The Twelve Tribes of Israel (Part 2) Northern, Dan, Naphtali and Asher
“And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together,
that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.” (Genesis 49:1)
Intro: Last Sunday we started a sermon series titled “The Twelve Tribes of Israel
We talked about The Tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad…,
As we continue our look backward…, on the twelve tribes…
we will have a better understanding of God’s plan for the church as it developed over the ages.
The more we understand the plans of God and the people of God in the bible…
the better we understand how God deals with the world around us today.
There is a richness and value to learning where the church came from…,
It is like finding an old family bible…, that has all the births…, and marriages…,
and searching out the family tree…
Plus we learn life lessons…, that are like illustration of life…,
similar to the teachings of the parables that Jesus taught from…
So there are lots of reasons to study and learn about the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation…
This is what we call the Old Testament covenant
Through Abraham’s son Isaac
And Isaac’s son Jacob…
Remember God changed Jacob’s name to Israel…
God chose Israel the people to be the people of God
And in return…, those who honor the covenant become the people of God in return…
This is the Old Testament covenant law.
And so Israel…, Jacob is dying…, and on his death bed,
he calls each of children…
One by one and announces blessing and curses, judgments and promises about their destiny…
Today we are going to talk about the tribes of Dan, Naphtali and Asher
Let review all the names of the Twelve tribes…
1. Reuben Leah
2. Simeon Leah
3. Levi Leah
4. Judah Leah
5. Dan Bilhah
6. Naphtali Bilhah
7. Gad Zilpah
8. Asher Zilpah
9. Issachar Leah
10. Zebulon Leah
11. Joseph Rachel (Manasseh, Ephraim)
12. Benjamin Rachel
I. Tribe of Dan
"Dan will govern his people like any other tribe in Israel.
"He will be a snake beside the road, a poisonous viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels so the rider is thrown off." Genesis 49:16-17 (NLT)
Remember Jacob is married to Leah
He was tricked into marrying Leah for he really loves Rachel
But Rachel is barren and has no children
After Leah has four son’s for Jacob…
Rachel who is barren…, gives her maid Bilhah to Jacob to bear children…
Dan was the fifth son of Jacob and the first of the two sons by Rachel’s maid Bilhah.
Dan and Naphtali are full-blooded brothers and are often mentioned together.
What Jacob tells will happen to the tribe of Dan…, is best described in the book of Judges chapter 18.
It is the story of what happens to God’s people when they lose sight of their God
and mix worldly ideas with substitute manmade idols of worship.
They develop a worship that is only a form of godliness without the true Lord God
Judges 18 verse 1 says, "Now in those days Israel had no king.
And the tribe of Dan was trying to find a place to settle,
for they had not yet driven out the people who lived in the land assigned to them." (NLT)
So the men of Dan chose five warriors to spy or scout out a land for them to settle in.
What the five scouts find: is a man made shrine…, with a young man from the of Tribe of Levi
But instead of worshipping the Lord God…,
This Levite is serving in this shrine to an idol god.
Now, let’s get this…
We haven’t yet talked about the Tribe of Levi
But the Levites are called to the place of honor to serve as the priest of God for the people of Israel…
Now get this…
Here is a priest of the people of Israel…
But instead of serving the Lord God…
He is serving in this man made shrine to an idol god.
Alarms should be going off in the heads of the men of the Tribe of Dan…
There should be flashing lights that say… something is wrong here…
They should know that his is a false priest…
They should reject this manmade idol worship
But instead they ask him…,
They ask this priest serving the idol…,
What does the Lord God tell you about our journey? Will it be successful or not?
Do you understand what is going on here? Say amen?
And this false priest says…
Judges 18:6 "Go in peace, for the LORD (not the idol) but the Lord will go ahead of you on your journey."
So this priest of this house of idol gods…, blesses them in the name of the Lord God…
To make a long story short…
These five spies for the Tribe of Dan
They come back to where the young Levite lived,
Along with six hundred warriors from the tribe of Dan
And they entered the shrine
They take the graven idol images,
They take the ephod or sacred priestly garments
They take the household idols,
and the cast or the mold you would use to make the idol.
And they say to the young man…
Why don’t you come and be the priest to the entire tribe of Dan…
Judges 18:19 "Be a father and priest to all of us. Isn’t it better to be a priest for an entire tribe of Israel than just for the household of one man?"
