Lion Killing is my Job!

2 Samuel 23:20–21 NKJV

20 Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 21 And he killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear.

Maasai Warriors

If there is a place in the world where lions are not feared, it is in Kenya. The Massai warriors are trained to haunt lions as a culture. Hunting lions have become fun, traditional and dangerous. What many people don’t know is the reason why the warriors hunt lions. The young warriors undergo this rite of passage instead of trophy hunting.

The Maasai warriors are expected to show off that they can fight with skills. At the end of the age set which is usually after they have cloaked 10-15 years, the warriors can count the number of lions they had hunted and killed.

2 Samuel 23:20–25 NKJV

20 Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 21 And he killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. 22 These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. 23 He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard. 24 Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.

2 Samuel 23:20–21 NKJV

20 Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 21 And he killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear.

23 And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, five cubits tall. In the Egyptian’s hand there was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. 24 These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. 25 Indeed he was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.

1 Chronicles 11:22–25 NKJV

22 Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 23 And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, five cubits tall. In the Egyptian’s hand there was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. 24 These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. 25 Indeed he was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.

1 Chronicles 11:22 NKJV

Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.

1 Chronicles 11:22–25 NKJV

Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, five cubits tall. In the Egyptian’s hand there was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. Indeed he was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.

Who has ever faced a situation that was overwhelming and out of your control?

Have you even had to go into your job, to tell them that you can’t do the assignment that they are requiring you to do? You know you could cost you your job?

What about having to react to a situation outside of your power, but you have to somehow do it anyway?

You see, at some point and at some time, you will face your worst enemy, at the worst place and at the worst time. What will you do?

Not sure if God is able to really do what He as done in the past this time?

Or will it be the knowledge and assurance of salvation?

You will one day find yourself in the worst of situations; but you can triumph.

How and where does this power come from?

“...he went down and slew a lion in a pit on a snowy day.”

Normal people don’t look for situations that could kill them: (Illustration: My wife is a trill-seeker, I am not!)

Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada. He started out as a priest and then became a soldier and then the commander of the Kings bodyguards and infantry. This is not the normal route of a pastor. Normally there is a conflict that results in a commitment to serve God; however, this was the opposite. (He was a pastor before he became a soldier).

He was a man who had "done many acts." He had killed two lionlike men of Moab and put an end to the life of an Egyptian giant with the man's own spear. Now, one snowy day, he descends into a pit and grapples with a lion.

In his book “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Pastor Mark Batterson describes the encounter this way:

“Almost as improbable as falling up or the second hand on your watch moving counterclockwise, the lion turns tail and Benaiah gives chase. Lions can run up to thirty-five miles per hour and leap thirty feet in a single bound. Benaiah doesn’t stand a chance, but that doesn’t keep him from giving chase. Then the lion makes one critical misstep. The ground gives away beneath his five-hundred-pound frame, and he falls down a steep embankment into a snow-laden pit...It’s the moment of truth as Benaiah approaches the pit. Almost like walking on thin ice, Benaiah measures every step. He inches up to the edge and peers into the pit. Menacing yellow eyes stare back.”

(Give more context to the story —Like a movie...)

“But Benaiah now has a moment to collect his thoughts, regain his sanity, and get a grip on reality. And the reality is this: Normal people don’t chase lions.

So Benaiah turns around and walks away. At that moment, we the audience watching breathes a collective sigh of relief. But Benaiah isn’t walking away. He’s getting a running start. We give an audible gasp as Benaiah runs at the pit and takes a flying leap of faith.”

Landing at the bottom of the pit.

Out of the corner of his eye, Benaiah sees something crawling. I don’t know how far away the lion is—and their vision is probably obscured by falling snow and frozen breath—but there is a moment when Benaiah and the lion lock eyes. Pupils dilate. Muscles tense. Adrenaline rushes...For the sake of the current audience, I will not share all for the details.

But Benaiah wins one of the most improbable victories recorded in the pages of Scripture. Benaiah is the victor and the incident makes our blood run a little bit faster.

There are three lessons here for every Christian:

But before the lesson, there is something we must know first: God is awfully good at getting us where He wants us to go. But here’s the catch: The right place often seems like the wrong place, and the right time often seems like the wrong time.

Why does he do it? God is always in the saving business and business never closes. You may not like where He is placing you, doing to you or in you, but it is ALWAYS for your good.

