Jacob’s Prophesying with Blessing (2) 雅各用祝福说预言（二）(Day2)
Samuel Lin
Deut. 33:20-21 And concerning Gad he said, Blessed be He who enlarges Gad. He dwells as a lioness, and tears off the arm, yea, even the top of the head. And he provided the first part for himself, for there the portion of a lawgiver is reserved; and he came with the heads of the people; he executed the righteousness of Jehovah and His judgments with Israel.
With Gad we see recovery. After the apostasy of Dan, Gad came in to recover the lost victory (Gen. 49:19). The victory of Judah, the lion, had been lost by Dan’s apostasy, but Gad regained it and even enlarged it. Gad is not a young lion but a lioness producing cubs. He is the continuation of the victorious Judah and Dan.
God was so happy about Gad’s recovery of the victory that He enlarged him [Deut. 33:20]....Gad was enlarged not only by God, but also for God. He was enlarged for the executing of God’s righteousness among God’s people. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 1323-1324)
Today’s Reading
The best aspect of Gad is not merely that he crushed the enemy’s head but that he would not enjoy his victory by himself. Although he gained land on the east of the Jordan, he would not enjoy it until the other tribes had won their portion of the land. Gad went with the other tribes to fight the battle to gain more land so that all the tribes might be able to have their share. The New Testament interpretation of this Old Testament figure is that we must always take care of the brothers, the members of the Body.
For many years I could not understand Moses’ word in Deuteronomy 33:21. This verse says, “And he provided the first part for himself, / For there the portion of a lawgiver is reserved; / And he came with the heads of the people; / He executed the righteousness of Jehovah / And His judgments with Israel.” Although I studied this verse again and again, especially the last part about the heads of the people, I simply could not understand it. But today I understand this verse. The first part refers to the land east of the Jordan. Gad provided that part for himself; yet he would not remain there to enjoy it. Instead, he came with the heads of the people, the princes of the other tribes, to fight the battle for the rest of the land. Here we see the action, the move, of the Body. Dan took care of himself individualistically, but Gad took care of the Body corporately. In the church today we would say that Gad was filled with the sense of the Body.
The reason for Gad’s success was that he let go of his own enjoyment in order to take care of the Body. This is righteousness in the eyes of God. It is the executing of the righteousness of Jehovah. In New Testament terms, it is the accomplishment of God’s will. When the children of Israel entered the good land, it was God’s will in His righteousness that His people be settled. God did not want only Gad; He wanted all the twelve tribes to be settled to become His kingdom that His judgments may be observed. This is to accomplish the will of God. Romans 12:1 and 2 say that if we present our bodies a living sacrifice, we shall be able to prove what the will of God is. According to Romans 12, the will of God is simply to have the Body life. Thus, to have the Body life, to take care of the needs of others, is to execute God’s righteousness for observing His judgments. Nothing is so right as caring for the members of the Body. No judgments can be observed without the execution of God’s righteousness. God’s New Testament judgments can only be observed in the Body of Christ, which is built up by the mutual care of its members in righteousness.
