Chasing Loins.
2 Samuel 23:20-21NLT
Once I heard a sermon about a man named Benaiah, who chased a loin into a pit on a snowy day and killed it.
I could hardly believe this was recorded in the Bible; Moreover, very little has been said about Benaiah.
Because of Benaiah’s fearless act, he was chosen over every man for a special ministry of a life-time. (I will reveal that to you later).
In chapter 23, we read of two elite groups of David’s leaders: The Three, and the Thirty.
The list of Thirty actually contains 37 names. Some warriors known to be dead (such as Uriah), and apparently new members were appointed to replace those who had fallen in battle.
2 Samuel 23:20-21NLT There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. 21 Once, armed only with a club, he killed an imposing Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.
I believe that God has raised up a generation of lion-chaser who are grabbing life by the mane. Lion-chasers who are more afraid of missing God-ordained opportunities than making a few mistakes along the way.
They know that when they fail to step-out in faith and chase lions, God is robbed of the glory that rightfully belongs to Him.
In 2 Samuel chapter 23, you can read, and really find out quickly why King David was successful. David surrounded himself with mighty men that cared more about their King than they did their own selves.
Listen again to, 2 Samuel 23:20aNLT There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel.
Benaiah was one of the thirty. Benaiah’s name meant—“the Lord builds.”
2 Samuel 23:20b…a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.
Think about this, What if the life you really want, and the future God wants for you is hiding right now in your biggest problem, your worst failure, your greatest fear?
Remember this small nugget, Live your life in a way that is worth telling stories about. Chase the lion!
It's easy to read verses like this in the comfortable confines of your home or office and totally miss the monumental acts of courage displayed by Benaiah.
Have you ever met anyone or heard of anyone chasing a lion? Sure, Barnum and Bailey have lion tamer’s.
But lion chasers? Benaiah didn't have a hunting rifle, or Land Rover, and this was no game park safari.
Scripture doesn’t tell us what Benaiah was doing or where he was going when he encountered this lion. We don't know the time of day, or Benaiah’s frame of mind.
But scripture does reveal his gut reaction. It was gutsy. In fact, it ranks as one of the most improbable reactions recorded in Scripture.
Listen to, 2 Samuel 23:20Wycliffe Bible And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the strongest man of great works, of Kabzeel, he smote [the] two lions of Moab, that is, two knights hardy as lions/two strong hardy knights; and he went down, and smote a lion in the middle (of a) cistern in the days of snow.
First, Benaiah kills the two most feared men in Moab—Moab was Israels enemy.
Secondly, 2 Samuel 23:20, records that Benaiah chased down a lion that fail into a snowy pit. Benaiah killed this lion!
2 Samuel 23:21Wycliffe Bible Also he killed a man of Egypt, a man worthy of beholding, having a spear in his hand; and so when he had gone down with a rod to that man, by might he wrung out the spear from the hand of the man of Egypt, and killed him with his own spear. (And he killed an Egyptian man, a man worthy of beholding, who had a spear in his hand; for he had gone down to that man with a staff, and by might he wrung the spear out of the hand of the Egyptian, and then killed him with his own spear.)
I think scripture is clear about this fact, This man named, Benaiah was a man’s man!
Listen—Normal people run away from lions. They run as far and as fast as they possibly can.
But lion chasers are wired differently. For the vast majority of us, the only lions we ever encountered were stuffed or caged. And few of us have experienced hand-to-hand combat that force us to fight for our lives.
Here’s a thought for you to ponder—Is what you believe worth risking it all? Is your vision mammoth? Is it impossible without God?
Hebrews 11:1-2TPT Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. 2 This testimony of faith is what previous generations were commended for.
Hebrew 11:6TPT And without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who passionately seek him.
The Lord spoke this to my spirit: “Passionately seeking God reveals our flesh, and as we continue to passionately seek God, God renders our flesh useless, while building our faith through His Spirit, in what we can’t see.”
In return, You become a lion chaser that kills his or hers fare share of impossibilities.
Lions can run up to 35 mph, and leap 30 feet in a single bound.
Benaiah doesn't stand a chance, but that doesn't keep him from giving Chase. Then the lion makes one critical misstep. The ground gives way beneath his 500 pound frame, and he falls down into a steep embankment into a snow laden pit.
