Title: ZEBULUN—BLOOM WHERE GOD PLANTS YOU

Focus: When we accept the place or position God assigns to us in life, we will flourish as his instrument in spreading the kingdom of God.

Function: To encourage the people to see and accept their present place or position in life at this time as divinely appointed for the sake of God’s purpose or plan for.

Text(s): Matthew 4:12-17 (Genesis 30:19,20; 49:1,2,13; Deut. 33:1,18,19.

Two years after the death of my little sister in 1960, my father and mother moved back to the region of their childhood. The move meant a change in pace and scenery, for we moved as a family from a large town near the city of Rotterdam to a small village out in the countryside. My father and my siblings and I loved the move and we flourished in our new home. My mother hated it.

You see, our new home was located at the foot of a dyke. My mother did not like looking at the dyke every day. The change of scenery-- the hustle and bustle of the city to the quiet, sleepy ways of a small town—interfered with my mother’s happiness. And she unloaded her loss of place and friends that came with the move on that dyke in front of our house. As a result, my mom did not always bloom or flourish in those days. She had a hard time accepting her new place as a divinely appointed place for her and the family.

All of us have struggles in life. Some of the issues we face are beyond our control. Infertility, for example, can be a huge burden, and hard to accept for a couple. Living a celibate life and wrestling with loneliness is a burden for some of us. Using your gifts and abilities in a workplace where you feel stifled and unappreciated, and not being able to find another place of employment are issues some wrestle with for a long time.

Living with physical disabilities or with extremely limited financial means in a weak economy with high gas prices, for example, is a “kill-joy” for many. It’s hard to flourish when you fight your place or position in life.

Perhaps we do well, then, to take note of dying Jacob’s blessing to Zebulun. For the story of our brother Zebulun underscores this biblical truth: when we accept the place or position God assigns to us in life, we will flourish as his instrument in spreading God’s kingdom. Thus woven throughout my message here is this recurring refrain: Bloom where God plants you.

Zebulun is Leah’s sixth son, born to Jacob. Zebulun’s birth is under the banner of a struggle between Leah and Rachel—the two wives of Jacob. Rachel is Jacob’s favorite. Leah plays second fiddle in her marriage with Jacob. Rachel is the apple of Jacob’s eye; Leah’s place in Jacob’s heart is secondary to Rachel’s.

Of course, there is a story here: Leah’s father, Laban, married off his daughter Leah by way of trickery. Human conniving and deception are at the root of Leah’s place in Jacob’s household. Leah willingly went along with her father’s scheming, hoping that Jacob would accord her the status of “favorite wife.” Laban did not seek God’s direction in the matter of his daughters’ marriage with Jacob. Neither did Leah or Rachel, for that matter. None of them sought God’s hand or direction in their lives; they all played their own hand, their own game hoping and praying that God would bless their own conniving and direction setting.

Thus we have the battles between Leah and Rachel. Leah trumps Rachel with the births of Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. Then Rachel managed to “kick back” with the births of Dan and Napthali through her servant Bilhah. Leah, in return, adopts the same strategy of using a servant to produce children. So, Zilphah ends up giving birth to Gad and Asher. And Leah’s revenge becomes bitter sweet when she herself becomes pregnant again and gives birth, first to Issachar, then to Zebulun. And when Zebulun saw the light of day, Leah gave him a name that pointed to her hope that this child would lead to Leah getting a place of honor, of primary love in Jacob’s heart and household. She said: “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.”

Leah could not accept or see God’s hand in her marriage with Jacob. She could not accept her place, and thus she failed to flourish in Jacob’s household. Not even Zebulun, her sixth son to Jacob, could move Jacob to elevate Leah to a place of honor, of making her his “favorite wife.”

And so the question with Zebulun is this: Will Zebulun become like his mother Leah, and fight the places or positions assigned to him by God? Or will Zebulun flourish and bloom where God plants him?

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The answer to that question is embedded in dying Jacob’s blessing to Zebulun. We know very little about Zebulun’s life. But we do know Jacob’s blessing to Zebulun—a blessing that seems very strange at first. Listen: “Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.”

Here we notice that Jacob, inspired by the Spirit of God, filled with prophetic foresight, looks far into the future—into that time period when Jacob’s descendents will inherit the Promised Land and take up their respective tribal territory. And Jacob is speaking in very cryptic language. For example, for Reuben’s tribe, Jacob had no complimentary words; for Simeon and Levi, Jacob issued a warning about their anger and rash behavior. For Judah’s descendants, Jacob spoke a positive word—a word of honor and elevation, for out of Judah would come the Messiah. And so it goes.

But when it comes to Zebulun, Jacob gives a postal address: “Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.” Jacob gives Zebulun an address, a place to hang his hat, and to register his children at city hall. Here we notice that God—using dying Jacob—assigns Zebulun and his descendants a place. The northern seashore region of Israel is Zebulun’s postal code and mailing address. Bloom where God plants you! Will Zebulun bloom?

About 450 years later, Moses echoes Jacob’s blessing to Zebulun. Reminding the descendants of Jacob of their destiny in the Promised Land, Moses has a word for Zebulun’s tribe: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and you, Issachar, in your tents. They will summon peoples to the mountain and there offer sacrifices of righteousness; they will feast on the abundance of the seas, on the treasures hidden in the sand.”

