Benjamin

BENJAMIN

Genesis 49:27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoil."

Wolf Characteristics: Wolves are very intelligent creatures whose upright ears, sharp teeth, pointed muzzles, inquiring eyes and other facial features instantly convey this quality. Wolves can roam large and long distances, sometimes up to 12 miles (20 kilometers) in a single day. Wolves prefer to eat large animals like deer and one wolf can eat 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of meat at a single sitting.

Who was Benjamin? Benjamin was the son of Jacob and the twelfth-born and youngest son in Jacob’s family. He was born to Jacob’s wife Rachel, brother of Joseph. we read about him in Genesis chapters 35–49. Benjamin was not part of the gang that attacked Joseph and threw him in the pit, the picture we have of Benjamin is a calm and quiet person in the Bible; however, imagine his father calling him as a ‘ravenous wolf!” Ah! Don’t underestimate by looks! You never know…..still waters are deep! Actually Jacob was prophesying regarding his son, he was looking at his future when he said: ‘Benjamin is a ravenous wolf!” Are you listening?

Now turn the Bible with me to Deuteronomy 33:12 and here we see Moses say this about Benjamin: Deuteronomy 33:12 "May the beloved of the LORD dwell in security by Him, Who shields him all the day, And he dwells between His shoulders." Here we have a picture of Benjamin as an adorable child of God, sitting safely on the shoulders of His Heavenly father! This scripture is an absolute contrast of what we see Jacob talk about Benjamin, isn’t it? However, we need to have both the qualities to function in the vineyard of the Lord, Jesus was called the blameless Lamb and also the Lion of Judah. Don’t allow people to take you for a ride, they need to know you have a lion roaring on the inside of you and a sharp wolf that is not going to be cheated. Ah Ah! Caveat!

You got to be like a sharp wolf and not let anyone come and give you chocolates, ice cream and invite you for dinner, you should not allow anyone to come and approach your children with wrong motives, be a wolf and a lion and protect your kids. Don’t allow crooks to come to you with attractive offers and con you with rubbish , be alert! Be smart like a wolf!

Part 2

Devour your prey:

….In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoil."

The meaning of Benjamin is ‘son of my right hand’ but the tribe of Benjamin were no ordinary men but valiant left-handed warriors, Judges 20:16 “Out of all these people 700 choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.” I also think of my smart young daughter Shalina Samson who is left handed, how can I not think of her as I write this portion…..(someone said, ‘mothers find a way of talking/bragging about their children, I apologize!).

EHUD: Judges 3:15 - 30 - As I write this portion, I remember the left handed second Judge of Israel Ehud, he is so cunning! He had to kill Eglon the fat king of Moab who tortured the people of Israel for eighteen years. God needed someone who was not only strong physically but also someone proactive, sharp, brave and a finisher like a wolf, that divided the spoil in the evening. Ehud prepared a sword that was two-edged, a cubit in length, kept in the right thigh because he was a left hander. Ehud led the group that brought tribute to Eglon, he chose the appropriate time, gained entry into the palace, and told the king ‘I have a secret message for you’, the king became foolish and sent the servants away and was alone with Ehud the Judge of Israel. Did you see this, you got to have godly wisdom and guts to handle tricky situations, when you don’t have much time to ponder! Wolf ! Ehud knew what to say to divert the enemy’s attention, I guess Ehud did a study on ‘Eglon’ and knew his weak areas; before you launch out on any mission, study the project well, identify the weak and strong points and plan accordingly. Before we conduct any important camps, we gather as leaders and pray for the city and God’s will regarding the meeting. Coming back to the subject, Eglon sent the servants away and that left him alone with Ehud, who pulled out his sword with his left hand and killed the enemy in ‘one go’.

Now that the work was over, Ehud shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them, so that he has enough time to run away before the alarm goes out. After this was done, he did not go home to rest and watch TV, he goes to the city blows the trumpet and becomes the leader. Ehud was a finisher! Wow! Way to go! Kudos Ehud! You know what, I found something awesome about Ehud in the following verses of chapter 4: