“There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them . . .” Psalm 68:27a
I love the nuggets of encouragement found in the Psalms. I think I could read there every day and never tire of it.
The words above were written by David and are part of a passage (v. 24-27) that describe the procession of Israel—God’s people—into the temple. And wow, what a scene of celebration and praise. Singers, musicians, maidens playing tambourines. Dancing surely broke out, too, right?!
One tiny detail I don’t want us to miss today, though, is who lead the procession. It wasn’t Judah, the greatest tribe of Israel. It was Benjamin. The little tribe.
The tribes of Israel were named after the twelve sons of Jacob. Benjamin was the youngest, the little brother (see Genesis 49:1-28). Likewise, and as mentioned in Psalm 68, the tribe of Benjamin was “the little tribe,” the smallest in numbers (see Numbers 1:20-43). In the standards of the world, Benjamin—the brother and the tribe—probably didn’t have much clout.
But look who was given the pleasure, the privilege, and the responsibility of leading the procession of God’s people into the temple. That’s right. It was Benjamin. The little tribe.
What an example and what encouragement to us. We don’t have to be the biggest and best to be a leader. We can be the little brother, the little sister. We can be small in size, in renown, or in ability. We just need to be willing to serve, to put ourselves out there like the tribe of Benjamin did.
So, if any of us have been feeling too little to lead or too little to fulfill a task God has given us, let’s be encouraged by the little tribe of Benjamin. We, too, can lead. We, too can serve. We’re not too little in God’s eyes.
“I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,” Ephesians 3:7-8
*Has God ever used you to be a leader when you felt little?
*Flickr photo by The U.S. Army
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that those words were written by a Benjaminite! What a great reminder for me!
Monica, at first I thought you were referring to the scripture in Psalms written by David, but since he wasn’t of the tribe of Benjamin, I realized you were referring to the scripture at the end written by Paul. I had forgotten (or never really noticed before) that Paul was of the tribe of Benjamin.
Thanks so much for bringing that to our attention. What a great insight and another prime of example of not being too little to lead!
I love this Cheryl. Never notices the little tribe leading before. What a comfort. We are all small aren’t we. But, our God is big and He loves us BIG time!
Thanks, Nancy. Yes, we indeed are all small. Love what you said about God loving us BIG time!
I think He is right now, even in small ways. I feel very small most days; still and yet, God allows me the gracious walk into his temple,affirming to me my worth in the kingdom. We’re all big in God’s eyes.
peace~elaine
Great point, Elaine. We are indeed all big in God’s eyes. He doesn’t play favorites, does he?
Oh Cheryl this is such an awesome post!! I will have to say that I also had not noticed the little tribes leading before. You are so right our God is loves us so BIG TIME!!
Alicia, so glad you enjoyed the post and picked up a new little nugget of insight!