Zebulun – Third Tribe / Sivan - Third Month
Sivan, the third month in the Hebrew Festival calendar. Zebulun becomes the corresponding tribe which is named as the third tribe in the camping order of Numbers 2. The sages have discovered that the months of the Hebrew Festival calendar are connected to the tribal camping order and provide amazing insights into the uniqueness of each month and each tribe. Understanding these unique attributes and characteristics can and do greatly enhance our own personal relationship with HaShem**. Let’s find out and discover some of these unique and powerful characteristics and attributes for the month of Sivan and the tribe of Zebulun.
The Feast of Shavuot (aka Pentecost) is celebrated in the month of Sivan. This is a highly powerful and significant festival which we observe after counting 7 weeks plus one day from the Feast of First Fruits. To get to the heart of the attributes and characteristics of Zebulun, let us consider a point about why HaShem has placed Shavuot in this month.
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Sages say that the tribe of Zebulun has a connection with the aquatic creature that the ancients used to make the blue dye for the tzitzits. They derive this understanding from the blessing that Moses gave the tribe before his death, when he spoke; “Of Zebulun He said, “Rejoice, Zebulun in your going forth… They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.” Deuteronomy 33:18-19.
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If you check out the land allotments given out to the tribes, it’s interesting to note that Zebulun’s land does not include the ocean shores. Yet, the blessing provided by Moses (and the blessing given earlier by Jacob) upon this tribe include the sea, the sand, etc. Why is this? Well, again the sages say that the land which was allotted to Zebulun was rocky, mountainous and lacked the ability to grow crops. They say that Zebulun expressed dismay at their allotment. So, it was determined that this tribe would have the bounty of the seas as their provision. This included the aquatic creature from which the blue dye was created.
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Let’s pause and ask a relevant question; what is the purpose of the blue thread in the tzitzits? It is to remind us about who we are and what we are to do (Numbers 15:38-41). That is exactly what Moses blessed Zebulun with in Deuteronomy 33:18-19 "And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and Issachar, in thy tents. They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall such of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand."
Zebulun is the tribe that is meant to cause Israel to remember it’s unique position as the nation showcasing HaShem’s lifestyle to the world (remember Moses’ blessing; ‘call the people unto the mountain [of HaShem]; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness:’). Zebulun and the blue dyed thread on the tzitzits share the same function and it is for this reason that the sages associated this tribe with the aquatic creatures that make that blue dye.
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So, as asked earlier why did HaShem place Shavuot in this month of Sivan? Shavuot is a proclamation of one’s devotion to HaShem, it is a time to remember who we are and what our future holds. This festival is reflected in the blessing for Zebulun; “call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness:” HaShem is showing us that the attribute of Zebulun is how we can be properly prepared for this powerful festival.
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Now we will discover what Zebulun’s attribute is that enabled this tribe to be given the honour of being the only tribe to harvest the aquatic creature for the blue thread. And we will also discover how does all this tie together with Shavuot. In Judges 5:18, the prophetess Deborah gives us insight into the attributes of this tribe. She states, “Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death,” This is an accounting of the efforts of the men of Zebulun when the tribes went to battle Jabin, the king of Canann and conquer him. The men of Zebulun were willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the nation as a whole. That is what we do at the Feast of Shavuot. We proclaim that our aspirations in life (the old man, personal desires) are now dead and we are putting on the new man that is of HaShem (Ephesians 2:15; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10). We jeopardize our lives to the point of death, just like Zebulun did. This Feast reminds us what we are committing to be in the household of HaShem.
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HaShem has many reasons for placing the Feast of Shavuot in the month of Sivan. With this understanding of the characteristics and attributes of Zebulun, this placement is seen as a blessing for to them because of their example of life that so closely ties in with the meaning of Shavuot. And this may well explain why they are chosen as the third tribe in the tribal camping order listed in the second chapter in the book of Numbers.
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Zebulun's symbolic banner is a boat, representing this tribes seafaring lifestyle and ability to make the blue dye.
The month of Sivan's celestial constellation is Gemini (the twins). In the Hebrew perspective through the Bibical accounts of Esau and Jacob as well as Perez and Zerah, whose stories signify destiny, rivalry, and God’s choice, with the younger often elevated over the elder. That is a picture of our spiritual life, as we put off the old physical man (elder) and become a new spiritual man (younger), which is the picture that Shavuot represents. ALSO the attribute of two (twins) represents the two tablets of the 10 Commandments given to Moses and the children of Israel at Mount Sinai.
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The Hebrew tribe of Zebulun and the Hebrew month of Sivan; a Godly combination to bring us to the state of remembrance of who we are, what we are doing and what we will do in the future.
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** for records sake the term HaShem (which means “The Name”) is used to recognize both Yeshua and God the Father.
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Next: Reuben - Fourth Tribe / Tammuz - Fourth Month
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