Bird's-eye view
As Moses concludes his ministry, standing on the precipice of the Promised Land he will not enter, he pronounces these covenantal blessings upon the tribes of Israel. This is not fortune-telling; it is prophetic and decretal. Moses is speaking the future into existence under the authority of God. The blessings on Zebulun and Issachar are paired, revealing a foundational biblical principle: God's people are blessed in their distinct vocations, and these vocations are designed to work in tandem for a singular, glorious purpose. Zebulun is blessed in his "going forth," the entrepreneur, the merchant, the sailor. Issachar is blessed "in your tents," the scholar, the farmer, the one who cultivates the home sod. Together, their distinct economic and domestic callings culminate in a shared central mission: worship and evangelism. Their material prosperity is not an end in itself but is rather the fuel for calling the nations to the mountain of God to offer righteous sacrifices. This is a beautiful Old Covenant picture of the Great Commission, where the fruit of our earthly labors is consecrated to the greater task of extending the kingdom of God.
Outline
- 1. The Paired Blessing of Vocation (v. 18)
- a. Zebulun's Outward-Facing Joy (v. 18a)
- b. Issachar's Inward-Facing Joy (v. 18b)
- 2. The Central Purpose of Prosperity (v. 19)
- a. The Evangelistic Call to Worship (v. 19a)
- b. The Offering of Righteous Sacrifices (v. 19b)
- c. The Source of Gospel-Fueled Wealth (v. 19c)
Clause-by-Clause Commentary
Verse 18
Of Zebulun he said, “Be glad, Zebulun, in your going forth...
The blessing begins with a command to rejoice. This is not a suggestion; it is an impartation of gladness. Christian joy is not a matter of temperament but of obedience and gift. Zebulun's joy is tied to his vocation: "in your going forth." This refers to their maritime and mercantile calling. Jacob's prophecy in Genesis 49 located Zebulun by the sea, as a haven for ships (Gen. 49:13). This was their assignment. God blesses us in the place of our assigned obedience. Zebulun was to be the adventurous, risk-taking, seafaring tribe. Their work was out there, on the waves, in the ports, dealing with foreigners. And in this, they were to be glad. This is a sanctification of commerce, of business, of extending the borders of influence. God is not glorified by a retreat from the world of enterprise, but by a glad and faithful engagement with it.
And, Issachar, in your tents.
Issachar's blessing is the necessary counterpart to Zebulun's. His joy is to be found "in your tents." This is the blessing of stability, of study, of cultivation. While Zebulun goes out, Issachar remains. Genesis 49 describes Issachar as a "strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds," who "saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant" (Gen. 49:14-15). This is the tribe of scholars, farmers, and those who build the deep-rooted culture at home. The men of Issachar were later known as those "who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do" (1 Chron. 12:32). This kind of wisdom is not cultivated on the fly; it is grown in the quiet of the "tents." God's kingdom needs both the outgoing merchant and the settled scholar. The church requires both the evangelist who travels afar and the theologian who stays home to write the books. The health of the covenant community depends on this symbiotic relationship. One is not holier than the other; both are called to be glad in their assigned station.
Verse 19
They will call peoples to the mountain; There they will offer righteous sacrifices...
Here we see the glorious point of it all. The result of Zebulun's commerce and Issachar's scholarship is not simply a fat bank account or a well-stocked library. The end game is worship, and evangelistic worship at that. "They will call peoples", plural, nations, Gentiles, "to the mountain." The mountain is the place of worship, the place where God condescends to meet with man, which would be Zion. This is a stunning prefigurement of the Great Commission. The prosperity and wisdom granted to these tribes are not for hoarding but for leveraging. They are to use their international connections (Zebulun) and their deep understanding of God's law (Issachar) to invite the nations to come and worship the one true God. And what kind of worship is it? They offer "righteous sacrifices." This is not merely about getting the ritual right. A righteous sacrifice is one offered by a righteous person in faith. It is a sacrifice that flows from a life rightly ordered under God's law. Ultimately, all sacrifices are only righteous because they point to the one truly righteous sacrifice, the Lord Jesus Christ. Their work, then, is to bring the nations to the place where true atonement is found.
For they will draw out the abundance of the seas, And the hidden treasures of the sand.
This final clause provides the economic engine for the missionary enterprise. The language is vivid. They will "draw out" or "suck" the abundance of the seas. This is not passive wealth; it is actively pursued and extracted. It speaks of fishing, maritime trade, and all the bounty the sea can offer. The "hidden treasures of the sand" has been traditionally understood to refer to the raw materials for glass-making, for which that coastal region was known. The point is that God grants His people the ingenuity and opportunity to create wealth from the resources He has placed in the world. But notice the direction of the flow. This wealth is not for hedonistic indulgence. It is the provision that makes possible the calling of the nations and the offering of righteous sacrifices. The abundance of the seas is converted into the abundance of the sanctuary. The treasures of the sand are transmuted into the treasures of heaven. This is the pattern of all gospel-centered economics: our work in the world is meant to fuel the worship of the world.
Key Issues
- Gospel Vocation: The blessings on Zebulun and Issachar demonstrate that God consecrates all kinds of lawful work. Whether you are a global entrepreneur or a stay-at-home mother, your work is a holy calling, and you are commanded to be glad in it. The false dichotomy between "sacred" and "secular" work is obliterated here. All of life is to be lived coram Deo, before the face of God.
- Evangelistic Worship: The central task of the covenant people is to call the nations to worship. Our prosperity, our stability, our wisdom, and our work are all means to this one great end. Worship is not a retreat from the world but an invitation to the world. The mountain of God is to be a beacon for all peoples.
- Gospel Wealth: This passage provides a theology of wealth creation. God blesses His people with the ability to draw out the riches of creation. This is not the "prosperity gospel" which terminates on personal luxury. This is dominion theology, where our faithful stewardship of creation produces the resources necessary to advance the Kingdom of God and extend the knowledge of His glory to the ends of the earth.
Application
We must begin by recognizing that these tribal distinctions and blessings find their ultimate fulfillment in the Church, which is the Israel of God. The body of Christ is made up of both Zebulun types and Issachar types. We have those who are gifted for "going forth", entrepreneurs, missionaries, evangelists, public figures. And we have those gifted for the "tents", scholars, mothers, craftsmen, pastors who focus on the deep cultivation of the flock.
The application is straightforward. First, whatever your station, whatever your calling, rejoice in it. Be glad in your work. God has placed you there for a purpose. Don't despise your "going forth" or your "tents." Do your work with all your might, with skill and diligence, as unto the Lord. Second, see the partnership. The entrepreneur and the theologian need each other. The health of our churches depends on Zebulun funding the seminary where Issachar teaches. It depends on Issachar providing the deep theological grounding for the children that Zebulun's members are raising. Third, and most importantly, we must recover the central purpose of it all. All our work, all our wealth, all our stability is for this: to call the peoples to the mountain of God. Our businesses, our homes, our churches should be platforms for evangelism. We are to offer righteous sacrifices, lives of holiness and praise, and invite a watching world to come and see that our God is the one true God. The abundance He gives us from the seas of commerce and the sands of industry is meant to be poured out in service of the gospel, for the glory of Christ our King.