READING HEAVEN’S CLOCK
TEXT
(1 Chronicles 12:32)
“And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command.”
PROLOGUE:
When the World Is Changing and No One Knows What To Do
WE NEED … “MEN WHO UNDERSTAND THE TIMES”
The year was dark and uncertain. Saul’s kingdom had collapsed under the weight of his pride. Civil war loomed. The people were divided between nostalgia for what used to be and confusion about what should come next.
In that chaos, men from every tribe came to David at Hebron — soldiers, commanders, leaders. They brought numbers, weapons, and zeal. But one small tribe brought something else — something far rarer than strength: understanding.
They were the sons of Issachar.
They didn’t just know what time it was on the clock — they knew what season it was in God’s plan.
And because they understood the times, the nation knew what to do.
I.) THE GIFT OF SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT
The Hebrew word for “understanding” (biynah) means insight, perception, the ability to distinguish between appearances and reality.
Everyone could feel that things were changing — but Issachar could interpret what that meant.
They had what Jesus later called “eyes to see and ears to hear.”
They were not prophets who announced judgment — they were interpreters who recognized the shift before it happened.
They didn’t just read the headlines — they read heaven’s handwriting.
“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” — Proverbs 22:3
A.) MODERN PARALLEL
We are again in such a moment.
Truth and lies travel at the same speed.
Technology has connected the world but disconnected the soul.
Morality is called “hate,” sin is called “progress,” and the line between freedom and chaos has almost disappeared.
The world feels the turbulence — but few understand it.
We have information without wisdom, data without direction, passion without purpose.
We have thousands of tribes — but very few Issachars.
B.) EXAMPLE
In 1962, the Supreme Court removed official prayer from public schools. In 1973, Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationwide. In 2015, marriage was redefined. Each generation saw the shift — but FEW UNDERSTOOD ITS MEANING UNTIL THE FRUIT APPEARED DECADES LATER.
The Sons of Issachar would have warned: “You cannot pull up moral roots and expect the tree to live.”
II.) THE COST OF DISCERNMENT: STANDING AGAINST THE CROWD
Issachar didn’t follow the crowd; they guided it.
They weren’t swept up in Saul’s charisma or David’s popularity — they watched for God’s hand.
Discernment is lonely work.
When you see clearly in a foggy world, people will call you arrogant or old-fashioned. But spiritual clarity has always been mistaken for rebellion.
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.” — Isaiah 5:20
That verse could be America’s obituary if she does not repent.
A.W. Tozer said— “A frightened world needs a fearless church.”
Issachar wasn’t afraid of the times; they understood them.
That’s the difference between a church that survives history and one that shapes it.
A.) THE COMPASS AND THE CLOCK
The clock tells you how much time you have.
The compass tells you which direction you’re headed.
America has perfected the clock — but lost the compass.
We move faster than ever — but we no longer know where we’re going.
Issachar would say: “Stop checking your watch. Start checking your direction.”
III.) AMERICA’S DESPERATE NEED FOR ISSACHARS
The sons of Issachar were few — only 200 — but all their brethren followed their lead.
They weren’t the majority, but they were the moral compass of the nation.
God doesn’t need millions to change history — He needs clarity in a few.
When the church loses discernment, it loses her voice.
We preach comfort when God calls for repentance.
We chase relevance while the world bleeds to death.
We have more preachers than prophets, more celebrities than shepherds.
We know how to draw crowds, but not how to read the clouds.
“You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” — Matthew 16:3
Jesus’ words to the Pharisees still echo in our generation.
A.) THE WEATHER CHANNEL GENERATION
We can predict the weather three days in advance, but we can’t predict the consequences of three decades of moral compromise.
We track hurricanes but ignore moral tsunamis.
We are meteorologists of matter — but amateurs of meaning.
The Sons of Issachar remind us: Understanding the times isn’t about seeing what’s happening — it’s about knowing why it’s happening.
IV.) WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “KNOW WHAT ISRAEL OUGHT TO DO”?
They didn’t just diagnose — they acted.
Discernment without obedience is paralysis.
Issachar’s wisdom led Israel to unite under David’s kingship — the man after God’s own heart.
In our context: when discernment sees decay, obedience must seek revival.
Understanding the times should lead us to:
• Repent, not retreat.
• Engage, not escape.
• Pray, not panic.
• Lead, not linger.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” — 2 Chronicles 7:14
V.) THE MARKS OF A MODERN ISSACHAR
How do we become like them?
1. Be grounded in the Word.
Discernment grows from Scripture, not speculation.
If you don’t know what God has said, you can’t tell when culture contradicts it.
2. Be sensitive to the Spirit.
Issachar was a tribe of worshippers (Numbers 2:5). They camped near Judah — praise prepared them for perception.
3. Be courageous in conviction.
It’s not enough to understand the times. You must stand within them — without compromise.
Leonard Ravenhill said: “The world out there is not waiting for a new definition of Christianity, it’s waiting for a new demonstration of it.”
VI.) CAN YOU READ THE CLOCK OF HEAVEN?
The moral clock is ticking.
The times are shifting faster than ever.
But understanding the times begins not with looking around, but with looking within.
Can you tell what time it is in your own soul?
Is it harvest time — or winter?
Are you awake — or spiritually asleep?
“Now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” — Romans 13:11
EPILOGUE: BE THE FEW WHO SEE CLEARLY
America doesn’t need more noise — she needs more Issachars.
Men and women who can:
• discern evil dressed as enlightenment,
• see deception wrapped in progress,
• and stand steady when the crowd shifts.
The future will not belong to the clever — it will belong to the discerning.
And discernment always begins in humility before God.
“The sons of Issachar had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.”
Lord, make us Issachars again.
Not alarmists — but awake.
Not fearful — but faithful.
Not watchers of culture — but witnesses of Christ.
For if we can discern the times,
then maybe — just maybe —
God will yet heal our land.
