Heroes, Pt 3: Benaiah

There is a real and present need in the Church for revitalizing leaders. A 2017 study by Thom Rainer and co. revealed that 65% of congregations in North America are in either plateau or decline. Add to this the fact that no church is more than five years from needing some sort of revitalization, and the scope of the need becomes clear. Virtually every pastor will, sooner or later, lead a church in need of revitalization. The question, then, is this: what are the characteristics of an effective revitalizing leader?

Since the New Testament focuses on the beginnings of the Church, there is very little attention given to the qualifications of a revitalizing leader, but the Old Testament is filled with such figures, including Benaiah. One of David’s famed Thirty Mighty Men, Benaiah was a top general, second only to Joab through most of David’s reign. As the great king’s life approached its end, however, Joab joined Adonijah’s illegitimate bid for power in 1 Kings 1. In response, David officially anointed Solomon the new king while Benaiah watched. In response, the general prayed, “May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so affirm it. Just as the Lord was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David” (1 Kings 1:36-37). Solomon then appointed Benaiah his military commander-in-chief and, when Adonijah made a play for power in 1 Kings 2, sent Benaiah to execute him for treason. More, when Joab refused to swear his allegiance to Solomon later in the same chapter, Benaiah was sent to execute him as well. In a very real way, then, Benaiah emerged at a crucial moment in Israel’s history to help lead the nation back from the brink of disaster, and in 2 Samuel 23:20-23, we discover some more of Benaiah’s conquests and find hints of some of the characteristics that made him such an effective warrior and leader in his day.

Revitalizing leaders are doers.

In 2 Samuel 23:20, we find a basic description of this hero: “Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the son of a brave man from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits.” The way the Christian Standard Bible renders this statement is a bit awkward; it seems that the author was saying that Jehoiada was a brave man and man of many exploits. However, an examination of the Hebrew underlying this phrase reveals that the phrase was actually designed to say that Benaiah was a member of a class of brave men from Kabzeel and, as the ESV puts it, “a doer of great deeds.” This, I believe, is a crucial realization. Indeed, when I arrived at my church nearly 20 years ago, I wholly believed that the church would be revitalized simply because I had arrived. I would preach a few sermons about what the Church was supposed to be and do, and that would be that! In short order, however, I discovered that a revitalizing leader does not have the luxury of merely standing behind a pulpit, much less sitting behind a desk. No, like Benaiah, revitalizing leaders are doers. Notice, though, what sort of things Benaiah did.

He is described in this verse as “the son of a brave man” (CSB) or “a valiant man” (ESV). This, of course, is unsurprising. Heroes do heroic things, and heroic things are often scary. Bravery, then, is an essential qualification. So also, revitalizing leaders must be valiant because they are called upon to do things that are often scary. A fantastic example of this is found in the common refrain of the church in need of revitalization: “We’ve never done it that way before.” The underlying sentiment of this declaration is that we do not know how to get there or what scary things we might find along the way. Indeed, it was this same uncertainty that led ancient cartographers to place an ominous warning on the edge of their maps: “Beyond here, there be dragons.” Just as ancient explorers read those warnings and then proceeded off the map anyway, like Benaiah, revitalizing leaders must acknowledge the risk and then go on despite their fear.

Valiance, however, was not enough. The text also describes Benaiah as “a man of many exploits” (CSB) or “a doer of… deeds” (ESV). In other words, he was not like some generals who are content to sit behind a desk and issue orders that will be carried out by others. No, Benaiah’s resumé shows him to be a man of action. He found and executed Adonijah. He found and executed Joab. He did something, So also, revitalizing leaders must do something. If a bathroom needs painting or a lightbulb needs changing, the revitalizing leader rolls up his or her sleeves and gets it done. My friend Paul recently demonstrated this when his church’s large flower beds needed weeding. Recognizing that the weeds produced a terrible first impression, he worked for several days as the gardener. Yes, revitalizing leaders do something, even when they are alone. The hope, of course, is that others will see what the leader is doing and want to help, but even when that does not happen, revitalizing leaders do something.

Even that, though, is not enough. The fact is that there are many churches whose leaders have filled their schedules. They are doing all sorts of things, but their congregations will not experience revitalization because they are doing the same things that have always been done, only the things they enjoy, and/or the wrong things. The thing that set Benaiah apart as a hero was that he was “a doer of great deeds” (ESV), and the thing that sets revitalizing leaders apart from their peers is that they do great things. That is, they take the time to discern the difference between the good they could do to simply carry on and the great things they must do to see revitalization realized, and then, they do the latter. The difference between good and great is a matter of both scale and purpose. Great things are so big that the revitalizing leader may have no idea how they will be accomplished. They are also completely focused on advancing the mission objectives of making more and better followers of Jesus. Revitalizing leaders, like Benaiah, will measure everything that they do according to this standard, and they will do great things.

