Christian Guerilla Warfare Text: Genesis 49:19
Introduction: The Prophetic Blueprint
When an old man is on his deathbed, especially a patriarch like Jacob, his words carry a particular weight. They are not the ramblings of a fading mind but are often distilled wisdom, final judgments, and, in this case, Spirit-breathed prophecy. As Jacob gathers his twelve sons, he is not just giving them sentimental farewells. He is looking down the corridor of time, under the inspiration of God, and describing the essential character and destiny of the tribes that will descend from them. These are not horoscopes; they are covenantal blueprints. They describe the battles, the blessings, and the burdens that will mark each tribe as they participate in the grand story of redemption that God is writing.
We modern Christians often read these passages with a detached historical interest, as if they were quaint tribal histories with little to say to us. But this is a profound mistake. The story of Israel is our story. The battles of the twelve tribes are typological pictures of the battles of the Church. Each prophecy reveals something about the nature of our own spiritual warfare. We are the Israel of God, and the dynamics described here are still very much in play.
The prophecy concerning Gad is particularly brief, but it is dense with the reality of the Christian life. It is a perfect summary of the back-and-forth, press-and-be-pressed nature of our conflict with the world, the flesh, and the devil. It is a word of gritty, hard-won encouragement. It tells us to expect a fight, but it also promises us the final blow. This is the essence of Christian guerilla warfare.
The Text
"As for Gad, raiders shall raid him, But he will raid at their heels."
(Genesis 49:19 LSB)
The Inevitable Raid (v. 19a)
The first half of the prophecy is a statement of stark reality:
"As for Gad, raiders shall raid him..." (Genesis 49:19a)
The name Gad itself is related to the Hebrew word for a troop or a band of raiders. There is a play on words here that is essential. Gad's very identity is bound up with conflict. This was certainly true historically. The tribe of Gad settled on the east side of the Jordan, in a territory that was prime real estate for Ammonite and Moabite raiding parties. They lived on the frontier, the buffer zone, and they were constantly harassed. They could not afford to be soft. They were in a perpetual state of readiness.
And this is a picture of the Church. The Church is always on the frontier. We are promised tribulation. Jesus tells us that in this world we will have trouble. The apostle Paul tells us that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. We are a city on a hill, and cities on hills attract armies. We are a light in the darkness, and darkness hates the light. Therefore, we should not be surprised when the raiders come. These raiders take many forms. They are the temptations of the flesh, the subtle lies of worldly philosophy, the open hostility of a secular culture, the spiritual attacks of demonic forces. They raid our homes, our churches, our minds, and our hearts.
A certain kind of Christianity wants to pretend this is not the case. It wants a quiet life, a treaty with the enemy, a ceasefire. It wants the blessings of the covenant without the battles of the covenant. But Jacob's prophecy to Gad shows this is a fantasy. To be part of God's people is to be marked for a raid. The world system, under the dominion of the prince of the power of the air, will constantly press in. It will raid your convictions, mock your faith, and seek to plunder your children. To expect anything else is to be naive, and a naive soldier is a dead soldier.
So the first thing this prophecy does is set our expectations. Do not be alarmed when the alarms go off. Do not be shocked when you find yourself in a fight. You were born for this. You are of the tribe of Gad. The raiders will come. That is the promise.
The Victorious Counter-Attack (v. 19b)
But thank God, the prophecy does not end there. The first clause sets the stage for the second, which is the glorious reversal.
"...But he will raid at their heels." (Genesis 49:19b LSB)
This is the pivot. This is the gospel punchline. Yes, you will be attacked. But you will have the last word. Notice the nature of the counter-attack. "He will raid at their heels." This is not the picture of a massive, head-on confrontation in the middle of an open field. This is the picture of a persistent, dogged, relentless pursuit. The raiders come in, they do their damage, and they begin to retreat with their plunder. But Gad does not surrender. Gad does not despair. Gad gets his weapons, gathers his men, and goes after them. He nips at their heels. He harasses their retreat. He pursues them until he gets back everything they took, and more besides.
This is a beautiful picture of the Christian victory. Our victory in this life is often not a clean sweep. It is a messy, ongoing, heel-nipping affair. We are engaged in a long-term guerilla war. We lose skirmishes. We get pushed back. But the war is not over. We confess our sins, we get back up, and we press the attack again. The enemy seems to have the upper hand, but we keep raiding his supply lines. We keep praying, we keep preaching the gospel, we keep discipling our children, we keep building faithful Christian institutions. We are constantly raiding the enemy's heels.
This echoes the first gospel promise in Genesis 3:15, where God tells the serpent that the seed of the woman will crush his head, but the serpent will bruise his heel. The conflict involves being wounded, being struck "at the heel." But the final, decisive blow belongs to the people of God. Our raiding of the enemy's heels is our participation in Christ's head-crushing victory.
This is the heart of our postmillennial confidence. The kingdom of God advances, but it does not advance like a modern army that steamrolls everything in its path. It often advances like the men of Gad. It takes ground, gets pushed back, and then takes more ground. It is a relentless, patient, and ultimately triumphant advance. The gates of Hell shall not prevail against it, which means that the gates of Hell are on the defensive. They are being assaulted. We are the raiders, and we are raiding their heels. Every time the gospel is preached and a soul is saved, we are raiding the heels of the enemy. Every time a Christian family dedicates itself to raising godly seed, they are raiding the heels of the enemy. Every time we sing the psalms of victory in the face of a hostile culture, we are raiding the heels of the enemy.
Conclusion: Embrace the Fight
The prophecy to Gad is therefore a complete summary of our calling. We must be realists, and we must be optimists. We must be realistic about the certainty of the conflict. Raiders will raid us. We must not be surprised by this, and we must not seek a false peace that would require us to lay down our arms. To be a Christian is to have a target on your back.
But we must be fiercely optimistic because of the certainty of the victory. We will raid at their heels. The outcome is not in doubt. Christ has already won the decisive victory on the cross and in the resurrection. Our job is to mop up. Our job is the persistent, faithful, day-in-and-day-out work of raiding the retreating enemy's heels. We pursue, we press, we harry, and we plunder the kingdom of darkness for the glory of our King.
So do not lose heart when you are raided. Do not think it a strange thing when the world bares its teeth. That is simply the first part of the prophecy coming true. When it happens, remember the second part. Get up, dust yourself off, pick up your sword, and get back in the fight. You are of the tribe of Gad. You were made for the counter-attack. The enemy may get a head start, but you will have the last word. You will raid his heels, and you will pursue him until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.