Close to God - Bold in Life
Boldness is next to Godliness. Benaiah is exhibit "A."
Why do we get the idea that the safer we play it, the more "Christian" we are? Where does this vision of faithfulness come from? When I read scripture, it is not those who play it safe that get mentioned but rather those who take the chances and seek to accomplish great things with God as their strength.
One of those lesser-known bold men of God is mentioned among David's mighty friends:
2 Samuel 23:20–21 (ESV) And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 21 And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.
Benaiah is perhaps the Bible's best risk-taker. He never passed up an opportunity to fight in the face of overwhelming odds. Three great feats are listed here. He struck down two "ariels" of Moab. The word "ariel" is unknown to Bible scholars and history but it could mean, "great men." Second, he struck down a lion that had fallen in a well (what the Hebrew means for "pit"). Why kill the lion in the pit? Because the lion would have contaminated the drinking source. Benaiah was not just in it for the sport, he was seeking the welfare of his fellow soldiers on long hot marching days. Finally, he strikes down a handsome Egyptian by taking the man's spear and killing him with it. This act reminisces to David's own killing of Goliath.
What we see in Benaiah is a man who does not run from risk but embraces it. He doesn't seek to pray his enemies away but engages the battle with vigor and faith. What a man for us to learn from in an age where safe-spaces are actually a thing.
This is the summary of Benaiah's heroism:
2 Samuel 23:22–23 (ESV) These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. 23 He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.
You know what you have to love about this? Benaiah did these great things and yet fell short of being in the inner three with David. It reminds me of an important fact of life. It's not about where you are, how you "identify" or what position people give you. It's about what you do! YES, doing matters. Of course, we don't "do" anything that accomplishes our salvation and membership in the family of God. But what we DO with what God has DONE in us and for us really does matter!
Benaiah did not let the lack of position stop him from doing great things for the Lord and taking the chances he was given. Interestingly, he's Jehoiada's son. That means he was raised in a priestly family. To me, that seals the deal that those closest to God should be the boldest in life. As the proverb says:
Proverbs 28:1 (ESV) The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Why do we get the idea that the safer we play it, the more "Christian" we are? Where does this vision of faithfulness come from? When I read scripture, it is not those who play it safe that get mentioned but rather those who take the chances and seek to accomplish great things with God as their strength.
One of those lesser-known bold men of God is mentioned among David's mighty friends:
2 Samuel 23:20–21 (ESV) And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 21 And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.
Benaiah is perhaps the Bible's best risk-taker. He never passed up an opportunity to fight in the face of overwhelming odds. Three great feats are listed here. He struck down two "ariels" of Moab. The word "ariel" is unknown to Bible scholars and history but it could mean, "great men." Second, he struck down a lion that had fallen in a well (what the Hebrew means for "pit"). Why kill the lion in the pit? Because the lion would have contaminated the drinking source. Benaiah was not just in it for the sport, he was seeking the welfare of his fellow soldiers on long hot marching days. Finally, he strikes down a handsome Egyptian by taking the man's spear and killing him with it. This act reminisces to David's own killing of Goliath.
What we see in Benaiah is a man who does not run from risk but embraces it. He doesn't seek to pray his enemies away but engages the battle with vigor and faith. What a man for us to learn from in an age where safe-spaces are actually a thing.
This is the summary of Benaiah's heroism:
2 Samuel 23:22–23 (ESV) These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. 23 He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.
You know what you have to love about this? Benaiah did these great things and yet fell short of being in the inner three with David. It reminds me of an important fact of life. It's not about where you are, how you "identify" or what position people give you. It's about what you do! YES, doing matters. Of course, we don't "do" anything that accomplishes our salvation and membership in the family of God. But what we DO with what God has DONE in us and for us really does matter!
Benaiah did not let the lack of position stop him from doing great things for the Lord and taking the chances he was given. Interestingly, he's Jehoiada's son. That means he was raised in a priestly family. To me, that seals the deal that those closest to God should be the boldest in life. As the proverb says:
Proverbs 28:1 (ESV) The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
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