The area that God assigns to Zebulun (and Issachar and Naphtali, for that matter) is not the most scenic and lush area. The northern territory with its boundaries of the sea and the hostile nation of Syria is not necessarily “paradise.” Zebulun’s territory is far from the capitol of Jerusalem. It’s far from the temple, the center of Israel’s worship. Zebulun’s territory has foreigners (Gentiles) living and going through it all the time. Zebulun’s territory contains cities such as Capernaum and Nazareth. And was it not Nathaniel who said, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Zebulun’s mailing address is seen more as a slum area than a sheltered, gated community of noble, upstanding citizens. Not everyone is willing to blossom and bloom in such a region.

But…unlike his mother Leah, Zebulun accepts the place that God assigns to him in life. And as a result, Zebulun’s tribe blooms and flourishes as an instrument in spreading God’s kingdom all throughout Israel and yes, all throughout the world. For you see, centuries later, at the time that God sent his Son, the Lord Jesus, to usher in his kingdom rule on earth, the place assigned to Zebulun becomes the headquarters of Jesus. And the region of Zebulun becomes the gateway, the door through which the gospel and the evangelists enter and travel to proclaim good news to the entire world.

And that’s why I read from Matthew 4:12-17. There we learn that Jesus began his ministry in earnest by returning to the region of Galilee—Zebulun’s territory. And we notice that Jesus leaves Nazareth and makes Capernaum his headquarters. Think about this: Jesus is the light of the world. And Jesus begins to hold up his light at Zebulun’s mailing address. Zebulun’s territory is the gateway to the larger world of Greek and Roman culture. Moses’ blessing made reference to Zebulun’s “going out.” Well, here we see that Zebulun’s territory is the door through which the gospel marches into the wider world.

In doing so, the Lord Jesus fulfills a prophecy of Isaiah. It’s a prophecy that has its roots in Moses, and in particular, in Jacob’s blessing to Zebulun: “Land of Zebulun and land of Napthali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Jesus preaches a word of hope; he brings light to Israel and the world. The rule of God is coming, or as the text says: “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” Thus we see that Zebulun blooms as it accepts its place or position assigned by God.

It’s not in Israel’s shining capitol of Jerusalem that Jesus recruits his disciples. It’s in Zebulun’s place. Miracles, healings, exorcisms, even the raising from the dead—these are acts of deliverance that Jesus performed at Zebulun’s mailing address. Zebulun is where the light of the word begins to cast away the darkness of sin and the despair of sickness and death. Zebulun is the door through which the world receives its light.

For example, Peter, Paul, Silas and Timothy—apostles and evangelists par excellence—they all make use of Zebulun’s territory. They make Zebulun their departure point for their missionary journeys and preaching. When Paul enters the synagogues of Jews in far away places such as Athens and Rome, he fulfilled the prophecy of Moses, who said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out….They will summon peoples to the mountain and there offer sacrifices of righteousness; they will feast on the abundance of the seas….” The apostles’ preaching led the people to the righteousness of Christ, to the mountain or dwelling place of God himself. For it is through Jesus that we have access to the throne room and heart of God.

Again, when the traveling Jews on Pentecost Sunday witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they came to the mountain of the Lord (so to speak) to bring “offerings of righteousness.” They saw the light; they came to their senses; and they worshiped the triune God. Zebulun is the door of the New Testament Church that leads the gospel into the world. Zebulun is the gateway through which travelers and merchants and pilgrims from all over the world would enter to meet with the living God in Jerusalem, and subsequently in Jesus Christ himself. Zebulun bloomed where God had planted him. Zebulun’s decendants flourished as instruments in the hand of God to spread his kingdom rule.

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So let me tell you what I hear God saying to us today:

(1) Bloom where God plants you: God has a plan, a purpose for all human beings. He calls us to particular tasks and roles in life. That’s why I encourage us all to embrace and believe these words found in Jeremiah 29:11: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” God had a plan for Zebulun. Zebulun accepted his divinely assigned place. And Zebulun bloomed as an instrument in God’s hand. God has a plan for each one of us. When we accept the position or place we find ourselves in today as God’s assigned place to us for the moment, then we shall bloom for God. Then we can reflect the light of Christ in our poverty or riches, in our barrenness or fruitfulness, in our employment or unemployment, in our highly esteemed places, as well as in humble places that are despised by others. Mother Theresa flourished in the slums of Calcutta; you and I can flourish in the places assigned by God to us as well. Let’s bloom where God plants us.

(2) Place discontent into God’s hand: What do we do when we find a restlessness, a discontent perhaps in our hearts as to the position or place we have at the moment? Must we then at all times resign ourselves to the situation or place we find ourselves at? May we not elevate ourselves, advance our careers, pursue different interests and wrestle with the status quo’s in our lives? Of course not.

Often the restlessness within is God’s way of moving us on toward something else. Sometimes, the discontent or battles within are “holy” signs that God is calling us to a different stage in life—a shift here, a different focus there. So, the best thing to do when you find yourself battling and wrestling with your present position or place in life, is to hand over your battles and discontent to God. Pray and release your inner desires to God; seek God’s direction in your life. And be careful NOT to take matters in your own hand, without seeking the Lord’s will and direction in your life. Leah and Rachel can teach us a lot about these things. Today, learn from Zebulun. Bloom where God plants you, and place any discontent or “holy” restlessness into God’s hand. Surely, in the words of Jeremiah, God has plans for us to “ prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.’” That’s why I say:

(3) Rest in God’s assigned place: We may not see at the moment what God’s plan is for us, but we shall rest in God’s intentions for us. We shall trust him in the midst of our struggles; we shall yield to his will and design for each one of us; and we shall continue to seek to be an instrument of blessing in God’s hand.

I suppose that each one of us has a dyke. My mother had hers. Don’t let the dykes in your life keep you from flourishing and shining your life for the Lord. May God be glorified in us and through us, now and always!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.