I.
Introduction
-- turn in Bibles
to 1 Chronicles 12:32
from Issachar, men who understood
the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives
under their command;
-- we recently hired a new biologist
at work, and I have been going out with her some to help her learn her way
around the installation -- she is a herpetologist by training -- someone who
studies reptiles and amphibians -- and I am not a specialist in any one area,
although I did focus on wildlife diseases when I was working on my Master’s
Degree
-- but what I’ve found interesting
is the difference in our experiences in the same place -- for instance, I took
her out to show her the bald eagle nest we have on the installation -- and we
walked down the same trail together to the nest and then back to the truck --
when we got back, she started talking about the different frogs she heard --
the lizards and skinks she saw -- and the snake that crossed our path
-- I didn’t see any of that -- what
I did see were the birds that were flitting in the trees around us -- and I
heard the birds calling and singing -- and I made a mental note of the ten
different species that we encountered during our trip to the nest and back --
she didn’t see or hear any of the birds
-- two people in the exact same
place, walking the same trail at the same time, and each of us saw and
experienced something different
-- thinking about it reminded me of
the Rorshach Test -- better known as the inkblot test -- the psychological test
that a lot of people are given at some point in their lives -- people are shown
a picture of an inkblot and then asked what they see -- their answers reveal
insights into their personality characteristics and their emotional functioning
-- it’s amazing how different people
can look at the exact same image and see something entirely different
-- this morning, I want to talk
about seeing what is really there -- about learning go through life recognizing
God’s presence and seeing His hand moving around you so that you will be able
to join Him in His work
-- our text this morning is just one
verse, but it is a verse of great depth that is really meaningful to us today
-- if you would, let’s read 1
Chronicles 12:32 together again
from
Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200
chiefs, with all their relatives under their command
II. The Men of Issachar
-- let me give you the context of
this passage, because this is important in understanding what is going on in
this verse
-- during the time of the prophet
Samuel, the nation of Israel cried out for a king -- previously, they had been
led by judges or prophets who gave them direction from God -- but the people of
Israel looked around at all the other nations and saw that they had kings --
and they wanted one for themselves
-- so, God gave them over to their
desires, and had Samuel anoint Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, to be their
king -- Saul looked like a king should look -- tall, strong, handsome --
unfortunately, he just wasn’t a good leader and he wasn’t a godly man -- he
disobeyed God -- he did things his own way -- so, God sent Samuel to anoint another
man as king -- the shepherd boy David -- a man after God’s own heart
-- although God anointed David as
king, Saul continued to rule in Israel -- David was his son-in-law, and
conflict broke out between them and David fled from Saul’s presence -- Saul
continually hunted David, seeking to kill him -- during these years of conflict
with Saul, people started to follow David -- and he was appointed king over a
portion of the 12 tribes, ruling in the town of Hebron -- but David had not yet
been appointed king over all the nation -- rather than trying to take things
into his own hand, he bided his time -- waiting for the Lord hand and for the
time when God would lead him to take the throne of Israel once and for all
-- while Saul continued to rule
Israel, the nation was at constant war with the Philistines -- and right before
this passage in 1 Chronicles 12, we read that Saul and his sons were killed in
battle -- the nation was without a king and was at a crisis point -- would they
appoint Saul’s grandson as king in his stead? -- would they appoint one of the
other military leaders? -- or would they turn to David?
-- the warriors recognized David’s
military prowess, and began coming to him at Hebron to serve him there -- and,
over time, more and more came -- beginning in 1 Chronicles 12:23, we see a list
of the men from the various tribes who came to pledge loyalty to David -- the
men of Judah -- the men of Simeon -- the men of Levi -- all the way down to 1
Chronicles 12:32, our verse for today, where we read about the men of Issachar
-- Issachar was Jacob’s ninth son --
the fifth son born to Jacob and Lea -- so, Issachar and the tribe that came
from his lineage -- were not the leaders of Israel -- they were a lesser tribe
-- lower down in authority and strength because of their position
-- when Moses brought the nation of
Israel to the Jordan River and was getting them ready to cross over the river
under Joshua’s leadership, Moses called out each tribe -- describing their
character and their nature and talking about the land they would inherit
-- in Genesis 49:14-15, Moses said “Issachar
is a rawboned donkey lying down between two saddlebags. When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and
submit to forced labor”
-- this description of the men of
Issachar reflected their work effort -- their physical strength -- their willingness
to do what needed to be done
-- Moses said they would submit to
forced labor -- in other words, they would be servants, not leaders -- the text
implies that they were called to serve the Lord wherever He led -- and their
history as a tribe bears that out -- throughout the ages, the men of Issachar recognized
what God was doing in their midst -- they knew His will for them and for the
nation of Israel -- and bent their shoulders to do what God was calling them to
do
-- they were known for their wisdom
-- as James Emery White pointed out, “it was even noted in the Talmud that the
wisest members of the Sanhedrin came from the men of Issachar”
-- which explains why we are given
this extra information here in 1 Chronicles 12:32 about the tribe of Issachar
when they came to present themselves to David at Hebron -- “the men of
Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do”
-- I want to unpack that verse a
little right now and see what it meant in light of the tribe of Israel and what
it means for us
III. Understanding the Times and Knowing What to
Do
-- the first thing we see there is
that the men of Issachar “understood the times” -- other translations have this
as they “knew the signs of the times”
-- what does it mean to “understand
the times?”
