Sermons
Vander Kam on Genesis 49:19 & Deuteronomy 33:20-21
Sermons
Vander Kam on Genesis 49:19 & Deuteronomy 33:20-21Genesis 49:19 – "'As for Gad, raiders shall raid him,
But he shall raid at their heels.'"
Deuteronomy 33:20-21 – "And of Gad he said,
'Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad;
He lies down as a lion,
And tears the arm, also the crown of the head.
The he provided the first part for himself,
For there the ruler's portion was reserved;
And he came with the leaders of the people;
He executed the justice of the Lord,
And his ordinances with Israel.'" (New American
Standard Bible)
Beloved in the Lord: anyone who has very, very closely followed the reading of Ephesians 6, then also immediately realize that there you are dealing with two different subjects, which seem to be mutually exclusive. In the very first part of that chapter you are dealing with this, that children are to be obedient to their parents, and the second paragraph is this, that the slaves, the servants are also to be obedient to their masters. That they therefore are to bend the knee, that they are there ever to be reserved, that they are ever to be meek, that they are ever to realize that they have that kind of a calling to perform.
And then in the very next paragraph beloved, we are dealing with this, namely the armor of God, so that we may be able to stand in the evil day. And that is the way in which the Bible comes to us time and again in order to show to us that indeed these two things belong together, and you and I are never able to get them together. It seems as though there are these two streams that flow through the Scriptures and then again we emphasize the one, and then again we emphasize the other. And it must also be realized that you are never able to emphasize the one without doing injustice to the other, but that you are always to take the two together.
Now those are the kind of things of which the Bible is filled, and you and I also better realize that these are the things of which it speaks again and again, in order that the church of Jesus Christ of the present day may be instructed, and that it may be instructed in such a way so that it will also realize what is their calling in the midst of this world. And at the one time it is indeed to be meek and lowly, and therein she is also able to call upon the example of her Savior, and at other times she is indeed called upon to contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints, and then she is again able to call upon the Savior.
Both of these examples are given to us, and it is so very difficult for us ever to bring them together. And as a result of that, we have also seen the church of Christ fragmented in this world. And we see ever so much of the work of the church fragmented and we see that there is no unified approach, and we see also that it is indeed a fragmentation even as far as the interpretation of the Scriptures are concerned.
We speak to you tonight on, Gad: Strife For Survival. Then we notice in the first place, the history of it; secondly, the noble character; and finally, the solution.
Here beloved, when we are dealing with this history, and it also seems to be a history that is very little, that is very small. And yet at the same time, these are the kind of things that you and I must also recognize in order that we may see the light that it casts over ever so much of the Scriptures as they are unfolded to us.
This is the one who is now born, and this is one is again not born of one of the wives of Jacob, but Leah has now also taken her own maiden, and has taken that maiden and given her to Jacob to wife, in order that she may now receive children in the same way in which Rachel has also received them. She is no longer receiving children and therefore realizing that it is only in the numbers that she is ever going to be able to prevail; therefore she now gives her maid, Zilpah, unto Jacob in order that he may now also have her to wife.
And this is the one who is now to bear children for Jacob, and these are the ones who are also to be included in Israel. They are to be included as well as the others, and it is with this kind of a view of things, this kind of a deceit, this kind of a stratagem, that she now uses in order that her own purposes may thereby also be fulfilled. And she says with the birth of this child, there is again hope, and she calls his name Gad, meaning success. "I am very fortunate, and that fortune now also smiles upon him, that there may be success." That is the way in which she now looks upon this child, who is again going to be a fulfillment of her desires.
She is not speaking prophetically. And it is also high time that you and I recognize that every word that is given in Scripture is not for our edification in the same way. There are the words quoted from Satan himself; there are the words that are quoted from those who are sinning, who are going in the wrong direction. There are the words quoted from the friends of Job, who had to be reprimanded, and who had to be corrected. And it is therefore not sufficient that you are merely going to call upon a certain phrase or certain sentence in Scripture and believe that it is normative.
And now Leah also says "this is the one who is going to have success; this is the one; this is the one in whom hope is again restored." And Jacob, when he is speaking concerning him, and he speaks prophetically, he speaks with the words of God laid upon his lips, and he says, "It is going to be strife, strife from beginning to end." It is not going to be success. Leah was wrong; Leah has not been the prophetess. But he is now speaking, though he is the father, must now correct, must now show that the words that Leah has spoken are not in the right direction.