And the young priest was quite happy to go along with them,
So the army of Dan…, along with the idols and blessings of the priest who was serving this idol
defeat the local inhabitants… The tribe of Dan rebuilds the town and they set up a tabernacle of the Lord God…
Judges 18:30 Then they set up the carved graven idol image,
And get this…, they appointed Jonathan son of Gershom, a descendant of Moses, as their priest. This family continued as priests for the tribe of Dan until the great Exile.
So this idol image was worshiped by the tribe of Dan at the Tabernacle of the Lord God.
This may be one reason why the Tribe of Dan is not listed
in Revelations chapter 7 alongside the tribes that receive the seal of the Lord God.
(Note: If you are really “brave” and want to study more about The Tribe of Dan,
you may also want to look for the word antichrist in connection to the Tribe of Dan,
but that is a sermon for another time and place.)
Learn this Lesson: We do not face a temple of false gods like the Israelites did,
we face pressures of false values--materialism, love of leisure, sensuality, worship of self, false security, and many others.
The second commandment deals with idols.
This may be something that most of us can not relate to
--unless we include daily activities that revolve around something other than God Himself.
What is the object of our love and affections?
Where is the bulk of our efforts and energies?
What gets the most of our time and attention?
Give God what is right NOT what is left.
One of the new “APPS” that you can get for your new I phone or desktop
Is called the “Percent of Day” app.
Simply put you can set a timer that records and displays in a pie chart format
How you spent your time during the day.
So you can see…, what percentage of the day you spent working, eating, on break, driving,
I wander what percentage of the day does God get?
God wants your attention…, not just at the end of the day when you are worn out, burnt out, give out…
God wants our very best…
That means we have to be intentional about what we give back to God…
"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." Revelation 3:16 (KJV)
What do you think would happen if we were truly on fire for God?
I am committed to being present at church to worship God
I am loyal in my service and doing good deeds in the world I live.
I am faithful in my promise to pray and study and fellowship with other believers!
What if we were Jalapeno?
When you bite into a ripe Jalapeno it is hot…
No one describes a Jalapeno as lukewarm
You know you have pepper…
[Turn to the person beside you and say “I am Jalapeno for God!”]
The Tribe of Dan is often referred to as the missing or lost tribe
they never became the nation God wanted them to be…
because they substituted the worship of the idol things of the world as their god.
II. Naphtali
"Naphtali is a deer let loose, producing magnificent fawns." Genesis 49:21 (NLT)
Rachel and Leah were locked in a destructive contest.
In their race to win Jacob’s affection and give Jacob more sons as children…
They both gave Jacob their maids as surrogates… to bear children…
Genesis 30:7 Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son.
8 Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, "I have had an intense struggle with my sister, and I am winning!"
The name Naphtali conveys the idea of wrestling or struggle between Rachel and Leah.
Moses offered his blessing upon the tribe of Naphtali:
"O Naphtali, you are rich in favor and full of the Lord’s blessings; may you possess the west and the south." Deuteronomy 33:23 (NLT)
The tribe of Naphtali fulfill their prophecy through bravery in conquest and battles,
The deer-like swiftness of Naphtali is sung about in the Song of Deborah the prophetess and leader in Judges 5
The Warrior Barak was a descendant of Naphtali
“They followed Barak, rushing into the valley.”Judges 5:15
The beauty and majesty of Naphtali is written about in the history of the building of the Temple of Solomon. King Solomon found a man who was from the Tribe of Naphtali to do the art work at the Temple of God. The beauty of the brass work of the temple was magnificent.
Later, Isaiah the Prophet…, foretold that in the future…, the Messiah would come to Galilee
To the descendents of Naphtali…
Isaiah 9:1-2 “The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will soon be humbled,
but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles,
which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.
"The people who walk in darkness will see a great light
--a light that will shine on all who live in the land where death casts its shadow."
That prophecy of the Hope of the Messiah is fulfilled in Matthew 4:15-17
"In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River
-- in Galilee where so many Gentiles live--
Jesus began to preach, "Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near.""
In 1984 Martin Nystrom wrote a praise and worship song
(actually based on Psalm 42:1 but the deer is the symbol of the tribe of Naphtali)
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after Thee
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship Thee
As the life of a deer depends upon water, so our lives depend upon God.
Learn this Lesson: Those who seek God and long to understand Him find eternal life.
When you feel separated from God you want rest…, until you restore your relationship with God.
You alone are my strength my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my hearts desire
And I long to worship thee
In our gloom and despair we fear that out sorrow and troubles will never end.
But we can take comfort in this certainty…
Although the Lord may not always spare or shield us from all troubles…,
when we follow him wholeheartedly, He will lead us safely through them….