-- as we have said before, we live
in an information age -- we have more information available to us than at any
time in history -- we have more information in our smartphones than the NASA
scientists had available to them when they put a man on the moon
-- I read a stat this week that said
that in the year 2015 alone, we produced as much information as had been
created from all of history up to that point -- we are a people bombarded with
news and information on a constant basis -- 24/7
-- when I was a kid, I remember
always having to watch the local news at 6:00 pm -- that’s just what we did -- Daddy
would wait all day for the news to come on so he could see what was happening
in south Georgia and so he could see what the weather was going to be for the
rest of the week -- his day revolved around making sure that he was at home on
time to see the news
-- now we have 24 hours news on
stations like CNN and Fox and 24-hour weather on The Weather Channel -- we
don’t have to wait to get news or weather any longer -- it just comes at us all
the time -- we just have to turn to that channel -- and, if that wasn’t enough,
while the announcer is telling us the news about one story, we see all the
headlines of the day scrolling right below him
-- but what do we do with this
information? -- our verse tells us the men of Issachar saw the news -- they saw
everything that was going on -- they received all this information, and they
understood the signs of the times -- that means that they not only knew what
was going on, but they knew what it meant
-- when we watch the news -- when we
receive information like this -- we need to learn to spend time with it, asking
the question, “what does this mean? -- what does this mean to me? -- what is
God doing in this story?
-- when we watch the news or read
the internet or do whatever it is we do to get information, we have to keep in
mind that although we are living in this physical world, there is always a
spiritual component behind the scenes -- that’s why Paul said in Ephesians 6:12,
“for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and
the authorities, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”
-- there is always an unseen spiritual component behind every physical act
-- that means we need to learn to
see the spiritual behind the physical -- we need to seek to understand what is
happening from God’s perspective in order to really understand and know the
signs of the times
-- I like what Zig Ziglar used to
say -- every morning he would get up and read the newspaper and then he’d read
his Bible, because he wanted to know what each side was up to
-- that’s what we are talking about
-- that’s what the men of Issachar were doing -- they read the signs of the
times -- they understood them and knew what they meant -- and looking at the
signs going on around them, they saw the hand of God moving
-- when we watch the news -- when we
read stuff on the internet -- we need to ask ourselves, “what does this mean?
-- what is God doing at this moment in time? -- How is God moving in our world
today to shape us and form us and mold us into who He wants us to be?”
-- the first thing we should seek to
do is to understand the signs of the times -- what is God doing in our midst?
2. Knew what Israel should do
-- the second thing we see here in
this verse -- the men of Issachar knew what Israel should do
-- when the men of Issachar saw
God’s hand moving in David’s life -- when they saw that God had allowed Saul
and his sons to die on the battlefield -- they remembered Samuel’s prophecy and
anointing of David as the chosen one of Israel
-- they realized God’s hand was with
David and they knew it was time for Israel to fulfill the prophecy and to do
the will of God
-- “they had a sense of what to
think, how to act and the manner in which to respond -- the role their lives
had in light of the moment in which they lived”
-- they knew it was time for Israel
to appoint a new king -- so, they came to David at Hebron to pledge their
loyalty to him
-- that’s not the first time the men
of Issachar understood the signs of the times and knew what needed to be done
-- in the time of the Judges, the nation of Israel was leaderless -- it was
under attack from other nations -- their spiritual life was waning -- they
needed a strong leader to rise up and restore the nation under God and to lead
them into battle -- and, so, they raised up Deborah from their tribe to lead
the nation and defeat their enemies on the battlefield
-- it’s not enough to understand the
signs of the times -- once we know what is going on, we must know what needs to
be done -- in other words, once we recognize what God is doing in our midst,
what should we do?
-- I think Henry Blackaby put it
best in his Bible study, Experiencing God -- when we see where God is working, then we should go and
join Him
-- how do we do this? -- how do we know
what to do?
