Because of the failure of Dan, Jacob called on the Lord for His salvation. The Lord has answered this call. Thus, after Dan we have Gad as his continuation. Verse 19 says, "Gad, a raiding band shall raid him: but he shall raid their heels" (Heb.). With Dan we see the defeat, but with Gad we see the victory brought back. Do not consider Dan separate from Gad or Gad separate from Dan. They are part of a whole. Dan ends with failure, but Gad, who shall raid the heels of the raiding band, comes in with the recovered victory.
Deuteronomy 33:20 says, "Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad." By this victory Gad was enlarged by God. It is exactly the same in our spiritual experience. Some time ago we may have been defeated, but by means of God's mercy through the prayer of some saints, the salvation of the Lord has come to us. Thereby, we regain the victory. Now we are no longer Dan—we are Gad, the one who raids the heels of the enemy. Through this victory, we are enlarged by God. Many of us can testify that God has enlarged us.
Deuteronomy 33:20 also says, "He dwelleth as a lioness, and teareth the arm, even the crown of the head" (Heb.). Here we see that Gad is a lioness. Gad is not couching: rather, he is dwelling. This is an improvement over Judah as a couching lion. The Gad who is dwelling as a lioness tears the arms and even the crown of the head of the prey. In Moses' poetic language here, the top of the head, the crown, refers to the skull. This prey, of course, is not an animal, but a person. Gad tears the arm of his prey, even the head, the skull of his prey. This means that Gad is so strong that he not only defeats his enemy, but also tears him to pieces. He even tears his skull into pieces. The poetry here describes the tearing of the enemy to the uttermost. As Gad, we smash Satan into pieces. In Deuteronomy 33 the lioness is not couching for enjoyment; she is dwelling, settling down, and tearing the enemy to pieces. It seems that Gad could say, "Enemy, don't bother me. I want to dwell here peacefully. But if you trouble me, I will not only tear your arm, but I will also tear your skull into pieces. After that, no one will see your figure again."