For what it's worth, I'm sure the lion landed on his feet. Lions are part of the cat family, after all.
Again, Normal people don’t chase lions. Benaiah makes one leap into the pit with this lion. Scripture does not give us a detailed picture, but there's one thing for sure, Benaiah defied the odds and came out as the victor!
If you were a gambling man no one in their right mind would place their bets on Benaiah defeating a lion, but that's exactly what happened.
Think about this, Two sets of foot-prints leading up to this pit, The loins and Benaiah’s. However, after this fight, there were three sets, Benaiah’s twice, and this lions only once.
I personally believe this non-fictional account given in God’s word, would make a tremendous Hollywood production.
Now fast forward two verses and look at what happens in the next scene.
Second Samuel 23:22-23NLT Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors. 23 He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.
“I can't think of too many places I'd rather not be than in a pit with a lion on a snowy day. Can you?” P.H
Getting stuck in a pit with a lion on a snowy day isn’t on anybody's wish list. It's a death wish, but you got to admit something: “I killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day” looks pretty impressive on your résumé if you're applying for a bodyguard position with the king of Israel.
I can picture David flipping through a stack of resumes. I majored in security at the University of Jerusalem. Nope. I did an internship with the palace guard. Nope. I work for Brinks armored chariots. Thanks, but no thanks.
Then David comes to the next résumé in the stack. I killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day. David didn't even check his references. That’s the kind of person you want in charge of our bodyguard. Lion chasers make great bounces.
If you spend a lot of time thinking about “what might have been,” you’re not alone. In, If Only, Neal Roese, Ph.D., one of the world’s top scientists studying regret, shows us that thoughts about what might have been are practically unavoidable. In fact, they are produced spontaneously by the brain with a very practical goal—to guide us toward improvement. But the same thoughts can bring the pain of regret. Is it worth the pain to get the improvement? Or should you live life with no regrets?
He writes, Luckily, it’s not a package deal. If Only, teaches us that we can manage our regret style to maximize the gain and minimize the pain. Neal Roese, Ph.D., gives us 4 thoughts to remember:
* Don’t Over-react.
* Think Downward.
* Do It. If you decide to do something and it turns out badly, research shows that it probably won’t haunt you down the road. (You’ll reframe the failure and move on.) But you will regret the things left undone.
* Regrets are Opportunities Knocking. Our brains produce the most “if only” thoughts about things in our lives that we can still change. So consider regret as a signal flashing: It’s not too late!
Our calling is much higher than simply running away from what's wrong—We are called to chase lions.
There's an old saying, “No guts, No glory.”
Listen to some more lion chaser—2 Samuel 23:8-17NLT These are the names of David’s mightiest warriors. The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite, who was leader of the Three—the three mightiest warriors among David’s men. He once used his spear to kill 800 enemy warriors in a single battle.
9 Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled. 10 He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the Lord gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder!
11 Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled, 12 but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 Once during the harvest, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty—an elite group among David’s fighting men) went down to meet him there. 14 David was staying in the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem.
15 David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.” 16 So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. 17 “The Lord forbid that I should drink this!” he exclaimed. “This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked their lives to bring it to me.” So David did not drink it. These are examples of the exploits of the Three.
This I do know—You can weigh the pros and the cons until you're blue in the face. However remember, no guts, no glory.
Hear me—Is anybody else tired of reactive Christianity that is more known for what it's against than what it's for? We've become far too defensive. We've become far too passive.
* Lion chasers are proactive they know that playing it safe is risky.
* Lion chasers are always on the lookout for God ordained opportunities.
Benaiah went on to have a brilliant military career. In fact, During Solomon’s reign, Benaiah climbed all the way up the chain of command to become commander in chief of Israel's army.
But it all started with what many would consider being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Based on what I've been teaching, What lion chasing skills do you think might be most difficult for you to master?
Defying odds?
Facing fear?
Refraining problems?
Embracing uncertainty?
Taking risk?
Seizing opportunities?
Looking foolish?
According to scripture, God has already given us everything needed to chase a lion and win. 2 Peter 1:3.
Prayer—Lord help me to chase some lions, help me to get out of the boat, help me to get involved in ministry.
Now tell Him—“Lord, I want to be a lion chaser!”
