I recently taught a series on “The
Men of the Old Testament, and their issues like mine.”
It is amazing to me how many people
read the Old Testament and gloss over the men and women and only seek the
spiritual ramifications within the stories. There are so many things, we can
learn from men, like King David, Naaman the General with Leprosy, Noah, Lot, Daniel,
Elisha, Elijah, Jeremiah, Jonah, and so many more.
As I read the stories, I realized
that I am no different from every man in scripture. As men, we have issues with
anger, lying, cheating, blame-shifting, problems with authority, struggle to navigate
fatherhood, relationships with women, and yes, even issues with God, and many
more.
It appears that men today have come to view the “10
Commandments, as the 10 Suggestions.” Ironically, when we stand before God on
judgment day, we will find God declaring that these are HIS personal expectations
for us. And boy, have we messed up!
A pastor friend used to tell me all the time, “There
are only two types of people in the world, those that need Jesus, and those
that need more of Jesus.”
Which one are you?
Three traits in the men throughout
the Old Testament that I see active within the men of most churches today.
1) I believe what God says, but I am
not sure I am willing to do it His [God’s] way.
2) I will call/cry [PRAY] out to God
during the Crisis, but any other time God needs to stay in his lane and leave
me alone.
3) I will worship and learn in the
temple [church] when it is convenient for me. Other than that, I have a life of
my own to live.
As men, how can we change these thoughts? It is going to
require us to step out of our comfort zone, and the four walls of the church
building. I find it interesting in the Old Testament that God did not perform
miracles, or prophets didn’t do their greatest teaching in the Temple. Men of
God had their greatest impact on their family and community when they were
engaging men in prayer, warfare, and study.
It was always about:
1) Encountering men where they are, not where you want
them to be.
2) Engage them in a conversation about these men in the Old
Testament. If they are like me, they can relate to King David’s messed-up
family dynamics, Job’s grief, Daniel, being asked to eat things that are bad
for him, or maybe they can relate to Elijah being outnumbered at work by people
who don’t believe in his God.
3) Encourage them to seek the real answers
in the New Testament, introduce them to the Anointed One/Messiah talked about throughout the
Old Testament, in the flesh dying for them on the Cross, and conquering death
for them personally.
