mountain of his presence. Rejoicing in their going out, and in their tents, they excite their brethren to be mindful of the claims and the privileges of the sanctuary, and share with them their spiritual blessings. The qualities of the patient ass are as valuable in the Church as the courage and strength of the lion. 16 Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper in the path; That biteth the heels of the horse, So that his rider falls backward. (Gen. xlix. 16, 17.) 22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp; (Which) leaps from Bashan. (Deut. xxxiii. 22.) What is said of Dan, the first enumerated of the sons of the handmaids, we are probably to understand of the others also; viz., that they were to inherit, as tribes of Israel, equally with the sons of Leah and Rachel. The men of this powerful tribe, it appears, were remarkable for united craft and boldness. They resembled a lion leaping from Bashan to prey upon the cattle in the plains, and they were versed in the wiliness of the insidious serpent. Sacred history confirms these characteristics (Josh. xix. 47; Jud. xviii.); and they were strikingly displayed by Samson. The combination of the qualities of the lion with those of the serpent, is to be seen in some of the Lord's people, as of old in Dan. The Apostle Paul might be instanced as eminently endowed with both courage and wisdom. An hostile world, and an host of spiritual enemies, afford ample scope for the exhibition both of one and the other. If a timid spirit is both injurious and unsuitable to a Christian, a fearless disposition, on the other hand, requires to be tempered and directed by wisdom. Some circumstances call for bold and decided acting the lion's leap from Bashan. Others are better met by a wary and prudential course; as the cerastes, concealed by the way, brings the horseman to the ground, who might be prepared to encounter or escape the open assault of a wild beast. But to the wisdom of the serpent, we must also remember, our Saviour has bid us unite the harmlessness of the dove. The aged patriarch pauses here to record his faith in the salvation promised to his fathers, (Luke i. 70-75; John viii. 56, &c.,) which he saw afar off, (Heb. xi. 13;) thereby also commending to his sons the cheering hope which had sus tained him throughout his chequered life, and now consoled him in his dying moments: 18 For thy salvation I have waited, O Jehovah! 19 Gad, troops shall invade him; But he shall invade (their) rear. (Gen. xlix. 19.) 20 And of Gad he said, Blessed (be) he that enlargeth Gad; As a lioness he dwelleth, And teareth the arm with the crown of the head. 21 And he provided the first part for himself, For there (in) a portion of the lawgiver, was he secured; The justice of Jehovah he executed, And his commandments with Israel. (Deut. xxxiii. 20, 21.) Gad was continually exposed to incursions of the neighbouring Arabian hordes, which he seems not only to have repelled, but in turn to have pursued his invaders and spoiled them. (See 1 Chron. v. 18-22.) Deut. xxxiii. 21, is illustrated by Numb. xxxii. To this warlike tribe, at their own request, was assigned by the lawgiver "the first part" of the land, i.e., a portion on the east of Jordan, where their families and flocks were kept in security, while they themselves, faithful to their engagement, went armed before their brethren to assist them in gaining possession of their inheritance. (Josh. i. 12-18; xxii. 1-6; 1 Chron. xii. 8.) In the multiplied paronomasia in the Hebrew of Gen. xlix. 19, there is allusion to another signification of than that which obtains apparently in Gen. xxx. 11. The root, however, admits of both these derived senses. Thus, too, the patriarch, while alluding to the significations of Judah and of Dan (Gen. xlix. 8, 16), gives to the paronomasia a different association of thought to that in which the names originated. The territory of Dan was enlarged at different times. (Josh. xix. 47; Jud. xviii.) The circumstances of some believers are such as to familiarize them more than others with conflict and temptation; and to bring them oftener in collision with the adversaries of the truth. Their lot, like that of Gad, borders on the enemies' land; whose invasions their valour and constancy not only enable them to repel, but also to make reprisals on their invaders. Their arm requires to be ever well practised, and the edge of their sword (Eph. vi. 17) kept sharp. They can least of all afford to give themselves up to ease and security. Too sensible of the sacredness and value of their cause to purchase peace by unworthy compromise, they prefer, when necessary, the storm of controversy, to surrendering any part of " the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.' Such were some of the noble confessors and reformers of former days, who, like the men of Gad in the forefront of Israel's battles, thought not of their own rest, until their brethren's inheritance was won for them. Blessed, indeed, is he that enlargeth such! for their zeal is not for the narrow and petty objects of a sectional division of the Church, but the length and breadth of catholic truth. They execute the justice of the Lord; and his blessing, and the gratitude of their brethren, reward their self-denying, and sometimes perilous labours. Often have the faithfulness and the courage of Gad been displayed in a cause more precious still than the conquest of Palestine, or the defence of the border, and been the means of preserving to others the quiet enjoyment of their spiritual blessings. 