The Prophesy of Zabulon and Nephthalim Matthew 4:15

Matthew shared how Jesus was “baptized” and “tempted” by the “devil”. He also wrote, “Then the devil left him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee” And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying”, and in chapter four and verse fifteen of his book, Matthew continued to share about the prophesy of Isaiah that was “fulfilled” in “the land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim” where we read:

The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, 

by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;

The verse reads, “The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim,  ...” Matthew began with the words, “the land” which means “the arable ground, earth and standing place” “of Zabulon” or “a region in Palestine which means a habitation”, “and the land” which means “the arable ground, earth and standing place” “of Nephthalim” which refers to “a tribe in Palestine which means wrestling”. Matthew shared how Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah (Jesus) would dwell in “Capernaum” which was near “Zabulon and Nephthalim” in Palestine.

The verse continues, “... by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.” Matthew added the words, “by the way” which means “through a travelled way or road” “of the sea” or “belonging to the sea of Galilee”, “beyond” which means “on the other side or across from” “Jordan” or “the one river of Palestine which has its course of little more than 200 miles (300 km) from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the head of the Dead Sea”, “Galilee” or “the name of a region of northern Palestine, bounded on the north by Syria, on the west by Sidon, Tyre, Ptolemais and their territories and the promontory of Carmel, on the south by Samaria and on the east by the Jordan which means circuit” “of the Gentiles” which refers to “pertaining to the multitude of individuals and pagans who did not worship the true God. Matthew shared Isaiah's specific prophesy concerning the location of “Capernaum” where Jesus would set up His operation.

When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how specific Isaiah was when he wrote this prophesy concerning where Christ would live. God had a plan for His Son Jesus to be the Messiah, and the details reveal themselves over and over again in the book of Matthew. No one fulfilled these prophesies like Jesus, and those who are wise shall not only consider the magnitude of fulfilled scriptures, but also that He came to be the “Savior” of the world.

Next time Matthew shares more of Isaiah's prophesy how, “the people which sat in darkness saw great light” so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.