Readers Corner: What's is in a name like Israel

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One of his trials involved having two wives, Leah and Rachael.  They were sisters and appeared to have had a very active role in the family dynamics.  One of the roles they had were naming Jacob's children.  The son's names reflected the conflict of the day. The only son that Jacob actually named was Benjamin. With 2 wives that were actually competing sisters, and then 2 concubines added to the marital mix, Jacob's family expanded to 12 sons and 1 daughter.</div> <bR> <div> It's quite interesting that the meaning of the son's names tell the story of the competition between the sisters.  It must have been quite a spectacle to call off the children's names and have the sister's squabbles right out in the open.  It might have also have had a part in  the competition between Joseph and his brothers.  We tend to think that the special treatment of Jacob for Joseph lead to Joseph being sold into slavery, but what role did their name-game play?  </div> <bR> <div> Leah begins the name-game with her first born son, Reuben-“Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction:  now therefore my husband will love me”Gen 29:32.  Then Leah has another son that she names Simeon-  “Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated”(Gen 29:33).  Then she has Levi-“Now this time will my husband be joined unto me” Gen 29:34 and, Judah-“Now will I praise the Lord” Gen 29:35.</div> <bR> <div> Rachael seemed to be losing the sister-battle and so had her handmaid, Bilhah, produce children with Jacob on her behalf.  Rachael then names the children her maid gives birth to.  The first one is Dan-“God hath judged me and hath also heard my voice”  Gen 30:6.  The second son is Naphtali-“With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister and I have prevailed”  Gen 30:8.</div> <bR> <div> Not to be outdone by Rachael's maid, Leah had her maid, Zilpah, have some children with Jacob:  Gad-“A troop cometh”  Gen 30: 11 and, Asher-“Happy am I for the daughters will call me blessed”  Gen 30:13.  </div> <bR> <div> Leah then has her fifth son, Issachar-“God hath given me my hire”  Gen 30:18 and then sixth son, Zebulum-“God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me”  Gen 30:20.  Leah's seventh child was a daughter named Dinah. Gen 30:21.</div> <bR> <div> Finally, Rachael had a son and named him Joseph-“God hath taken away my reproach”  Gen 30:23.  Rachael has a second son that she names “sorrow” as she dies from complications of childbirth.  Jacob then steps up to change the name of his last son to Benjamin-son of the right hand  (Strong's #1144) Gen 35:18.</div> <bR> <div> Later on Joseph names his sons and their names reflect what is going on in his life.    Manasseh-“For God hath made me forget all my toil and all my father's house.”  Gen 41:51   Ephraim-“For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction”  Gen 41:52.  These two sons of Joseph are then adopted by Jacob/Israel and share the inheritance with their uncles, Joseph's brothers.  Jacob then blesses Joseph's son's and has his name of Israel given to them. Gen 48:16.</div> <bR> <div> Why does the Bible record the family names of Israel with their meanings?  Is it just for casual reading or might there be something more to the story?</div> <bR> <div> In the last book of the Bible there's a reference to the 144,000 with 12,000 from each tribe being protected before the Seventh Seal is opened. Then, the Tribes of Israel are listed in this unusual order:  Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulum, Joseph, Benjamin.  It's not the birth order as found in the book of Genesis.  In fact, two tribes are missing and Joseph is listed among the 144,000, but Joseph's inheritance was divided between his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.  There is no tribe of Joseph.  Joseph had the birthright and with the birthright came a double portion of inheritance that went to his son's, Ephraim and Manasseh.  Jacob/Israel then adopted Joseph's son's into the family creating 13 tribes.  </div> <bR> <div> Two tribes are totally omitted in the list of 144,000 that are sealed in Revelation 7: Dan and Ephraim  Many have speculated as to why the names are listed in Revelation.  Some suggest that two tribes will not be saved, but that does that really make sense since Rev 21:12 has New Jerusalem with twelve gates with the “. . .names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.”  But, where is the thirteenth tribe that was scattered among the other tribes when Israel was a physical nation?  Where is the tribe of Levi?</div> <bR> <div> Since the names told a story of the competition between two sisters in the book of Genesis, let's see if there is a story in the names as they are listed in the Book of Revelation.  Let's start with the names that are missing:</div> <bR> <div> Dan  -  “God hath judged me and hath also heard my voice”  Gen 30:6.</div> <div> Ephraim  -  “For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction”  Gen 41:52  [Strong's #669 double fruit].</div> <bR> <div> Then, the names of the 144,000 with meanings in order listed in Rev 7:</div> <bR> <div> Judah- “Now will I praise the Lord”  Gen 29:35, Reuben- “Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction:  now therefore my husband will love me”  Gen 29:32, Gad- “A troop cometh”  Gen 30: 11, Asher- “Happy am I for the daughters will call me blessed”  Gen 30:13, Naphtali-  “With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister and I have prevailed”  Gen 30:8, Manasseh- “For God hath made me forget all my toil and all my father's house.”  