Understanding the times

When the Bible lists the men from each tribe who came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel, it speaks of soldiers who handled the sling, the sword and the bow. But when it gets to the tribe of Issachar, the quality it highlights is different: they were men "who understood the times and knew what Israel should do" (1 Chronicles 12:32).

This quality is extremely important for God's people, and it applies to every area of life: our spiritual life, relationships, family, business. The verse shows two things: they knew when (what time they were living in) and they knew how (what should be done).

1. There are seasons in life

God said that as long as the earth endures, there will be seasons and cycles (Genesis 8:22). Solomon says there is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1). And each season requires something different from you.

Imagine someone who sells clothes and decides to sell leather jackets on the beach in the middle of summer. He may have the best product and the best price, but the season doesn't match what he is doing.

1.1 Every area of life has its season

• Your marriage has a season.
• Your family has a season.
• Your church, your city, your state and your country have their own seasons.

One area of your life may be in one season and another area in a different one. The country may be in crisis and your city may not. Discerning the season is what brings clarity about what to do.

1.2 God is the one who determines the season

We often become distressed asking whether something is or isn't God's will, but we don't look at the season we are living in. Sometimes we put God to the test by doing things that don't belong to our time. Effort, persistence and consistency are necessary, but they need to happen within the right season.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they knew how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but could not discern the signs of the times (Matthew 16:2-3). The Messiah was standing in front of them and they didn't notice.

2. Joseph: discernment in abundance and in scarcity

Joseph knew how to live each season: the pit, the betrayal, the prison, and also the good times. When he interpreted Pharaoh's dream, he understood that God had determined seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine (Genesis 41). It wasn't Joseph or Pharaoh who chose it. But by discerning the time, Joseph knew what to do: build storehouses and save up for the time of need.

All of us will go through times of abundance and of scarcity. That is not our choice.

• In abundance, the biggest mistake is to become careless and think the windows of heaven will stay open forever.
• In scarcity, God trains our stewardship, our creativity and our ability to handle few resources.

Paul said he had learned to be content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry (Philippians 4:11-12). The hard season will pass, and it will pass when God says so. Until then, learn everything He wants to teach you in it.

3. Eternity in the heart, a watch on the wrist

Why does it seem so hard to discern the times? Because God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11), but we still live in a mortal body, subject to the clock. We are constantly dealing with the past, the present and the future.

God's revelation, however, doesn't run along that horizontal line. It is vertical: it comes from the eternal into today. The past is history, the future is mystery, the present is today. We will only have the discernment of the men of Issachar when we live in today.

3.1 Stuck in the past

Many believe the past has power over today. "I used to do it this way and it worked." But the season has changed. Like bills of an old currency that are no longer worth anything, what worked in another season may no longer be of use. God doesn't change, but He moves, and He wants to use you today in a different way.

3.2 Anxious about the future

Others live waiting for tomorrow to bring something that will finally make them complete. That wounds our identity, because today we never feel whole. Our generation has learned many ways to escape today, especially through technology. We say we don't have time, but we waste a lot of it.

Abraham received the revelation that he would be the father of many nations, but, anxious, he tried to fulfill the promise in the strength of the flesh. Saul, distressed about the future, consulted the medium at Endor (1 Samuel 28). God detests divination (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

When God speaks to you, it is a revelation of the eternal, not a forecast of the future. He reveals step by step, because at every step He wants to transform you.

4. Daily manna

In the wilderness, God sent manna every day (Exodus 16). Whoever gathered more than the day's portion saw it all spoil. God was teaching the people to live in today.

Everything we try to do outside of today is lost. Acting is easy; acting without discerning the times is recklessness. Time wasted today doesn't come back.

Jesus said: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself" (Matthew 6:34). That doesn't mean we stop planning. Joseph planned for seven years. It means taking care of today: whoever sows today will reap tomorrow. Hebrews repeats: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 3:15).

Conclusion

Today is the day to have peace, to have joy, to be complete in God. Nothing tomorrow brings can replace what He wants to do in you now. There is manna for each day, and it is by living each day that you will discern the season and know what to do.

What season are you living in today, and what is God asking you to do in it?