Burning Bush Blogs
Equipping Men with Biblical Knowledge and Leadership Skills
Category: Personal Study
Thread: Game of Thrones
Post Topic: Loyalty of the Valiant Hero Never Wavers – Benaiah
Post in Thread: #26
Previous: Joab the Bad
Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:20-23; I Kings 1:5-49
Key Verses:
I Kings 1:36-37
36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. 37 As the Lord was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!”
Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club… Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. 23 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
2 Samuel 23:20-23
Observations
Context
- In I Kings 1, an aging David is in hospice care. His oldest son, Adonijah, has declared himself the successor.
- David’s commander Joab, has backed Adonijah’s power move.
- David wanted Solomon, the son of Bathsheba, to claim the position.
- Bathsheba and the prophet Nathan have informed David of Adonijah’s actions.
- Benaiah, the son of a warrior-priest, carried on the tradition of his father.
- He became one of the most feared, yet noble, warriors of David.
- He remained fiercely loyal to David and to God through all the turmoil.
Heading off an uprising (I Kings 1-2)
- Verse 8 confirms that Benaiah had nothing to do with Adonijah’s claim. In fact, it’s clear that he distanced himself from the wanna-be king.
- David’s makes an oath to Bathsheba that Solomon shall be king.
- He calls in the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan and instructs them to anoint Solomon publicly, with much fanfare.
- Who does he trust to protect this delegation? Benaiah, of course.
- Benaiah’s reaction is priceless, his loyalty and all-in love for David shining through:
- “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. As the Lord was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!”
Who was Benaiah?
Fierce Warrior (2 Samuel 23:20-23)
- Struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors, called ariels, which are thought to be men as brave as lions or appearing as frightening as lions.
- Went into a pit during a snowstorm and killed an actual lion.
- Although unarmed, he defeated an Egyptian giant after snatching the enemy’s spear and killing him with his own weapon.
Trusted Leader
- Commander of The Thirty. This legendary group of elite warriors are described in 2 Samuel 23:24-39, and are commonly known as David’s Mighty Men.
- Commander of David’s militia – under David, the Israelite fighting men rotated their turn in the militia, serving one month out of every three. Benaiah led one of these three monthly rotations of 24,000 fighters.
- Commander of David’s royal guard (like the secret service). See 2 Samuel 8:18.
- Commander of the army under King Solomon, replacing Joab.
Judgment Enforcer
- Executed David’s son Adonijah after the failed coup (I Kings 2:25).
- Executed David’s former commander, the fierce Joab, after Joab supported Adonijah (I Kings 2:28-35).
- Killed the nasty Benjamite Shimei, who’d been spared by David when the king returned to Jerusalem from exile, but finally got what he deserved under the reign of David’s son Solomon. (I Kings 2:36-46).
Interpretation
Hero vs Antihero
- Benaiah is quite a contrast to Joab, David’s long-time commander of the armed forces.
- Both were fierce warriors, and loyal to their king. But that’s where the similarities diverge.
- Joab often took matters into his own hands, regardless of the King’s wishes. Benaiah always followed the instructions of the king, whether it be David or Solomon.
- Joab was wildly ambitious, compared to the mighty Benaiah, who was given many leadership roles, but didn’t seek them out.
- They executed judgment differently:
- Joab killed Absalom, Abner, and Amasa in dastardly fashion.
- Benaiah double-checked with Solomon that he really wanted Joab slain after finding Joab grasping the horns of the altar of the tabernacle.
- Joab died a humiliating, disgraceful death of a traitor, a sad demise after staying loyal to David for decades. We don’t know how Benaiah died, but he went down in history as a hero of the Old Testament.
Qualities of a Hero
- Valor – Benaiah is especially known for his exploits as a fighter.
- Loyalty – Benaiah stuck by the king (David or Solomon) against all uprisings, including both Absalom’s and Adonijah’s.
- Wisdom – When David was dying, his oldest remaining son, Adonijah, claimed the throne. He was supported by Joab. Rather than rashly following along, Benaiah sought the instruction of the Lord and the dying king. He rightly supported Solomon’s ascension, and protected the delegation during Solomon’s coronation.
- Action – Yes, he was loyal. But what good is loyalty without action? Benaiah followed his king’s commands, even when it meant carrying out God’s judgment. And he didn’t shy away from a difficult encounter.
Imagine
Benaiah flew along the path toward the well at En Rogel. The knot in his stomach tightened with the strengthening aroma of roasting lamb and the intensifying noise of the celebration. He rounded the last bend, skidding to a stop in front of Joab and his brother Abishai. A line of armed men formed behind them.
Benaiah waved his arms angrily. “What’s the meaning of this?”
Joab stepped forward, his long tangled hair flowing behind him like a flag in the wind. “You know exactly what it is. Adonijah is taking his rightful place on the throne. He is, after all, the eldest son of David.”
Abishai extended an arm. “Come. Join us. Prove your loyalty now. With you at our side, we can avoid any conflict. This can all be decided now.”
Benaiah slapped his hand away. “How could you? You know the king wishes Solomon to be next. This is treason!”
Joab’s eyes hardened. His hand hovered dangerously close to his belt. “Watch the accusations, my friend. The king has yet to make any such declaration. And you know I’ve always remained loyal to David.”
“You wish to tarnish that legacy now? Did you think to ask King David what he intends?”
Joab inched closer, the smell of wine heavy on his breath. “Adonijah is the rightful heir. We have a priest with us, making the proper sacrifices. But you? Are you with us, or against us? Last chance.”
Benaiah stepped back, ready for the worst. “What are you going to do, strike me down? Like you did Amasa? Like you did Abner? They never saw it coming. I’m not so naïve.”
Slowly, Joab’s arm lowered. “I’ve served David loyally since you were in your mother’s womb. I guided him through crisis after crisis. Who do you think you are to interfere?”
“Who do you think you are, deciding who should be anointed? This isn’t over.” Warily, Benaiah backed away. Joab and Abishai remained still, not blinking, until Benaiah reached the line of trees.
Time to find Nathan. The prophet would know what to do
Correlation
- Matthew 22:37
- In this verse, Jesus lays out the most important commandment – love and loyalty to God. What does this entail? Loving and believing in God? Yes, but how much? And what parts of us?
- All our heart
- All our soul
- All our mind
- The greatest commandment is to love God with all we have, in every aspect of our lives (heart, soul, and mind)
- This isn’t a partial command. God wants our all.
- This command isn’t meant for a single area of our life. Jesus lists heart, mind, and soul.
- In this verse, Jesus lays out the most important commandment – love and loyalty to God. What does this entail? Loving and believing in God? Yes, but how much? And what parts of us?
Benaiah gave his all to the house of David. In this way, he demonstrated his love for David.
Application
Generic Applications
We can’t all be as heroic as Benaiah in the worldly sense of the word. But God doesn’t ask us all to be elite warriors on a physical battlefield. He just wants all of what we do have to give. And that’s heroic enough.
Of course, for us mortals, it’s impossible to live up to that standard. But that should be our goal for the day every morning when we wake.
Personalize it
As a Christian, I am loyal to God. I seek to please Him over worldly achievements. But am I truly striving to give him my all? As I inspect my life, what am I clutching too tightly?
Comment
The Correlation verse talks about loving God, not loyalty to God. Let us know in the comments – does this correlation work for you? Does it make sense that loving God and loyalty to God go hand in hand?
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.
Leave a Reply