Pictures from Israel
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Israel-©-MEA-20170913-(N85)–12-Tribes-11-Joseph
The Tribe of Joseph
Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob and his mother was Rachel. Joseph was blessed by his father, who said, “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall.” (Genesis 30:22-24)
When Joseph was in Egypt, he had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (who are often called the “two half-tribes of Joseph”). Often, the Tribe of Joseph is listed as the Tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, which consequently was termed the House of Joseph (Beit Yosef).
The above mosaic shows an ‘ox’, which is attributed to the blessing of his son Ephraim, “His first-born is his ox”. Joseph achieved greatness through his challenges. He overcame all adversaries and became a great leader, saving his entire generation. Despite his corrupt environment, he maintained his spiritual integrity. When Joseph’s sons arrived in the Promised Land, their territory spanned the Jordan River.
Next week we will look at the last of the twelve sons, Benjamin.
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Weekly Questions
Copyright exists in all the material on this website and is owned by Messianic Education Australia Ltd. unless otherwise explicitly stated. This copyright extends to the images, logos, layout and presentation styles as well as the text material.
Pictures from Israel
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Israel-©-MEA-20170906-(N90)–12-Tribes-10-Naphtali
The Tribe of Naphtali
Naphtali is the tenth son of Jacob and the second son of Bilhah, a handmaiden of Jacob’s wife Rachel. The Tribe of Naphtali settled in the northern fertile region known as Upper Galilee and Lower Galilee, which was a natural pass and trade route for cities like Damascus, Tyre and Acre. This created prosperity for Naphtali. from what we do know, Naphtali proved to be happy and a very eloquent speaker (taken as a sign of great intelligence in that culture). He became respected as a man of intelligence and sage wisdom, which was believed to reflect his godliness and spiritual strength.
This is also why Jacob described Naphtali as having ‘beautiful words’ which were eloquent, wise, and holy. Also, the Bible records Naphtali having a significant military presence in the ancient Song of Deborah, where this Tribe is commended, along with Zebulun, for risking their lives in the fight against Sisera and the Midianite invaders.
The symbol for Naphtali shown in the mosaic above is a gazelle, which is a fast animal, and no surprise that this animal was adopted by the Tribe of Naftali as many of them were famous for being great runners.
Out of interest, all the photographs taken of mosaics showing the 12 Tribal symbols of Israel which have been featured in this series of ‘Picture of the Week’, can be found along the walking path over the old railway line leading up the original Jerusalem Railway Station. Next week’s picture is about Joseph.
Copyright exists in all the material on this website and is owned by Messianic Education Australia Ltd. unless otherwise explicitly stated. This copyright extends to the images, logos, layout and presentation styles as well as the text material.
Weekly Questions
Copyright exists in all the material on this website and is owned by Messianic Education Australia Ltd. unless otherwise explicitly stated. This copyright extends to the images, logos, layout and presentation styles as well as the text material.
Pictures from Israel
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Israel-©-MEA-20170830-(N88)–12-Tribes-9-Asher
The Tribe of Asher
Asher is the eighth son of Jacob’s or Israel’s twelve sons. The symbol for Asher is olive trees. Asher was characterized as happy, intelligent, intuitive, open to others, and a little bit impetuous. In fact, his name means ‘happy one’ and was known as the happiest of the Twelve Tribes, which came from the fact that they were amongst the most prosperous of the Tribes.
Moses’ blessing over Asher was that he would be blessed with sons, pleasing to his brothers, and have his foot immersed in oil. The Tribe of Asher seemed to wander around the northernmost territories, right along the Mediterranean Sea. It would be roughly where Lebanon is today, and this area known today as Lebanon, which was renowned for its good food and the best part of West Asia for growing olives, which would explain why Asher was so prosperous.
Check out the Tribe of Issachar next week.
Copyright exists in all the material on this website and is owned by Messianic Education Australia Ltd. unless otherwise explicitly stated. This copyright extends to the images, logos, layout and presentation styles as well as the text material.
