Head Scratcher — Benaiah - Wednesday
Today’s Verse
1 Chronicles 11:23a
Once, armed only with a club, he killed an Egyptian warrior who was 7 - 1⁄2 feet tall and who was armed with a spear as thick as a weaver’s beam. (NLT)
According to official rosters and historical data, our beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats have had seven basketball players who measured 7'0" or taller. What made the 2023–24 season remarkable? We had three at once: Aaron Bradshaw, Ugonna Onyenso, and Zvonimir Ivišić. (And for the diehards: the other four were Tom Payne, Sam Bowie, Shagari Alleyne, and Łukasz Obrzut.)
If you’ve ever stood next to someone seven feet tall, it’s... humbling. And quite intimidating. Today’s text tells us that Benaiah went up against an Egyptian warrior who was 7 ½ feet tall.
And he wasn’t trying to guard him in basketball; he was facing him in battle!
It says the Egyptian giant was “armed with a spear as thick as a weaver’s beam” (see picture)—the exact phrase used in the infamous David vs Goliath showdown (1 Samuel 17:7). So this guy wasn’t just a tall twig—he was strong, dangerous, and well-armed!
And Benaiah? He was “armed only with a club.”
No sword. No armor. Just a caveman stick. And yet—Benaiah won!
We all face enemies that feel too big—addiction, discouragement, broken relationships, doubts. Benaiah's encounter with a giant Egyptian shows us something critical: the odds don’t matter when God is with you.
You may feel under-equipped or out-matched, but God’s not limited by what’s in your hand—He’s looking for what’s in your heart. He doesn’t need you to be impressive; He just wants you to be willing. When we face what scares us instead of running, we start to discover what God can do through us, not just for us.
Reading about Benaiah made me think of a verse from Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” It’s a bold statement, but one we often treat like a bumper sticker instead of a battle cry. That verse doesn’t promise that no weapon will form—it just promises that it won’t win. You will face threats. Battles will come. But because God is for us, because God is with us, we sing from a victory that is already won. No weapon formed against you shall prosper.
After all, the biggest thing Benaiah carried out of that battle wasn’t a spear—it was a greater faith.
REFLECTION
What feels “too big” in your life? Pray boldly today—not just for comfort, but for strength and strategy. Ask God to empower you, even if your resources seem small.
