Issachar Intel

The current topic is characteristics of Biblical Heroes and how we can emulate those giant-killers. The need for solid, genuine, selfless, Christ-like “Spiritual-Rambos” is unprecedented. Without some heroes of biblical proportion our nation is likely to become a by-word and the church in America will continue to slide into oblivion. I’d like to continue this topic looking at the sons of Issachar and their valuable impact of being mentally conditioned. Check out this passage:
“Of the sons of Issachar, who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command.”  (1 Chronicles 12:32)

 If the description of the Gadites was small, the Issachar boys’ is miniscule! The above verse (and 7:5, “mighty men of valor”) is all that is said about them. Though the information is limited, the skill and contribution they brought to David was immeasurable. What price do military leaders put on good Intel!? This was probably one of the most strategic pieces of the puzzle of David’s flawless crusades. Ask any commander how important good, relevant, timely information is to his decision making process. These sons of Issachar were worth their weight in gold! They were mentally conditioned. What exactly does that look like?

Two statements are key: 1) “understanding of the times,” and 2) “knowing what Israel ought to do.” This blog will focus on the first one. In order to understand the times there must be a frame of reference, a base line of fundamental standards. One cannot truly understand current conditions without having a grasp of historical circumstances and events to overlay across present trends. When a person is mentally conditioned he has an ability to see future successes in the here and now because of the natural cause and effect relationship with obedience and submission to Almighty God that has been proven throughout history.

In the case of Israel, the sons of Issachar had to know the promises of God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the subsequent leadership of Moses through the wilderness wanderings, and the successful venture of Joshua’s direction into the Promised Land. The collapse during the time of the Judges leading into the disappointment of the Kingship gave a clear picture to these alert young men that certain actions and attitudes came with drastic consequences! They had the ability to reasonably and logically conclude that disobedience toward God and His principles would lead to negative outcomes for the entire nation. They saw that following Saul was only going to continue the downward spiral of defeat and national despair. David was not only a better option, he was the only wise choice. The sons of Issachar saw future events by understanding the former process of obedience and by refusing to embrace that failed continuance of “doing what was right in their own eyes,” the choice of Saul and the mantra of the time of the Judges.

This is a cry for men to stop coasting in neutral and put it into overdrive! We need, like never before, godly men that have a grasp of what God wants us to do here and now and to make that knowledge vocal. Oh sons of Issachar, come out and be heard! Israel had these mental giants, the times call for them again.

Gadite Gridiron - Part 1

Ok, we’ve looked at some of the ways the modern church has hindered the proper development of manly heroes, now let’s look at some of the characteristics of biblical heroes found throughout the pages of Scripture. The purpose here is to stimulate men to introduce the specific characteristics necessary and then envision themselves being that type of man, a man called for such a time as this. Here is the first group of heroes called, “the Gadites.”

 “Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains… These were the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred and the greatest was over a thousand. These were the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.”  (1 Chronicles 12:8, 14-15)

Our first illustration is found in the book of 1 Chronicles, a group of eleven men from Gad that were quite impressive. The initial paragraph above (in italics) lists their accolades. Verses 9-13 gave the names and families of each of these 11 men, but the verses quoted above describe six key elements of what made these men Biblical Heroes. Here is that list:

        “mighty men of valor”
  “men trained for battle, could handle both shield and spear”
     “faces like the faces of lions”
        “swift as gazelles on the mountains”
     “captains – of hundreds – of thousands”
      “crossed the Jordan…when it overflowed all its banks”

 These were some really tough hombres! Notice some of the phrases used – mighty men of valor, trained for battle, faces like lions, swift as gazelles, my gracious, these guys would bring home the Lombardi Trophy every time! Did you catch how they crossed the Jordan during the monsoon season!? These guys were beasts! When you consider it would take a very strong, healthy man to cross the Jordan on a normal day, imagine the stamina required to cross it when it was overflowing its banks! There is only one way these men could accomplish such feats of wonder and that was selfless discipline. They were in it ALL the way! Men, this is your first characteristic to grab – selfless discipline.

Think about it. Ezer (the first Gadite listed in v. 9) did not wake up one morning and say, “Hey, I’m going to cross the Jordan today while it’s overflowing its banks, just to see if I can do it.” Hey, this is like trying to survive a flood! The amount of training involved, muscle development, increased respiratory and cardio function, along with the sheer determination to accomplish such a superhuman feat required a significant amount of personal discipline that can only be measured in time. Ezer had to have trained for months, crossing the Jordan at normal levels first, adding to his strength and stamina, working out steadily with increasingly more resistance and challenges until he was at his peak. Put more succinctly, it didn’t just happen! Discipline is an everyday kind of thing that requires TIME! It’s not the singular event that makes a hero, but the preparedness and commitment to do what is right consistently because it is right. This is the first lesson to being a hero – selfless discipline.

 Part 2 of Gadite Gridiron to follow.