouldn’t be com plete in the body of Christ if God didn’t give us some good Benja
mites to help us carry the burden. They are not the kind to fight against you or
oppose you. They don’t w ant to “ put on their own show,” or do their own thing; they
want to flow together and get G od’s job done. Benjamin’s portion was quite small but
a very im portant, central area.

In the Millenium: The position o f the tribe o f Benjamin will be between Judah
and Joseph. Benjamin fits iit'betw een their natural relationships and their spiritual
ones. Judah was their spiritual relationship and Joseph was their natural relationship.
Truly, God has it planned perfectly.

The Gates of the New Jerusalem : In the wilderness Benjamin was on the west
side, now he is on the east, together with Dan and Joseph. Benjamin will always have
that close connection w ith his own brother, Joseph. All the way through into eterni
ty this close fellowship remains. Isn’t it a wonderful thing that a dear friendship is not
only for life, but also for eternity? I believe that when we leave this world, and go
home to be with the Lord, we will know our loved ones and they will know us. We
will still have fellowship together and close intim ate relationships will continue, and all
working comradeships with those that were close to us on earth will last. There are
those who are close to us and who we have never yet m et. For instance, I have read of
different characters in the Bible th a t I really love, and know that when I get to heaven
I am going to meet them , and I will have wonderful com m union with them because
they are my type of person. We are going to find th at th at “ certain som ething” which
has made us one in G od, is going to be with us all through eternity.

CONCLUSION

In closing I would like to remind you, dear children o f the Lord in this wonderful
tribe, to believe God for His promises to you. Rem em ber the great heroes who went
before you, like Esther and A postle Paul. They conquered because they knew that
they were the beloved o f the Lord. Always rem em ber the slogan of Benjamin, “ sol
diers fit to go out for war and b a ttle .”

22
 CONCLUSION TO THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL

While this concludes all I can share with you at present about the tribes, it certain
ly does n o t give all th at is possible to know. I am sure that as you take tim e to study
and m editate, the Holy Spirit will reveal m uch m ore to you. But it takes time.

Last o f all, let me say, this is n o t y our key to salvation. The Blood o f Jesus and
a holy life is th at. B ut these truths will be a blessing to you as they have been to me.
God gave them to me as I searched the Holy Scriptures. I give all the honour to the
Holy Spirit who still is. the Teacher today.

If God should show you m ore, please share it w ith me.

Let us e^er press in to know Him better.

Gwen R. Shaw
m

m
The Tabernacle in the W ilderness
 Life Changing Books
from E n g eltal Press

UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER— Gwen Shaw. The life story of Gwen R. Shaw, lovingly known as "Sister Gwen” to thousands of people in
over one hundred nations. You will laugh and cry with her as you feel the heartbeat of a great woman of God who has given all to Him, asking
only for souls in return. Your life will be challenged as you walk with her through mission field after mission field. You will never be the same
when you read how God pours out His Spirit and confirms His WordPaperback #000102

Video NTSC (North American format)...................... #GSLN-99

Video PAL (European format)....................................#GSLP-99
DVD .......................................................................#GSLN-99D
Video PAL (European form at)...................................#GSLP-99
Spanish Video NTSC..........................................#GSLN-99SP

Receive a word from God each day

with a Devotional Book!

DAILY PREPARATIONS FOR PERFECTION —Gwen Shaw. This daily devotional comes to you exactly as the Holy Spirit spoke to the
author's heart in her own private devotions. You will feel that Jesus is speaking to you every time you open it. It is loved by all. You'll read it and
re-read it! Paperback #000202

DAY BY DAY— Gwen Shaw. This daily devotional book based on the Psalms will give you an inspiring word directly from the Throne Room
each day to fill your heart with praise to God. Starting each day with praise is the secret of a joy-filled life. Softcover #000204 Hardcover
#000203 French Hardcover #000203FR German Softcover #000203GE

FROM THE HEART OF JESUS— Gwen Shaw. This devotional book is like no other. It will take you back to Bible days and you will walk and
talk with Jesus and His disciples as he ministered to the people, as He suffered and died and as He rose again from the dead. These words
from the heart of Jesus will go straight to your heart, bringing comfort, peace, encouragement and hope! 923 pages. Hardcover
#000207

