It’s About Time

1 Chronicles 12:32 NKJV

32 of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;

Luke 12:54–56 NKJV

54 Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. 55 And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. 56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

Romans 13:11–14 NKJV

11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Who were the sons of Issachar?

Issachar was the 9th son of Jacob.

Issachar’s mother was Leah.

After she gave birth to her fourth son, Judah, Leah stopped having children and was presumed to be barren (Genesis 29:35).

One day her oldest son, Reuben, came across mandrakes in the field.

In folk medicine, these flowering herbs were thought to enhance a woman’s fertility.

Reuben picked the mandrakes and brought them to his mother.

Leah and her younger sister, Rachel, argued over the mandrakes, but finally came to an agreement.

Leah would give Rachel some of the mandrakes as a reward or payment for allowing Leah to sleep with their husband, Jacob.

That night, Leah became pregnant and later gave Jacob her fifth (and his ninth) son, Issachar (Genesis 30:14–18).

Genesis 30:14–18 NKJV

14 Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” And Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night. 17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.

1) Children of Issachar discerned the movement of the Spirit and followed.

In 1 Chronicles 12, we see them recognizing that the Anointing of God had shifted away from Saul and was now upon David.

You must understand that this was treason.

Before the days of the Kings, Israel was led by judges whom God raised up to the lead that people Spiritually, politically, and even militarily. They had a prophetic mantle and would hear from God to direct the nation.

In Judges 5, God raised up a female Judge: Deborah. Women had rights in Israel, but is was an unusual thing in that day for a woman to be the leader of the nation. Yet God raised her up and anointed her.

The tribe of Issachar recognized this anointing and followed her leadership to the point of putting their lives on the line in battle. Even as others stayed home and refused to follow.

Judges 5:15 NKJV

15 And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As Issachar, so was Barak Sent into the valley under his command; Among the divisions of Reuben There were great resolves of heart.

Judges 5:16–18 NKJV

16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the pipings for the flocks? The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart. 17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan, And why did Dan remain on ships? Asher continued at the seashore, And stayed by his inlets. 18 Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death, Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.

And God gave them victory over the enemies of God’s people.

They were willing to go against the grain of the culture to remain in step with the Spirit.

2) Children of Issachar were committed students of the Word

Deuteronomy 33:18 NKJV

18 And of Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, And Issachar in your tents!

From Chabad.org: “In Moses’ end-of-life blessing to the tribes of Yissachar (Issachar) and Zevulun (Zebulun), he says: “Rejoice, Zevulun, in your departure, and Yissachar, in your tents.”1 Rashi explains this verse (based on the Midrash2): “Zevulun and Yissachar entered into a partnership. Zevulun would dwell at the seashore and go out in ships, to trade and make profit. He would thereby provide food for Yissachar, who would, in turn, sit and occupy themselves with the study of Torah.”

“Rashi continues: “Consequently, Moses mentioned Zevulun before Yissachar [even though the latter was the elder of the two], because Yissachar’s Torah came through [the provisions provided by] Zevulun.”3

“The Midrash concludes with the statement: “This is the meaning of the verse,4 ‘[The Torah] is a tree of life to those that support it.’” That is, the Torah not only gives life to those who study it, but also to those who support those who study it.5”

From ChurchandCulture.org: But what is most evident is that by the time of David, then numbering nearly 90,000, they were known supremely for their wisdom. It was even noted in the Talmud that the wisest members of the Sanhedrin came from the men of Issachar.

3) Children of Issachar were united.

1 Chronicles 12:32 ESV

32 Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.

As the People of God, we cannot not achieve Discernment, Wisdom, and Unity without a commitment to the Word of God.

What is the Spirit saying to us in this time?

What did Jesus have to say about discerning the time?

Luke 12:54–56 NKJV

54 Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. 55 And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. 56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

1) It is time to shift our focus from natural understanding to Spiritual understanding.

Why did Jesus rebuke them? Mostly because they were so steeped in their culture and religious tradition, that they missed what was right in front of them. The messiah they read about in the synagogue all their lives was with them, and yet they could not discern the times. They could discern natural things with precision and accuracy, but they missed the spiritual shift that was right in front of their noses. - Bob Oliver nccop.org

2) It is time to shift our focus back to the primacy of the Word of God.

pri·ma·cy [ˈprīməsē] NOUN

the fact of being primary, preeminent, or more important:

Opinions, traditions, secular wisdom, and cultural norms MUST be subordinate to the Word of God.

3) It is time to shift our from me-centered theology to back to Christ-centered theology.

Who were the Romans?

The apostle Paul wrote to the Romans from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57, just three years after the 16-year-old Nero had ascended to the throne as Emperor of Rome. The political situation in the capital had not yet deteriorated for the Roman Christians, as Nero wouldn’t begin his persecution of them until he made them scapegoats after the great Roman fire in AD 64. Therefore, Paul wrote to a church that was experiencing a time of relative peace, but a church that he felt needed a strong dose of basic gospel doctrine.

Writing from Corinth, Paul likely encountered a diverse array of people and practices—from gruff sailors and meticulous tradesmen to wealthy idolaters and enslaved Christians. The prominent Greek city was also a hotbed of sexual immorality and idol worship. So when Paul wrote in Romans about the sinfulness of humanity or the power of God’s grace to miraculously and completely change lives, he knew that of which he spoke. It was played out before his eyes every day. - Chuck Swidoll, insight.org

The theme of the book of Romans is:

Romans 1:16–17 NKJV

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

The letter to the Romans stands as the clearest and most systematic presentation of Christian doctrine in all the Scriptures. Paul began by discussing that which is most easily observable in the world—the sinfulness of all humanity. All people have been condemned due to our rebellion against God. However, God in His grace offers us justification by faith in His Son, Jesus. When we are justified by God, we receive redemption, or salvation, because Christ’s blood covers our sin. But Paul made it clear that the believer’s pursuit of God doesn’t stop with salvation; it continues as each of us is sanctified—made holy—as we persist in following Him. Paul’s treatment of these issues offers a logical and complete presentation of how a person can be saved from the penalty and power of his or her sin. - Chuck Swidoll, insight.org

Romans 13:11–14 (NKJV)

11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.

14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

My testimony when I was planning my future (due to Godly parents and anointed pastors and leaders):

What does God want from my life? My plans had to be secondary to that.