“I am doing what is right, a life for a life!”
Benaiah wasn’t feeling afraid.
He could feel, “this is what I am meant to do.”
“What is your life worth compared to my gold!”
The fight promoter looked upon Benaiah with pure disdain for he had brought the fight to a stand still just to throw out such an absurd and foolish offer, he thought, “and for what? Some misguided, youthful exuberance concerning righteousness and honor, hah!”
“Who are you, to make such a demand?”
“I am Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, grandson of ‘The Valiant One of Kabzeel’ and servant of the living God of Israel!”
At that the fight promoter was taken aback a bit, he was old enough to know of whom Benaiah was referring to and a quick frightening thought whisked through his mind and so he had to act and act quickly.
“I do not accept your challenge, the wager is too large, now leave us.”
To be dismissed out of hand did not sit well with Benaiah but as he went to take a step toward the fight promoter a voice rang out.
“I’ll cover the wager!”
You could have heard a butterflies wings beating in that instant silence.
And then a roar, from the crowd, louder than before as The Hittite stepped forward with a large bag of gold and jewels.
The crowd, the mob, the general consensus is always out for blood…
as long as it isn’t their own.
Benaiah thought, “What is it about that Hittite?”
There was no getting out of it now for either party and all the while the Egyptian looking down on Benaiah sneering, a look of utter disgust, he would have to go against.. what? an opponent, an enemy on the battlefield.. no, this lowly shepherd from the hills is interrupting his amusement for the evening, he girded himself to end it quickly.
Benaiah turned to the peculiar slave and bowed as he had seen the slave do in the morning and reached out with his palms open, facing up, in a gesture to receive the staff of the slave.
The peculiar slave seemed to understand and with a reciprocal bow laid the staff in Benaiah’s hands and stepped over by the chain post and pulled in his chain, out of the way of the combatants.
The value of the wager was settled and The Hittite and the fight promoter stood to watch.
Benaiah was calm, he had been in very tight spots before and today after being made alive and with a promise from (YHWH) to be delivered…
he trusted.
And attacked the Egyptian, it was lion like and lightning fast…
Jubilee Bible 2000
“He also slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a staff and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and slew him with his own spear.”
~ 2 Samuel 23:21
Everyone, except The Hittite, stood stock still, mouths agape, not saying a word as Benaiah, covered in blood, made his way over to the peculiar slave…
and set him free.
Leave a Reply