GEMS OF WISDOM— A daily devotional based on the book o f Proverbs — Gwen Shaw. In the Proverbs you will find instruction for
upright living, honesty, justice and wisdom. Every word applies to today's problems as when they were first written. If you are facing problems
which seem to have no solution, have a Proverb and an inspired writing about it for each day Hardcover #000209
French (2 Vol. Hardcover). #000209FR

NTHE BEGINNING — A daily devotional based on the book o f Genesis — Gwen Shaw. The Book of Genesis is perhaps the most
important Book in the Old Testament. It is the foundation stone of all knowledge and wisdom. Deep and wonderful truths hidden in the pages of
Genesis are revealed in this devotional book. You'll be amazed at the soul-stirring writings inspired by the well-known stories of Genesis.
Hardcover #000211 French Hardcover #000211FR

1
HE SENT ME BACK TO TELL YOU — Gwen Shaw. While Sister Gwen's body was in intensive care, her spirit was standing at the gates of
Heaven. The intercessors were asking God to send her back. He heard their cries and returned her to earth with a message. Before she left
the hospital, she picked up her pen and notebook and began to record the words in this devotional book #000213

O ther Books by Gwen Shaw

ASHTORETH— GODDESS OF LUST — Gwen Shaw. This temptress has worked for millennia through base carnal desires, fueling the fires of
passion in both men and women, to steal destinies and destroy lives. The manifestations of this evil spirit appeal to the flesh so cunningly, that
few have been able to resist her allure. #000615

GOING HOME— Gwen Shaw. This book is a treasure which answers so many questions and comforts so many hearts. It gives strength and
faith, and helps one to cope with the pain of the loss of a loved one. This book is not really a book about dying, but about Going Home to our
Eternal Abode with our loving Heavenly Father. #000607

KEEPING GOD’S SECRETS— Gwen Shaw. This classic teaching on learning to keep God's secrets will help you discern many difficult
situations you may face in the coming days. #000609

LOVE, THE LAW OF THE ANGELS—Gwen Shaw. Undoubtedly the greatest of Gwen Shaw's writings, it carries a message of healing and life
in a sad and fallen world. Love heals the broken-hearted and sets disarray in order. You will never be the same after reading this beautiful book
about love. #000601 • Spanish #000601SP • French #000601FR

SIGI AND I — Gwen Shaw. An international best-seller in the 1970's, this exciting story about Sister Gwen's adventures smuggling Bibles
behind the Iron Curtain with her co-worker Sigi will grip your heart with excitement. Be filled with courage to go beyond your fears and
obey God. #000907

SONG OF LOVE— Gwen Shaw. She was a heart-broken missionary, far from home. She cried out to God for help. He spoke, "Turn to the Song
of Solomon and read!” As she turned in obedience, the Lord took her into the "Throne Room” of Heaven and taught her about the love of Christ
for His Bride, the church. She fell in love with Jesus afresh, and you will too #000401 • French #000401FR

SWORD OF LOVE — Gwen Shaw. Pakistan is playing a very important role in today's news, and many do not know the true history of that
nation. Sis. Gwen was there during the war in 1971 with Sigi. They preached to the parents of today's Taliban. They saw God do miracles, signs
and wonders among the people whose sons we are fighting today. Get a vision for Pakistan! #000906

THE FALSE FAST — Gwen Shaw. Now, from the pen of Gwen Shaw, author of Your Appointment With God (a Bible Study on fasting),
comes an expose on the False Fast. It will help you to examine your motives for fasting, and make your foundations sure, so that your fast
will be a potent tool in the hands of God. #000602

THE LIGHT WILL COME FROM RUSSIA — Gwen Shaw. The thrilling testimony of Mother Barbara, Abbess of the convent on Mount of
Olives. She shares prophecies given her concerning the nations of the world by a holy bishop of the Kremlin, just prior to the Russian
Revolution. #000606

