Title: GAD—LEAH’S OR GOD’S WARRIOR?

Focus: Gad is Leah’s ally, but God called Gad’s tribe to fight the Lord’s battles.

Function: To emphasize that Gad—and we-are to serve the Lord in advancing his rule today.

Texts: Genesis 30:1-10; 49:1,2,19; I Chronicles 5:11-22

Richard Dawkins, a well-known atheist with impressive credentials has made the charge that religion is dangerous. He argues that religion is a force for evil. Dawkins and many others will point to holy wars, crusades, discrimination and hate as by-products of religion. And of course, they also fortify their argument by pointing out the horror and fallacies of radical Islamists, who kill people in the name of Allah. If these agnostics such as Dawkins would have their way, they would diminish, outlaw or perhaps demolish religion.

Another author by the name of Keith Ward has written a book titled Is Religion Dangerous? Ward examines the arguments of many atheists, and then he makes the point that “without religion, the human race would be considerably worse off with little hope for the future.” In fact, Ward argues, “Religion is the best rational basis for morality.” Ward’s book is worth your money and time.

The issue, however, does not go away by reading some books. For example, there are many people in the Christian church today, who don’t know what to do with the Christian Church’s history throughout the last 20 centuries. It’s a history that includes the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the religious wars between Roman Catholics and Protestants, for example.

In fact, there are now many Christians that no longer will sing “Onward, Christian Soldiers” because the song has a serious militaristic overtone. They argue that Christians should not see themselves as warriors but as gentle and loving creatures.

All of this, of course, leaves us with such questions as, how should Christians think of themselves? Should we foster a warrior spirit, or should we adopt the posture of a meek pacifist?

The tribal story of Gad may help us to explore this matter a bit further. For Gad’s story shows us that we are to serve the Lord and advance his rule or kingdom in our world. We must do battle for and in the name of the Lord. Gad’s tribal history gives us some telling insights. But first we must consider Gad’s birth.

Gad’s father is Jacob; Jacob is married to Leah and to Rachel. But Gad’s birth mother is Leah’s slave, Zilpah. Since Zilpah, however, is the property of Leah, Leah can claim Gad as her own legal child. What’s going on here?

Well, Leah is in rivalry with her sister Rachel. They both are fighting for the primary love and affection of Jacob. Both of them think that giving birth to sons for Jacob will help them win their fight for Jacob’s love.

For example, when Rachel discovered her barrenness, Rachel decided to give her slave Bilhah to Jacob, so that the production of sons could go on. When Leah stopped having children, she decided to adopt Rachel’s warring tactic. She gave Zilpah to Jacob for him to sleep with her as his wife.

Leah, then, is involved in an ugly war with her sister. It’s a sinful battle that is fought purely on the level of the flesh, that is, the sinful nature. On Leah’s agenda is NOT the will of the Lord for her and Rachel. Rather, it’s her own will, her own desires, her own jealousy of her sister, and her own drive to be accepted by Jacob—these are the sinful impulses or blips on the radar screen of Leah’s heart.

And guess who becomes the focal point of Leah’s and Rachel’s war? That’s right! Gad. When Leah holds the newborn child of Zilpah in her arms she names him “Gad.” Gad means: Fortune or Troop. The name of Gad implies that Gad is Leah’s ally in her war against Rachel. Gad is Leah’s trooper. Gad is Leah’s newest weapon in her arsenal against Rachel. Gad is her warrior son. Gad will bring victory to Leah, for surely, now that Leah has produced another son through her slave girl Zilpah, Jacob will love and accept Leah as his trophy wife! Right? Wrong!

Gad did not bring Leah a victory. Jacob cherished Rachel more than Leah. Gad, however, got stuck with his name. What will become of him? Will Gad become the same kind of person as Leah—a warrior that fights her own sinful battles? Or will Gad be a man of this world and seek to advance and fight for his own interests? Or will Gad learn to be, and become more so, a warrior for God? Will Gad pursue worldly, sinful impulses in his own heart? Or will Gad become known as a man who fights the Lord’s battles throughout life?

When Gad receives a final blessing from his father Jacob, we hear dying Jacob use prophetic words with a militaristic overtone—words that are in line with Gad’s name; words that echo Jacob’s awareness of the battle between Leah and his beloved Rachel. Listen: “Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.” With the eyes of faith, moved by God’s Spirit, Jacob prophecies that Gad will be a warrior. He will be attacked, but not overtaken. Gad will be battered and beaten up, but in the end he will conquer his enemies, attacking them at their heels, crippling them in their power.

When you study Gad’s tribal history, you’ll notice that this is the case. For example, just before the Israelites begin their conquest of the Promised Land, Moses blessed the tribes of Jacob. And of the tribe of Gad, Moses said: “Blessed is he who enlarges Gad’s domain! Gad lives there like a lion, tearing at arm or head. He chose the best land for himself; the leader’s portion was kept for him. When the heads of the people assembled, (Gad) carried out the Lord’s righteous will, and his judgments concerning Israel.”

Here’s the story in a nutshell: Gad led the Israelites’ conquest of the Land of Canaan. Gad’s tribe fought like lions to conquer their portion of the land—and not only their own fat portion of the land, but they also assisted their brothers and sisters of the other tribes. When Israel needed warriors to do the Lord’s battle of establishing his rule in the Promised Land, the Gadites, along with the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh were ready to fight. Unlike their tribal mother, Leah, the Gadites fought in the name of the Lord; they prayed and called upon the name and power of the Lord.

And thus we read in I Chronicles 5 this telling account of Gad and his allies: “They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers because they trusted in him…They also took one hundred thousand people captive, and many others fell slain, because the battle was God’s. And they occupied the land until the exile.”

Here is the insight we must hold onto: Gad learned to fight the Lord’s battle. He learned to trust the Lord and he sought to do the will of the Lord, so that God’s rule would be advanced in the land.

Gad fought the Lord’s battle with the sword. But it was the Lord’s fight that he fought. Is Gad then our model to follow today? Shall we sing Onward, Christian Soldiers while holding the sword of Gad? Or must we model our fighting today after Someone else?

How shall we move onward today?