It’s understandable that a man (Saul) from the tribe of Benjamin was chosen to be king.
Benjamin’s territory bordered on Judah, the dominant tribe in the south…
But it also bordered on Ephraim, the dominant tribe in the north.
This was both a curse and a blessing.
It was a curse because they couldn’t be loyal to the North without betraying the South and vice versa.
Think of the state of Virginia during the Civil War.
Just like Benjamin, Virginia’s borders were sandwiched between the Northern Union and the Southern Confederacy.
This of course led to significant divisions within the state’s population and leadership…which I can imagine is also what happened within the tribe of Benjamin.
Now, why was Benjamin’s geographical position also a blessing?
For two reasons.
Religiously speaking, Israel’s most revered sacred sites were located smack dab in Benjamin’s territory.
And militarily speaking, Benjamin’s borders ran along the Jordan River where there were numerous fording points (spots in a body of water that are shallow enough to be crossed by foot).
This was HUGE!
Fording points were critical to military tactics and strategy.
In an age when aerial warfare was non-existent, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the army that controlled the fording points on a given piece of land controlled the battle and had the power to steer the outcome to victory.
So again, we see how the Lord in His providence works through mankind’s daily circumstances.
Now what might be the spiritual reasons behind God’s selection of Benjamin?
Well, consider this.
There is actually a level of spiritual status attached to the four directions of east, west, north, and south.
In the Bible, the East is the most spiritually important followed by the South.
For example, the Messiah is prophesied to come from the East.
So, can you guess which direction held the least status?
It was the North.
Ponder this for a sec.
Every time Israel was conquered by an enemy empire, where were they exiled?
They were exiled to the North, right?
And during the final battle of Armageddon, where will Israel’s enemies come from?
They’ll come from the North.
In fact, the location of Armageddon itself is in the northern territory of Israel.
Next, chew on this.
Which tribes were conquered and eventually assimilated into the pagan gentile world?
Was it not the ten northern tribes who eventually became known as the “10 lost tribes of Israel”?
Finally, consider that Benjamin aligned themselves with the northern tribes, who were the agitators that called for a human king to replace God as ruler over them.
It’s all in the patterns embedded in the Scripture folks.
When you understand the patterns, you unlock the keys to understanding truths that would’ve otherwise remained hidden.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For just as the lightning
comes from the east
and flashes even to
the west, so will the
coming of the
Son of Man be.”
-Matthew 24:27
Eric L says
Quote: “It’s all in the patterns embedded in the Scripture folks.
When you understand the patterns, you unlock the keys to understanding truths that would’ve otherwise remained hidden.”
Was it you who posted recently: The Greek mindset asks, “How can I analyze what is happening here?” and the Hebrew mindset asks “What pattern is this?”
richoka says
Yeah, I think that was me…inspired by Tom Bradford’s Torah class.