THE PARABLE OF THE GOLDEN RAIN— Gwen Shaw. This is the story of how revivals come and go, and a true picture, in parable language,
of how the Church tries to replace the genuine move of the Spirit with man-made programs and tactics. It's amusing and convicting at the same
time. #000603

2
THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS AS EAGLES — Gwen Shaw. Though you may feel old or tired, if you wait on the Lord, you shall
mount up on wings as eagles! Let this book encourage you to stretch your wings and fulfill your destiny—no matter what your age! . #000604
• French #000604FR

TO BE LIKE JESUS — Gwen Shaw. Based on her Throne Room experience in 1971, the author shares the Father's heart about our place as
sons in His Family. Nothing is more important than To Be Like Jesus! #000605

Women of the Bible Series

In the style of historical novels, Gwen Shaw
opens a window into the lives of the women of the Bible.
Get a ll 6 b o o k s ................................ #Bible St Women

EVE—MOTHER OF US ALL — Gwen Shaw. Read the life story of the first woman. Discover the secrets of one of the most neglected and
misunderstood stories in history. #000801

SARAH— PRINCESS OF ALL MANKIND — Gwen Shaw. She was beautiful — and barren. Feel the heartbeat and struggles of this woman
who left so great an impact on us all. #000802

REBEKAH—THE BRIDE — Gwen Shaw. The destiny of the world was determined when Rebekah said three simple words, "I will go!” Enjoy
this touching story of the bride of Isaac. #000803

LEAH AND RACHEL—THE TWIN WIVES OF JACOB — Gwen Shaw. You will feel their dreams, their pains, their jealousies,
their love for one man. #000804

MIRIAM—THE PROPHETESS — Gwen Shaw. Miriam was the first female to lead worship, the first woman to whom the Lord gave the title
"Leader of God's people.” .#000805

DEBORAH AND JAEL — Gwen Shaw. May God's "warrior women” now arise to take their place in the end-time battle for the
harvest #000806

In-Depth Bible Studies

FORGIVE AND RECEIVE— Gwen Shaw. This Bible Study is a lesson to the church on the much-needed truths of forgiveness and restoration.
The epistle to Philemon came from the heart of Paul who had experienced great forgiveness . #000406

GRACE ALONE—Gwen Shaw. This study teaches the reader to gain freedom in the finished work of the Cross by forsaking works which
cannot add to salvation and live by Grace Alone. #000402

3
MYSTERY REVEALED — Gwen Shaw. Search the depths of God's riches in one of Paul's most profound epistles, "to the praise of His glory!”
Learn the "mystery” of the united Body of Christ. #000403

OUR GLORIOUS HEAD—Gwen Shaw. This book teaches vital truths for today, assisting the reader in discerning false teachings, when the
philosophies of men are being promoted as being the truths of God. Jesus Christ is the Head of His Body . #000404

THE CATCHING AWAY! —Gwen Shaw. This is a very timely Bible Study because Jesus is coming soon! The book of 1 Thessalonians
explains God's revelation to Paul on the rapture of the saints. 2 Thessalonians reveals what will happen after the rapture when the antichrist
takes over. #000407

THE LOVE LETTER— Gwen Shaw. Another of Gwen Shaw's expository Bibles Studies on Paul's Epistles. This study of the letter to the
first church of Europe will give the reader an understanding of Paul's great love for the church that was born out of his suffering.
#000405

Get the Set of All 6 In-Depth Bible Studies

Beloved Bible Study Course

THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL— Gwen Shaw. This popular and well-loved study on the thirteen tribes of Israel will show you your place in
the spiritual tribes. Understand yourself and others better through this Course. #000501 - 13 CD set - #CTGS1

Classic Bible Studies

BEHOLD THE BRIDEGROOM COMETH! — Gwen Shaw. A Bible Study on the soon return of Jesus Christ. With so many false teachings
these days, it is important that we realize how imminent the rapture of the saints of God really is #000304 • Italian #000304IT
• Russian #000304RU

ENDUED WITH LIGHT TO REIGN FOREVER — Gwen Shaw. This deeply profound Bible Study reveals the characteristics of the eternal,
supernatural, creative light of God as found in His Word. The "Father of Lights,” created man in His image. He longs for man to step out of darkness
and into His light. #000306 • French #000306FR

