Old Testament: 1Ch 12.8–15

To read the Bible in a year, read First Chronicles 11–13 on May 24, In the year of our Lord Christ 2023

By Don Ruhl 

How much do you know about the tribe of Gad? We do not read very much about the tribe in the Scriptures, but during the days of David, it was a mighty tribe, because they were excellent warriors: “Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains…” 

After naming several of them, starting with the mightiest, Ezra explained how great they were, saying, “the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a thousand. These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west” (1 Chronicles 12.8–15). 

Should not Christians be Gadites in the spirit? 

• They joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, and we have joined our David, Jesus, in the stronghold of the church as we battle in the wilderness. 
• They were mighty men of valor, trained for battle, even as we are brave as we put on the armor God and fight evil in the spirit. 
• They could handle shield and spear, they could do defense, but they could also be on the offense, and that is us as we use the shield of faith and the spear of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 
• Their faces were like the faces of lions, bold and courageous, and so are we, ready to fight the falsehoods that fill our world and sometimes show up in the church. 
• They were as swift as gazelles on the mountains, and so we move quickly to do good works, save lost souls, and anything else our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to do. 

Questions: 

• Can you list any Gadites from memory? 
• When did they cross the Jordan in the passage above? 

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Don preaches with the Savage Street Church of Christ in Grants Pass, Oregon. 

Listen to his sermons here: GrantsPassChurchOfChrist.com