Benaiah: Mighty Man of God

By P. H. Thompson

Description:

What happens when the king’s most obedient soldier is issued a wicked command?

Benaiah is valiant against men and beasts. He is known for three heroic deeds that lead to his appointment in the elite force of David’s Mighty Men: aggressively going down into a pit on a snowy day to kill a lion; fighting two Moabite ariels; and challenging a giant Egyptian, armed with only a staff, and killing him with the man’s own spear.

When David is crowned king, Benaiah is made his chief bodyguard and eventually head of the whole army of Israel under King Solomon.

Reeling from the tragic cost of disobedience when he was young, Benaiah directs his life toward one chief aim: to be found a faithful, loyal, valiant and obedient soldier, servant of the King and follower of Yahweh.

But when “just following orders” leads to his part in adultery, murder and death, he questions his life’s direction. If both obedience and disobedience cause death, how can he ever find redemption?

Book Takeaway:

The reader will never read these stories in the same way again, but will always picture Benaiah there with David.

Awards:

Why the author wrote this book:

I often wondered who that soldier was on the palace roof with David that night when he saw Bathsheba. It must have been a mighty man since he knew she was the wife of another mighty man. How did he feel about getting her for him, especially when he saw the repercussions of his actions on others.