Loyalty. A word that, in the past, has often described a positive attribute of a person. However, our current culture and society have tainted its meaning.
The true meaning of loyalty is that you have found someone or something you strongly believe in and have the desire to protect, fight for and devote yourself to its success. It is something you have decided in your soul. It has become an integral part of your life and your future decisions are based on this loyalty.
It could be something trivial like you are devoted to shopping at Aldi’s instead of Target because they are cheaper. It could be emotional like you are loyal to your siblings even if they drive you crazy because they are your family. It could be social like you are loyal to working in a specific nonprofit because you want to help and reach more people for this cause. It could be physical like you are loyal to your spouse because they are your love and they are worth it.
But in our society today, loyalty is used as a tool of control and not a character trait of an individual.
Someone from somewhere has determined what they believe is a righteous and true belief that you should have. They have decided that you must be loyal to this belief, because if you are not, then you are a terrible person and should be shunned or destroyed.
You had no say in the matter, you were given no choice. You were told to be loyal or else.
That is not loyalty. That is blind acceptance and forced submission.
These will be met with a wavering spirit and a fear to be kicked out of your newly formed “tribe.” It is a curse and a prison, it will not give you the boldness and freedom you were hoping to find.
To become loyal to something you must truly believe that it is a cause or person worth giving your life, time, and energy towards. It is not something that you can look to others to find for you. You must look and decide what or who you want to be loyal to.
There was one man in the Bible, born thousands of years ago, that has given us the perfect example of what true loyalty is. And his name was Benaiah.
Benaiah’s Background
In the Bible, Benaiah is talked about in a few select verses throughout 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 1 Chronicles. And in each of these places, there is one important feature that shows through. He is a man of few words but emits a strong presence and exhibits unmatched strength which he uses to show unwavering loyalty to King David.
Most of the verses that talk about Benaiah are mentioning some amazing feat that he has accomplished, some high military position he has risen to, or proof and testament to his loyalty.
But how did Benaiah become the man that accomplished amazing feats? How did He become the man that earned the trust and companionship of one of Israel’s kings? A king that was well-known for his deep love of God.
A Godly Family
Benaiah was born into the tribe of Levi. They were one of the 12 tribes of Israel, but a tribe that was given a special purpose by God. This tribe was given the sole responsibility of being the spiritual leaders of Israel. They were the priests who taught the people God’s ways, they were the workers who performed the sacrifices and took care of the temple, and they were the mediators between God and those coming to the temple.
Benaiah’s family had a rich history of being close to God and taking their relationship with Him very seriously. It was not required for a Levite to become a spiritual leader, but faith was deeply ingrained in their lives no matter what sort of job they decided to do.
Benaiah’s family were descendants of the Levite Aaron and his father was a chief priest in the Temple. But Levites were different from nonviolent Christians nowadays. They were also military men when needed and had righteous anger that would end the lives of those who mocked God. There are several places in the Bible where a Levite has killed someone that has blatantly sinned against God and was hurting Israel’s relationship with Him (Exodus 32).
Jehoiada, Benaiah’s father, knew that David had been anointed by God to be king over Israel. However, at the time Israel had a man named Saul as king. But he lost God’s blessing due to the many sins he committed against Him. God led the prophet, Samuel, to anoint David king when he was but a lad. He then made a name for himself by killing a giant named Goliath, becoming a harpist for Saul, performing many military feats against the Philistines, and having a heart for God. Once Saul lost God’s blessing and favor he began to hate David and desired to kill him because he knew this was God’s chosen.
That is when David needed military strength and people loyal to his God-appointed future as king.
This is where Jehoiada meets David. Jehoiada was said to be a valiant man and gathered 3700 men of the Levite tribe to join David’s army against Saul. He did this because he knew this was God’s design. And although it was not popular at the time, it was the right thing to do. He stood with a man that was barely beginning his journey to kingship and was there for the hard times. This was the life Benaiah was introduced to. This was the morals and code of conduct his family taught him.
(1 Chronicles 27:5)(1 Chronicles 12:23-27)(2 Samuel 23:20)
God’s way is best.
Even if no one else will follow, we will. We will follow him wherever and with whomever He leads.
A Godly Name
When his parents were choosing a name for their newborn son, they chose one with a deep meaning. Benaiah means the Lord has built. I am not the type of person that believes a name makes a person but I instead believe a name can be a person’s prayer for their child. Or a child can embrace a name’s meaning and live by it.
