Focus: The Blessing And Business Of Joy

Text: Dt.33:18-19

"And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents. They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand."

Moses blesses two brothers of the same parents. Issachar and Zebulun are the last two sons of Leah, of which Issachar is the older one. Leah is a blessed woman with six sons and a daughter - a woman powerfully and perfectly blessed. She gives Israel her priest in Levi and her king in Judah, and from her comes the Christ, the Lord and Savior of the world. The temple of the Lord is built within her territory of Judah. In her, the hated has become the highly favored. God knows what to do to change your story; but do you know what to do to have your story changed? That is the crux of the matter. May the Lord help us!

Issachar and Zebulun are teamed up for the blessing and business of joy. Zebulun is outgoing in character; Issachar is a homeboy. Zebulun is heavily involved in international trade while Issachar is occupied with the local or domestic business of husbandry. Zebulun is committed to seafaring and sea trading. He is an expert in the shipping industry and boasts of seaports. Issachar is a man of great insight and understanding in kingdom matters. Both sons of Jacob are blessed with joy, and Moses commands them to rejoice in their going out and coming in.

He instructs them to radiate joy everywhere. They are a people destined to spread joy both at home and abroad. That's everywhere joy!

It is a contagious joy. It is an emboldening joy. It is a winsome and wholesome joy. It is an empowering joy. They are enabled by a joyful faith to call the nations around them to the mountain of the Lord for worship. They are not only in business for money, but also in business for the Lord. They are in the business of soul-winning. They move the hearts and touch the lives of people around them with their contagious faith and radiant joy. They glow with glory and glory in the Lord their God. They are spiritually, physically, materially, mentally and emotionally blessed.

Issachar and Zebulun are workers with God, worshippers of God, witnesses and warriors for Yahweh. They bring others to the knowledge of God. They lead others in offering suitable and spiritual sacrifices to God. Their faith in God produces joy.

They possess the blessings of land and sea. Treasures hid in the sand are known to them. They are blessed with the kind of sand from which vases of glass are made. They discover hidden wealth within their soil. They know how to turn raw materials into salable goods. They are merchants of material goods and spiritual joy. They are Evangelists, who persuade men to be reconciled to God. They lead others to God and guide them in spiritual worship. While they are busy gathering the wealth of the Gentiles into the kingdom of God, they are also committed to directing hearts to God.

Issachar and Zebulun exude joy in every place they find themselves. They light up their world with joy. What a blessing to have joy and affect others with it! Moses says to the two brothers, "Rejoice!" Understand that joy is a noun, a thing, and rejoice is a verb, what you do. Joy is a gift from God, but you have to activate it by making effort to rejoice. Make rejoicing your everyday work. Wherever you are and in whatever you do, make sure that you are rejoicing in the Lord your God. Make melody to the Lord in your heart. Make a joyful noise to the Lord. Bubble with joy!

In 1Thes.1:6, we have "the joy of the Holy Ghost." In Rom.14:17, we have "joy in the Holy Ghost." In Gal.5:22, we have 'joy' as a fruit of the Spirit. In other New Testament Scriptures, we read of "all joy," "all the joy," "full of joy," "full joy," "great joy," "abundance of joy," "incredible joy," "leaping for joy," "exceeding joy," "exceeding great joy," and "joy unspeakable" (Jam.1:2; 1Thes.3:9; Rom.15:3; Act.2:28; 1Jh.1:4; 2Jh.1:12; Philm.1:7; Mt.28:8; Act.8:8; 15:3; Lk.2:10; 24:52; 6:23; 24:41; 2Cor.8:2; 1Pet.4:13; Jude 1:24; Mt.2:10).

I pray God to grant you the blessings of Zebulun and Issachar. Receive business wisdom, winsome grace, wholesome faith, and the contagious joy of the Spirit. Succeed in your field of expertise and in your area of enterprise. Enjoy divine abundance. Saturate your space with joy. Compel and persuade others to serve your God. Engage in God's business. Lead a life of joy!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter