1 Samuel 17:10
“And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”
The condition of a nation is always set by her men. When the men of a nation are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, that nation will find itself in disarray. God meant for the men to be the leaders of a nation.
Sadly, Israel found itself in a situation where no men would stand and do what was right. Goliath was cursing God, and the men would not stand to shut his mouth. Israel was hiding because no men would stand for her existence. Israel was a nation facing the brink of defeat because the men were not doing what they were supposed to be doing.
Goliath saw that the men would not stand, so he began to defy the armies of Israel. He said, “…give me a man, that we may fight together.” Because no men would accept the challenge, a boy had to stand. A youth named David was the only one who stood to fight against Goliath. David was a boy doing a man’s job. David was a teenager who should have watched how to fight against Goliath; instead, he was showing the men how to fight the giants. A few observations should be considered when reading this story.
First, men need to be the example when facing giant opposition. When opposition comes, you will find the true men. Men don’t flee because of the inconvenience of opposition, but they stand against it. Men don’t wait to see who will stand against the opposition before they stand, they are the first ones to stand. Men should never allow the youth to be the first to stand against the opposition. No, they should be the example and be the first ones to rise and face the opposition.
Second, men need to be the example of how to fulfill their responsibilities no matter the consequence. A young boy should never grow up wondering how to fulfill their responsibilities because they should have learned it from the men. It is the responsibility of men not to allow truth to be attacked. It is a man’s responsibility to defend their nation. It is a man’s responsibility to be the leader in the nation, church and home. Real men stand for right even if the consequences are not good. Sadly, the youth or women will have to step in the void of responsibilities when the men won’t do it.
Furthermore, men need to be the example of standing for God. Real men don’t hide in the tents of the populace for the sake of acceptance when God’s truths are attacked. When real men see the name of God attacked, they rise up and defend His name. A real man is not concerned with who is standing with him because his only concern is standing with God. Oh for the day when men were men and they stood for truth.
It was a dark day in Israel’s history when Goliath said, “…give me a man…” If your home is going to be what it ought to be, the man of the house is going to have to be the leader. If your church is going to reach its world for Christ, the men are going to have to step up and be the leaders in the church. If your nation is going to be strong, the men are going to have to stand up and become the leaders. Men, it’s time to stop letting the boys do a man’s job. Certainly, it is encouraging when boys rise to do right, but boys shouldn’t have to do what men are supposed to do. The men should lead the boys.