Three days after terrorists crashed hijacked planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President George W. Bush designated Friday, September 14, 2001, as a national day of prayer and remembrance.
In Washington DC, the National Cathedral was filled to capacity. Political leaders, military brass, and 4 former presidents were there, along with hundreds of others to hear words of comfort and assurance in a time of National tragedy.
George Bush was facing the first real test of his 8-month-old presidency, and after several speakers, it was his turn to address the American people. He acknowledged our nation's need to depend on God, and the words of Romans 8 punctuated his message, reminding us all that “nothing shall ever separate us from God's love.”
After he spoke, George W. Bush returned to his seat and sat down next to his smiling wife. His father – former President George H. W. Bush – looked straight ahead, but reached his hand across Laura Bush for his son's hand. (Greg Asimakoupoulos, Naperville, Illinois; www.PreachingToday.com)
You wonder, What was he thinking at the time? And what does a father say to his son in a time of crisis? What do we tell our sons in these days of uncertainty & peril?
If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Kings 2, 1 Kings 2, where David has some counsel for his son in a time of uncertainty for Israel. He’s about to pass the baton of leadership on to his son, Solomon. But before he does, he wants to pass on some advice.
1 Kings 2:1-2 When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man… (ESV)
In other words, Be a REAL man, a HE-man, not a wimp, but a man of strength and character. Do you know, I can’t think of anything better for a father to say to his son in times like these – “SHOW YOURSELF A MAN.” The question is: What IS a man? What is a REAL man? Well, look at verse 3, as David gets specific with his son.
1 Kings 2:3 …and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn… (ESV)
If you want to “show yourself a man,” then 1st of all, you must…
BE A MAN OF THE WORD.
You must keep God’s word. You must obey God’s commands. Practice it daily.
Did you notice how David piles up one synonym after another for God’s Word here? He calls it “the charge of the Lord”, “His ways”, “His statues”, “His commandments”, “His rules”, “His testimonies” and “the Law of Moses”. 7 synonyms, the number of completion.
The point is a real man keeps the WHOLE law of God. He doesn’t pick and choose just those things that are convenient for him. He doesn’t say, “Lord, I like your ways, but I have trouble with some of your commands.” NO! A real man obeys it all.
Todd and Lisa, two young parents, enjoyed a romantic getaway in Italy for one week. They returned home on a Monday in September, rested and glad to see their boys, David, who was 3, and Andrew, who was 1 at the time.
The next morning, Todd, an executive with Oracle, had to be at a sales rep meeting in Northern California. So He kissed his pregnant wife, Lisa, goodbye and headed to the Newark, New Jersey, airport where he boarded a Boeing 757 for San Francisco.
About 90 minutes into the flight, three hijackers commandeered the plane with its 34 passengers and 7 crew members. The plane then made a sharp turn to the south.
By now, you know who I’m talking about – Todd Beamer, who was aboard that fateful flight on September 11th, which went down in Pennsylvania.
Todd reached for the GTE airfone in the back of one of the seats and got connected to a GTE supervisor on the ground. He explained to her what was happening, and the GTE employee told Todd what had already happened at the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
The hijacker nearest to Todd had a bomb belted around his middle. Even so, the former Wheaton College baseball player told the GTE representative that he and a few others were determined to do whatever they could to disrupt the terrorists' plan.
He then asked the person on the other end of the phone to call his wife and tell her how much he loved her. Then, before hanging up, this committed Christian and devoted family man, who taught Sunday school each week, asked the GTE employee to pray the Lord's Prayer with him. With the sound of passengers screaming in the background, they prayed together, and when they finished, Scott calmly said, “Help me, God. Help me, Jesus.”
The GTE employee then heard Todd say to some others around him: “Are you ready, guys? Let's roll!” And the phone went dead. Within minutes, Flight 93 was nose diving into a rural field 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. (Greg Asimakoupoulos, Naperville, Illinois; Chicago Tribune, 9-17-01, San Francisco Chronicle, 9-17-01; www.PreachingToday.com)
Let me tell you, Todd showed himself a man that day. A real man does what’s right, even when the whole world has gone wrong. Do you want to be a real man? Then do the same. Do what you know to be right, even when it’s hard. Be a man of the Word.
