“Show yourself a man”
1st Kings 2:1-5
One night a wife found her husband standing over their newborn baby’s crib. Silently she watched him. As he stood looking down at the sleeping infant, she saw on his face a mixture of emotions: disbelief, doubt, delight, amazement, enchantment, skepticism. He would stand back, shake his head and say, "Amazing," while smiling from
ear to ear. Touched by his unusual display and the deep emotions it aroused, her eyes glistened as she slipped her arms around him. "A penny for your thoughts," she whispered in his ear. "Isn’t it amazing!" he replied. "When you take the time and really look close, how can anyone make a crib like that for only $45.99!"
Being a dad is quite a responsibility. King David had the responsibility to raise his son Solomon to take over for him as king of Israel.
Solomon was only 16 and did not have the experience of David. David’s leadership had been forged in the fires of adversity, he had seen battle and learned about people and alliances and enemies and who to trust and who not to trust. Solomon had lived a sheltered royal life and so David speaks some words of wisdom.
Read:1-4
He told Solomon “show yourself a man” that statement could mean a lot of things if interpreted by men today but King David was thinking of the virtues of a Godly leader. In raising young men. A role model is needed and often lacking today. This has become an Pandemic problem in our nation where in 2007 it was reported that 40% of babies were born out of wedlock. And that is not just because fathers chose to be absent but because women have been choosing to have babies without a husband making the mistake of thinking a father role model is not needed in the house. Not only is this in opposition to what the Bible teaches but the negative effects of not having both a mom and dad in the home have been well documented. Now that it not so say there aren’t God loving spirit filled single parents. In fact if you are a single parent it is that much more that you need God in your life. But it is hard to ignore the fact that 75-80% of those in our prisons grew up without fathers. Another result of not having enough strong male role models in our society is the increase in gender identity confusion and the feminization of men. We need men to step up and be men today. We live in a time, in a generation that is desperate for Godly men Godly fathers to instruct their children to walk in the ways of the Lord.
The interesting thing is that in this day there was no such concept as adolescence. There was no intermediate stage of being a “teenager“. There were children and than they had to become men and women. The idea of adolescence was developed only recently in western culture. There was usually some rite of passage especially for you boys some cultures still do this today Jews have a Barmitzvah that is one a boy turns 12 or 13 depending on what tradition they follow. We are sadly missing this in our culture. There needs to be a point where we sit down with our sons and daughters and explain what it means to come into adulthood.
(One of the things are kids need to learn is that there are promises that are attached to following God’ ways)
Perhaps you noticed the word Prosperity. Now the 1st thing that comes to mind is wealth but when we take a closer look at the meaning of this word in the Hebrew language the word translated as prosper is Sakal which means to have insight, get wisdom, gain understanding, be prudent, be skilled, i.e., have a capacity for understanding. What is interesting about this is when you look at a parallel passage in 1st Chronicles 22:13 King David says that Solomon will prosper that is a different Hebrew word “Salah” which means success at what you set out to accomplish and the word does imply wealth.
So there are two different kinds of prosperity that King David is saying that Solomon will have.
Sakal- He will gain wisdom and insight and
Salah- He will eventually succeed at what he wants to accomplish.
I think this is something that everyone desires especially Christians. We know that we didn’t evolve from slime but where put here on earth with a purpose and that if we seek the Lord and walk in his ways that purpose will become clearer to us as we gain wisdom and insight.
Since King David is speaking to his son and he starts out saying show yourself a man, even though there are lessons here for all Christians both men and women want to approach this from a primarily from a perspective of what it means to be a man of God. What does it mean to show yourself a man? Even though we can make a long list of characteristics of what the scriptures tell us a man of God should be. I want to look at three categories that I believe our crucial especially in the generation in which we live.
Maturity-
1 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)
11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
Respect- One of the things my father taught me when I was young was to be a gentleman something that is all but forgotten today. What did that mean. it was more than just having manners, or opening doors or pulling out chairs for ladies. It meant to have respect for other people especially women. Unfortunately the result of some of the more radical forms of feminism in our culture that want to blur the line between men and women has actually contributed to men disrespecting women even far more than in the past. Not only that but so many women don’t even respect themselves or feel that they can wait for a man who will love them as they are.
A song came out recently by a Christian artist that really hits at the heart of what is going on in our generation its by Johnny Diaz and its called a more beautiful you.
Here are the lyrics
Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn’t straight her body isn’t fake
And she’s always felt overweight
Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are
There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you
Little girl twenty-one the things that you’ve already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you’ve got a man but he’s got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead
Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there’s a man whose love is true
And he’ll treat you like the jewel you are
A man of God sees his wife or his future wife like a precious treasure from God.
Responsibility-
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 (NIV)
10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” 11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.
this may seem like an obvious statement but a man learns to take responsibility to provide for himself and eventually to provide for others. There are way too many people in their late 20’s, 30’s and even 40’s living like teenagers. They never grow up and learn to make a living. They are constantly relying on someone else to provide for their needs usually their parents or another family member maybe an older sibling. I’m talking about people who have no disabilities mentally or physically that would hinder them from going out and looking for a job or even working around the house but just don’t have any motivation to move on with life. The American Heritage Dictionary defines- One who habitually takes advantage of the generosity of others without making any useful return as Parasite. Another word is Sycophant which is an old word that was use to describe those who would worm the way into the lives of rich people and flatter them.
