[Faith-talk] {Spam?} Daily Thought for Friday, May 13, 2016

[Paul Smith]

Hello and greetings to most of you for the second time on this Friday 
or, for you in Australia, New Zealand and the Seychelles as this 
message is being written, a good Saturday.  Hope your day is faring 
well, by God's matchless grace and His providential care.

I had a choice of sending you good people two articles on two entirely 
different subjects, and it was voted that I send you an article about 
the Old Testament prophet/seer named Gad.  So, I have an article here 
by John Bennett entitled "The Prophet Gad" from the August 2015 issue 
of yet another British Christian publication called "Precious Seed," 
rendered as follows:

For many believers there might be an enquiry as to who was the prophet 
Gad.  Whilst we may be familiar with the name as one of the twelve 
tribes of Israel, the man who forms the basis of this simple study may 
well be unknown.  In general terms, he is one of those people who 
appear on the pages of scripture and then disappear again.  Yet, while 
he occupies little in the way of space, clearly he had a rol to fulfil 
and a work of the Lord to do.  In modern terms, we would never have 
heard of Gad, never have seen his name in a magazine, and never have 
appreciated the contribution he made in his day.  However, the Spirit 
of God has left us the record of the man and his mission for the Lord, 
and there is much that we can learn from him.



His genealogy

It is remarkable that scripture tells us nothing about the man.  It 
tells us what he was, King David's seer, but nothing about his parents, 
his family, his tribe, or where he was from within the land of Israel.  
He remains a mystery.  He appears, fulfils his role, and disappears as 
he had come.

As far as we know, he did not come from a famous line of seers, 
prophets, rulers, or leaders.  There seems to be nothing about his 
family that would draw the comment of the writer of scripture to 
indicate that he came from "famous stock."

I would suggest that there is something of practical significance in 
this lack of detail.  We do not need the advantage of godly parents, or 
the influence of a godly home to be active in the Lord's service.  We 
do not need a wealth of godly heritage upon which to draw.  What we 
need is a willingness, like Gad, to be used of God.  He has a work to 
accomplish in our hearts and lives.  We do not know much about who Gad 
was but we do know what he achieved for God.



His appearance

When we write of Gad's appearance we are not interested in his physical 
characteristics.  It is the timing of his emergence that is of 
importance, from two different aspects.  We should notice that this was:

A time of change

1 Samuel chapter 25 verse 1 records "And Samuel died." The significance 
of that death was great.  The spiritual guidance that Samuel had given 
to Israel and to its king would be lost--he was no longer available to 
give that guidance.  As the day of his death would be near in chapter 
22, it is reassuring to know that though Samuel is about to be taken, 
God still has his men in place.  Whether Gad was one of the prophets 
under the tutelage of Samuel at Ramah is conjecture.  However, what we 
do know is that as Samuel is taken, so Gad emerges as the man prepared 
to do a work for God.

Is there a challenge for believers today? Men of God are being taken 
from us.  Are we prepared to rise to the challenge of doing a work for 
God that now needs to be done? While we may not be able to "fill the 
shoes" of those who are taken we can seek to exercise the gift that God 
has given us for His glory.

A time of hardship

"Abide not in the hold; depart" (1 Sam. 22:5).

Gad did not arrive on the scene at the most propitious of moments in 
David's experience.  David was being pursued with vigour and venom by 
King Saul.  Later in the chapter we discover that there were spies who 
were prepared to betray David to Saul, for status and position in 
Saul's kingdom.  In the following chapter the betrayers are numerous; 
fearing the king and his potential for retribution, many are prepared 
to deliver up David.

At such a time it was a serious risk to be found as a spiritual guide 
to David in a land that was in fear of Saul.  Yet Gad was not to be 
intimidated by Saul, or any of his people.  He was God's messenger with 
God's message to which he would be faithful.

It is not a popular thing to be seen as a Christian today.  However, 
are we prepared to be God's messenger with God's message, desiring to 
be faithful to Him? In some countries that may entail a cost far higher 
than many of us will ever be asked to pay!



His message

Again, his message seemed to be twofold.

A message of instruction

"Abide not in the hold; depart" (1 Sam.22:5).

>From the first verse in 1 Samuel 22 we see Gad's concern for the safety 
and welfare of David.  Here was a man who had a heart for what was 
right and yet a tender heart that would be protective of those who were 
the chosen of God.  In this, Gad demonstrates that balance of grace and 
truth that is so necessary amongst the people of God.

But then we read, "Go up, rear an altar unto the Lord in the 
threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite (2 Sam. 24:18).

In this chapter of great difficulty, when David was responsible for an 
act of folly in numbering the people, Gad has a word of instruction.  
It is one thing to point out what is wrong.  In that sense, the task is 
easy.  We are all deeply conscious of our shortcomings and failures.  
The hard thing is to teach what is right.  Again, we need to 
demonstrate the balance between the negative and the positive so that 
saints might learn and develop spiritually.  This was the work in which 
Gad was faithful.

We might remember the words of the apostle Paul as he spoke to the 
Ephesian elders, "I have not shunned to declare unto you all the 
counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).  But, along side that, he could also say, 
with feeling, "by the space of three years I ceased not to warn 
everyone night and day with tears" (v. 31).  The two aspects of Paul's 
ministry went together.

A message of rebuke

"The word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad" (2 Sam. 24:11).

We should not underestimate the seriousness of the task.  Gad had to 
deliver a message to the king detailing the choices that God was to 
give him--painful and costly choices of judgement as a result of 
David's sin.  Yet we read, "So Gad came to David, and told him" (2 Sam. 
24:13).  He did not shun his responsibilities.  He did not seek to 
"water down" or compromise the message, but delivered it as God had 
instructed him.

There may be times when the message is not popular, and the 
consequences potentially difficult, but we have to stick to the Word of 
God and carry out what His Word would teach.  Here is teh mark of a 
faithful man.



His faithfulness

"And he set the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with 
psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and 
of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet:  for so was the 
commandment of the Lord by His prophets" (2 Chr. 29:25).

This reference in 2 Chronicles chapter 29 is to the reforms instituted 
by King Hezekiah.  The far-reaching nature of those reforms is 
indicated by the reference to David, Gad, and Nathan.  No previous king 
had brought about such a revival as this one.

But our focus is not upon Hezekiah but upon Gad.  This reference tells 
us the nature of Gad's work.  It stood the test of time and judgement 
in respect to its faithfulness to the Word of God.  The benchmark of 
truth in the lives of the kings of Judah was that established by David, 
Gad, and Nathan.  That's quite a testimony and quite a challenge to all 
our hearts! What will we leave for future generations?

But then we should also notice Gad as a writer:  "Now the acts of David 
the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of 
Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book 
of Gad the seer" (1 Chr. 29:29).

Gad left more than a verbal legacy of work for the Lord.  He put the 
truth on record.  Clearly, not everyone is a writer.  Neither would we 
suggest that it is everyone's gift.  However, it is sad to think that 
as many brethren have left us for glory, we have so little of their 
ministry in written form.  While we revelled in their oral ministry 
when they were with us, there is nothing of that gift of exhortation or 
exposition from which a rising generation can benefit.  Perhaps there 
is something here to exercise all our hearts.

And there you have Brother John's article which I trust was a blessing 
for you today.  Until tomorrow when, Lord willing another daily thought 
message and article will be posted, may the God of Abraham, Isaac and 
Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last 
days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul