LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF JACOB #79 : BENJAMIN #1
Written by Pastor Christopher Choo
Lesson 3580
LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF JACOB #79
JACOB'S PROPHECIES ABOUT THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL #14
BENJAMIN #1
In Genesis 49 the patriarch Jacob, sensing his impending death, gathers his sons to his bedside to bless them. Each son became the progenitor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Benjamin, as the youngest, receives his father’s blessing last: “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil” (Genesis 49:27).
Benjamin’s blessing has three parts. Compared to a wolf, his blessing has two-time frames, morning and evening; it has two actions, devouring and dividing; and two outcomes, prey, and spoil. This sets up a type of “before and after” experience for Benjamin and his offspring.
The warlike nature of the small tribe of Benjamin became well known, as exhibited in their swordsmen (Judges 20:15–16; 1 Chronicles 8:40, 12:2; 2 Chronicles 14:8, 17:17) and in their ungodly defense of their extreme wickedness in Gibeah (Judges 19—20).
Their warlike nature came out not only in defense of their country but also in depravity within their country. In Judges 19—21 Benjamin takes up an offense against the other eleven tribes of Israel, and civil war ensues. This period had the reputation of everyone doing what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). What led to the civil war was the horrific abuse and death of an unnamed Levite’s concubine (Judges 19:10–28). The eleven tribes turned against the tribe of Benjamin and nearly annihilated them because of their refusal to give up the perpetrators (Judges 20:1—21:25). Eventually, the tribes restored Benjamin’s tribe, greatly diminished due to the war, and the country reunited.
What is the lesson for us today?
We are like Benjamin in our doublemindedness.
The propensity to be either good or bad remains in us even after we become believers.
This dilemma was experienced by the apostle Paul a famous Benjamite.
He realised that our sin nature involves us in a relentless battle between our new man in Christ and our old sinful flesh. These two rivals are diametrically opposed to each other. They are hostile against one another. They produce internal strife on the battlefield within the soul of every believer.
Romans 7:15-20 gives us the first-hand account of this battle between the new nature and the sinful flesh within Paul's life.
He writes these verses as a mature believer in Christ. Paul’s own life demonstrates that this struggle with our sinful flesh never goes away while we are on the earth. Paul is in a fight for holiness, just as you and I are. We must take action to buffet our bodies and make it our slave. We must resist temptation and fight the good fight of faith. We must resist temptation and flee immorality.
The Christian life is a fight for holiness. This battle within us is real, intense, ongoing, internal, spiritual, and found within all true believers.
Although his sinful flesh no longer reigns in him, it still “dwells in me.” It has not moved out of him. His sinful flesh still goes to bed with him. It still dreams of him. It still wakes up with him. It still goes to work with him. It still travels with him.
We will fight it all the way to glory. You and I will never get out of Romans 7 until we arrive in heaven.
Because of the all-sufficient grace of God, we will grow in personal holiness. We will experience ever-increasing victories over sin in our lives. There is still sin within us as believers, but we are, nevertheless, making progress and moving forward into greater conformity to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).
In Romans 7, we see our problem with sin, which continues for even the mature believer. But there is great hope in the verses that lie ahead.
Romans 8 will emphasize our great hope regarding victory and triumph over sin in our Christian life.
But the prescription for our ailment is found at the end of Romans 7 when Paul says, “thanks be to God [who gives us the victory] through the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Indeed there is a victory in the Christian life.
