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I want to talk about a man in the Bible whose name may not be so popular—Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. His name, in Hebrew, means the Lord has built. The Lord was building something in Benaiah's life and using him to build something. He is described as a mighty warrior and doer of great deeds, who lived during the time of King David.
Benaiah was from Judah, in the south, and before David was even announced as king of Israel, he was already making a name for himself through numerous daring military achievements. King David noticed him and placed him in command of the 30—a select group of warriors. Among these thirty, Benaiah was ranked fourth in bravery, after only three specially chosen mighty men. His powerful rank came because of his bravery and his deeds.
What exactly did Benaiah do? He struck down two of the strongest lion-like warriors from Moab, who were always against Israel. Moab's two mightiest warriors fell to him.
He killed a lion in a pit. During a snowstorm, without being asked, Benaiah jumped into a pit where a trapped lion could have broken free. He fought and killed the lion so it would have no power left.
He slew an Egyptian giant. He was armed with only a small club or staff. While this Egyptian was holding a massive spear, Benaiah rushed him, grabbed the spear away, and used it to kill the giant. As First Chronicles describes it:
And he struck down an Egyptian who was five cubits tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver's rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.
Every day was struggle for Benaiah. It was war. Every day was a fight, climbing mountains and overcoming situations. He remained devoted to David during the rebellion of David's son Absalom and also Adonijah, who attempted to take control of David's throne.
After David was king, Benaiah's reward was to take out those who were against David. He safeguarded the passing of the royal succession from King David to Solomon. There were others who said the throne was theirs, but Benaiah was responsible for executing those who opposed the appointed King Solomon. He wasn't afraid.
There was something prophetic in what he was doing. When we read the Old Testament, look for the prophetic—what is pointing to Messiah? Benaiah's leadership preserved the Messianic line. If Absalom or Adonijah or Joab or Shimei had taken the throne, the Messiah would not have come. Even if Benaiah did not understand what he was defending, he was protecting the prophetic line for the Messiah to come.
After David died, Benaiah's reward was becoming the commander of the entire army of Solomon. But King Solomon's reign was characterized by peace. There were no more wars—no big wars, only little factions and small fights. The name Solomon comes from a root meaning peace. David was a man of war and was never going to be allowed by God to build the temple. But his son, someone who was a peace walker, would build it.
The reward Benaiah had was this: he served, he struggled, he strived, he pushed, and he stayed loyal. And when he's made the top of the army, there's no more war. He walks, he rules, he reigns under King Solomon in peace.
This is a reward from God for his striving, for his bravery, for his fighting, but for his loyalty.
In John 14:27, Jesus offers a unique, lasting peace, telling followers not to be troubled or afraid.
Philippians 4:6-7 tells us:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
His peace guards our hearts, our souls, but also our minds. Where there is torment of the mind, God commands peace.
Isaiah 26:3 says:
Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—in peace because they trust in you.
Those of steadfast mind—those who keep their minds stayed on God—are kept in peace because they trust in him.
Colossians 3:15 instructs us:
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Should chaos rule? Should our own thoughts rule? Should turmoil and distress rule? Should fear rule?
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Psalm 119:165 declares:
Oh, the Psalms great peace have those who love your law. Nothing can make them stumble.
Great peace comes to those who love God's law and remain loyal to him.
We don't have war like Benaiah did. We're not fighting lions or killing leaders. But what are we struggling with that's taking away our peace and our reward of peace?
We struggle with relationships that have broken down. One person is one way, another is another way. They've planned they will never ever meet in the middle. But God is able to change that heart and bring peace in the situation.
Many go to sleep at night tormented, not knowing how things will work out. And the Lord is saying: like Benaiah, be loyal. Trust him.
What Benaiah did, he never broke rank. He was a ferocious fighter. He was a protector of the king, and he didn't change what he did. Under a new king, he was ready. He had staying power.
How quickly do we get knocked down when God hasn't answered what we want? How quickly do we get knocked down when we face disappointment rather than looking to the God of the solution?
We need staying power for that reward.
Benaiah had one focus. Do we have one focus? He will keep you in perfect peace if your mind is stayed on him, Jesus Christ. In perfect peace.
So, where are our minds? Over what the bank is going to say tomorrow? Over where I'm going to live? Over whether I can make ends meet? Over my child who has gone astray and I don't know how to bring them back? You don't bring them back—Christ does.
No compromise was Benaiah. He didn't compromise. He didn't go back to old habits because things were tough. He didn't go backwards.
Don't bow to the temptation of old habits. When stress comes and you feel like you can't relax, don't reach for old coping mechanisms. Receive this peace where it's difficult. Receive the reward of peace by staying, by keeping your mind on him.
Benaiah could have said, "I'm only going to do that one battle, and if I try to fight another lion, I'm going to get clawed to death. I'll stop here." No. He stayed: "I am a protector of the king and I don't move. I stay in my lane." So he was loyal. He took what was rough and received the smooth later on.
Hebrews 6:15 tells us:
So, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
Abraham had stress and trouble in his life. Everything looked like the promises of God would never come to pass. There are some things we expect from God that may not come to pass in the way we hoped. But we can't be disappointed by disappointments if God is in it. God will give us his plans for us. What is good for us according to him—not according to what we want or desire.
Abraham messed up a little bit. He strayed a little bit. He wasn't patient in waiting. But eventually he endured and received the promise of his son Isaac.
James 1:12 says:
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial. When he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Benaiah had trial after trial, fight after fight. But he was blessed because he persevered.
We have a double promise: First, we can have peace on earth in every single situation while we're waiting. All of the time, we can walk in peace as a reward for trusting God, as a reward for staying sure and steadfast with God, for being immovable in difficult things. For saying, "Yes, it may look this way or that way, but I'm trusting God."
Second, there is eternity to look forward to. In eternity, there is zero resistance to the will of God. Nothing resists his will. There's no stress. There's no strain. There's only peace. The promise we have for peace is not just on earth but an eternal peace that can never be removed from our lives.
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, hear this: The Christ I'm speaking about who gives us peace is the Prince of Peace, the owner of peace.
He came down from heaven in the form of a human being—although he is God and was with God from the beginning. Everything was created by him, with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. He took it upon himself to come to the earth in human form to prove that we can live in his power on earth.
But the first thing he had to do was pay for everything we would ever do wrong. Jesus Christ paid the price for our failures, our sins, our inadequacies.
By going to the cross and having his body broken and torn, giving up his right to his deity, he proved his willingness to save us. For the joy of rescuing us out of pain and sorrow, he went to the cross.
He took the power of sin away from the enemy. He took death and hell and its power away. He captured it and locked it up. He rose and overcame the death he bore. Now he sits at the Father's right hand, crowned King of Kings. He is called the Son of God. He came and rescued the world.
So we have peace on earth, and we can walk in it all of the time if we desire. But there is also the crown of life—an eternity of zero resistance, zero stress, zero strain, only peace that can never be removed from our lives.
We've got fantastic things to look forward to. But today, right now, receive the reward of peace by staying loyal to Christ, by keeping your mind on him, and by trusting God in every struggle.