For example, when I named my 3 daughters I found a first name that I liked and a middle name that was my prayer for them. One name is Evangeline. My prayer is that my child will tell the world of God’s good news and will be His little evangelist to the lost. Another is named Seraphina. My prayer is that she will always use her voice and continually sing praises to God for His wondrous acts and everlasting love. My last is named Emmanuelle. My prayer is that she will always remember that God is with her. It doesn’t matter where we are, what we have done, or who we are. He is there and will be there till the end of time.
Benaiah did not become a great man because he had a good name. He became a man of great character with a great career because he embraced the meaning of his name. The Lord had built it because Benaiah was faithful to Him.
A Godly Mission
At some point and time, David and Benaiah came together as warriors.
David had done many incredible military feats throughout his career but he either heard or saw for himself what Benaiah had done.
- He had fought two incredibly strong heroes of Moab by himself and killed them.
- He was known for going down into a pit on a snowy day to kill a lion BY HIMSELF!
- He fought with an Egyptian giant with only a staff in his hand whereas the Egyptian had a spear. He somehow wrestled the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.
- Amongst men, Benaiah was particularly skilled at hand-to-hand combat.
I do not know if Benaiah performed these amazing feats while in David’s army or if he did these unbelievable acts and David heard about him through the grapevine. Either way, they came together with the same desire to make David king. To put God’s plan into action and protect what God thought was right.
Benaiah was a man that was seen for his raw power and I believe he had God’s blessing and it showed through his rising in the ranks of David’s army. David’s army had 30 men that were seen as his strongest and most valiant men. Benaiah was above them all. However, 3 great men were given a special ranking above the 30 because of their feats. Benaiah won a name amongst them, although he was not part of the 3.
But David did not want to let a man like this go to waste. He set him up as his own personal guard. He created the Royal Guard with Benaiah as his bodyguard, counselor, and leader over many people faithful to David.
(2 Samuel 23:20-23) (1 Chronicles 11:22-24)
How Loyalty Was Formed
During David’s reign, he had 3 different military forces: the army, the militia, and the Royal Guard. Benaiah did all three throughout his life. As we mentioned previously, his accomplishments made him a well-known name in the army.
The army was led by Joab and only had Hebrews or Israelites in the forces. This was the official army of Israel so it had to have those that were part of its nationality. This was also where the 30 mighty men were and the 3 men of great valor.
The militia was formed of citizen soldiers that would only come together for one month during the year. They would learn military training under a veteran soldier. They were taught all they needed to know in case they were unexpectedly called to service. Benaiah was one of the twelve captains of the militia, one captain for each month of the year. He was in charge of the third month of the year and was over 24,000 men. His son Ammizabad was even part of his men.
Then there was the Royal Guard which Benaiah was the leader of. It was full of men that were from foreign countries but were loyal to David through their own desire. Two nationalities are specifically mentioned in the Royal Guard, the Cherethites and the Pelethites. These men would protect David and his kingship from tribal rivalry and traitors. They were his own personal bodyguards, chosen to serve based on both character and strength.
In the future, the Royal Guard would be even more loyal to David than his Israelite army. David would be met with 2 coups during his reign, both from his sons, and it would be the Royal Guard, not the army, that stayed faithful to him. They would be used greatly to keep the rivals at bay.
It’s amazing when people who desire to be loyal come against those who are being paid to be loyal. The difference in character and abilities is astounding. And the trust they can have in each other is a thing of beauty.
The loyalty of Benaiah had been proven to David over and over again. He was an accomplished military man and part of David’s inner circle of comrades. He had a very personal relationship with David because he was always around him.
It was extremely likely that they had conversations. I would not be surprised if David consulted with him on not just military problems but also things of a godly nature. David kept Benaiah close to him not just because he could trust him but because he was like-minded.
David was known as a man after God’s own heart after all.
People that love God, truly love him with their whole hearts, keep people close to them that will help that relationship. People won’t just tell them what they want to hear but will encourage or convict them in godliness. They are not just yes men. They are truthful and unafraid to speak that truth. They will give their honest advice on what is right and wrong. They will unashamedly stand for God before even their king.
I truly believe that Benaiah was not just a great asset to David’s military, but also to him spiritually.
(1 Chronicles 18:17)(2 Samuel 8:18)(2 Samuel 20:23)(I Chronicles 27:1; 5-6) (1 Samuel 13:14)
On a little side note…
David was not a perfect man. He was a person that loved God dearly but he had sins that he committed as well. God does not name a lot of the sins but he has highlighted that David had sexual sins that lead to other sins. So why did God not take away the kingship from him as he did saul?
Because David was a repenting sinner. He knew what he did was wrong. He admitted what he did was a sin in God’s eyes. He asked for forgiveness for the sin and he tried to live a better life from that moment onwards. Saul did not repent. He did not want to be better or do better. He wanted to take charge of his own life and that is why God left him.
