8. GAD
Jacob’s eighth son is Gad, and he blessed him with a simple
phrase:
(Genesis 49:19) Raiders shall
raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels.
This prophesy has to do with Gad’s name, which is evident to
see in Hebrew, but not quite so evident in English. In Hebrew, the blessing has
only six words, four of which are related with the verb “Gud”.
The name “Gad” comes from the verb “Gud”, which means “to attack, invade”. The word “Gad” also is
translated as “troop”. Jacob’s blessing has to do with being attacked, but it
also mentions a counterattack.
Though out history, the Gadites were known for being brave
warriors (1 Chr. 5:18).
(1 Chr. 12:8) From the
Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and
experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the
faces of lions and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains:
This tribe needed to be strong and brave to defend
themselves, since they stayed on the other side of the Jordan River, along with
the tribes of Reuben and Manasseh. To be more specific, Gad’s territory was
Gilead.
As strong and brave as the Gadites were, the reality is that
they were in a vulnerable position just by being on the other side of the
River, far from their brothers (Judg. 10:8). Out of all the tribes, they were
the first ones to be taken by the Assyrians. However the most dangerous
vulnerability was not geopolitical, but spiritual…
(1 Chr. 5:25-26) But they broke
faith with the God of their fathers, and whored after the gods of the peoples
of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. (26) So the God of Israel
stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, the spirit of Tiglath-pileser
king of Assyria, and he took them into exile, namely, the Reubenites, the
Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor,
Hara, and the river Gozan, to this day.
They never again came back to their land.
Why did they stay on the other side of the Jordan River, and
not live in the Land of Canaan? Because they specifically asked to stay there
for the benefit of their livestock. They gave more importance to their business
than to their own children. This is what they told Moses:
(Num. 32:4-5) “the land that
the LORD struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for
livestock, and your servants have livestock.” (5) And they said, “If we
have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a
possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.”
In their blessing, Moses refers to this request of staying
outside of the land of Canaan.
(Deu. 33:20-21) And of Gad he
said, “Blessed be he who enlarges Gad! Gad crouches like a lion; he tears off
arm and scalp. (21) He chose the best of the land for himself, for there a
commander’s portion was reserved; and he came with the heads of the people,
with Israel he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments for
Israel.”
The tribe of Gad, along with the tribe of Reuben, requested
to “enlarge” the land of Israel, and it was granted to them. As the text says:
“they chose the best of the land for themselves”.
The most outstanding leader from this tribe was Jair, who
was judge in Israel for 22 years.
(Judg. 10:3-4) After him arose
Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. (4) And he had thirty
sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, called
Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
9. ASHER
Jacob’s final blessing to Asher was also brief; this is what
he said:
(Gen. 49:20) Asher’s food
shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.
The name “Asher” means: fortunate; which in the Bible is
also translated as: blessed.
In Jacob’s blessing, it is written that he said that “his
food will be rich”, but it literally says: “greasy or full of oil”. This talks
about abundance and unction.
Moses’ blessing to the tribe of Asher also talks about oil.
(Deu. 33:24-25) And of Asher he
said, “Most blessed of sons be Asher; let him be the favorite of his brothers,
and let him dip his foot in oil. (25) Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and
as your days, so shall your strength be.
The territory that was assigned to this tribe is found in
the coasts of the Mediterranean, which are very fertile. It is no coincidence
that most of the oil produced in Israel today comes from that territory. In
that area, they also cultivated wheat, with which they fed all of Israel’s
people.
What is sad about that tribe is that they never expelled the
Canaanites that lived in their land before them. They also didn’t have any
recognized leaders. The only one mentioned is the prophet Anna, who spent her
life in the Temple, day and night praying and waiting for the Messiah (Luke
2:36-38).
10. NAPHTALI
Jacob’s blessing to Naphtali was the following:
(Gen. 49:21) Naphtali is a
doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns.
A doe is a female deer. There are several mentions of the
feet of does in the Bible.
(Ps. 18:33) He made my feet
like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
(Hab. 3:19) GOD, the Lord,
is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high
places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.
Does are so agile with their feet that they can climb
difficult and rugged terrains. This allows them to easily climb up to mountain
tops. In fact, the land assigned to the
tribe of Naphtali is north of Israel and it is a mountainous region. Also, it
is right beside the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus chose this region to live during his ministry.
(Mat. 4:12-16) Now when he
heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. (13) And
leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of
Zebulun and Naphtali, (14) so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah
might be fulfilled: (15) “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way
of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— (16) the people
dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the
region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
This was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy (Isa. 9:1-2).
Jacob also told his son Naphtali that “he would bear
beautiful words”.
Isaiah prophesied the following (quoted also by Paul in
Romans 10:15):
(Isaiah 52:7) How beautiful
upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes
peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to
Zion, “Your God reigns.”
Moses said it this way:
(Deu. 33:23) And of Naphtali
he said, “O Naphtali, sated with favor, and full of the blessing of
the LORD, possess the lake and the south.”
Naphtali was beside the Sea of Galilee, which really is a
lake. But the idea of them “possessing the lake and the south” probably refers
to the commercial route that went through their territory, which was known as
“Via Maris”. This route went from Babylon to Egypt, and went through the shores
of the Mediterranean Sea. This commercial road helped prosper the region.
Naphtali’s name means “fight”, which turned out to be
prophetic. This tribe proved to be people who fought. During the time of the
judges, they fought with everything they had, along the tribe of Zebulun.
(Judges 5:18) Zebulun is a people
who risked their lives to the death; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the
field.
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