"I give you no command concerning my silver, or my gold," Naphtali said to his sons. He wasn't concerned with material wealth or earthly possessions. Instead, his focus was on something far more profound. "And what I command you is not a hard matter, which you cannot do, but I speak unto you concerning an easy thing, which you can execute." So, what was this "easy thing"?
"I give you no commandment except regarding the fear of God, that you should serve Him and follow after Him."
But why, the sons of Naphtali wondered, does God require our service?
Naphtali answered with a powerful truth: "He needs no creature, but all creatures need Him. Nevertheless He hath not created the world for naught, but that men should fear Him, and none should do unto his neighbor what he would not have others do unto him." It's not about God’s needs, but about the very purpose of creation, the essence of a moral and ethical life: to treat others with the same respect and consideration we desire for ourselves. A simple yet profound principle, mirroring the core of the Golden Rule, a concept found across many cultures and spiritual traditions.
Then his sons, seeking reassurance, asked, "Father, hast thou observed that we strayed from the ways of the Lord to the right or to the left?" They wanted to know if they had already gone astray.
Naphtali replied, "God is witness, and so am I witness for you, that it is as you say." He affirmed their current path, but his concern lay with the future. "But I fear regarding future times, that you may depart from the ways of the Lord, and follow after the idols of the stranger, and walk in the statutes of the heathen peoples, and join yourselves unto the sons of Joseph instead of the sons of Levi and Judah."
Why this specific warning? Why single out the sons of Joseph?
The sons of Naphtali pressed him: "What reason hast thou for commanding this thing unto us?"
Naphtali revealed his concern: "Because I know that the sons of Joseph will one day turn recreant to the Lord, the God of their fathers, and it is they that will lead the sons of Israel into sin, and cause them to be driven away from their inheritance, their beautiful land, to a land that is not ours, even as it was Joseph that brought the Egyptian bondage down upon us."
This is a fascinating and somewhat harsh statement. It suggests a prophetic insight into the future, a concern that the descendants of Joseph might lead Israel astray, echoing the original Joseph's role in bringing about the Egyptian enslavement. It's a reminder that even those who appear righteous can inadvertently set a course that leads to hardship.
What resonates most in Naphtali's final words is the emphasis on living a life of ethical conduct and devotion to God, not for God's sake, but for our own. To act justly, to treat others with compassion, and to remain vigilant against influences that might lead us away from these principles. These are timeless lessons that hold relevance for us today. What will our legacy be? What wisdom will we impart to future generations?