Men of the Bible

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In the previous two episodes of Tactics, we’ve looked at the history of men and the church and what the Bible says about the differences between men and women.  In this article we look at certain men in the Bible and what their life (lives) reveals to us in terms of manhood.  

A list like this is akin to picking the top ten movies for the the Oscars.  Perhaps it’s like judging a beauty pageant.  This is subjective work.  While we are still sifting through the mounds of information we have about men, manhood, biblical manhood, etc, the concepts are still rather nebulous.  So, this is my ‘top ten’ men in the Bible and why I would include them on a list like this.  

First of all, any man listed in Hebrews 11 is worth consideration.  That would include Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, and David.   Hebrews lists them together in one lump because of one similar attribute: faith.  

By faith.  That’s how each of their introductions begin.  Certainly. faith is a necessary attribute of biblical character.  One might even say it is the most necessary character trait.  After all, everything we do as Christ-followers is lumped into that single expression of ‘faith’.  Faith was the only thing that amazed Jesus;  both the abundance and lack of it.  He was constantly amazed at the lack of faith in his own disciples.  He was amazed at the lack of faith of those in his own hometown of Nazareth where he was rejected by his own people.  On the other hand, we read about a Roman Centurion who had such a handle on faith that the Bible says Jesus was AMAZED at his faith;  that of a Gentile.  As I consider the Super Bowl of faith in the Bible, he may be the winner.  Perhaps, his nameless face should be part of my list.  He clearly understands faith better than most because he understood authority and military structure.   His account in Matthew 8 should be required reading in our biblical manhood handbooks.

Daniel

I have always thought of Daniel as a role model for men.  Here was a young boy uprooted by war and taken to a foreign country at the age of 17.  He was designated for service in the King’s (Nebuchadnezzar II) court.  Listen to this account in Daniel 1:

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.

Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.  The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

This reminds me of Luke 2:52 which says that -

“Jesus grew up in wisdom and stature and favor with both God and man.”

Besides being connected to nobility, the qualifications above from which they were chosen were quite extraordinary.  Nebuchadnezzar was no dummy.  His policy of indoctrinating the best into his system of governance was smart.  Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were excellent candidates.  But that’s not what gets them on MY list.  That comes from the next section of the chapter in Daniel 1:

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.

Not only did he show his convictions about what he ate, he also maintained his convictions about Jehovah.   Chapter 6 tells how Daniel would pray three times a day to his God “as he had done before.”   That last little bit is very telling, isn’t it?  Daniel never let himself be indoctrinated into the pagan culture.  His religion was not a preference;  it was a conviction.  That steadfastness would eventually get him and his three friends into all kinds of trouble.  They would be thrown into firey furnaces and lions dens and yet they never renounced their God.  Their acts of bravery were astounding in the face of the circumstances.  By the end of his life, Daniel would have served five pagan kings of major world powers without compromising his conviction.  THAT is a powerful example of courage.

David

No list like this would exclude David.  He was after all, “a man after God’s own heart.” To understand why David was a man after God’s own heart, we need to see what characteristics he had to qualify for such an exalted description. In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul speaks of God’s feelings about King David: “After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do’” (Acts 13:22)  The answer to why David was considered a man after God’s own heart is found right in the verse: David did whatever God wanted him to do. He was obedient.  And he was humble.  He made (many) mistakes; terrible ones.  But he was repentant when confronted by his sin.  Psalm 51 is the consummate expression of shame and despair over sin.  I like to include David in this list because he was a poet and musician and there needs to be a man like this to inspire the artist within us.  His heart for God and His Word were expressed in prose that has been the subject of many of the world’s greatest artistic achievements.  He is a powerful example of obedience and humility.

“David’s Mighty Men” is a list of soldiers who fought with David before he came into his kingship.  They did extraordinary exploits and some of their deeds are recorded in 2 Samuel 23.  Josheb-basshebeth killed 800 men in one battle with a spear (2 Samuel 23:8.)  There was a man named Eleazar, who stayed on the battlefield when other warriors fled and killed Philistines until his hand was stuck clenched around his sword.  (2 Samuel 23:9,10) Abishai, the leader of the mighty men, who killed 300 men with a spear (23:18).  Benaiah  went into a pit on a snowy day and killing a lion and for killing a powerful Egyptian man with the man’s own spear (20, 21). He also served as leader of David’s bodyguards (23:23)  Uriah is also on this list.  He was a soldier’s soldier.  The account of 2 Samuel 11 shows his virtue to be above reproach.  As a military man myself, there was always a part of me that feels regret that I didn’t see military action.  It’s not deep remorse.  I don’t long for the battlefield.  I do long to be part of a group of men that experienced life in a real battlefield.  There is nothing glorious about war, but I do think it produces an unusual environment where soldiers are faced with circumstances that can force the most extraordinary actions.  And they must rely on each other in such a way that forges the most incredible bonds of friendship and brotherhood.  There is something to be said of that, which I do regret not having experienced.  ‘David’s Mighty Men’ knew those feelings and experienced these emotions in a most dynamic way.  Just to be listed as one of the ‘mighty men’ who did any number for great exploits in the Bible would be an honor.  They are a powerful example of bravery and heroism; every boy’s secret desire.

The Men of Issachar

Then there are the “Men of Issachar”.  In 1 Chronicles 12, David is gathering fighting men to himself before he becomes King of Israel.  They want to make him king.  Verse 32 says that the men from the tribe of Issachar were men who “understood the times and knew what Israel should do”.  That is an unusual gift in an army of men.  While the others on the list were noted for shields, spears, speed, or just sheer readiness, this group was noted for their discernment.  Scholars are divided on the meaning of the phrase “understood the times.” Some portray the men of Issachar as politically astute, knowing how to use current events to their own advantage.  There are other interpretations also.  But, I’m going with that.  Jesus told his disciples to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves when he sent them out ‘into the battle.’   Having the discernment to determine the seasons as indicated by signs is an important component of being men.  This reference in scripture is an example of the importance of wisdom and alertness.

Lastly, you can’t have a conversation about men and the Bible without addressing Jesus as being male.  And it’s hard to know where to start when bringing ‘biblical manhood’ and “Jesus” together.  Not because it is hard to bring them together, but because it’s almost impossible to separate the two.   One of our tag lines in Treign Up is “training and affirming boys to become competent men of Christ-like character’.  When we developed our philosophy of ministry, we actually used the acronym CHRIST to develop the virtues we aspired for manhood:  Courage, Humility, Responsibility, Integrity, Selflessness, and Tenacity.  Everything about the Christian faith is learning to become more like Jesus.  As a male, this is even more true since Jesus was male.  The tenants of our organization are:

• Male by design

• Masculine by nature

• Men by sacrifice

• Godly men by discipleship.

Holding Jesus up as our only example is most important in these last two points.   Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was the ultimate example of provision, protection, and presiding.  By presenting his life and teachings through the gospel accounts, we have what we need to be Godly men.   

The most noteworthy thing in the television series, “The Chosen” is the portrayal of Jesus as a man’s man.  When I watch an episode of that series, I always walk away from it thinking, “I want to be with THAT guy.”  We have never seen Jesus portrayed on film or stage as being that kind of man.  But I believe that is the allure.  It wasn’t just because of what he said or what he did.  It was about who he was.  He is, and was, and always will be the only perfect example of manhood that we will ever need.