Practice it daily, and prove it true in your own life. Learn for yourself that God’s promises are sure. David charges Solomon to keep God’s Word…
1 Kings 2:4 …that the LORD may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ (ESV)
That was God’s promise to David, and David says to Solomon, “Prove it true in your own life.” The man who keeps God’s word proves God’s promise. He finds that God keeps His word.
Some time ago, a man bought a new navy blazer at Nordstrom. He took it home, but the more he wore it, the more he realized he didn’t like it. It wasn't the right color, and it attracted lint like it was going out of style. After wearing it pretty regularly for six months or so, he stuck it in his closet and didn't wear it for a long time.
But tucked away in the back of his mind, all the while, was that famous Nordstrom unconditional-return policy. He thought, “I've had this thing for a year and a half. I've worn it lots of times, and there's just no way they're going to take it back.”
But he decided he had nothing to lose. So he pulled the blazer out, threw a lot of lint on it to make it look bad, and took it down to the Nordstrom's men's department. He walked in and immediately felt nervous. He felt like he was about to pull a scam of some sort, but he played it straight.
He walked right up to the first salesman he saw and gave this little prepared speech. He said, “I am about to put your famous unconditional-return policy to its ultimate test. I have here a blazer. I've worn it lots. I've had it for a year and a half. I don't like it. It's the wrong color, and it attracts lint like it's going out of style. But I want to return this blazer for another blazer that I like.” Then he just stood there.
The salesman, with a big handlebar mustache, just looked at him and shook his head. He said, “For heaven's sake, what took you so long? Let's go find you a blazer.” Ten minutes later the once unhappy customer walked out with another blazer that was marked $75 more than he paid for the original one. It was just what he wanted, and it didn’t cost him a penny. (Vic Pentz, "A Twinge of Nostalgia," Preaching Today, Tape No. 88)
In a way, God is like Nordstrom. He makes all sorts of promises that we find hard to believe. Then, when we get desperate enough, we finally decide to try him out. That’s when he looks at us, shakes His head, and says, “For heaven’s sake, what took you so long.”
Show yourself a man – Prove God’s promises to be true in your own life. Take Him up on His Word – “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Take Him up on His Word – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Take Him up on His Word – “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Take Him up on His Word – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Take Him up on His Word – “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Take Him up on His Word – “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Take Him up on His Word – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Take Him up on His Word – “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
It doesn’t make you a wimp to depend on God to keep His Word. On the contrary, it makes you a real man. So live your life in dependence upon Christ, and “SHOW YOURSELF A MAN”. 1st, Be a man of the Word, and #2…
BE A MAN OF WISDOM.
Be skilled in your dealings with people. Know how to handle all kinds.
That means, 1st of all don’t allow evil to go unpunished. David warns his son, Solomon, of two people here – two people who gave him trouble, and two people he knows will give Solomon trouble, unless Solomon deals with them wisely. The first one is Joab.
1 Kings 2:5-6 “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet. Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. (ESV)
Joab was David’s general, who killed a couple of other officers against David’s wishes. He killed Abner, Ishbosheth’s general, the general for Saul’s son who opposed David’s rise to the throne. Abner had gotten angry with Ishbosheth and was actually defecting to David’s side when Joab killed him (2 Sam 3:27).
Joab also killed Amasa, another one of David’s officers. He had been Absolom’s general, who became David’s general in Joab’s place after Absalom died. Joab didn’t appreciate being replaced, so he killed Amasa in cold blood (2 Sam 17:25; 19:13; 20:10). Joab was a murderer, and Solomon needed to deal with him accordingly.
Then David warns Solomon of another man – Shimei.
