May 5, 2014
It had been almost 30 years since Samuel found David – youngest of Jesse’s sons – in a sheep pasture, doing the family grunt work – and tapped him as God’s choice for King of Israel. David was not yet a teenager, but his destiny was already set.
What followed was not a William and Harry jetsetter lifestyle; instead, he rose to fame (the rookie who took down Goliath), and then became a political fugitive (Saul’s Wanted: Dead-or-Alive declaration). From ages 12 to 42, David’s survivor competence served him well; God orchestrated history in real-time to bring David to the threshold of his long-awaited placement on Israel’s throne.
The final stages of establishing the promised kingdom were on the to-do list, and the fighting men of Israel’s 12 tribes were the human resource required to realize the divine directive. Each of the tribes had their own territory where their families lived, their communities functioned and their professions were pursued. But – in 1 Chronicles 12 – they set their daily life assignments aside to come together for their combined purpose. Each tribe sent their militia to become Israel’s army – together – to ensure the successful establishment of David’s kingdom, and to usher in the new order.
Though not the biggest contingent, the contribution of one tribe stood out: “ …from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do – 200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command…” (1 Chronicles 12:32). For the other 11 tribes, their asset was their strength; for Issachar, their value was their strategy: “they understood… and knew what Israel should do.”
The Messiah would come and be the forever King, in the line of David. David’s earthly journey reflected into the future, giving a sense of the spiritual journey that would mark the reign of King Jesus.
The final stages of the strategy to recapture Jerusalem and establish the kingdom required the combined forces of the 12 tribes – to demonstrate the unifying power of their shared King and to put the human oomph into the divine plan. Each tribal group sent their best contribution to the effort: Issachar sent the strategic leaders who would help David focus the horsepower of the rest to accomplish the task.
In terms of the Great Commission, we’ve reached 1 Chronicles 12 in the New Testament timeline. The last push to seat King Jesus on His throne is underway. The mission He launched 2000 years ago is almost completed. Israel was about land and territory; Jesus’ Kingdom is about tribes and people. He sent the Special Forces (the original apostles) into “all the world,” and the last corners of the people groups He died to save are now in reach.
The troops are mobilizing – in support of the King – for the final push. On a global front, things are happening that the people at home in the villages don’t know: they’re busy about their own affairs, and not current about what’s happening on the front lines. Some folks will make history; most will just hear about it, after the fact.
Enough metaphor; here’s the scoop. We’re in the final stages of the Great Commission, and our generation’s opportunity to finish the task assigned by Jesus is very real. That’s not gratuitous overstatement; it’s the reconnaissance coming in from the front lines of the Mission. There is a great offensive underway – globally – to use the resources available in our generation to introduce the last of the lost to the Savior.
On Wednesday, June 4th, the Issachar Summit will assemble some of today’s most amazing leaders – from the global front lines, and from the American marketplace – to set aside our daily demands and to consider what God could use us to do, together, to change the world and build God’s Kingdom. Click here to learn more, and to secure a seat around that table. You’re busy; this opportunity trumps any conflict that stands in your way. Join me – and dozens of Kingdom leaders – on June 4!
Bob Shank