Matthew 4:15-16 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.2”(ESV)
History records that these two tribes, Zebulun and Naphtali, were filled with warriors. Judges 4 records a great battle against Sisera, the Canaanite King’s commander. From these tribes, 10,000 warriors were gathered. Judges 5:18 The Song of Deborah records, “Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the field.2.” They won the battle that day, a very good read for later.
Despite their warrior heritage, these were lands along the territorial boundary and would have been the first to encounter enemy aggression and pagan influences. They were among the ten northern tribes who drifted so severely into idolatry that God sent judgment through the Assyrians. By 732 BC, the Assyrians had conquered the tribes of Dan, Asher, Naphtali, and Zebulun. Ten years later, the remaining members of the “ten lost tribes of Israel” were supplanted by five groups of pagan Gentiles, and the land had become known as “Galilee of Gentiles.”
Isaiah 9:1-2 tells us, “But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time, he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.2”(ESV)
To these lost tribes and their lost warrior heritage, Jesus enters the scene. And, at the center of these two lands sat a small town named Nazareth. To this land and these people, Jesus begins His ministry. A cutoff, warrior people who had once defended the name of Yahweh, the conquering King, returns with a new weapon to destroy evil. The light of the word. The message of the gospel. Jesus.
Like those who faced both spiritual and physical battles, our role is to recognize the drift and return to our warrior mindset. The time is now to be handing out flashlights in a dark world. The light of the gospel that changes everything.
What side are you playing on today?
Where does light need to shine in your life, and where can you share it with others?
Stay on Mission
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