I’m sometimes amused by which details authors include in their published content. One of my editors reminds me if any word doesn’t move the plot, delete it.
I read the book of Chronicles and it’s heavily weighted with names and numbers. When I read Chronicles and Numbers in the bible, I typically skim much of the genealogy and clan numbers.
Last week, however, 1 Chronicles 11:22-23 caused me to pause mid-scan. It follows several chapters of ancestry and population counts. This piece features Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, as a valiant fighter. The passage discusses his defeat over two Moabite warriors. Those soldiers remain unnamed, but the author chose to describe a snowy day to enter a pit to kill a lion.
Why did the snowy day get mentioned? What made a lion’s gravesite description important to this chronologist? Chronicles describes how Benaiah struck down an Egyptian. The Egyptian remains anonymous, but I learned he was five cubits tall. Thanks to an online search, I gathered that one cubit is 1 ½ feet. That means Benaiah overpowered a 7 ½ feet tall man.
I wonder what elements of my life someone would feature. A small-framed spunky woman from Tennessee? An author? A frequent smiler? A mission worker? A loyal friend? I’m curious what Benaiah wrote for his resume and bio.
God knows every characteristic of my life because He created me. Scripture teaches that all believers are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Daniel 12:1, Phil 4:3). I may never read my obituary, but I’m assured that God counts everything important. He crafted my life story from cradle to grave. He’s used trials, tribulations, and triumphs to shape my prevailing highlights. Specifics matter to Him.
Lord, thank you for your attention to detail. You create intricacies throughout history. Continue to make my story the climax of Your chronicle.
Living one numbered day at a time,
Christina
“Benaiah…performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down an Egyptian who was five cubits tall” (1 Chron. 11:22-23).