Ep 566 – Joshua 18:11-28

In the Bible, names hold a special significance. And in Joshua 18:11-28, we will see that the name given by Jacob to his youngest son, Benjamin had a particularly prophetic meaning. This story is just one more vignette that reveals the sovereign hand of God working behind the scenes in ways that are invisible to most of those involved. The birth of Benjamin was especially meaningful to Jacob because he would be the last child born to him by Rachel. She would die in childbirth. And Benjamin became the son to replace Joseph, whom Jacob thought to be dead, but who had actually been sold into slavery by his own brothers. All of these events, as dark as they appear to be, were in the hands of God. He was orchestrating the storyline in such a way that Jacob’s naming of his youngest son would take on a meaning and significance that Jacob himself was completely oblivious to. God was taking all that had happened to Jacob and transforming it into a beautiful story of redemption and blessing. Jacob had lost a son and a wife. He had been forced to take his family to Egypt to escape a famine. But God would restore them to the land of Canaan, greater in number and with a special inheritance reserved for the son of his right hand.