… of the tribe of Benjamin…
Summary: Paul’s reference to the tribe of Benjamin was, no doubt, a point of pride. Yet, when we look at this history of Benjamin’s people, we find a sordid past overshadowing the good.
Our last meditation points out how God made the Hebrews keep a record of every major thing they did wrong. Even though Israel was blessed by God (Genesis 32:26-28), she continued to poke God in the eye every chance they got by doing the opposite of what God told them to do.
Of all the embarrassing things recorded about the Israelites, one of the most embarrassing has to do with the tribe of Benjamin.
The Book of Judges, chapters nineteen through twenty-one, tells the story of a man and his concubine. The man is a Levite living at a time in history when the Bible says, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 21:25). (This was before David had conquered Jerusalem.)
Traveling alone, the man and his concubine arrive in Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night (Judges 19:14). You can read the story for yourself, but be warned; it is not very pretty. The people of Benjamin had become like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The next morning, the man’s concubine was dead, and so he put out a call to the other tribes of Israel to get justice for the death of his concubine. When the other tribes had gathered, they were so offended by what they heard that they agreed to go to war against the Benjamites.
The story tells of the great battle that followed, and how the tribe of Benjamin was almost destroyed. Only six hundred men survived. If the Israelites had not had compassion on their brothers, there might never have been a tribe of Benjamin for Saul to be born into.
When Paul says that he is “of the tribe of Benjamin,” he is admitting to being a descendant of the tribe that almost wasn’t. Oddly, Benjamin was also the tribe that gave us another Saul, the king who lost his kingdom (1 Samuel 28:17).
Israel’s first king wasn’t King David. The first king was chosen by God (1 Samuel 10:1) and filled with God’s Spirit (1 Samuel 10:10), but that wasn’t enough to keep him out of trouble. Their first king was a failure, as kings go (1 Samuel 13:13-14). King Saul, Paul’s namesake, was in many ways the opposite of both Paul and David. Like his predecessors of old, King Saul put himself before God.
Did anything good come out of Benjamin? Of course! They were very faithful to the kingdom and King David. Ironically, they were also the forefathers of the greatest missionary of all time, Paul himself.
Application: Paul is a good example of the redemptive power of God.
Food for Thought: How does failure make us stronger?
Failure allows us to see our need for God, our need for forgiveness. God can use failure to empower us to lean on His strength rather than our own. We see something like this in the Apostle Paul himself – if we can see weakness and failure as relatives.
2 Corinthians 12: 8 – 10: Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Thank you, Rich!
So true! Failure from our perspective as humans is a bummer. But from a spiritual perspective it is as you point out — an opportunity to see ourselves and our need for God!
How does failure make us stronger?
God has often called and empowered broken people to proclaim His truths to this world.
Moses, In a fit of anger, he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. Fearing for his life, Moses fled Egypt and spent 40 years in the wilderness, was called by God to return to Egypt forced Pharaoh to release the Israelites who he led to the promised land, and received and delivered Ten Commandments of God.
David slew Goliath, became King of Israel, committed adultery arranged for Uriah husband of Bathsheba, to be killed in battle. In Psalm 51, David expresses deep remorse as he sought God’s forgiveness, Was used by God to pen Psalm 22 and Psalm 110.
Mary, mother of Jesus was a descendant of David. Luke 3:31
Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, experienced a heartbreaking failure on the night of Jesus’ arrest. Despite his bold claims of loyalty, in fear of persecution, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times.
Acts 2 records Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, which led to the conversion of about 3,000 people in a single day. His leadership helped shape the Christian community in Jerusalem and beyond. Peter’s letters, First and Second Peter, also reflect his role as a spiritual leader, offering guidance, hope, and instruction to the early Christians.
Before becoming the Apostle Paul, Saul was a dedicated persecutor of Christians. He was a present as a pharisee witnessing the stoning of Stephen and actively sought to destroy the early church. God called Paul and transformed him into a chief proclaimer of the truths of Jesus Christ as the only path to salvation. Paul was used by God to pen 14 books in the Bible, dedicated his life and became a tireless servant of Jesus Christ until He was killed by the Romans.
Thank you, Ron!
Great examples! God is able to use the brokenness of people to reveal his strength and mercy! 🙂
Good devotion and I agree with Rich’s answer. I would add that in our failures and in our learning to lean on God’s strength we also personally learn just how mighty and faithful God’s strength truly is. In trusting Him through our failures our faith in Him is fortified by His movement in our life.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 37:23-24 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.
Psalm 145:14 The Lord upholds all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down.
Thank you, Chris!
That is such an important point. If we don’t recognize God’s willingness and ability to help us in our need, we won’t let him in.
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