Revitalizing leaders see differently.

But what sort of great things did Benaiah do? We have already seen his execution of Adonijah and Joab in 2 Kings 1-2. Additionally, he was a leader of several major campaigns under King David. As great as these things were, however, we find hints of even greater things in 2 Samuel 23:20-21. Here, we find three matter-of-fact statements which, upon due consideration, reveal adventures that would have made lesser men and women wet their pants. These statements, however, suggest that Benaiah was able to see things differently than most. Indeed, revitalizing leaders see differently than most.

Consider, for example, Benaiah’s first adventure of verse 20: “Benaiah killed two sons of Ariel of Moab” (CSB). Other translations offer different perspectives on this event. For instance, the NLT describes Benaiah’s opponents as “two champions of Moab,” and the NIV2011 reads, “Moab’s two mightiest warriors.” Perhaps the most graphic description, however, is found in the KJV: “two lion-like heroes of Moab.” Let us agree that, anytime one person is fighting against two, the one is at a disadvantage. However, when those two are described as “lion-like,” the chances are even worse. Indeed, male lions can weigh more than 550 lbs (250 kg), and they are perfectly suited for stalking prey and striking with incredible rapidity and power. Two lion-like warriors are formidable, to say the least, but Benaiah engaged and killed them because he knew that two lion-like men are no match for God. So also, revitalizing leaders will recognize that, as formidable as their challenges and adversaries may be, they are no match for God. Put another way, they claim the promise of Romans 8:37, that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Consider also the second adventure of verse 20: “he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.” Take a moment to appreciate the absurdity of this statement. A pit, in all likelihood, was a trap designed to capture animals for meat. The lion, then, was cornered, and there can be few things fiercer than a cornered lion. Of course, one might think Benaiah could wait for the lion to starve, but the pit was designed to capture animals that would sustain the lion. More, the very presence of the pit suggests that the people needed meat! There were, then, two options: give up or kill the lion. Killing the lion, though, was no small task! Lions, as we have seen, are formidable beasts. They can run nearly 30 mph (50 kph) and leap as far as 30 feet (10 m). Even worse, the fact that it was a snowy day meant that, while Benaiah slipped and slid in the slush, the lion’s claws would give it traction. Most people who come face-to-face with a lion on level ground on a normal day will run away and hide! The NLT, however, says that Benaiah “chased a lion.” That is, he did not just confront the thing that scared him; he chased it! Indeed, revitalizing leaders will chase down their fears because they love God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40) and one another (John 13:34), because godly love drives out fear (1 John 4:18), and because they have been given a spirit of power and love and discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).

And consider Benaiah’s third adventure, recorded in verse 21: “He also killed an Egyptian, an impressive man. Even though the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went down to him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and then killed him with his own spear.” Of all Benaiah’s exploits, this was the most spectacular. When he killed the lion-like men, there is no indication that they were armed or trained, and when he fought the lion, he at least had the advantage of human intelligence and perhaps some sort of weapon. This time, however, we see that the Egyptian was an impressive man, at least equaling Benaiah in strength and training. Worse, we see that the Egyptian man had the advantage of a spear compared to Benaiah’s staff. One would understand if Benaiah simply walked off the field, but he saw things differently than most. He recognized that fighting the lion-like men and the actual lion had prepared him for this moment, and so he did not hesitate to step out on faith one more time. Like Benaiah, revitalizing leaders will recognize that great things are accomplished only because the many lesser things that they have done and experienced have prepared them. Painting a bathroom can build momentum to renovate the sanctuary. Holding a rummage sale can lead to a ministry that meets the needs of thousands of underserved men, women, and children. And directing traffic at a local school can open the door for conversations that leads to changed lives. Great things build upon great things to eventually yield really great things!

Revitalizing leaders utilize available resources.

This notion leads directly to a third characteristic of revitalizing leaders exhibited by Benaiah. When he saw the Egyptian in verse 21, he could have lamented the things he did not have. For instance, he had neither spear nor backup. Instead, he took what he had and went to work, and God gave the success. Put another way, rather than focusing on what they lack, revitalizing leaders utilize available resources.

This is not to say that revitalizing leaders are ignorant of the situation. The text recognized the Egyptian man as “handsome” (ESV), “huge” (NIV), and “impressive” (CSB), and it was hard to miss the spear. Benaiah was, in other words, fully cognizant of the identity and disposition of his adversary. Further, he was fully aware of his own limited resources: there was no mistaking the staff in his own hand. Similarly, revitalizing leaders should know better than anyone the challenges the churches they lead will face and the areas where their churches are lacking. And like Benaiah, they should move forward anyway.

