In the Bible, names are significant. Your name defines your destiny.

Samuel means "heard of God" in Hebrew, and he was a well-known prophet in Israel (1 Samuel 3:20). His mother, Hannah, prayed for a son, and she named him Samuel, to give tribute to God because He heard her prayer after many barren years.

Little did Hannah know that God so heard Samuel, the LORD did not allow any words spoken by Samuel to fall on the ground. (1 Samuel 3:19)

First Reason For Benaiah

There are two reasons why I named my son Benaiah. 

Benaiah means "Jehovah has built". One of the root words in Benaiah is the Hebrew word "banah", which means to build or to be established. In other words, Benaiah can also mean, "the LORD has established."

It came at a time when the Lord has established my life. 

The Lord repeated Proverbs 24:27 in my heart for many years from 2010.

"Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house." Proverbs 24:27 (ESV)

The Lord wanted me to focus on my career, not on love relationships. I dated ladies with no avail while this Word kept ringing in my heart.

All that changed when I was promoted to become a data science manager at CBS Sports. There was a rest where I felt Proverbs 24:27 was fulfilled in my life. My salary had increased significantly, and I could stop accelerating in my career to focus on my social life for a season.

Fast forward, I met Florence, my wife, and we got married. She became pregnant in my first year of marriage, and my son was born.

I incurred student loan debt because I took a Master of Science in Business Analytics from New York University (NYU) in 2020. However, the Lord blessed me, and I paid all my student loan debts on the same day my son was born. 

It is a testament that the Lord has established me well; this is the first reason I named my son Benaiah.

Second Reason For Benaiah

I have been doing my bible study for some time, and I found an interesting fact about Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, in the Bible. This study became my second reason for the name, Benaiah.

Did you know Benaiah did not need to fight for King David?

Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, a chief priest (1 Chronicles 27:5). The role of a priest in the Levitical priesthood is hereditary. 

Benaiah could inherit the role and work of a priest and be set up for life. He chose not to because he wanted to fight for his king.

It was an important lesson because I wanted to serve the Lord in full-time ministry when I was much younger. It did not happen, and I went to work as a data engineer instead.

However, the Lord taught me that Benaiah could've become a priest, but the latter chose to brave adversities with David because he had a gift for war.

Benaiah became David's bodyguard (2 Samuel 23:23) and eventually Solomon's army commander (1 Kings 2:35).

The Lord never forgot that Benaiah was a priest. When David wanted to pass his throne to Solomon, Benaiah blessed David.

'And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, "Amen! May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say so.

As the LORD has been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David." 1 Kings 1:36-37 (ESV)

Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, were there with David (1 Kings 1:38), but neither of them spoke. Priests and prophets are anointed offices from God. Yet, Benaiah's words were recorded in the Bible, and he held the office of a warrior.

The Lord honored Benaiah's words and made Solomon's reign greater than David's.

The revelation made me realize the importance of being faithful to what I have been given. The Lord never shortchanged Benaiah, who held the office of an army commander with a priest's anointing.

Coincidentally, my name is Jonathan, which means "Jehovah has given".

The character Benaiah in the Bible is how I am positioning myself in my life now, and this revelation came way before my son was born. It helped me focus on what is truly important: to remain intimate with the Lord and flow with him instead of chasing empty titles and roles.

The Lord blesses faithfulness without a shadow of doubt. David held the office of king, but he operated as a priest and a prophet under the Lord's anointing at special moments because David was faithful.

Benaiah is not a mere name to me. Its essence has defined my life thus far, and it is a gift to my son.

My message to my son is also the same. Be faithful with what the Lord has given you, and you will go places. Titles and roles are empty without the Lord. Amen.