The Kingdom of Heaven is still near because it arrives in our heart.
Jesus creates within us the desire to turn away from sin
We must turn away from self-centeredness, and self control
And turn our lives over to Christ’s direction and Christ control.
As long as the Tribe of Naphtali was faithful to worship the Lord God,
He led them in battle,
But when they turned away from God
They were carried away into Exile and became one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.
They never became the great nation God wanted them to become…
III. Asher
"Asher will produce rich foods, food fit for kings." Genesis 49:20 (NLT)
Asher was the eighth Son of Jacob and the second son of Zilpah the maid of Leah.
Leah is “happy” that her maid has now produced a second son
and is now equal with the two sons Bilhah gave Jacob.
The name Asher means “happy.”
A descendent of the Tribe of Asher is found in Luke 2:36
"Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, and was very old. She was a widow, for her husband had died when they had been married only seven years."
Anna knew the blessings of God
and she knew the true happiness is found in God.
even though the outward circumstances may indicate something otherwise.
The apostle John would later record the words of Christ
as he spoke of what Anna surely experienced during her days.
“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” John 15:11
Do you have the joy Anna experienced and Jesus promised to those who trust in Him?
The Bible says Anna “was very old”.
She was probably at least 100 years of age.
Although Anna was advanced in years,
I don’t believe she was old.
I have spent a lot of time visiting Ed and Viola May at the hospital. Ed is 95 years old.
I visited Harvey Bartle, Harvey has a brother who is 95
When you talk to these people who are “advanced in age”
You might think that they have discovered the fountain of youth…
NOT because of the physical body…
But because of the grace they have through faith in Christ.
The Bible says, “How blessed is the man (or woman) who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3
Where is your delight today?
Anna “lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow”.
Anna had her trials and tribulations.
She knew the grief of losing a husband and the pain it brings to the heart.
Being a widow who was a widow indeed in Anna’s day was devastating.
She would not be able make a livelihood and would be dependent upon God’s people or remarriage to survive.
After seven years of marriage she was suddenly without her husband and any means of support.
Perhaps the Apostle Paul was thinking of her when he wrote: “Honor widows who are widows indeed…
Now she who is a widow indeed, and who has been left alone has fixed her hope on God,
and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day.” 1 Timothy 5:2 ,6
Why did Anna succeed under such difficult circumstances when so many others did not?
How did she become a prominent figure in the bible?
One reason is that ANNA LEARNED TO DAILY ABIDE IN CHRIST.
Verse 37 says, “She never left the temple.”
She never fell away or became faithless.
She kept trusting and obeying.
Learn this Lesson: The world will tempt you and try to lure you away from God.
The Church and Faith will keep you close to God.
Jesus Christ tells us in John 15:4 the secret Anna discovered: “Abide in Me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”
Are you abiding in Christ?
Back in the 50’s
there was a well known radio host/comedian/song writer in Hollywood named Russ Hamblin
Russ was known for his drinking…, womanizing…, partying.
Russ invited a young evangelist who was holding a tent revival to appear on his radio show.
presumably to poke fun at him.
But the words of the young evangelist stuck with Russ Hamblin
A couple of nights later he showed up drunk at the preacher’s hotel door around 2 am.
Demanding that the preacher pray for him.
But at first the preacher refused…,
About 3 hours later a more sober Russ
dropped to his knees and with tears in his eyes…, he cried out and received God.
Russ quit drinking, quit chasing, quit everything that was "worldly".
But that wasn’t the end of Russ’s struggle,
He lost his Radio show and his job as a comedian
he lost his boozing buddies and the Hollywood crowd.
One day a old friend named John took him aside and said,
you know all your troubles started when you "got religion" and asked if it was worth it all.
Russ answered simply,"Yes".
Then his friend said, "Don’t miss your old life style?"
And the answer was, "No".
Then he was asked, "How did you give it up so easily."
And Russ’s response was, "It’s no big secret. All things are possible with God."
Russ Hambin later wrote two Christian songs
The first was titled "This Old House"
The second was “It is no secret, what God can do.”
It really is no secret what God can do.
What he has done for Anna and Russ, he will do for you.
There something more valuable than the worldly…, that is found only in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Closing: Today we are faced with many false gods, false values, materialism, worldly pleasures…
But those who seek God and long to understand Him find eternal life.
The things of this world will try to tempt you and try to lure you away from God.
But lasting and true joy come through worship at Church and faith in Jesus
