Focus: The Blessing Of Naphtali

Text: Dt.33:23

"And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south."

As he is getting ready to die, Moses pronounces a blessing on Naphtali, the second son of Rachel by her handmaid, Bilhah. Naphtali means strife, wrestling or struggling. It's from a verbal root, patal, which means 'to twist or be cunning.' Rachel got him and his brother Dan by all means, and that was before God blessed her with her own children, Joseph and Benjamin. To have Joseph, the Scripture says, "And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb," and at the birth of Joseph, Rachel said, "God hath taken away my reproach," and she named him Joseph, saying, "The LORD shall ADD to me another son" (Gen.30:22,23,24). So Benjamin came as an addition from the Lord. What you scheme and struggle to get on your own cannot be the same as what God freely gives you. Joseph is a living testimony of an answered prayer, of divine remembrance, and of reproach forever removed.

The blessing of Moses upon Naphtali clearly shows that he is delivered from a life of struggling, striving and suffering. I see his blessing as threefold:

*Satisfied with favor

*Full of divine blessing

*Possession of a God-given space

Let's read our text from The Message Bible, and it says, "Naphtali brims with blessings, spills over with God's blessings As he takes possession of the sea and southland." This translation replaces the word 'west' with 'sea,' and that is because the Hebrew word 'yam' means 'sea,' or 'sea that roars.' It is most likely the sea of Gennesareth, which is very much within the territory of Naphtali. Josephus, the Jewish historian, describes the shore of Gennesareth as "an earthly paradise." Another translates it as "the sea and the sunny district." The south here refers to a warm land. Naphtali is blessed with a fertile land and great lake.

Let's see Naphtali's threefold blessing:

*Highly favored

Naphtali enjoys incredible favor of God. Nothing satisfies the human soul as divine favor. Divine favor rejoices the heart. Divine favor refreshes the spirit and tunes the heart to the melody of heaven. Divine favor is so enriching and satisfying to the heart. No one who has received divine favor ever remains the same. Naphtali is highly favored by YHVH.

The word 'favor' here also means, among other things, 'self-will' or 'good will.' It means that divine favor will always attract the good will of men. Luke tells us that Jesus increased in favor with God and man (Lk.2:52). Naphtali enjoys the good will of everyone. People decide and determine to be good and kind to him. He finds favor with people everywhere. He is freely favored by his God.

*Hugely blessed

Naphtali enjoys to the fullest the blessing of God. He is a man fully blessed of God. His life brims with blessing. His cup overflows with divine goodness. He is empowered to prosper, to flourish, and to excel in his field of endeavor. Like they say, whatever he touches turns to gold. His land is fertile. His soil is blessed. Everything is going in his favor.

Naphtali's greatest blessing is the presence of Christ in his territory. After Nazareth, Capernaum was his second home. On Naphtali's soil, Christ did mighty works. The Scripture says, "And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up" (Mt.4:13,15,16). Christ lightened up the area with His presence and touched the people of Naphtali with His miraculous power. He exalted Capernaum to the highest heaven by His presence and power. He made the land of Naphtali His home. Matthew says, "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day" (Mt.11:23). 

What a blessing to have Christ in our lives! It is an incredible favor and an indescribable honor to have the dwelling of Christ among men.

Naphtali is fully blessed and hugely favored.

*Heavily enriched

Naphtali is commanded to take possession of the sea and the warm southland. Josephus, the Jewish historian, describes the shore of Gennesareth as "an earthly paradise." Naphtali's territory is called "the land of good tidings." He possesses "the sea and the sunny district." He has his firm foot on a fertile soil and blessed with abundant fruitfulness. Naphtali is heavily enriched with fresh water and rich soil.

For us who are in Christ we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly place. We lack nothing that God can't supply. Christ lives in us. Our sufficiency is of God. In Christ our past is settled, our present makes sense, and our future is secure. From within us flow the rivers of living water. We can all lay claim to Naphtali's threefold blessing and much more. You are highly favored, hugely blessed and heavily enriched.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter