Jacob is blessing his sons one by one, and when he gets to Issachar, he thinks about a donkey.
“Issachar is a rawboneddonkey lying down among the sheep pens. 15 When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labour.” (Genesis 49 v 14-15)
This is not a glamorous tribe, just a strong donkey settled between the sheep pens.
He sees how good the land is. He bends his shoulder, meaning he takes the weight of the task.
This weekend, I am with a small church that meets on a large housing estate of families with extraordinary needs. Last evening, I was with the church leaders who are bearing the weight of the task. They are tired physically because the task is real. They need to reorganise so that they are not overwhelmed. They need rest. But they are not called to an easy life. The rest they need is to rest in God’s power.
Today, on Pentecost Sunday, as we celebrate the pouring of the Holy Spirit on the 1st Church, we realise again that the Upper Room was not the end but the starting point for carrying what the Spirit gives you. The Great Commission was huge. How would this fledgling church carry such a vision and purpose? It was by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit comes so you can carry something you could never carry in your own strength.
Issachar saw the land’s goodness and said yes. The disciples felt the wind of heaven and said yes.
Pentecost was not the end of the story. It was the moment the load got picked up. The same Spirit who filled that room fills you today. The question, though, for you is what was given to Issachar and the disciples in the first century: will you bend your shoulder?
Missions Paul 