I heard a man speak from these verses on being men and it spoke to my heart. Some of this is taken from that message I heard and some is my own thoughts, but it is a great challenge from the Scriptures.

In this passage we see Joab, the captain of the host of Israel, in a hard position. King David had sent him out to deal with the host of Ammon and the Syrians that had come up against Israel. When he gets to the battle, he finds himself surrounded. You do not have to know military tactics very well at all to know that being surrounded by the enemy is not good.

But did Joab give up? Did Joab get discouraged? Did Joab try to run? Did Joab just sit there and wait for the enemy to attack? No. Joab came up with a battle plan and attacked. Then Joab encouraged and challenged his men. Listen to his words in,

2 Samuel 10:12 “Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good.”

These words are words that we as men need to listen to today. Today in the world and in the church there is a lack of men. Oh, there may be some males sitting there in the pew at church but they are not real men. I am talking about men who are willing to take decisive action to protect their home, their church, their communities, and their nation. Men who will not give up in the face of opposition. Men who will stand for truth even in the face of death. Men who will lead their families in the way of truth. Men who will stand up as leaders in the church and make decisions.

I am also talking about men who are able to calm their little child with a gentle touch. Men who do not blow up in anger. Men who are respectful to women. Men who know how to love. Men who are humble and kind.

Listen to the following excerpts from the book “Man of Steel and Velvet” written by Aubrey Andelin.

-“A man of steel is a masculine man. He is aggressive, determined, decisive, and independent. He is efficient in a man’s world, demanding quotas of himself in reaching his objectives. He is competent in a task, fearless and courageous in the face of difficulty, and master of a situation. He has convictions and steadfastly holds to these convictions. He sets high goals, goals which require dedication and patience. He is not afraid of strain and diligence. He rejects softness and timidity. When he has made a decision based on his best judgment, he is unbendable as a piece of steel. These qualities set him apart from women and weaker members of his own sex.”

“The velvet qualities include a man’s gentleness, his tenderness, kindness, generosity, and patience. He is devoted to the care and protection of women and children. He understands and respects their gentle nature and recognizes it as a complement to his masculinity. He is chivalrous, attentive, and respectful to women and has an ability to love with tenderness. He has an enthusiastic and youthful attitude of optimism which he maintains in spite of increasing years. Humility is also a part of the velvet, subduing the masculine ego as his rough nature is refined.”-

There are few men who have attained to these qualities, but let me encourage you men, God has made man fully capable of attaining to this description. But we are not a man of steel and velvet naturally. It takes work. It takes determination. It takes submission to the Holy Spirit. It is a learning process that takes years. It will not be easy, but it will be completely fulfilling.

Today, we need men who will make a decision based on the truth and leave the results up to the Lord. Joab made a bold, courageous decision based on what he knew and he left the results of the battle up to the Lord. What happened? The Syrians and the children of Ammon both fled with hardly any fighting. The Lord put fear in the enemy and they ran.

We need to stand up as men today who will not back down in the face of the enemy. We do not need men who are indecisive. We do not need men who leave the leading and decision making to women or children.

Let me encourage you today, men, be the man that God designed you to be. Be a leader in your home, in your church, in your community. Things may not always work out how we thought it would and we will make mistakes. Joab never intended to be surrounded. We must take decisive action in those times in order to gain the victory though. Ask the Lord, what you should do and then act, and leave the rest up to the Lord. That is what Gideon and his 300 men did. Remember, the men who were too afraid to act were sent home. The men who were not on guard were sent home. We do not know what lies ahead but we must never cower in fear and we need to be on guard against spiritual wickedness and worldliness in our life. Nehemiah is a great example of a man that we should be. He worked hard for what the Lord gave him to do. When opposition arose he was not afraid but trusted in the Lord. When wickedness and corruption reared their heads, he acted decisively to remove it from Jerusalem. Let’s strive to be like these men of the Scripture.

Men, be real godly men. Be examples for the boys of what it means to be a man.

“Let us play the men for our people…”