GOD’S END-TIME BATTLE-PLAN—Gwen Shaw. This Study on spiritual warfare gives you the biblical weapons for gaining the victory through
dancing, shouting, praising, uplifted hands, marching, etc. It has been a great help to many who have been bound by tradition. #000305
• Spanish #000305SP • French #000305FR • Russian #000305RU

IT’S TIME FOR REVIVAL— Gwen Shaw. A Bible Study on Revival that not only gives scriptural promises of the end-time
revival, but also presents the stories of revivals in the past and the revivalists whom God used. It will stir your heart and
encourage you to believe for great revival. #000311

OUR MINISTERING ANGELS—Gwen Shaw. A scriptural Bible Study on the topic of angels. Angels will be playing a more and more prominent
part in these last days. We need to understand about them and their ministry #000308 • French #000308FR • Russian #000308RU

4
POUR OUT YOUR HEART— Gwen Shaw. A wonderful Bible Study on travailing prayer. The hour has come to intercede before the throne of
God. The call to intercession is for everyone, and we must carry the Lord's burden and weep for the lost so that the harvest can be brought in
quickly. #000301 • Spanish #000301SP • French #000301FR • Russian #000301RU • Italian #000301IT • Japanese #000301JA •
Chinese #000301CH

REDEEMING THE LAND— Gwen Shaw. This important teaching will help you know your authority through the Blood of Jesus to dislodge evil
spirits, break curses, and restore God's blessing upon the land.#000309 • Spanish #000309SP • French #000309FR • Italian #000309IT

THE FINE LINE— Gwen Shaw. This Bible Study clearly magnifies the "fine line” difference between the soul realm and the spirit realm. Both are
intangible and therefore cannot be discerned with the five senses, but must be discerned by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God
#000307 • French #000307FR

THE POWER OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD— Gwen Shaw. A Bible Study on the Blood of Jesus. The author shares how it was revealed to her
how much Satan fears Jesus' Blood. This Bible Study will help you overcome and destroy the works of Satan in your life and the lives of loved
ones #000303 • Spanish #000303SP • Chinese #000303CH • French #000303FR • Italian #000303IT • Polish #000303P0 •
Russian #000303RU

THE POWER OF PRAISE— Gwen Shaw. When God created the heavens and earth He was surrounded by praise. Miracles happen when holy
people praise a Holy God! Praise is the language of creation. If prayer can move the hand of God, how much more can praise move Him!.
#000312

YE SHALL RECEIVE POWER FROM ON HIGH Gwen Shaw. This is a much needed foundational teaching on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It
will enable you to teach this subject, as well as to understand these truths more fully yourself #000310 • Spanish #000310SP • Chinese
#000310CH

YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH GOD— Gwen Shaw. A Bible Study on fasting. Fasting is one of the most neglected sources of power over
bondages of Satan that God has given the Church. The author's experiences are shared in this Bible Study in a way that will change your
life...... #000302 • Spanish #000302SP •Chinese #000302CH • French #000302FR • German #000302GE • Italian #000302IT
• Japanese #000302JA • Russian #000302RU

Pocket Sermon Booklets

THE ANOINTING BREAKS THE YOKE —Gwen Shaw. Learn how the anointing of God can set you free from your bondage— free to fulfill
your destiny in the call of God on your life! #000710 ....• Spanish #000710SP

BEHOLD, THIS DREAMER COMETH — Gwen Shaw. Dreams and dreamers are God's gift to humanity to bring His purposes into the hearts
of mankind. This message of the life of Joseph, the dreamer, will encourage you to believe God to fulfill the dream He has put into your heart
#000707 • Spanish #000707SP
5
BORN FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS — Gwen Shaw. God is getting His army ready for the greatest battle ever— an army of volunteers; a
people totally dedicated, totally surrendered, totally abandoned to the Lord, chosen by the works of God that have already been wrought
in their lives #000720

BREAKTHROUGH — Gwen Shaw. If you need a "breakthrough" in your life, this book reveals the truth in a fresh and living way!
#000708

THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD — Gwen Shaw. This seasoned General in God's army, challenges the next generation to take up
the torch and "do or die” in following the call of God. You will be challenged to give up all for the cause of Christ #000719

THE CHURCH OF THE OPEN ARMS — Gwen Shaw. Sister Gwen had a life-changing dream that has given her a fresh vision for the lost
and for loving the unlovely. It is time to answer the call to be "The Church of the Open Arms.” #000713

THE CRUCIFIED LIFE— Gwen Shaw. When you suffer, knowing the cause is not your own sin, having searched your heart; then you must
accept that it is God doing a new thing in your life. Let joy rise up within you because you are a partaker of Christ's suffering . #000701

DON’T STRIKE THE ROCK! — Gwen Shaw. Moses first struck the Rock in obedience. When he became angry with the rebellion of the
people and disobeyed God's new order to speak to the Rock, it cost him his entrance into the Promised Land. Don't allow anything to keep you
from fulfilling God's perfect will for your life! #000704 • French #000704FR

FROM PEAK TO PEAK — Gwen Shaw. Mountains are the challenges that God puts in our lives and the peaks are places of destiny
that God lays before us. Press in to God to find the courage that only He gives to take you from peak to peak to fulfill His destiny for you.
#000718

GOD W ILL DESTROY THE VEIL OF BLINDNESS “...as the veil o f the Temple was rent...I shall again rend the veil in two....for...the
Arab, so they shall know that I am God....” This is the word of the Lord concerning God's plan for the Moslem nations in the days to
come. #000712

HASTENING OUR REDEMPTION — Gwen Shaw. All of Heaven and Earth are waiting for the Body of Christ to rise up in maturity and reclaim
what we lost in the Fall of Man. Applying the Blood of Jesus is the key to Hastening Our Redemption #000705

IT CAN BE AVERTED — Gwen Shaw. Many people today are burdened and fearful over prophecies of doom and destruction. But the Bible is
clear that God prefers mercy over judgment when His people humble themselves and pray #000706 • Spanish #000706SP

IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE—After 911, everyone has agreed that "Things will never be the same!” But thank God! The Almighty is still on
the throne, and nothing can happen which He does not permit! #000714

KAIROS TIME — Gwen Shaw. That once in a lifetime golden opportunity is sovereignly given to us by the Almighty. What we do with it can
change our lives and possibly even change the world..........#000709 • Spanish #000709SP

KNOWING ONE ANOTHER IN THE SPIRIT— Gwen Shaw. Find great peace as you learn to understand the difficulties your friends, enemies
and loved ones face that help to form their character. "... henceforth know we no man after the flesh..” (II Cor. 5:16a) #000703
• French #000703FR

6
THE MASTER IS COME AND CALLETH FOR THEE — Gwen Shaw. How the Lord called Gwen Shaw to begin the ministry of the End-Time
Handmaidens and Servants. Is the Master also calling you into His service? Bring Him the fragments of your life — He will put them together
again. #000702 $2.00

THE MERCY SEAT— Gwen Shaw. The Days of Grace are coming to a close, and the Days of Mercy are now here. And oh, how we need
mercy! There never has been a time when we needed it more!........... #000711

TEACH THEM TO WEEP —Gwen Shaw. "My people don't know how to pray!” I answered, "How can I teach them to pray?” He said, "It's too
late to teach them to pray. But you can teach them to weep.” #000716

THAT WE MAY BE ONE — Gwen Shaw. Only one thing can unite the children of the Lord: the Glory of God. One of Jesus' last prayers was
that all of God's children might be one. His prayer still rings out across the ages and convicts us of our lack of unity! #000715

THROW THE HEAD OF SHEBA OVER THE WALL! — Gwen Shaw. David's enemy led an insurrection against him immediately
following Absalom's revolt. A great mother in Israel intervened to put a stop to the uprising and saved her city from destruction. Will you
take a stand? #000717

Children’s Books
LITTLE ONES TO HIM BELONG—Gwen Shaw. Based on the testimonies of children's visions of Heaven and the death of a small Chinese
boy, Sister Gwen weaves a delightful story of the precious joys of Heaven for children of all ages #000901