20 Out of Asher his bread (shall be) fat; And he shall yield royal dainties. (Gen. xlix. 20.) 24 And of Asher he said, Blessed with children (be) Asher; Let him be acceptable to his brethren, 25 Iron and brass (shall be) thy bars; And as thy days, (so shall be) thy strength. (Deut. xxxiii. 24, 25.) The rich inheritance of this tribe corresponded with its name. Its numerous population enjoyed abundance of corn and oil; and seem to have commended themselves to their brethren by a liberal and kindly disposition. Their country, either by the strength of its munitions, or some special protection from the Lord, was secured as by bars of iron and brass; and to crown so great blessings, a divine promise assured them of the uninterrupted continuance of their felicity that their strength (or affluence) should be preserved to them during all their days. While the blessings of other tribes were connected with various kinds of labour, and sometimes dangers and trial, it was the vocation of Asher simply to be happy. If in the rest we can recognise various other phases of our actual condition, by him we are reminded of the unalloyed happiness which is even now our portion in a risen and glorified Saviour. In his words one may say, "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." (Ps. xvi. 5, 6.) Fat indeed is the bread that we eat, strong are the bars that maintain our security, faithful the promise that guarantees our everlasting bliss. And in those who permit not sin or unbelief to deprive them of the relish of their "royal dainties," who dip their feet, as it were, in the abundant oil of joy they have received, and whose spirits, brightened with conscious delight, cast a cheering radiance even on others' paths, we may see the true sons of Asher. 21 Napthali (is) a hind let loose : He giveth words of pleasantness. (Gen. xlix. 21.) 23 And of Napthali he said, (Let) Napthali (be) satisfied with favour, And (be) full of the blessing of Jehovah: The west and the south possess thou. (Deut. xxxiii. 23.) The fine district of Napthali lay to the west and south with respect to the portion of Dan just before mentioned. It was highly favoured by the Lord; and its people, it may be inferred from Gen. xlix. 21, were remarkable for celerity and grace in action, and urbanity and pleasantness in speech. A certain attractive frankness in disposition and deportment, seems to have caused them to be likened to a hind exulting in its freedom; as the qualities of others suggested the several comparisons to the lion, the ass, the serpent, and the wolf. And similar features distinguish some of those, who in a higher sense than Napthali, are satisfied with favour, and full of the blessing of the Lord. Their spirits emancipated from the thraldom of sin, and delivered from the fear that hath torment, rejoice in the liberty wherewith Christ has made them free. They realize in their hearts the full blessings of redemption, which has moreover imparted to their outward ways a certain graceful freedom, and lent its adornments to their minds and conversation. So long as the peace of the Gospel does not fill the soul, there must be uneasiness. within, and constraint and awkwardness in every attempt to serve God. The hind is not let loose. Outward embarrassment will often indicate some inward bondage, while "pleasant words" naturally come from the lips of those, the abundance of whose hearts is Jesus and his love. (Col. iii. 15-17.) When the external elegances and amenities of Christianity accompany the possession of its essential qualities, we may again recognise Napthali among his brethren, and be reminded of the beautiful figure of old employed to describe him. 22 A fruitful bough (is) Joseph, A fruitful bough by a well; The branches run over the wall. 23 And have sorely grieved him, and shot (at him,\ And hated him, the archers. 24 But his bow abode in strength, And the arms of his hands were strong, With blessings of the deep that lieth under, 26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors, Unto the desirable things of the everlasting hills: And on the crown of the head of the prince of his 13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah (be) his land, With the precious things of heaven, with the dew, 14 And with the precious things, fruits of the sun, And with the precious things, produce of the months. 15 And with the chief things of the ancient mountains, And with the precious things of the everlasting hills, 16 And with the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof, And (with) the good will of him that dwelt in the bush, 17 (Like) the firstling of his bullock (is) his glory, And they (are) the myriads of Ephraim, And they (are) the thousands of Manasseh. (Deut. xxxiii. 13—17.) On the head of him who was indeed worthy of being called the 7 or prince of his brethren (comp. Gen. xxxvii. 5-11); his father appears almost to exhaust the powers, both of language and conception, in invoking blessings. |