Some passages of Scripture are rich with context, color, and vibrant detail that stir our imaginations—fountains from which we drink time and time again in our devotions, sermons, and study.
Then there are other texts that conspicuously seem to lack any real context, scattered like so many Easter eggs across the pages of Scripture, that don’t often enter our minds or figure prominently in the Christian content we consume. But when they do, they challenge us to slow down, think deeply, and guess at exactly what was meant by the author.
One such gem buried in 1 Chronicles is this striking statement about the sons of Issachar:
Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command. (1 Chronicles 12:32)
What does it mean that these men knew the times and how Israel should act? We simply aren’t told—rather, we’re left to sanctified imagination.
I can’t help but contrast these faithful sons of Issachar with a very different group mentioned in the Bible, though separated geographically, historically, and culturally: the last-days scoffers of whom the Apostle Peter warns in 2 Peter 3:3-7. Unlike the Issacharites, Peter’s scoffers deny the reality of God’s past judgments in history and insist that the world’s status quo will continue in perpetuity. And rather than knowing the right thing to do as a result, they persist in following their own ungodly desires all the way to perdition.
Whether you live and minister in a context marked by ease and affluence, poverty and suffering, darkness and idolatry, or revival and light, the Word remains the same: we are called to be like sons of Issachar—men and women who understand the times and act accordingly. Simply put, we as Great Commission servants must know what time it is in the world around us. We can interpret the weather; how much more so should we read the signs of the cultures surrounding us and discern God’s work in them (Luke 12:56)? We must grasp both God’s broad purposes for history—that eternity is ever looming closer, and that the present order will someday give way to new heavens and a new earth, free from sin and vain pursuit—as well as his specific purposes for our moment in the story: raising up a people for himself from among the nations, putting down proud peoples who reject him, sowing seeds of revival, sanctifying his global church, and advancing the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ through the proclamation of the gospel.
For instance, I just saw in my social media feed a clip of a theologically sound, Bible-believing pastor on a podcast happily reporting that he had been invited to facilitate a time of prayer and devotion for Pentagon staff. This was being shared by a secular watchdog group as supposed evidence of encroaching Christian “tyranny” over what they presume should be a neutral, secular United States. To know what time it is in a place like the US means to simultaneously recognize that there are currently great open doors for the gospel to advance en masse in our culture, but that such advance will be met with rage and hostility from Christ-haters in every stratum of society and institutional leadership. As Paul wrote, “a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9 ESV).
Meanwhile, I received reports recently from a dear brother ministering in India who is observing an increase in persecution and has come into contact with other church leaders who have faced jail time for preaching the gospel. This is all thanks to the rise of a Hindu nationalist faction that has come to power and considers Hinduism essential to Indian identity—thus cracking down on Christians suspected of engaging in proselytization. Wisdom for our Christian brothers and sisters in moments like these involves not only perseverance and boldness but also tact and discretion. As Jesus said, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16 ESV).
And not only must we know what time it is; we also must act accordingly, just as the sons of Issachar knew what Israel ought to do. We must not only believe radical truths but walk unashamedly in the light of the eternal truths God has given us. I’m often struck by the resonance of that notable line delivered by Tim Robbins’ character before attempting his daring prison break in The Shawshank Redemption: “Get busy living, or get busy dying.” If we are not busy living intentionally and zealously for Christ’s cause, being about our Master’s will, we are, in a sense, not truly alive.
As we continue in the at-times repetitive, grinding rhythm of ministry—with all its exhilarating heights and mundane depths—let us not forget to pay heed to the times in which we live and take courage to act in response. May we, as Great Commission servants, be well-suited for the task the Lord has given us in this generation to labor and build in his name.
