Genesis 49:13
“Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.”
INSIGHT
-The seashore was the pride of Zebulun. Leah her mother appreciated him as a precious gift, who would bring her honor from her husband (Genesis 30:20). Zebulun was his sixth son borne to Jacob and among the twelve tribes of Israel (1 Chronicles 2:1). Although Zebulun was landlocked by the tribes of Asher and Manasseh, they were sandwiched by the Mediterranean Sea and Sea of Galilee. Coupled with the prophecy of their father Jacob, their blessing was evidenced by the abundance of resource and vast wealth, given the economic activities that took place by the seas. They possessed the seashore and cities of their enemies as it had been proclaimed to their grandmother Rebecca (Genesis 24:60), and their borders extended to Sidon.
PRAYER
Lord we come before You this morning with thanksgiving in our hearts. We count our blessings and name them one by one. From You our Lord and King comes deliverance, may Your blessings be upon us Your people. We are born of You Lord our God and we belong to You. We who are born of faith are more than conquerors in You Jesus. Increase in us faith Holy Spirit, that we may take hold of the gates of our enemies. May Your favor always be upon us as You expand our territories dear Master. Fight for us in all circumstances and grant us victory in every area of our lives. We are the blessed of You Lord and victory is in our hands, for Your glory. Thank You for taking us out of darkness and showing us Your marvelous light. Thank for Your gift of salvation upon us and unto all our descendants. Our children are blessed. Our grand children are blessed. All our generations are blessed. Our marriages are blessed. Our businesses are blessed. Our nation is blessed. Thank You for making us Your chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and Your special people, we bless Your name and adore You Jesus. We shall take possession of our mountains as kings and priests, as we rule the earth, for the glory and honor of Your name. Activate and enhance our divine callings as You move us to the next level according to Your grace dear Jesus. May Your goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives and we shall dwell in Your house Lord forever. Bless us abundantly dear Lord, that in all things and at all times having all that we need, we may abound in every good work, for the glory and honor of Your name. Amen
Further reading: Deuteronomy 33:18-19
Genesis 22:17-18
“I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
INSIGHT
-After Lot separated from Abram, God promised the land to Abram and his descendants. A people who would be innumerable like the sand of the seashore, and stars of the sky. The seashore here has been used to demonstrate the uncountable nature of the promised descendants. This promise came after Abraham demonstrated strong faith, having waited on God for the lamb of sacrifice, when he was instructed to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:8). He obeyed God’s instructions and his faith was accompanied by a blessing. Matthew begins his gospel by disclosing the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah as the son of David and the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1). If we belong to Christ, then we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29), having been saved by grace through faith. As children of God, we should then have strong in faith as we obey His will, for the just shall live by faith, and we will obtain our eternal blessing in Christ Jesus.
PRAYER
God You are a promise keeper, we exult Your holy name. Your promises are yes and amen, to Your glory Lord through us Your children. You reveal what You intend to do before hand, how faithful are You our Lord and King. You are so faithful to keep Your promises, how awesome is Your name in all the earth. You are not a man that You should lie or a son of man that You should repent, all our hope is in You dear Jesus. You are faithful to keep Your covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love You and keep Your commandments, thank You for Your grace and mercy upon us. Lord You are not slow in keeping Your promise, as some understand slowness. Instead You are patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance; thank You for loving us and saving us. We shall be the head and not the tail, thank You for choosing us. We love You Lord; thank You for loving us first. Thank You for choosing us and for giving us the promise of eternal inheritance to us and to all our generations. Thank You for dying on the cross for us and set us free from the first covenant and have become the Mediator of a new covenant filled with life. Thank You for giving us the gift of salvation unto us and all our generations. Bless us and increase us dear Jesus, according to Your promise. Bless our children and fulfill Your purpose in them. Bless the work of our hands and prosper us in all our ways. Bless our food and water, loving Jesus. Bless our going in and coming out. Bless our churches and ministries for the glory of Your name. Bless our nation and leaders Abba Father, and give us God fearing leaders come next election. Thank You for loving us Abba Father. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Hebrews 6:13-20, James 1:12
Psalms 78:27
“He rained meat down on them like dust, birds like sand on the seashore.”
INSIGHT
-When the Israelites complained of hardships that they experienced in the desert after the Egyptian captivity, the Lord delivered them. He spoke to Moses and disclosed that He had heard their complaints and would provide for them. God provided quails in the evening which were like the sand of the seashore, and manna which was likened to the dust (Exodus 16:13-15). Deuteronomy 2:7 reveals that, “The LORD your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.” Over time, we have seen numerous instances of God’s providence in the Bible including the widow of Zarephath, and in our lives today. God reminds us that we are more valuable than the birds of the air which do not sow or reap, or gather into bans but He feeds them. We should also rely on God’s providence and believe in His word, and He will surely supply all our needs, according to the riches of His glory.
PRAYER
God You are good and Your mercies endures forever. You have always done great things in our lives, we glorify Your holy name. You have sent rain to us from heaven in season and have made us fruitful, how awesome is Your name in all the earth. You satisfy our hearts with food and gladness, we thank You for Your goodness and love upon us. You have provided for us, protected us, sustained us, shielded us from diseases and calamities, delivered us from shame and pain, directed our paths, healed our wounds, how awesome is You name in all the earth Jesus. Remember with mercy Father, all those who are dying of drought and hunger that You may provide for them. Be with all the orphans and widows merciful Savior and provide for all their needs. Be with us dear Jesus and answer all our prayers and hearts desires according to Your unending grace. May Your presence always be with us Holy Spirit. May You take away the tide of COVID-19 and its adverse effects in our nation and all the other nations of the world. Heal the nation of Afghanistan merciful Savior and deliver them from oppression. Only You are our Salvation and Shield. Only You are our Provider and protector, all our hope and trust is in You. Only Your reign in all the earth, we shall never lack any good thing. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from all evil. For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 78:24-25, Matthew 6:31-33, Philippians 4:19
1 Kings 4:29-34
“God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.”
