Triumph At Last

-January 22, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“Then Leah said, ‘A troop comes!’ So she called his name Gad” (Genesis 30:11).

“Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, but he shall triumph at last.” (Genesis 49:19).

Jacob and his wives and their two maids produced twelve sons and one daughter, for a total of thirteen children, a baker’s dozen. The twelve sons of Jacob became the twelve tribes of Israel. The last son that Zilpah bore on behalf of Leah was named Gad, which means a troop. Leah was excited to proclaim, “A troop comes!”

When we think of a troop, we think of soldiers fighting a battle. In Genesis chapter 49, right before his death, Jacob gave his final words to his twelve sons. He had something to say about each one which described them and their future. Jacob’s words to Gad speaks of difficult battles but a final victory.

The same is true of the church today, for we are soldiers of the cross. Our three great enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil. They attack us from within and from without. Christ won the victory at the cross and through His glorious resurrection. Our final victory will be over sin and death when we enter heaven. Until then we must fight the good fight of faith, putting on the whole armor of God. We may be tramped upon, shot at with the devil’s flaming missiles, but we will triumph at last. When we get knocked down, we must get up and fight on.

In speaking of Joseph, Jacob said, “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; his branches run over the wall. The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him. But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel” (Genesis 49:22-24). Is your bow remaining strong in the mighty hands of God? We are powerless without God’s power.

David wrote of God’s help and power in Psalm 18:29, “For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall.” David was a mighty warrior who relied on God’s mighty power. Paul exclaimed, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31).

Let us then be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We are victorious in Christ and we will triumph at last. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Being victorious in every way, every day,

Dean