TELL ME THE STORIES OF JESUS— Gwen Shaw. Some of the greatest New Testament stories of the Life of Jesus, written in a way that will
interest children and help them to love Jesus.........#000902

Books A bout H eaven

INTRA MUROS (Within the Gates) unabridged — Rebecca Springer. One of the most beautiful books about Heaven. Read the glorious
account of this ordinary believer's visit to Heaven. Learn what paradise is like. #109101

PARADISE, THE HOLY CITY AND THE GLORY OF THE THRONE — Elwood Scott. Visited by a saint of God who spent forty days in
Heaven, Elwood Scott's detailed description will edify and comfort your heart. Especially good for those with lost loved ones. Look into Heaven.
#104201

Prophecies and Visions

THE DAY OF THE LORD IS NEAR: Vol. I - IV—Engeltal Press. "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his
servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7) A collection of prophecies, visions and dreams. This startling compilation will help you understand what God
has in His heart for the near future. Vol. I - IV with binder #001000
7
 More Books Published
by Engeltal Press
BANISHED FOR FAITH — Emil Waltner. The stirring story of the courageous forefathers of Gwen Shaw, the Hutterite Mennonites, who were
banished from their homeland and suffered great persecution for their faith. Index and epilogue by Gwen Shaw #126201

BECOMING A SERVANT — Robert Baldwin. Learn what is on God's heart about servanthood. We must learn to serve before we can be
trusted to lead. If you want to be great in God's Kingdom, learn to be the servant of all. #006901

FIVE STONES AND A SWORD — Gene Little. The true account of Jesus appearing to His lost Moslem children, and revealing Himself to
these sons of Abraham. Your heart will leap with joy, and you will be encouraged, with new faith, that God will send a great revival to them
#072501

FROM DUST TO GLORY— June Lewis. The Lord intends more than just salvation for us. He is making vessels of eternal Glory if we submit to
Him. Rise up from your dust! #072001

HOLY ANN — Helen Bingham. This humble Irish woman moved the arm of God through simple faith and prevailing prayer. Read these modern
miracles that are told like a story from the Old Testament. The record of a lifetime of answered prayer. #010501

IT WAS WORTH IT ALL — Elly Matz The story of a beautiful woman whose courage will inspire you. Feel her heart as she tells of her starving
father, the young Communist engineer she married, the villages mysteriously evacuated, the invading German army, the concentration camp
where she was a prisoner, and her escape into freedom. #078001

LET’S KEEP MOVING — Pete Snyder. Travel with Peter to Haiti where he struggles with the call of God to be a missionary. Identify with
Peter's growth of faith through trials and tribulations as he travels on to China where new adventures await and faithful endurance is needed. A
must for the called! #108801

RULING IN THEIR MIDST — June Lewis. The Lord has called us to rule even in the midst of all demonic activity and Satan's plans and
schemes. Sister June has learned spiritual warfare from the Lord Himself, "who teacheth my hands to war," in the face of personal tragedy.
#072002 • Spanish #072002SP

TAKE THE LID OFF — Sharon Buss. The autobiography of the End-Time Handmaiden who was raised up of God to stand in Gwen Shaw's
place when the Lord took her home #016100

VOYAGE TO DOOM — Arthur D. Morse. The true account of 930 Jews who boarded the S. S. St. Louis, believing they were bound for a safe
haven in Cuba, only to find out they had been deceived. This heart-wrenching story will reveal to you the blood that is on the hands of the
nations who refused to accept "the least of these my brethren.” #083001

P r ic e s a r e s u b je c t t o c h a n g e .
F o r a c o m p le te c a ta lo g u e w i t h c u r r e n t p r i c i n g , c o n ta c t:

E n g e lta l P re s s
P .O . B o x 4 4 7 • J a s p e r , A R K 7 2 6 4 1 U .S . A .
T e le p h o n e ( 8 7 0 ) 4 4 6 - 2 6 6 5 • F a x ( 8 7 0 ) 4 4 6 - 2 2 5 9
E m a i l b o o k s @ e th - s .o r g
W e b s ite w w w .e n g e lta lp re s s .c o m