-- remember, we are God’s people --
we are no longer part of this world -- we live in this world, but we are not a
part of it -- we are part of God’s kingdom, and we must look to Him for wisdom
in knowing what to do
-- our primary resource is always
God’s word -- we must start with the Bible -- even though the Bible may not
speak exactly to the situation on today’s headline, it does speak of responding
to similar situations
-- through the Scriptures and
through prayer, we learn how a godly person should act -- as we read the
Scriptures -- as we pray for guidance and direction -- the Holy Spirit guides
our steps -- He reveals the truth of situations -- He shows us what to do -- He
gives us principles and precepts by which to live -- He shows us how to respond,
leading us to the path we should follow so we can join God in what He is doing
in this place
-- I remember one time that my
mother was struggling with the question of what to do -- someone had asked her
to do something, and she didn’t know if she should do it or not -- she wrestled
with it for a long time -- and so she brought it up at Bible study one night
-- she said that she had prayed
about it and that she had read a passage in the Scriptures that seemed to tell
her that she should get up and do what they were asking her to do, but she
still wasn’t sure
-- we looked at the passage with her
and all of us at the table said, “it sounds like you should do this” -- but she
still wavered - she still wasn’t sure -- “I just don’t know what God wants me
to do”
-- we tried to get her to see God’s
direction from the Bible -- finally, I said is God going to have to call you
and tell you to do it? -- and, believe it or not, her phone range -- and it was
the person who needed her help, asking her again to do it -- you can’t get more
clear than that -- at that point, she knew what she should do, just like the men
of Issachar knew here in this passage
-- once you understand the signs of
the times, you have to know what to do
3. Took action
-- but there’s one more step in the
process -- once you understand the signs of the times -- once you know what
needs to be done -- you have to get up and you have to take action
-- right now, there are thousands of
unwritten novels in this country -- right now, there are unfinished projects in
every home -- right now, there are people who are saying, “I know I need to do
this, but…” -- and nothing gets done
-- you have to take action once you
know what needs to be done
-- we see that right here in this
verse -- once the men of Issachar understood the signs of the times and knew
what Israel should do, they got up and went to Hebron and pledged their loyalty
to David as king over all Israel
-- definition of wisdom is knowing
what to do with the facts -- knowing what to do with knowledge
-- but the definition of a mature
Christian is someone who applies wisdom through action
-- it’s not enough to just know what
needs to be done -- or even to make plans for doing it -- none of it counts for
anything until you actually take action
-- Think of a football game -- the
offense gathers everybody together in the huddle -- they understand what is
going on -- they know what needs to be done -- they know what play needs to be called
for them to make it to the goal line -- but huddling up is not enough
-- you aren’t recognized for how
good you huddle -- you aren’t recognized for how good your plan is or for your
good intentions -- you’re recognized for what happens after you break the
huddle and the ball is snapped -- it’s only when you get into the game, that
anything happens
IV. Closing
-- so, let’s bring this to a close
-- we live in an unprecedented time
in history -- never before has anyone gone through what we are going through
right now with the pandemic and the injustice and the racial issues and the
threat of terrorism and war and the moral issues in our country and in our
churches -- people have been through similar issues in the past, but never all
at the same time and never compressed into such a short time period as this
-- future generations are going to
look at this -- they’re going to study this time -- they’re going to talk about
all the things that have happened -- and they’re going to ask the question, “so,
what did the people in that time do? -- what should the people in that time
have done?”
-- that’s the question that is
before us today
-- the first thing we must do is to
seek to understand the signs of the times -- to look past the headlines and to see
God’s hand and what He is doing -- we have to open spiritual eyes and seek
God’s presence in the midst of what is going on
-- secondly, we have to know what we
should do -- we have to search out our Scriptures and pray and talk with other
mature Christians to learn what God would have us do -- what does He want us to
do at this moment in history? -- what is He calling us to do?
-- the Bible promises us that if we
seek God, we will find Him -- He will never leave us or forsake us -- so, if we
turn to Him in this time, asking for His guidance and direction, He will show
us
-- and then we must move -- we must
act -- we must break our huddle and get outside the walls of this church and
join God and make a difference in this world in this moment of time
-- there’s a famous illustration
that is used in the Walk to Emmaus that you have probably heard before --
either from there or from another source -- there is a church in Europe that
had a statue of Jesus in front of it during World War II -- during the bombing
and the fighting in Europe in that time, the statue was damaged, and the hands
of Christ were broken off
-- someone gathered those hands and
put them at the feet of the statue, along with a sign that said, “Christ now
has no hands but yours”
-- we must be the hands and feet of
Jesus in this time -- He is not calling us to fear and paralysis, but to action
in His name -- He’s calling us to witness -- to disciple -- to minister to the physical
and spiritual needs of those around us -- to save the people of this world by
leading them to His kingdom
-- the men of Issachar understood
the times and knew what Israel should do, and then they did it
-- may we understand the times in
which we live and know what the Church should do -- and then, may we have the
grace and the strength to do it
-- let us pray
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