Managing emotions - or having self control.
Proverbs 25:28 (NIV)
28 Like a city whose walls are broken down
is a man who lacks self-control.
We don’t have to look far in our society to see that self control has seem to go out the window in many areas. When we aren’t able to have restraint in how we act or react to others it is like being in a defenseless village about to be ransacked. That is the picture we get in this proverb. The walls would be the defense of that city. We have trials that come our way to build character but that character is only built within us if we apply what we have learned in God’s Word. that character becomes a fortress wall with defenses. But when we have no self control we can be manipulated so easily. When Solomon was instructed to be in the word it was so that he would be prepared to make right decisions when the heat was on. That he wouldn’t have his heart manipulated. He would have a defense.
Anger versus rage -After spending 3-1/2 hours enduring long lines, rude clerks and insane regulations at the Department of Motor Vehicles, Glenn Vaughan stopped at a toy store to pick up a gift for his son. “I brought my selection - a baseball bat - to the cash register,” he said. "Cash or charge?" the clerk asked. "Cash," He snapped. Then apologizing for his rudeness, he explained, "I’ve spent the entire afternoon at the motor vehicle bureau." The woman sweetly replied, "shall I gift-wrap the bat…or are you going back there?" I can second that emotion!
Proverbs 29:11 (NIV)
11 A fool gives full vent to his anger,
but a wise man keeps himself under control.
This next psalm not only tells you that being angry is normal but it tells you how to deal with it in a way that it will not grow into rage or make you do something you’ll regret later on.
Psalm 4:4 (NIV)
4 In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
There are far too many examples today of people not able to restrain themselves. People who completely lose it and fly into a rage. It can be anything from road rage to a murder suicide which are becoming almost common place. But that is the result of saying sin doesn’t exist and instead adopting the idea that you should just do whatever you feel like doing. When there are no morals in our society, when all moral restraint is thrown off this is what happens. When people are taught that they are merely higher evolved animals, when they are taught that they should explore their sexuality, when they are taught that you just make up your own morals and no one has the right to say what’s right or wrong, When people are taught that the life in the womb has no value what do we expect??
But these college professors and liberal ivory tower authors that don’t see any need for God or taking the bible literally or don’t think we a have right to impose moral restraints on society. They don’t realize the lunacy and chaos into which they have led our country. A lot of these ideas come from our so called institutions of higher learning. When you go to college now you have to make sure that your getting an education and not an indoctrination. Unfortunately many don’t know the difference and can’t sort it out for themselves and get caught up in all kinds thinking that is not rooted in reality.
Profanity versus right language-A few years ago a US AIR airplane crashed near Pittsburgh. The cause of that crash was a mystery, because the plane just seemed to fall from the sky. So it was with great interest that the investigators listened to the information recorded in the plane’s black box. CNN played a portion of that recording on the air, revealing that there were just a few seconds from the time the pilot detected trouble until the plane crashed. The black box revealed these sounds from the cockpit: First, there was an “Oh,” followed by profanity and a string of “curse words,” then came the crash and silence. (2) It was in those final moments that the pilot’s real habits and life message was laid bare before the whole world. With only a few moments left all of us are reduced to the lone instincts of our heart. You would have no time to think through the deliberateness of your response
Colossians 3:7-8 (NIV)
7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
Profanity is thought of as normal among so many today but the Bible clearly says that we are to not use it. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Love versus promiscuity-
Ephesians 5:3 (NIV)
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
This is no doubt the biggest temptation that our children will face in this generation. Our culture is so saturated with sexual immorality it’s almost a miracle that anybody remains a virgin until they are married. That is a sad commentary but it reflects the reality of the age we live in. hearts are broken, disease is spread, children are born out of wedlock, more abortions are performed than ever and by the time people do get married they have so much emotional baggage from past relationships they fortunate if they become part of the 45-50% that stays married. The Godly man does not go around fornicating with every women that he finds attractive. He remains celibate until he finds the one he is going to marry and than consummates the marriage after the ceremony not before. And he stays faithful to his wife. I am encouraged however by the new purity movement among younger generation. You see “purity rings” and there are people signing covenants to abstain until marriage. Of course the world looks at that and rolls their eyes and says “yeah right” But we need to keep these kids in prayer that it isn’t just a fad and that they do remain pure.
Ministry-
Birds of all kinds can see where they are going. They pick and choose their direction and path. As birds fly by instinct they head where they are directed. But they can only see what is in front of them. Eagles are known to have vision. An eagle can see up to five miles and often times is able to see well beyond normal sight. The eagle knows where it is going and determines how it is going to get there. While other birds migrate by instinct the eagle stays in its territory throughout the year, season after season. The eagle is dependable and will hold its place in its territory. When a storm approaches, other birds fly in fear while the eagle is energized by the challenge of the storm. The eagle catches the wind and rises above the storm. The eagle glides through its territory during the storm and will only leave its post if it is badly hurt and must leave to repair its injuries.
a Godly man sees how he can give to the Lord of his time energy and talent. He realizes he has a purpose in this life. He realizes that he is the Lords servant and merely the steward of the Lord’s resources. He is challenged by trials but not scared away. He remains faithful to his call. He is lifted up by the spirit of God as if on the wings of eagles so he can see eternity. And with eternity in view he can live his life for God here on earth with purpose because he knows his destination which is heaven.
Isaiah 40:31 (New International Version)
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
