Men of Issachar

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From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take. (1 Chronicles 12:32 NLT)

Perhaps one of the least familiar tribes among the twelve tribes of Israel as listed in the Scripture, but when I first heard Thio Lee Ann talking about men of Issachar, I began to do some research into the men of Issachar. Naturally, the first place to look for information is the bible, or rather the search function of the online bible, and key in the term 'Issachar'. Lesser known than the tribe of Judah, Benjamin but the tribe of Issachar was the only tribe that I have found so far that was commended in the Scripture for understanding the signs of the times and knew the best course for Isarel to take.

A bit of context in the verse quoted - this was the time when David was on the rise and many people were joining David's army by the tonnes. If one read strictly in context what was happening there, it seems that the men of Issachar truly joined David, understanding that God is raising David up to the next king and being on the side of God is really the best thing to do at that point of time.

Put it in modern day context, how does it apply to us? What does it mean to be like the men of Issachar as stated in the passage? Applying it more locally, how does it apply to us as a nation? Do we, as the people and children of God, understand the signs of the times today in our world and know what and where God is leading us? Do we know the best course for our nation to take? Or do we choose to be passive citizen who decide to retreat to holy huddle and ignore the signs and close our eyes towards the world?

The questions are here for us to ask, as we enter into precarious times when opinions are gradually being shifted towards the left and being anti-scriptural. Maybe it is time for us to wake up and start to try to understand the times.

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