Who was Benaiah? (Ben- ni -yah) Jehoiada (Ja – hoy – a- da)

Benaiah means "God builds." Jehoiada, his father, means "God knows". This is one of the most obscure yet victorious acts recorded in Scripture: “Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it”.

1 Chronicles 11:22 - 25 (ESV)

22 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.

Why was Benaiah important?

1 Chronicles 11:22, “And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.”

His name = His nature!

• In the Bible, when you want to know what a man is like, look at his name, because biblical names are deliberately designed to give you a clue to the character of the individual. There is much evidence for this throughout the Scriptures. You know how God often changed a man's name when he changed his character.

What lessons can we learn from Benaiah’s life?

Romans 15:4 (NLT) 4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

Those two truths are the secret of how to meet a lion, the worst possible foe, in the worst possible place, under the worst possible circumstances, and be victorious. We rest upon the facts that God knows, and God builds. So what or who is the “lion” in our lives?

• For some it may be a physical disease or affliction.
• It may be a crushing disappointment.