There are three lessons here for every Christian:

The New Testament picture of the Christian life is that of a race to be run and fight to be fought (see ). It also describes the devil as "a roaring lion"? There are, however, three lions (enemies) the believer will and must fight:

The devil is not to be played with. He must be trampled underfoot and dealt with fearlessly. There is no getting away from it, we have or will face the devil at some point. It will either be through some of his agents, his demons or himself. But we have a more sure word that says, “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

James 4:7 NKJV

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

The Bible speaks of the Christian's foes as "the world, the flesh and the devil." We are reversing the order, dealing with the deadliest foe first, the devil. Self, or the flesh, is always the central foe, the kingpin on which all swivels. Augustine used to pray: "Deliver me from my worst enemy, that wicked man myself."

The battle with self is one that will last a lifetime. The fight you win today is not sufficient for tomorrow, we must battle each day anew. You see Benaiah could not used what the same skill he used to defeat the Moab for the Egyptian, but had to develop a new battle plan. The same thing must be done for self. A new plan must be develop everyday.

How much easier it is to go with the world—follow the crowd, the world's fashions, and materialistic and selfish outlook! We have to remind ourselves constantly that our citizenship is in heaven, and so we must "set our affection upon things above and not upon the things of the earth."

Colossians 3:2 NKJV

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

What weapon did Benaiah use? His staff. The weapon that was at hand for him is what he used. He had no time to go home and look for something better. The John Bunyan weapon of "All Prayer" is the Christian's handiest weapon, "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees." Prayer is the answer to Satan, self, and the sinful world.

“If Satan sees he is in danger of losing one soul, he will exert himself to the utmost to keep that one. And when the individual is aroused to his danger, and, with distress and fervor, looks to Jesus for strength, Satan fears he shall lose a captive, and he calls a re-enforcement of his angels to hedge in the poor soul, and form a wall of darkness around him, that heaven’s light may not reach him. But if the one in danger perseveres, and in helplessness and weakness casts himself upon the merits of the blood of Christ, Jesus listens to the earnest prayer of faith, and sends a re-enforcement of those angels which excel in strength to deliver him. (Ellen Gould White, Messages to Young People (Southern Publishing Association, 1930)), 51.

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Perseverance

By perseverance the snail reached the ark.

1 Ellen Gould White, Messages to Young People (Southern Publishing Association, 1930), 51.

Benaiah fought in a pit—probably a dried-up, disused well. There, hemmed in, with little air and light, he engaged in hand-to-hand fighting with a lion. So the giant evils in our modern society and in our own personal lives must be defeated.

You must fight when everything inside of you says to give up.

When your marriage is about to come to an end...fight!

When your job is on the line...fight!

When your health is failing and your faith feels defeated...fight!

You can’t always choose where you will fight, but you can choose that you will fight.

By jumping down into the pit Benaiah showed that he meant business. Often the best means or form of defense is attack. The lion was taken by surprise. We must "resist the devil" when he least expects it.

Example:

Lord, Take My Hand!

There is a story told of a New York lawyer who, when he first came to the city, would take his young son on long walks. In order to keep up, the small fellow would hold his father’s little finger. By and by the lad would grow weary, and his steps would lag. At last he looked into the benign face of his father and asked, “You’ll have to take hold of my hand now, Daddy, for I can’t hold on much longer.”

Example: Cycling with a group one Sunday and they wanted to drop me.

We have been holding onto the little fingers of security so long that we are losing our grip on things that matter. Now we must ask God to take our hand and lead us. “Thou dost keep him in perfect peace,/whose mind is stayed on thee” ().

Note that it was "in a snowy day" and not "on"—implying "during," or "throughout." Benaiah's struggle was of a long duration, but God gave him the strength and the stamina. (Remember "If God be for us, who can be against us?" ). There was no "let up" for this lion killer. From morning till evening, without a break for lunch or coffee he carried on the struggle.

The Christian's warfare is continual. Soldiers in Christ's army can expect no leave, no discharge, no forty-eight-hour or weekend passes out of camp, for we must not become entangled "with civilian pursuits" (J. B. Phillips). Only in old age, just before we go to our reward, can we say with Paul: "I have fought a good fight." Then, when we enter heaven with the "trumpets sounding on the other side," we shall hear the Master's "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. You have fought bravely, under adverse circumstances, you have killed many lions in My name; enter into the joy of the Lord."

Appeal:

He will Do it!

Lion Killing is my Job!

Lion Killing is my Job!

Introduction:

Will that enemy be doubt?:

Who is this character?

Back to the story:

I. The Christian Must Go Lion-Killing

A. The devil.

B. Self.

C. The World.

II. The Christian Must Fight in Difficult Places

III. The Christian Must Expect Super-Human Difficulties