L et me say , as we open this section of the study of the breastplate, that it is our purpose to maintain the devotional rather than the historical treatment of this subject. Now we are following this procedure although we are fully aware that the historical vein would reveal an amazing fulfillment of prophecy in the case of the tribe of Gad. And who is Gad? In Genesis 30:9-11, we find the beginning of the thread of his story: “When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son. And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.” This son, bom of Zilpah, was taken away by Leah as her adopted son and she named him Gad. Leah had borne four sons and now this adopted lad brought the num ber to five sons by this time. Rachel had borne no children to Jacob and it was she, who being envious of her sis ter Leah in the bearing of four sons, first made use of her handmaiden and secured a son, Dan, by proxy. Then follows Genesis 30, verse 9. Again we return to the well used chapter 49 of Genesis, and reading verse 19, we leam that “Gad, a troop shall overcome him; but he shall over come at the last.” As we turn the pages of Scripture we come to a further study over in Deu teronomy 33:20, 21 where Moses said of Gad, “Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: He dwelleth as the lion, and tear- eth the arm with the crown of his
head. And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments with Israel.” From the standpoint of recorded fact,, we find the Gadites to have been great warriors — fighting many, many bat tles and knowing both defeat and vic tory as valiant men. But we read that a troop shall overcome Gad; however, he shall overcome at the last. In looking at such a summary, as this of Gad, we note that three pictures of truth are illustrated for us in the glimpse that we catch of this son of Jacob. We feel that we need, first of all, to look at the view concerning the people of Israel. You see, God prom ised Abraham that his seed would be as numberless as the sands of the sea and as countless as the stars of heaven. Also, was the promise given that through Abraham’s seed would all the nations of the earth be blessed. Now this multiplication began in Jacob and his twelve sons and continued until the family became a mighty, overpowering nation. You see Israel, in reality, was a troop. Incidentally, if, in your read ing of the Scripture, you come across the words bands and troop, used inter changeably, do not become confused for they are the same word and mean ing. Now Israel was to be overcome and to rise. The children of Israel were op pressed by an Egyptian troop, yet came (continued on next page) 11
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