Dan’s failure was that he was individualistic. Gad’s success was that he was corporate, moving with the brothers. Dan was for himself, but Gad was for all the tribes. Whenever you are concerned only for your own spiritual interests, you are a Dan. But when you forget your own spiritual interests and care for all the other brothers, that is, care for the Body, you are a Gad. We must care for the Body and move with the Body. Are you a Dan or a Gad? Are you taking care only of your locality or of the whole Body? As long as we do not care for the Body, we are today’s Dan, and we have fallen into a form of apostasy. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 1324-1325)
Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 103
晨兴喂养
申三三20~21 论迦得说，使迦得扩张的当受颂赞。迦得住如母狮；他撕裂膀臂，连头顶也撕裂了。他为自己选择了头一段地，因在那里有设立律法者的分存留。他与百姓的首领同来；他施行耶和华的公义，并耶和华与以色列所立的典章。
在迦得身上，我们看到恢复。在但背道以后，迦得来恢复失去的胜利（创四九19）。犹大狮子的胜利，由于但的背道失去了，迦得却将其得回，甚至将其扩张。迦得不是小狮子，而是生产小狮子的母狮。他是得胜的犹大和但的延续。
神对迦得恢复胜利很喜乐，因此祂使迦得扩张〔申三三20〕。……迦得不仅被神扩张，也为神扩张。他被扩张是为着在神子民中间施行神的公义（创世记生命读经，一五七九页）。
信息选读
迦得最好的一面，不仅仅是他打碎仇敌的头，乃是他不愿独自享受他的胜利。他虽然在约但河东得了土地，然而在别的支派获得他们那分土地之前，他不愿独自享受。迦得和别的支派同去争战，获得更多土地，使所有的支派都能有他们的一分。新约对旧约这幅图画的解释是：我们必须一直顾到弟兄们，顾到身体的众肢体。
多年来，我无法懂得摩西在申命记三十三章二十一节的话。这节经文说，“他为自己选择了头一段地，因在那里有设立律法者的分存留。他与百姓的首领同来；他施行耶和华的公义，并耶和华与以色列所立的典章。”我虽然一再研读这节经文，特别是下半关于百姓首领的话，我却实在无法懂得。但今天我懂了。“头一段地”是指约但河东之地。迦得为自己选择头一段地，但他不愿留在那里享受那地，反而与百姓的首领，别支派的领袖，为其余的地争战。这里我们看见身体的活动、行动。但单独地顾到自己，迦得却在团体里顾到身体。今天在召会中我们会说，迦得满了身体的感觉。
迦得成功的原因是他把自己的享受摆在一边，好顾到身体。在神眼中这是公义。这就是施行耶和华的公义。用新约的说法，这是成就神的旨意。当以色列人进入美地时，神在祂公义里的旨意，是要祂的百姓定居下来。神不只要迦得，祂要十二支派都定居下来，成为祂的国度，遵行祂的命令。这就是成就神的旨意。罗马十二章一至二节说，如果我们将身体献上，当作活祭，我们就能验证何为神的旨意。按照十二章，神的旨意就是要有身体生活。因此过身体生活，顾到别人的需要，就是施行神的公义，好遵行祂的命令。没有什么比关心身体的众肢体更为公义。若不施行神的公义，就一条命令也不能遵行。神新约的命令只能在基督的身体里遵行；这身体是借着众肢体在公义里彼此照顾建造起来的。
但的失败在于他的单独。迦得的成功在于他的团体性，和弟兄们一同行动。但为着自己，迦得却为着所有的支派。什么时候你只关心自己属灵的益处，你就是但。当你忘掉自己属灵的益处，关心所有的弟兄们，就是关心身体，你就是迦得。我们必须关心身体，与身体一同行动。你是但，还是迦得？你只顾自己的地方，还是顾到整个身体？只要我们不关心身体，我们就是今日的但，我们就落到一种背道中（创世记生命读经，一五八○至一五八一页）。
参读：创世记生命读经，第一百零三篇。
周 二
贰 关于迦得恢复的预言，不仅指明他的得胜，也指明他不愿独自享受他的胜利—创四九19，申三三20~21：
一 迦得的得胜与他在申命记三十三章二十节的得胜相符，表征因着但背道所失去之基督的得胜得以恢复。
二 迦得为自己选择美地的头一段地（约但河东之地），然而他享受他的分之前，和他的弟兄们同去争战，使弟兄们得着约但河西之地作他们的分，因此在以色列施行耶和华的公义与典章—20~21节，民三二1~32。
三 但的失败是因他的个人主义，只顾自己，而迦得的成功是因他注重团体，且关心他弟兄们的需要。
四 用新约的说法，我们要跟随迦得的榜样，就需要在团体里顾到基督的身体；就今天说，这就是要满了基督身体的团体感，并且关心身体的肢体，好完成神的旨意，就是过身体的生活—罗十二。