1 Kings 2:8-9 And there is also with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.” (ESV)
Shimei cursed David when he fled the palace from Absalom. Then, when David returned, he begged for mercy, and David granted him a pardon. But cursing a ruler was strictly prohibited by God’s Law (Exodus 22:28), and that too needed to be punished.
We’re not talking about revenge here; we’re talking about justice. The new king must deal justly with people. He cannot allow evil to go unpunished; otherwise, there would be chaos all over the kingdom. So David tells Solomon (verse 6) “Act according to your wisdom,” and (verse 9) “You are a wise man; you will know what you ought to do to him.” A wise man knows how to handle evil-doers, and a real man will protect his family from them.
Some time ago, Steve Nickles bought his 2-year-old daughter, Sarah, an aquarium. They went together to the pet store to pick out four fish to put in the tank. Two weeks later, when Sara was at her grandparents' house, one of the fish died. Steve’s wife flushed it down the toilet and didn't tell their daughter about it.
Two weeks after that, Sara found another fish dead. It had been caught in one the fake plastic bushes. Steve received a call at his office from his wife, who told him that Sarah had something to tell him. In her two-year-old way, she explained to her dad that the fish had died. She found it in the bushes, and she and Mommy were going to have a funeral for it in the back yard.
Steve realized that this was the first of many losses she would experience in life. But he broke into tears, when the last thing she said to him before hanging up was, “Daddy, keep me from getting caught in the bushes.” (Preaching Today)
That’s what a man is for. A real man keeps his family from getting caught in the bushes. A real man protects his family from moral and physical harm.
Can we stand by and let injustice go unanswered? Can we stand by and watch evil-doers exploit our women and kill their babies in the womb to the tune of 1.5 million a year? Can we stand by and let gay and lesbian activists recruit our children and grandchildren in the media? Can we stand by and let pornography destroy our families? Can we stand by and let evil-doers triumph?
NO! Not if we’re real men. Somebody once said, “All that’s necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
Men, don’t just stand around and do nothing. Pray up, speak up, and put up to protect your families from the evil that’s overtaking our land. Show yourself a man. That means be a man of wisdom, and don’t let the evil go unpunished.
At the same time, don’t let the good go un-rewarded. Recognize and reward people’s kindness. David warned Solomon of evil men, but he also reminded Solomon of some men who had been good to them.
1 Kings 2:7 But deal loyally with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for with such loyalty they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother. (ESV)
They sustained David in the wilderness. They provided food and supplies when he was in great need. Now, David wants to make sure Solomon recognizes and rewards their kindness.
Many years ago, two young men were working their way through Stanford University. At one point, their money was almost gone. So they decided to invite the great pianist, Paderewski, to do a concert and use the profits to pay their board and tuition.
Paderewski’s manager asked for a guaranteed of $2,000. The students worked hard to promote the concert, but they were able to raise only $1,600.
After the performance, they went to the musician, gave him all the money they had, and promised to pay the balance of $400 as soon as they could. It appeared that their college days were over.
“No, boys, that won’t do,” Paderewski replied and handed back the money. “Take out of this $1,600 all your expenses and keep for each of you 10% of the balance for your work. Then let me have the rest.”
Years passed. Paderewski became premier of Poland following World War I. Thousands of his countrymen were starving. Only one man could help – the head of the U.S. food and Relief Bureau. Paderewski’s appeal to him brought thousands of tons of food.
Later, he met the American statesman to thank him. “That’s all right,” replied Herbert Hoover. “Besides, you don’t remember, but you helped me once when I was a student in college.” (Bible Illustrator #1450 – 5/1986.6)
That’s what real men do – They remember and repay a kindness. Somebody once said, “Make a habit of getting even with people – not those you think wronged you, but those you know who helped you.” (Kay Levin)
Show yourself a man – That means be a man of the Word and a man of Wisdom. Prove God’s Word true in your life, and prove true to others. To put it simply – Stand up for what’s right. Stand up for what’s right in your family. Stand up for what’s right in your community. Stand up for what’s right in your country.
Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things;
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
To serve the King of kings. (William P. Merrill)