INSIGHT
-God gave king Solomon great and incomparable wisdom like sand on the seashore, after he sacrificed a thousand burnt offerings on the altar in Gibeon, and he requested for wisdom, and God increased him in wealth, honor and long life (1 kings 3:5-14). People from all the nations came to listen to him, from the East, probably Paddan Aram or Mesopotamia (Genesis 29:1) which was rich in literature, and from the west; probably Arabia (Jeremiah 49:28, Ezekiel 25:10) which was rich in trade. Egypt was not left out, having great wisdom in reading, writing, orator and administrative skills, where Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action (Acts 7:22). Queen of Sheba was also among those who went to listen to king Solomon’s wisdom, and there was no one greater in wisdom until Jesus came (Luke 11:31). Wisdom is supreme, and in all our getting we are called to get it (Proverbs 4:7). Like king Solomon who applied his great wisdom to govern God’s people, we are reminded to apply wisdom in our areas of influence, and become the best as each one is called; to accomplish our purpose, for the glory of God.
PRAYER
What can I do without You Lord. Where can I go without You. Who can I call apart from You. Where can I dwell apart from in You Holy Spirit. Fill my heart with Your grace. Fill our hearts with Your truth. Fill our hearts with You wisdom, we humbly ask You. We delight ourselves in You Jehovah our Father, give us the desires of our heart. We shall not fear, for You Lord are with us. We shall not be dismayed, for You are our God. You shall strengthen us and help us, for You are our Savior. You will uphold us with Your righteous right hand, You will never leave us nor forsake us. We thank You and praise Your holy name. Your wisdom Jesus stems from everlasting to everlasting, how great are You in all the heavens and the earth. May Your wisdom overflow in us, that we may accomplish all that You have called us to do for the glory of Your name. Strengthen our walk in You, for it is You Lord who works in us both to will and to work for Your good pleasure, we praise Your holy name. Thank You for the plans You have for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. Thank You Jesus for loving us. All glory, honor, power, praise, wisdom and grace belongs to You, now and forever. Amen
Further reading: James 1:5-6, Proverbs 4:1-27
Mark 2:13
“And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them”.
INSIGHT
-In several occasions do we see Jesus prefer to teaching by the seashore, and multitudes came to Him. Mark chapter 4 discloses how Jesus taught by the seashore in parables, and after His teaching He demonstrated power and sovereignty over nature by calming the windstorm, and He spoke about faith. Jesus also demonstrated the power of faith when He walked on the sea but Peter failed the test of faith (Matthew 14:25-32). The disciples call to faith began by the sea of Galilee, as Jesus was walking along the seashore. He first called Simon and his brother Andrew who were fishermen. He then called James and his brother John, and He made them fishers of men (Mark 1:16-20). It is because of love that Jesus came, and called us to have faith in Him. Not faith in our own-selves or any other, but faith in Him alone; that we may be saved, and call many to salvation in Him, as we are fishers of men.
SUMMARY
The seashore has symbolically been used in scripture to describe certain experiences and blessings. Abraham the father of faith, demonstrated great faith in God by obeying His instructions to go to a land which he did not know, and accepted the call to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. God blessed him and promised him numerous descendants as the sand of the seashore (Genesis 22:17-18). The Israelites also experienced the blessings of God, who delivered them from Egypt. Even though they complained to Moses saying that he had brought them out of Egypt so that they might die. The Lord was faithful to them as He always is. He rained manna on them and provided quails in plenty as the seashore (Psalms 78:27). The tribe of Zebulun took pride in the seashore (Genesis 49:13). They were strategically positioned in between two major seas, that is:- the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. The seashore to them was a source of livelihood and resource acquisition, through both marine activities and trade. The Lord also blessed King Solomon with great wisdom which was likened to the sand of the seashore (1 kings 4:29-34). His wisdom was bestowed upon him after he gave a sacrifice at Gibeon, and the Lord added him wealth, honor and a peaceful long life. His fame grew to nations all over the world, and many came to listen to his wise sayings. There was not a match in wisdom between king Solomon and multitudes from the East and the west, Egypt and the wisest of nations, and people. He remained the wisest man on earth until Jesus came. Jesus often times preferred to teach by the seashore. He demonstrated the power of faith through His teachings and by example. As He called the disciples to be fishers of men, we are also called to carry our crosses and follow Jesus through faith, and spread His gospel to many, that they may come to Him and be saved.
PRAYER
Lord You are faithful and Your faithfulness is everlasting. You have been so faithful unto us, we glorify Your holy name. You are so faithful to keep Your promises, we praise and honor You. You have justified us through faith, increase our faith in You Jesus we humbly ask You. Teach us to walk by faith and not by sight. Teach us to carry our crosses and follow You dear Jesus. Strengthen us in our walk of faith and guide us as we spread the gospel for the glory and honor of Your name. Fill our hearts with Your wisdom, our dear heavenly Father. Let us experience You in our lives, families, education, ministries, calling, work, business, leadership and nation. Make every crooked path straight and bless us. Bless our going out and our coming in dear Jesus. Bless our children and make them great generals of Your name. Bless the work our hands and increase us. Bless our ministries and make us exceedingly fruitful. Bless us Lord and keep us. Make Your face shine upon us and be gracious to us. Turn Your face toward us and give us peace merciful Savior. Amen
Further reading: Mark 16:15-16, John 3:16