He who covers his sins will not prosper,
Proverbs 28:13
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
But there was one thing that David was not very skilled in. He was a great king, a great military man, and a great man of God… but he wasn’t a very good father. It was clear that David loved his children but he was not very good at teaching them right from wrong.
As a parent, it was his responsibility to teach his children about God. He had so much knowledge and so much experience that he could have shared with them. But he was too busy. Or he wasn’t confident in his parenthood. Or he didn’t make it a priority. Or it’s for a reason we will never know.
Either way, many of his children did not have a good relationship with God or their father. They didn’t respect David. And they didn’t respect God and His ways. One raped a sister, one murdered a brother, one committed fornication with David’s concubines and two tried to steal the kingdom.
And even when all these things happened it was not David that condemned and rebuked the sin. It was always someone else. For some reason, he could not bring himself to punish his children for their actions. Even if, as the king and their father, it was the right thing to do.
I truly believe it is partially because he felt guilty about his own sin and felt that he was not to judge them but then justice for the victims was lost.
But throughout this Benaiah was there and yet there is no mention of him rebuking David or leaving him due to his sin. I believe this is because even though he was trying to lead a godly life himself, he also understood his place.
He was not the king. He was not anointed by God to rule Israel. The place God put him was by David’s side. To be there and be what David needed at that moment. To wait for the moment David would return to God and be a silent supporter.
He knew what David had done was wrong but he also knew that his life was not his responsibility. David’s sin was his own problem to take care of.
I don’t believe that Benaiah was simply trying to do his job and was not emotionally invested. I don’t believe that Benaiah was too afraid or disinterested to say anything to David.
I believe he was allowing David to make mistakes. He was allowing David to commit the sins he wanted to commit and see what would happen. If God decided that David was no longer fit to be king and found another, I truly believe that Benaiah would have left David to go to God’s anointed.
Do I have any proof? Do I have any verses to point to that? No. All I have is what I see from Benaiah’s reactions to different actions. But you can know a person through their actions and predict their decisions based on their character.
Loyalty Tested
As David was nearing the end of his life he still had yet to name his successor to the throne. God had told David many years before that he wanted his son Solomon to become king. But many people did not feel the same as God. Many people decided to take the future into their own hands.
The Betrayal
According to cultural norms, Solomon should not have been king. He was not the firstborn son. He was the tenth son, born from a woman that David had stolen from another man in a night of passion. He was not seen as a legitimate heir by his siblings and I’m sure David did not want to rock the family boat but that was God’s choice.
But with David being weak in family matters, it allowed the son that was next in line to the throne to lay claim to the kingdom. And because David did not rebuke him, the son became confident and bold in his claim. To the rest of Israel, it made sense that the next in line should be king and many of David’s leaders left him to follow his son.
His army left him, his chief priest left him and all of his children followed after Adonijah, his son, and were helping make him king. And David did not even know it. He knew that his son was talking about being king, but he didn’t know that he was taking the next steps forward to lay his claim to the throne.
The Faithful
It is interesting to point out that there were only a few people that would not go to Adonijah and help him become king. They were: Zadok the priest, Benaiah, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David.
Not only did these men not help but Adonijah didn’t even ask them to help him. Nor were they invited to his feast to celebrate his future as king. He knew that these people were loyal to David. He knew that it was not even worth the breath to ask. Why? Because he already knew the answer that he would get. These people exhibited their loyalty so fiercely that it wasn’t a surprise how they would feel about Adonijah. You can’t win over people that are faithful from the heart.
And of course, Adonijah did not invite Solomon to his celebration feast. He knew that it was God’s choice for Solomon to be king. Solomon was his direct competitor. He had plans for him after he became king. He had to keep God’s chosen from taking his kingly reign.
The Crossroads
David could no longer ignore the sins of his children. If he did then God’s plans would be ignored and gone against. And as we’ve noticed, David struggled to rebuke his kid’s sin but when it came to God’s clear commands, He would do it no matter what.
He was at a crossroads. Do God’s will or allow other people to do their own will. He had to take action to make sure what God had commanded him to do would happen. He had to make a choice. And he did.
When it was told to him that Adonijah was proclaiming himself king and had led many of his leaders and family to his side, David did not hesitate. He called those that were faithful to him, Zadok the priest, Benaiah, and Nathan the prophet to his side.
He ordered them to gather his servants and put Solomon on his royal donkey (essentially having a royal parade). They were to go to Gihon and have Zadok and Nathan anoint him as king of Israel in front of all the people. They were to blow trumpets and shout God save King Solomon. Then they were to follow Solomon to the throne where he was to ceremoniously sit on the throne to certify that he was indeed the new king.
