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:
Record reads: “Moab came to be subdued on that day under Israel’s hand; and the land had no further disturbance for eighty years. Then the sons of Israel again began to do what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes now that Ehud was dead.”—Judg. 3:30; 4:1. Until Ehud a prayerful man of faith was alive, he did a great job and took care of his people. There is a dearth for people of Ehud caliber though……
You know what, God uses that aggressive character in you for His kingdom, I think of Rev Billy Graham who was declared as a Hyperactive kid; however, God used that person to travel the globe hectically and bring millions to the kingdom of God. God used Bro.Augustine Jebakumar, Founder of GEMS who boldly entered the state Bihar in India that was considered the ‘graveyard of Christian missions’
Apostle Paul was of the tribe of Benjamin: Philippians 3:5,Romans 11:1, he dared to stand before kings and tell his testimony, demons trembled at the name of Paul, David’s beloved friend Jonathan was of the tribe of Benjamin I1 Samuel 9).
Ravenous wolf:
We have our gorgeous queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai also from the tribe of Benjamin, who dared to stand before king King Ahasuerus., read : Esther 5:2”….Esther came near and touched the top of the golden scepter…
Listen to me, if you want to live a normal life then there would be no sweat but if you are a queen in the palace then there are responsibilities, is anybody listening to me? In the above scripture queen Esther takes a daring, audacious risk to enter the inner court of the king to meet him despite the law in king Ahasuerus days that the person who enters without being called would be put to death. 1 GOING WHERE OTHERS FEAR: ‘the sense of danger vanishes when you are in a country of lions.’ said David Livingston, Missionary for Africa, when you go where God tells you to go, none will be able to understand your courage.
The corporate fasting and prayer that Esther and Mordecai did unleashed power that emboldened Esther to cross the security and enter the inner court of the king. When God is with you in whatever project that you are doing, He would open iron doors for you. Did not God say ‘no one can shut the door that God has opened for you? This is for someone out there! Instead of going with your strength and knowledge, when you fast and pray over an important issue, God does awesome things beyond your comprehension. It would seem impossible and insurmountable but God would make it happen for you. In the year 2009, when God commanded us to relocate to Hyderabad, it was scary because the language, culture and everything was new; however, before doing anything, we fasted as a family which worked things out for us. When we approached the colleges for Engineering seat, one particular college told us, ‘will you give me seat if I suddenly approach Tamil Nadu for Engineering seat, you should have been in Hyderabad for minimum 7 years to be eligible for normal quota’, I remember how we returned from that office dejected and confused; however the miracle is my daughter not only completed B.Tech Engineering in computers but also got free sponsorship seat in Osmania University and completed her MBA. This is what God can do when you trust Him!
CHANGE OF GARMENTS: I am talking to people out there to be bold and confident for God! The devils will flee when they see you, envy, enmity and hostility would scoot at your sight , come on be brave, this is what happened when Esther put on ash clothes to fast and pray, after the fasting, she wore royal robes to enter the king’s palace. Isaiah 61:3 says :
“To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” Did you read that? God would give you a garment of praise, Esther was empowered with strength and power of God that made her go against all odds for God, wearing her royal robes. Not only her outer countenance but her inner countenance was also filled with confidence in God, say Amen. Whatever you are going through today, do not look at your outside circumstances which might be filled with confusion like the city of Susan but God would do great works and bail you out, I said ‘GREAT’.
FAVOR OF GOD: Listen, listen…..listen, I am tongue-tied and dumbfounded for words when I have to talk about His favor. Beyond description! Available for you too! When she entered the king’s inner court, the favor of God surrounded her and the king stretched out his golden scepter towards Esther which implied she received pardon for her transgression, in return Esther touched the tip of the golden scepter and accepted it. Story is not over, look what the king asked her: Esther 5:3 “ the king said to her, "What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be given to you."
Listen, listen….Esther was not satisfied by all this, her asking was HUGE, she said: "…. let Haman's ten sons be hanged on the gallows. “Wipe out the enemies in your life! Are you listening? Wage war on your knees! Fast and pray hard!
When I was admitted suddenly for a major operation, I had been on three days fasting the previous days, since I was not told that I had to prepare myself for the operation. I did have all the weakness, fatigue, pain, angst connected to post operation; but I had something on the inside of me and that is ‘strong faith.’ Though I looked fragile and weak in the hospital bed; yet, my hospital room turned into a ‘church’ and many came rushing to my room for prayers, that includes the nurses and receptionist, besides all this, I was also recovering speedily. These are the rewards that one gets through regular fasting and prayer! I write this portion after 7 years of that operation, fear not!
When His favor is on you, people would come forward with goodies, may be there were days that you had to go around asking people but favor brings people, funds, provision to you, therefore, stay firm until favor comes upon you.
The Bible says that ”Benjamin is a ravenous wolf ……….he divides the spoil” You would have an overflow of blessings that you would circulate far and wide. Say Amen.
You are a Benjamin!
