I am offeten asked why I named my son Benaiah. 99.9% of the time people are very surprised by what they hear, the reason behind my decision, & the story of Benaiah (that can be found in the Bible... yes it's in the Bible).
Names are very important to one's sense of self and identity. Choosing a name for a child is complicated. I spent hours, days, and months on this pleasant but painstaking process. Our name has the potential to color our interactions with society and I wanted my sons to be a great one. I wanted him to grow up a strong confident brave man of God that could stand up to anything that crossed his path. It is said that people's names might influence how they think about themselves and the way in which people might think about them. People draw subconscious cues all the time about people. You meet a person for the first time and without thinking about it on an explicit level you're looking at the way they're walking, what their accent sounds like, how they're dressed, whether they smell … and you're developing these immediate reactions, We're hardwired to try to figure out in a heartbeat whether or not we want to trust somebody, whether we want to run from somebody. The link between a name and success later in life could have to do with these kids fulfilling others' expectations of them and the expectations of their name.
While taking college courses in Sociology I was told about a village in Africa that named their children after the days of the week. It was a cultural thing and had been going on for years. A few sociologist went their to study the affect a name can have on a person and did a little study. They found that children born on and named after Wednesday had a 90% chance of being involved in crime. The name Wednesday in their language also had another meaning that had negative associations. The children born on and named after Friday however had a 90% chance of becoming a leader in village and doing great things. (FYI I heard this story many years ago so Im sorry if I messed it up a bit but this is the jist of it) That story always stuck with me. To some its just a name but to me it was my sons destiny. And so, it was decided. I would name my son Benaiah. Here is Benaiah's story as it is written in the Bible.
Benaiah the Champion.
BENAIAH, from the Hebrew name pronounced ben-aw-yaw, means built up by the Lord orestablished by God. He was David’s general for the army of the Kingdom of Israel and his chief bodyguard. It is said that he killed an Egyptian warrior with the Egyptian’s own club and spear and killed two of Moab's mightiest warriors. He also killed a lion against all odds of a snowy day after chasing it into a pit. He stood by David through thick and thin standing strong and faithful for what he believed was right and true as God’s will.There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two of Moab's mightiest warriors. Another time he chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it. - 2 Samuel 23:20
Mentioned in only two handfuls of old testament scripture, it is clear from what little was there that Benaiah was one loyal, brave, strong, and wise guy. He stood up for what was right and just for God and confessed it with his mouth. It even mentions at one point that he was allowed to ride into town on the king's mule! I mean, you would have to be one righteous dude to ride on a king's transportation unit. That's like the President showing up at your front door to give you the keys to his car saying, "Hey man, I like you and I want you to have this. No one else in this world deserves it more." Ummm, that's pretty awesome? Heck yeah it's awesome!
1Chr 11:22-25 "Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day. He killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature five cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name as well as the three mighty men. Behold, he was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three; and David appointed him over his guard."
Nedless to say Benaiah was an incredible man of God. He had everything that I want for my son. One of my greatest fears in life is the regret at the end of your life will be the lions you didn’t chase. We will look back longingly on risks not taken, opportunities not seized, and dreams not pursued, but that will not be the case for my son, for he was born a champion.
Our best days often start out as our worst days. And our greatest opportunities are often disguised as our biggest problems. You can land in a pit with a lion on a snowy day, and it will seem like the end of the road. But with God all things are possible.
If you would like to know more about why or to learn more about Benaiah or naming your children check out this amazing video!!!
