What God Can Do With Your Worst Quality
In Genesis 49, Jacob shares his last blessing with his youngest son Benjamin. The son born to him at his wife's death at his old age. Here's what he says about Benjamin's tribe: Genesis 49:27 (ESV) “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.” The tribe of Benjamin's blessing is odd in comparison to the character trait Benjamin the boy possessed in the Genesis narrative. In fact, all we've seen of Benjamin is passivity throughout the entire drama that has played out between his maternal brother (Joseph) and paternal brothers (10) of jealousy and rage. Benjamin hasn't even said a word. But Jacob's blessing is going to play out in Benjamin's tribe in surprising accuracy. The tribe of Benjamin does become ravenous and wild. The accounts of the book of Judges reveal a hedonism and disregard for human life that would shock any society (see Judges 19). Benjamin would produce the arrogant and p...