Rather, it is to say that revitalizing leaders will use what they have. Benaiah had a staff, so he took a staff. The late defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld once remarked, “You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.” So also, revitalizing leaders will recognize that they may not have the leaders, the facility, the bank account, or the expertise that they may want. Yet, they will trust that God has already made available anything and everything needed to get the job done, even if it is not yet in their hands.

Indeed, consider again the end of the Egyptian warrior: Benaiah “killed him with his own spear.” Benaiah joined the battle trusting that God had placed within his reach everything he needed to accomplish his mission. The trick, of course, was the key to his victory was currently in someone else’s hands. Sometimes, to overcome a challenge or obstacle, God expects us to utilize part of the challenge against itself. Some examples might be the way some churches redeem secular music or media to communicate effectively, social networks, email, and more. The revitalizing leader will recognize the resources at their disposal and then leverage them in a godly way to accomplish God’s objectives.

Revitalizing leaders are humble.

Revitalizing leaders are doers who see differently and utilize the resources available to them. Benaiah, however, exhibited one more key characteristic of a successful revitalizing leader. In 2 Samuel 23:22-23, this warrior’s account ended rather anticlimactically. You see, rather than launching a victory tour, leveraging his success to sign a lucrative book or movie deal, or even gloating about his accomplishments, Benaiah simply allowed his record to stand, almost to a fault. Indeed, I want to read more about the guy who chased a lion and killed an Egyptian warrior with his own spear! No, even though his accomplishments did earn him a reputation and a promotion to David’s personal bodyguard, Benaiah demonstrated a profound degree of humility that modern revitalizing leaders would do well to reproduce. Indeed, revitalizing leaders are humble. Notice, however, three critical attributes of Benaiah’s humility.

First, he did not deny his accomplishments. Too often, we equate humility to pretending that we have accomplished nothing or have no gifts or talents. Thus, we learn early to self-deprecate. Benaiah, however, did not deny his accomplishments. He simply did not make a big deal of them. In verse 22, we read simply, “These were the exploits of Benaiah.” There was no bragging or ostentation. Rather, he was entirely matter-of-fact, and the revitalizing leader should be the same. He/she does not sweep his/her accomplishments under the rug but rather embraces an honest understanding of who he/she is and what he/she has done.

Second, he did not flee the spotlight. In verse 23, we learn that Benaiah “was the most honored of the Thirty.” That is, he accepted the attention and renown that came with his accomplishments. The thing was, neither did he seek it. Rather, both in the spotlight and out, Benaiah was gracious, and revitalizing leaders must be the same. This is absolutely crucial because so much of revitalization happens in obscurity. This leads some revitalizing leaders to resent the spotlight and condescend those that it finds. Yet, even modest success can sometimes draw attention. It is therefore imperative for the revitalizing leader to be able to live with or without it.

Finally, he did not attain to others. Still in verse 23, we read, “He did not become one of the Three” (CSB). That is, despite his accomplishments, Benaiah was never accepted into the circle of David’s most elite soldiers. Instead, he was placed in charge of David’s personal bodyguard. As crucial as this position was, however, it was not the prime position. The Three went out to fight David’s enemies, and in so doing, became the best-known warriors in David’s army. As commander of the royal guard, though, Benaiah spent most of his time in and around the palace waiting for David’s enemies to attack. Given Benaiah’s record, he was no doubt able to choose his assignment, yet he chose the assignment with much less opportunity for attention and accolade. Why? The answer, I believe, is because Benaiah did not compare himself and his accomplishments to others. As a result, he could allow and even celebrate his colleagues who stole the spotlight from himself. In this, modern revitalizing leaders must follow Benaiah’s example. They must not compare their own gifts and talents. They must not compare what God is doing in and through them to what God is doing in other churches. They must not compare the intensity of their spotlight with others’. No, they should strive always to be each others’ best supporters and cheerleaders.

Conclusion

In nearly twenty years of vocational ministry, all of which has been spent in church revitalization, I cannot tell you how many times I have needed one or more of the lessons that Benaiah was given to teach. The fact is, I have contented myself to do nothing when, if my church is to see ongoing revitalization, I must be the lead doer. I have allowed myself to be paralyzed by the wrong perspective. I have fallen into the trap of focusing on what I do not have at my disposal. And I have wrestled with the temptation of pride. Indeed, this may be the most insidious temptation for any revitalizing leader: it manifests in the spotlight as bravado, and in the shadows as resentment. May we look always for revitalizing leaders to demonstrate these characteristics, and more, may we strive always to realize them in ourselves!