It’s interes
ting to see how differently people react when they hear the word snow. For a child living in the northern states, the sight of the first few snowflakes in fall signals that winter is just around the corner, a time of sledding and skating. For many adults in the north, snow often brings to mind the hassle of checking if the snowblower will start after nine months of inactivity. To others it means waxing the skis because the hills will soon be groomed and ready. And if one lives in the south, snow is often dreamed about yet seldom seen except on a movie screen or on an occasional Christmas card.
What would you say if you were asked to mention all the times snow is mentioned in the Bible? Yes, there are those times when leprosy is said to turn skin as white as snow. There are also times when forgiven sins are compared to the whiteness of wool or snow. We also know that both Daniel and the guards at Jesus’ tomb saw an angel dressed in clothes as white as snow. But do you know about the man who fought a lion in a snowstorm? His name was Benaiah.
As one of David’s chosen warriors, Benaiah was well known for his gallantry. Benaiah was a trained and valiant warrior. “He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty” (2 Samuel 23:23). David put him in charge as bodyguard, and Solomon, David’s son, chose Benaiah to be his commander-in-chief.
Benaiah’s exploits are given but a few verses in Scripture, yet they bear a close resemblance to the Christian’s battles against the devil, the world, and the flesh.
We read that “he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion” (1 Chronicles 11:22). Don’t we often compare the devil to a lion? “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Yet Benaiah took the offense against the lion. He met the lion and defeated him by the strength that God provided. We too have that same strength provided to us.
Next we read that “he struck down an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear” (1 Chronicles 11:23). Egypt was Israel’s enemy. Yet God rescued his people from the Egyptians, just as he rescues us from the grasp of this world. Although the world continues to call us, just as Egypt’s appeal tempted many an Israelite to return, we can find the strength to resist in the Word of God. “Do not love the world or anything in the world” (1 John 2:15).
Lastly we read that “he struck down two of Moab’s best men” (1 Chronicles 11:22). The history of the Moabites dates back to the incident when Lot had incestuous relations with his daughter. That sin brought about the birth of Moab, whose descendants were constantly at war with the Israelites. As with Lot, the sins of the flesh have a way of plaguing God’s people. Certainly our society has done everything it can to raise those temptations. Paul exhorts us to “put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).
Benaiah can certainly serve as an ideal example for every Christian. In a day when true heroes are hard to find, we can look back to a man who fought against the devil, the world, and the flesh. “Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty men” (2 Samuel 23:22).
Gracious Lord, we daily need your strength and protection in fighting against the devil, the world, and our flesh. Amen.
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