Gen 41:51, Simeon- “Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated”  Gen 29:33, Levi  -  “Now this time will my husband be joined unto me”  Gen 29:34, Issachar  -  “God hath given me my hire” Gen 30:18, Zebulum- “God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me”  Gen 30:20, Joseph- “God hath taken away my reproach”  Gen 30:23, Benjamin- “Son of the right hand”  Gen 35:18.  </div> <bR> <div> Or, maybe it could read like this-two messages to two different groups of people?</div> <bR> <div> <U>Message One</U>:  God hath judged me and hath also heard my voice. God hath caused me  to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.  He has given me a double portion.  [Old Testament inheritances gave a double portion to the first born.]  </div> <bR> <div> <U>Message Two</U>:  Now will I praise the Lord because He has looked upon my affliction.  My husband [Christ] will love me.  “A troop cometh”.  Happy am I for the daughters will call me blessed. With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister and I have prevailed.  For God hath made me forget all my toil because the Lord hath heard that I was hated.  Now this time will my husband be joined unto me.  God hath given me my hire/wages/reward.   God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me.  God hath taken away my reproach. Sorrow is gone and I've become a child of God on His right hand.</div> <bR> <div> Several of the parables that Christ gave us have the Father hosting a wedding.  Two groups of people that are present in most of those parables are the guests and the bride.  Are they both the same or are the guests different from the bride?  Does the future wedding have representation from the two leavened loaves of the Pentecost ceremony with both bride and guests?</div> <bR> <div> In the conclusion to the Book of Revelation, Christ becomes King of kings and Lord of lords.  Are kings the same as lords?  Are lords the same as kings? The first fruits are also called kings and priests.  Could this be a division of the first fruits into civil authorities and religious authorities with Christ at the head of both?  </div> <bR> <bR> <div> When the nation of Israel was first organized, Aaron and his sons were the leaders of the religious community-they were the priests.  Moses was the head of the civil matters where he personally judged the people.  Moses' father-in-law suggested that he extend the judging of “people problems” to rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, etc.  Ex 18:13-27.  Thus, Moses' “seat” was a civil court system that included all of the tribes and judged civil matters according to the statutes and laws.  Even today in the Judicial Branch of the U.S. form of government we refer to a “sitting judge” and that the judge “rules from the bench.”</div> <bR> <div> Aaron and Aaron's sons headed up the religious matters among all of the physical tribes and presided over the ceremonies, rituals, Sabbaths and Holy Days.  Thus, the physical nation of Israel had three branches of government under God: one civil (the Seat of Moses),  one religious (the Priests), and one executive (God).</div> <bR> <div> In the New Testament, spiritual Israel is the focus.  Rev 12:12-17 has an end time scenario with one woman being protected and the devil going after a “remnant of her seed”-another woman.  The Feast of Weeks ceremony had two leavened loaves and nobody really knows what they represent. There are lots of theories about the loaves within the Churches of God but could there be two groups of first fruits represented by two loaves?  The clues to the meaning of the loaves are that they are leavened [sin is represented by leaven] and these loaves are made with two tenth deals of fine flour, and they are lifted up. Deu 16:9-16 and Lev 23:17.   Fine flour is flour that is sifted many more times than regular flour thus producing a better product.</div> <bR> <div> Of interest is the statement in Lev 23:22 that when the harvest is reaped, don't gather everything but leave some in the corners of the field.  The harvesting instructions in the book of Leviticus precede the instructions for the remaining Holy Days.  Why are those harvesting instructions included with the Holy Days, and also in Deut 24:19-22 among other laws on how to get along with others?  Does the reaping instruction have a duel meaning?   </div> <bR> <div> Compare the above to Luke 12:35-40.  In verse 36 there's an analogy of waiting until after the wedding and then being ready to respond when the bridegroom comes.  Does the wedding have the bride and then a celebration afterward that includes the guests? </div> <bR> <div> Another clue to this mystery seems to be the description of the New Jerusalem with 12 gates named after the 12 tribes.  When Israel was a physical nation, there were 13 tribes.  The tribe of Levi was on a different level than the other 12.  Could the division of physical tribes represent a division of spiritual Israel within the New Jerusalem?  </div> <bR> <div> As we read the Bible it's very obvious that there are many, many layers of information.   To discover the layers we need to ask many questions as we study and then search for the answers. Read the meaning of the names of Jacob's sons and two grandsons again and jot down the scriptures that come to mind as you are reading. Do the messages in Revelation to the Churches come to mind?  Are the rearranged names a message of encouragement!</div> <bR> <div> If there really are two messages, one message hidden in names listed and another message hidden in names not listed, which message has been sent to you?  Pursue the matter in your own Bible study.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Study by Pat Homan</div> </td> </tr></table></body>