Welcome back to our series on “The Dying Breed of Real Biblical Men.” Before we get into the first example of what Real Biblical Men do, we need to look at a bit of context. Genesis 11:31 says, that Terah, Abram’s father took the family on a journey heading for Canaan; however, it was likely that Terah followed the migration that Abram started after hearing God’s call. Terah was named after the moon god from Ur which suggested pagan practices. In context, paganism is worshipping various gods thought to control or be responsible for various aspects of nature. Joshua (the warrior prophet) indicates that Terah, although Abram was following the true God, still worshipped false gods.
Ur was a bustling city and most of the inhabitants enjoyed an affluent lifestyle, they had multi-story houses which at the time was a really big deal. They worshipped pagan gods and enjoyed all kinds of debauchery. They drove big fancy cars and had fat bank accounts, iPhones, and all kinds of material possessions. Obviously this is said in jest but the idea conveys their lifestyle. Abram had all the worldliness he could have hoped for in Ur and therefore did not have to leave. Nevertheless, Abram hears from God and leaves upon His command. Abram’s father and family follow, and they get to a place called Haran which was almost halfway to Canaan. Here is where Terah, Abram’s father dies and God yet again comes to Abram telling him to go from his family, his country, and all that he has and follow God to a land he will show him. God promised Abram a lasting legacy and many blessings.
It is worth noting here that Sarai, Abram’s wife was barren and could not have children. So, at the ripe young age of 75 Abram leaves everything behind aside from his immediate family, his nephew and some of his goods to go to a land God will show him. The first thing we need to look at here before moving to the rest of Abram’s story is how he followed God. Abram did not know this foreign land, he did not know what was there, if he and his family would survive, nor what would ultimately become of their journey. Yet he went, he followed God. He trusted God even in midst of all the idolatry that surrounded him. The reason this is so significant is because Abram did not have scripture to follow like most of the world does today. God was speaking to him directly and he listened. The first thing we see here is that:
REAL BIBLICAL MEN LOOK TO GOD FOR DIRECTION
“Man’s steps are ordained by God, how then can a man understand his way?”
Proverbs 20:24
The answer is in the question. If God ordains our steps, the only way to truly understand our way is to as first priority, look to God. Not your high school buddy who can’t seem to get his life together, not your job you probably spend too much time at anyway, not the bottle you see the bottom off way too often, and hear me carefully on this, not even yourself! Real Biblical Men look to God. They don’t let the crap going on around them faze them. They keep their eyes on the prize! This is what Abram did. He did not fully understand his way, let’s be honest do any of us? NO! But he looked to the God who ordained his steps and so should you. This is why it is so important to continually seek God through prayer and bible reading EVERY …. SINGLE …. DAY … MEN!!!
Quit coming up with excuses to keep from doing what you should do. You may say, “well I know my Bible,” but one can know about the Bible or what it says without knowing the author. Think about it like this. If someone comes to you and says, “I need you to go 10 miles, turn left, hang a right, drive through the roundabout, drive another 50 miles, turn right at the old mill, go through 7 stop signs, and hang a left, turn, then turn again and then you’ll be there.”
You obviously need something to get you from point A to point B. Typically, in our day and age it is a GPS which gives step by step directions. However, instead of a GPS you are handed a map, and not even a detailed one but at least its something. He says to you, “this is point A and this is point B, go there.” You may not fully understand everything between your two points but now you can have a bit more confidence in the way you should go. This is essentially what reading the Bible and seeking God DAILY does for us. Like Abram you may not fully understand the way nor everything in between, but God, through the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit ordains your steps. Therefore, you should look to Him always for direction.
Society keeps telling the world that men can do whatever they want, how they want, with whomever they want but this is not what God says. God said that the man is supposed to bear the brunt of spiritual, mental, emotional, financial, and physical responsibility for the sphere of influence God places him in. You O Man, cannot do this playing videos games all day, you cannot do this working 50+ hours a week chasing the empty promises of finite success. You cannot do this O Man if you do not seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. If you do not look to God daily for direction you will fall asleep at the proverbial wheel and wreck the vehicle.
You may have all the things the world worships, (i.e., money, fame, power, sexual debauchery) but in the end all of it will kill you faster. You O Man are called by God to be a soldier in a world where the enemy is constantly trying to destroy everything around you. You cannot go into battle and have success without first consulting the commanding officer. If you are struggling with this, pray to the very real God of Heaven, ask Him to forgive you for putting your selfish desires first and then repent of that sin. Dedicate time everyday to seeking guidance from Him by reading His word. Then practice what you read. God will never fail you. Next we will look at the second thing real Biblical men do; Real Biblical Men Have Faith in God. See you next time.