WHERE ARE THE MEN?
“And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” I Samuel 17:10
Goliath, the Philistine champion, was blaspheming and defying the armies of Israel. The Israelite soldiers were anything but valiant. To the contrary, they were terrified of this giant of a man. This would be the defining moment for a young shepherd, the son of Jesse. Eventually, with God as his strength, David would kill the giant on the field of battle. The piercing and intimidating cry of Goliath was “give me a man.” Men of God, courageous men, were certainly in short supply in David’s day. The same has been true in many, if not all, generations. Where were the men in Israel that trusted in God and believed that He could give the victory over the best the enemy had to offer?
Jesus said in His day that the laborers were few. In Noah’s day, there were only a few righteous men that responded to the call of God. When Elijah stood on Mt. Carmel, he stood alone. Ezekiel prophesied that God sought for a man among the nation that would stand in the gap and make up the hedge, but none could be found. Jeremiah said that he wondered that there was no intercessor. Our day is no exception. We need godly men for the critical hour in which we live. Our nation is experiencing a great shortage of spiritual leaders. We need men of God in our homes. We need men who are humble, yet are men of convictions. We need men who lead by example and love sincerely.
May God help us be the men He would have us to be. We need men in our churches. Churches need men who will serve faithfully, honor the Lord consistently, and support the pastor loyally. We need men who are doctrinally sound and separated, not concerned with fitting into the mold of the world. We need men in our community. The community needs men of integrity and honesty, men who will stand up for morality and virtue and stand against indecency and perversion. We need men in the work place. We need men who are not sold out to the philosophies of the world and are willing to honor Christ before their peers, men who are not ashamed of the Word of God.
Where are the men? Thank God for the Christ-honoring men that we have the privilege of knowing and serving with, who fear God more than man and love truth more than popularity. May their number continue to grow.