All this was done to show the nation that he was David’s official choice for the heir to the throne. There would be no more questions about who would be the ruler of Israel. Solomon was the one that was chosen and the performance of becoming king would be done before Adonijah even knew what was going on.
My favorite part of this is what Benaiah says when David is done giving his command. And these are the only words that we have written down that Benaiah has ever said.
Amen: the Lord God of my lord the king say so too.
As the Lord hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.
I Kings 1:36-37
Benaiah brings all of this back to God. God is the first thought that Benaiah has. May God say so too. It was almost as if he did know that this was God’s will and he was giving his approval that it was happening.
He verifies the fact that God has been with David during his reign, not just to say pretty words but because he could see the truth. And it is almost as if he gives a blessing at the end. A blessing from a Levite, a spiritual leader, that God would bless this new king just as much, if not more, than the father.
For a man that says very few words, it spoke volumes.
A New Loyalty
At this point, it would have been easy for Benaiah to retire and enjoy the rest of his life in relaxation. He had done his part, he had been faithful to David. But he wasn’t just faithful to David, he was faithful to God’s anointed. And now that there was a new king, one of God’s choosing, there was a new leader to be loyal to.
Benaiah was now under Solomon and he would carry out his orders as the leader of his Royal Guard.
And the first orders he was given were to take care of those committing treason and those who did evil during David’s time that was not punished.
To Each Their Own
Adonijah had been shown mercy by Solomon, but that wasn’t enough. He still desired to be king and he came up with a scheme to do so. Unfortunately for him, Solomon was too wise to not notice. Because he had not repented of his ways, he was executed.
And who did the execution? Solomon sent Benaiah, his right-hand man. The only one he could trust. The only military leader that had been faithful to him.
Next, Abiathar was forced to step down from his priesthood, but he was not executed. Instead, he was exiled.
Then there was Joab, the leader of the Israelite army who had committed treason against the king. Joab knew what was happening. He knew he was in trouble. He knew Benaiah was coming for him. He ran to the tabernacle of God and put his hands on the altar and begged for mercy.
Now, Benaiah had great respect for the tabernacle of God. He could have walked in and killed Joab without a care, and since he was a Levite he could do it, but he hesitated. He sent someone to let Solomon know what had happened and what he should do since Joab would not come out.
He wanted to follow the orders of his new king. But he did not know how Solomon was going to handle people asking for forgiveness. Benaiah wanted to learn and understand how this new king wanted to do things. Would he be soft like David? Or would he be different? He gave Solomon a chance to decide for himself and whatever the decision, he would follow his orders. He would be loyal.
And Solomon was different than David. He knew that Joab had committed many sins during David’s life, even things that David was not aware of. So he knew that Joab’s life deserved to be cut short. He ordered Benaiah that if he would not come out, then he was to go in and do what had been ordered. He did not hesitate a second longer.
There was one more man that Benaiah executed. That man was Shimei, one who had cursed David while he was king. This man was told that if he left his hometown then he would be put to death. In the end, that man didn’t care too much about the order given to him. Why would he? David, the one he had cursed, did not kill him. So why would his son? He left the town to find a servant that had gone away and just as Solomon promised, he sent Benaiah to end his life.
With all of these people gone, Solomon’s kingdom was established, his leadership was solidified and he was seen as a man of action. He was someone to take notice of and to fear. He held people accountable for their actions. He was able to accomplish all of this because of Benaiah, his loyal commander.
Because of the great things that Benaiah did for Solomon, he was rewarded with Joab’s old job. He became the leader of the army of Israel.
Benaiah’s loyalty would never be forgotten and we are left reading about his legacy.
Are We Loyal?
Whether we realize it or not, we have become loyal to something or someone.
What/who do you spend the most time with? What/who do you put your money towards? What/who do you spend your energy on? What/who are you trying to make successful?
No matter what or who it is, you are loyal to it because of your actions.
Is it something worth being faithful to? Is it something you are proud to say you are loyal to?
If not, then you need to change your life. You need to make a conscious decision to be faithful to what matters to you and get rid of anything else.
But to be loyal, truly loyal, we must be like Benaiah. We must have a relationship with God and know the truth. We must know God’s truth. The only truth that matters.
We are to be loyal to Him first and then it will be easy to see where our loyalty should lie. It will be easy to know what decisions we should make and how we should handle life’s challenges. If we are not loyal to God then it is easy to be led astray like Joab and Abiathar.
Be a Benaiah. Be a great person with great character. Don’t settle for anything less.
Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Proverbs 3:3-4
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,
And so find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.
