Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, five cubits tall. In the Egyptian’s hand there was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear.
1 Chronicles 11:22-23
God sent snow that brought Atlanta to a halt last week which prompted me to search the scriptures for the word “snow”. There turned out to be far more references than I realized. As I was on my way home from work last Tuesday, traffic having stopped yet again, I looked around to see the snow falling. I had already been in the car for nearly three hours, and as I watched the flakes floating through the air I thought, “This would be a serene and beautiful experience if I wasn’t stuck in bumper to bumper traffic!” It’s funny how circumstances can change your point of view, and as I studied the word of God, I realized these recent events had been used of God to give me a fresh perspective on snow.
Job 37:5-6 reads: “God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend. For He says to the snow, “Fall on the earth’; Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.” One of the things that magnifies God in his incomprehensibility is the sending of snow. The invention of the microscope gives us a whole new appreciation of this truth. We stand amazed at the diversity displayed in each snowflake, this unique creation of God! I used to would have read v. 6a regarding the snow and only thought of blessing, but this time the end of v. 6 jumped out at me. A light rain may be beneficial, but what about the torrential downpour that destroys the crops instead of benefiting them?!! The same goes for snow. At times, we see the refreshing nature of it as in Pro 25:13. Isa 55:10 says it causes the earth to “bring forth and bud”. But, as those of us in metro-Atlanta now know too well, there is another side of snow.
When God began to speak to Job in 38:22, 23, He asked Job, “Have you entered the treasury of snow, or have you seen the treasury of hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?” Here God’s snow is associated with trouble! It can be used in judgment instead of blessing! In fact, the first two times snow is mentioned in the Bible, it’s not associated with something favorable. In Exo 4:6 and Num 12:10 we have the phrase “leprous as snow”. Snow is associated with leprosy which is a strong picture of sin in the scriptures! It was incurable in biblical times, and one who God had healed of the disease couldn’t be clean without a sacrifice per Lev 14. So, with this fresh perspective of snow, I encountered our text today and a warrior named Benaiah. See if this mighty man reminds you of another mighty Man!
He killed two “lion-like men” of Moab, a nation marked by pride in Isa 16:6-7. They exalted themselves over the Lord in Jer 48:42-43 and His people in Zep 2:8-10. Wasn’t that the sin of Lucifer in Isa 14:12-14? In his pride he said, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…I will be like the Most High.” But he’s brought down to the pit in v. 15 which leads us to Benaiah’s next defeated foe–a lion in a pit. How is Satan described in Rev 9:11? The angel of the bottomless pit! We also know him as “a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” in 1Pe 5:8. This warrior jumps in the pit with this beast on a snowy day, a day we’ve now seen associated with sin and judgment! It was a dark day when Christ died on that cross, but what appeared to be defeat as He became sin for us was in fact victory as we were made the righteousness of God in Him! (2Co 5:21) He defeated our great enemy in a snowy day! And how did He do it? Notice Benaiah’s next enemy–the Egyptian. He approaches him not with a spear or a sword but with a staff, a shepherd’s tool! Need I refer to Jesus’ description of Himself in Joh 10:11? Benaiah kills this Egyptian with his own spear, and that’s exactly what Jesus did to the devil!! Satan’s own weapons of sin and death became his downfall as Jesus took the sin upon Himself and through death defeated the enemy! Heb 2:14-15 reads: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” As I read further on Benaiah, I found he was made captain over all the armies of Israel in in 1Ki 2:35. I couldn’t help but think of Christ in Rev 19:11-14 leading the armies of heaven, all those clothed in fine line which is Christ’s righteousness per v. 8!
Thank God for changing my circumstances last week so I could have a fresh perspective on snow and see my heavenly Benaiah revealed in His word! Though leprosy was incurable, there was One who came among us that cleansed men of their leprosy! (Lk 7:22) He had power over that which no one else did, and though snow from one perspective may direct our minds to sin and judgment, because our Champion defeated the lion of the pit in that snowy day, we can now rejoice and see snow from another perspective: “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow“. (Isa 1:18) We can cry out to God in great hope as the psalmist does, “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow”! (Psa 51:7)
Jamie