And he now says concerning this Gad, that he is going to be pressed on every side. They are going to molest him; they are going to be after him, it is going to be war and tumult. He is there going to be in such a place so that he will have to struggle for his own survival. But at the same time, this is also the one who is going to rise up, and who is going to fight back, this is the one who is going to be aggressive. He is going to go on the offensive as well as on the defensive. And in that way he is also going to seek to have his place.
Because it is such already that the very residence that he is going to receive is going to lead in that direction. He has received the place on the east side of the Jordan River. Then even that geography there, this is a little bit clearer to us today, because it even makes the headlines in the last few weeks. But he has received his portion on the east side of the river, has received it there, where there is good grazing, because his numbers are enormous. And he has mighty cattle, a great number, a mighty number, says the Bible. And therefore he remains on the east side of the Jordan.
But nevertheless, that is the place where it is also going to be very dangerous, and that is the place that they are going to attack first. They are going to attack it again and again, and that whole history has been full of it. Wars going through the land of Gilead, which is the land of Gad. Through Reuben, through the half tribe of Manasseh, and there have they struggled again and again for a place in the sun; for survival. But at the same time, here when they are taking their place on the east side of the river, and they have set an altar on the border, and with the very best of incense; that the Jordan River is not going to be a spiritual barrier, but only geographic. That they will serve the same God, and that is the intention of Gad when he moves to the east side of the river, and stays there even though it is the place of bravery, but nevertheless also the place of grave danger.
Secondly, notice also the noble character of that strife. Now here we are also to see beloved, that when they have come to the land of Canaan, then these other tribes, these other nine and a half tribes go over the Jordan River. And there they are to conquer that whole land of Canaan that is inhabited by the Canaanites of that day. And now Moses also has various questions and he asks also this two and a half tribes that stay on the east side of the river, what they are going to do. That is not the kind of a question that you have to ask of this tribe of Gad, they are ready. And they are in the forefront of battle; they go ahead of even the children of Israel to help conquer that land. They are there always in that kind of a place where they are going to give aid, where they are going to give help to their brothers.
These have therefore also been the mighty men, and Moses speaks of that, and Joshua speaks of that. These are the ones who are indeed in the forefront of battle and will not return to their homes until that entire land has been conquered for their brethren.
So we see it also in the days of David. It is already before the time that David is king, that there are ever so many of the people of Gad that affiliate themselves to this man, David. They recognize in him their future king; they recognize that he is God's anointed. They are now going to follow him; they are there with him in the caves in the wilderness. Concerning them, read Chronicles, for example, when it speaks of that, of the men of Gad; one was equal to a hundred, the least was equal to a hundred, and of the best, one was equal to a thousand. This is the kind of an army that Gad had, and these are the ones who stand at the side of David. They are ready to give their lives for him, they are ready to go into battle and there strive for the kingdom of God.
And also in the time, later on, when it is the time that Absalom has defected from David. Then it is again the men of Gad who are standing at the side of David, and these are the ones who are fighting for him. Their loyalty, loyalty to this anointed of God; loyal to that seed, that seed of a woman, that David, the son of Jesse. That is the one whom they follow, also over against an Absalom, and are also the ones who bring provisions. We read there for example, of a Barzillai, the one who has done more for David in that day, to bring provisions when he is in his own Valley Forge. That is the one who has there provided for him, and he was of the tribe of Gad.
And again beloved, we are also to recognize that even later, or even in the time of the judges, that is the time when there is a Jephthah, and that Jephthah also of Gilead, that Jephthah, who is also of the tribe of Gad, becomes one of the judges of Israel. This is the man, though a very strange individual, and though there are ever so many questions concerning him; this is nevertheless the kind of an individual who has now striven valiantly against Ammon, and has overcome them together with Moab, has thrown them out of the land of Israel, and has judged Israel. And is also by the writer of Hebrews, accounted among the heroes of faith.
And that these things in connection with Dan and Naphtali, it borders on the illegitimate. Jephthah is illegitimate. That is the one that comes forth out of this tribe of Gad, is the one who now fights in order that Israel may have a place, and that their place may not be lost. And so it is that kind of a struggle throughout, that kind of a struggle that is going on throughout all the ages, that kind of a struggle for their very survival, and concerning that survival beloved, we are also to realize that they have striven very nobly. That it has been such a noble strife, that thereby they have also been able to overcome virtually every might that was opposed to them. And yet, a strife for survival doesn't bring you anywhere.
