Men stirred, boys exhorted, and Jesus exalted!

 

Neh 8 v 13 (CSB) 
13 On the second day, the family heads of all the people, along with the priests and Levites, assembled before the scribe Ezra to study the words of the law. 

Notice the feel of the scene. 

    After that long day in the Word, it appears that the women and children were, understandably, exhausted and urged to stay home on this occasion.  And, among the men, there is a growing interest of “What else are we missing right now as it pertains to obeying God's Word?”. 

So clear is the fact that the family heads, the men, came back to get more. The real sense of enthusiasm starts with the men here. If you were an able-bodied man here, you stayed behind to get instructions so that you might be a good instructor at home.

The text says these men came together to study the words of the law. That means to give attention to and ponder. 

This is the process of thinking through complex things, resulting in wise dealing and the use of good practical common sense.

Here in the text, godly men are responding. 

What a blessing!

The men understand that if the Law doesn’t’ flow from their headship and leadership of the home, it will not likely get passed down to the younger ones the same way as it can.

This brings us into the larger teaching of the Bible.

The Bible does not shrink back from the fact that God has designed men differently from women physically, despite what the world says.

Too often, the view is that women are to do everything in the home in the family's upbringing, but that is not true.

 

Some of our biggest ills in the home, church, and society can be traced to the resignation of men from God’s design. God created men with their own gifts that the world wants you to ignore.

 

Like many, I see how the world wants to feminize our men and masculinize our women. God gave able-bodied men the gift of physical strength. (Just like these men being able to endure longer teaching sessions). 

I want to push for our sons to aspire to use their God-given strength to be a blessing to lead, protect, and provide. 

We need to say to our boys the following:

• Do not be ashamed of being a man.
• God made you with dignity.
• God made you to lead, protect, and provide.
• Get your heart right with God. Seek Him. 
• Strive to be the strongest man you can be to the glory of God. 
• Build your character and physical strength.
• Don’t let your health go, or your spiritual life go.
• Godly men, strong in the LORD, and by grace, strong in their bodies God gave them to steward, are a blessing.

 
Let us ask our sons the following:

• Is what you're doing now going actually help you be a helpful man of God?
• Am I a glutton? 
• Am I a slave to technology?  
• Am I allergic to hard work? 
• Is my conversation only about trivial and silly things? 
• Am I growing in my awareness of serving others around me? 
• Do I have patterns right now that will be repulsive to a potential spouse to get rid of, such as sloppiness, stupidity, and slothfulness? 
• Am I going to follow this world in becoming a useless man because I refuse to set my mind on Christ and bring my body under control? 

 

  

 

 
God made men to lead, and when men are gripped like this by the Word, a growing godly enthusiasm flows down from them.

Godly men, passionate about the Word, are the kind of men who marry well because they are men of conviction.
 
The burdens of leading the community and family are not to fall on the shoulders of the women when able-bodied men are there. In the OT, it was the exception, not the rule. In the NT, it is plainly taught.
 
Passages like this remind us again why the Baptist Faith and Message says husbands have” the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family.”
 
We should pray for this kind of revival in the men of our church because only God can give you this enthusiasm.

Why? Because without the conviction and illumination of the Spirit, we would be lost in the blackest darkness of spiritual ignorance. 

There was one, however, who always had the enthusiasm for the scriptures. He quoted them with perfection, and He was the personification of the revelation of God. 

He is the Word made flesh, Jesus. The point of studying the Scriptures is to study Him. 

He is the man that eclipses all others. He used His human/masculine strength to serve the Father and others! 

He is God's special Son. He is the eternal creator and our great redeemer because we have none been the men we should have been! 

It is important to remember that Christ is the main character of both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus does not fulfill only the Messianic prophecies in the OT; he fulfills the whole Scripture because it points to him as the climax of God’s delivering his people.

 

All the Scriptures should be read in light of God’s work through Jesus, and these Scriptures, in turn, explain the significance of Jesus and his mission.

 

Our enthusiasm for the Word should lead us directly to more enthusiasm for Jesus Christ.  Do you want to know the one who holds all things together; the one who has all power to heal and save and forgive?! Pursue Jesus.

Pray for men to be captured by the Word and, specifically, the Word made flesh, Jesus! 

 

- Pastor Garrett