That gives no satisfaction, no satisfaction at all. Leah had said, "Success." There is no success in the strife for survival, for you sit out the problem. A great problem, for what is all the strife. Is it for your own survival? Then what are you going to do with that survival! And that is one of the grave questions that the Scriptures place before us. How shall we fight in that battle? What is the solution? Where shall we go with it? And Gad does not produce a solution. Leah argues in one direction, but the Bible in an entirely different one, and it cannot be found in that kind of strife. Those that put their trust in horses and in chariots shall be put to shame. Those that put their trust in the arm of man, that arm of man shall be broken. Trust not in horses, nor in chariots, but you have to put your trust elsewhere. And Gad proclaims to us, that is the strife of one of the tribes of Israel, for their very survival. And now that he has attained survival, what is he going to do with it? For you are not able to rest upon this, it gives no satisfaction at all.
And therefore, finally, notice also the solution. And beloved, when we are dealing with this matter concerning the solution, then let us also realize at the very outset that you are dealing with one of the great problems that is placed before us in Scripture. And that it is there a problem of such complexity that there are also a great many who have never come to a realization that there is even a problem. And that it is a problem of such complexity that it is also very difficult to find a solution. That it is the problem of the Old Testament but also of the New. That it was the problem of Israel but also the problem of the church. And that that is the problem that is still before us to the very present day. And that it makes all the difference in the world what is the attitude that we are going to take to that problem in order that we may find a solution.
And that is also one of the benefits that accrues to us from this prophetic teaching that we receive from the lips of Jacob. That thereby you are also going to go on through the Scriptures in order that you will also see the broad ways of God, and that you will there also be able to see the various problems whereby they are confronted, so that we may also seek the solution, where it is to be found.
For when we look upon that problem, then we are to realize that it is found very, very clearly in Christ Himself. And that in Jesus Christ we will then also see that there there is that striving between the two, and as a result of that the Christ is not understood by the great majority. He has come into this world and He says, "Think not that I am come to bring peace, but I have come to bring the sword." I will come with a sword and I will make preparation where it never existed. I will come with a sword so that the world is never going to be the same. I will come with that sword in such a way so that your whole life is going to be overturned. And He does! And at the same time, "Learn of Me, that I am meek, and lowly of heart. Look unto Me, the Prince of Peace."
And then we begin to wonder, and the one refers to the Christ and says, "There is the militant figure." And they're right! And another looks to the Christ and says, "There is the figure of meekness." And they're right! But how are you going to bring the two together? They seem to be mutually exclusive; the one will not permit the other. And those are that things that make the teaching of Jesus Christ very difficult to understand. There are times when He speaks sharply; that we by nature say that is far too sharp. And at other times when He is quiet; when by nature I think He should have spoken.
Now that same kind of a problem is also found in Paul. And there you will also find that there are times when he indeed speaks sharply, and that he speaks very sharply for example, to the Jews of His day, and that He there also speaks very sharply and face to face to the apostle Peter; and denounces him for a certain kind of action. And at the same time He is too meek so that the Corinthians stumble at him. He is the one who is able to glory in affliction, in suffering. Now that is a very model of meekness, and yet at the same time the most militant figure that the New Testament had seen.
Now that is also precisely the situation that we find in the church. That church of Jesus Christ, beloved, is called upon to be militant, and that militancy of the church is many a time called into question because of the fact that she must be meek, and that she must minister to the needy. And that is also one of the earmarks of the church, that she is to indeed minister to the needy, and that she is to proclaim love. And at the same time, that she is to be militant, to contend earnestly, fervently, valiantly for the faith. And then the one goes in one direction, and the other goes in the other.
And when has the church been the strongest? Was it the strongest when it was victor in every area of life, when even a Christian was on the throne of Rome? Or was she stronger perhaps in the catacombs! Paul, as it were, draws a line through it and says, "When I am weak, then am I strong." Then Christ also comes with these contradictory – seemingly contradictory – these paradoxical statements; that he who loses his life shall gain it, that he who dies shall live.
Now then you are dealing with the kind of a problem where it is no longer a matter of striving for survival, but that it is the kind of a problem, beloved, that affects each and every one that ever lived. And that it is also the kind of a problem that is found wherever the church of Jesus Christ has a place under the sun. There are those who are very militant, and we need them, and there are those who are very meek, and they are needed; but neither one is the church; neither the one nor the other.
Oh, we are ever to realize that the solution to the problem must lie elsewhere. And that it has not been solved by the tribe of Gad. Not the kind of a tribe that strives, and strives nobly and valiantly for survival. Many a time the church has been there, has striven in order that it might be able to survive. That is not first of all the duty that has been given to her in Scripture; but her first duty is to contend for the faith, and to contend earnestly for that. And it is only in that way that she will survive. For the problem is one that is indeed complex, and it is the kind of a problem to which all manner of answers have been given. The answer of Phariseeism is this, that there is a line that runs between us and the unbelieving world. And on the one side you have us, and on the other side you have the harlots, the publicans, and sinners.
And Christ says, the line does not run this way, but it runs this way, and it cuts through every sphere of life. He says – use the one example – He says to Simon Peter when he asks, "but what say ye, whom say ye that I am?" And Peter comes with that magnificent confession, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God!" And Christ says, "Blessed art thou, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven." And then seeing that they know, know now that He is indeed the Son of God, that they have grasped it; now, now He can tell them, and He began to tell them concerning His decease at Jerusalem.
And Peter takes Him aside and says, "Yea Lord, that shall never happen to Thee." And the one whom He had called blessed, He now says, "Get behind me, Satan!" It isn't that simple, that it runs between Pharisees and harlots, but it runs right through the apostles. That line is drawn everywhere.
And that is precisely the solution that He also shows us. That it is at one and the same time beloved, this, that the church is to be militant and meek. That it is to strive and that it is to suffer. That it is to strive valiantly for the truth, for the faith, and that it is also to suffer the reproaches of men and to endure them; at one and the same time, in order that the church may learn to see that Jesus Christ is both Lion and Lamb. And that He is not at one time this, and another time that, but always both.
It is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, that hangs as a Lamb on the cross, and cries out, "It is finished!" And that is the model for the church. And that is the solution, and that is the antidote for the tribe of Gad. Not merely a struggle for survival, but rather this, an overcoming, an overcoming in strife, and an overcoming in suffering, in order that there may be life coming through Jesus Christ Himself.
That solution always points again unto Him. We sang a moment ago of Psalm 77, and there the Psalmist pours out his heart in his bitterness. In his meekness he doesn't know where to turn anymore. "Has God forgot to be kind? Shall we no longer His favor see?" And that is something we can understand.
And at the close of the service we are going to sing, "Am I a soldier of the cross?" Do they belong in the same book? Can we stand up for Jesus, and at the same time; "these doubts and fears that trouble me, were born of mine infirmity." Then it becomes something very practical, and when the church becomes militant, without having that meekness, when she becomes a lion and is no longer a lamb, then she is also no church. And if she becomes meek, a dispenser of love, and has only that meekness, and none of the characteristics of that lion, she is no church. Both are utterly foreign to the New Testament. They have to be brought together, and there alone the solution is found, so that we become soldiers, notice, of the cross; which is a contradiction in terms. Soldiers of a cross, where One gave His life.
And that is the believer's life, and that is the life of the church, that she stands foursquare for the truth and doesn't give in an inch, and at the same time serves in meekness. That is the church of Jesus Christ. The one time in history; the one came to the fore, another time the other, and then it is unbalanced; it must always go together, the Scriptures always come with that perfect balance, and that is the balance that we see personified in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. And I saw the Lion of the tribe of Judah standing as a Lamb that had been slain. They are both in Him, and both have to be in that church. That church has so many temptations that it is either going to go either in this direction or in the other. That it is either going to follow in the footsteps of those who are meek and the doormat of the world, and then even a Nietzsche, an Adolf Hitler say, "That is something that is to be cast away." And they're right, they're right.
And at times that church has come with such militancy that it lost all sight of itself. And so we see it in our own lives. These tribes of Israel, these sons of Jacob, speak to us and Scripture uses them to unfold to us the manifold wisdom of God. And this is reflected in Jesus Christ. Amen.
We thank Thee heavenly Father, for the grace manifested to us. Thankful Lord, that Thou hast given us that Word, that it is indeed a Word of reconciliation. And we pray that it may be sanctified unto the heart of each one. Bless us now also through the days of this coming week. Be gracious to us and uphold us; forgive our sins, and keep us from sin, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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