Behaving like Men

Quit yourselves like men, be strong. 1 Co 16:13

God encourages us to be courageous. To lack courage is to be afraid. The Bible has various very interesting expressions to describe the act of courage. In a positive note, one says to make one’s head as hard as a stone.

 “therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed” (Isa 50:7b).

Ezekiel was told to stick his forehead out, and behave like a man, “Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house” (Eze 3:8-9). 

Negatively, to make one’s heart (not head) hard as stone is to be stubborn and without shame; as Zechariah says, “Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone.” On the other hand Isaiah felt no humor or flattery when he wrote “Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass.” 

And so the Bible is full of exhortations not to be afraid or scared, but to be strong. The most famous are the exhortations are from God to Joshua.

“Be strong and of a good courage” v.6.

“Only be thou strong and very courageous” v7.

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” v9.

“I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” v5.

Benefits of Courage

It inspires faith. Courage encourages. Fear makes the heart wither. It shrinks courage. Fear kills faith. When God calls us to go forth in courage He means to go forth in faith.

Faith takes courage. Faith especially in God takes courage. You will be laughed and you will be ridiculed. Other times you will be very lonely. It takes a lifetime of wearing one’s face as hard as a flint to endure that. Luckily it is God’s grace that works that courage in us.

Courage affects not only faith but every other aspect of our lives such as loving. Yes loving too takes courage. It is not for the faint in heart. Here too you will require hardening the brow but albeit with a sly spin as if to announce you are the next best thing to happen after sliced bread.

Being generous, cheerful and happy also takes courage in these cold days. Here is where the difference between a small heart and a big heart comes into play. It is the difference between a warm heart and a cold one; between the earth here below and the heaven above.

A generous and hospitable heart does not shy and hide inside the chest. It gets out and embraces the people where they are. One is cringed and shrank. The other is expansive. The chamber of the chest cannot hold it. It jumps out and runs to face the enemy.

A courageous spirit brings glory to God. A fearful spirit quenches the spirit. It denies God the glory due to his name.  God is not pleased with fearful people. It shows they don’t believe him. It shows they can’t trust him. It reflects badly on the character of God. And it reflects even worse on our own.

Israel before Goliath failed God badly. They saw the hugeness of Goliath and forgot about the hugeness of God. Goliath filled their stomachs with water. They forgot the strength of God which hardens the brow like a flint. They forgot to behave like men.

It is the same with the lot who went to spy the land. They brought back a very damning report. They said they saw “the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants,” so that they were in their own sight “as grasshoppers.” “The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.”

Even after the intrepid Caleb encouraged them not to fear, they remained adamant in their hearts, “We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we” (Nu 13:31).

These lost the battle long before it started. These were very bold in their graphic expressions of their enemies’ strength, and equally of their own weaknesses, but that was as far as they were willing to go. Their faith and their hope remained stuck at the bottom.  These were fellows who actually sounded very proud of their own self-denigration.  They wore it like a super accolade.  

So today act like “a man.” What is your fear? What can you do about it to bring God glory? Fear keeps us in comfort zones. Fear keeps our hearts shrunken. Courage expands it. Fear sees lions outside. Courage expels those lions.  

So today who is your enemy and what is your attitude about it? Is it a disease or finances or a huge human being? Are you the giant or are you the grasshopper? Are you big “too” or are you very small? Can you harden your own brow like David did, who saw not Goliath in front of him, but saw the all powerful God with whom nothing is impossible?

David uttered unto Goliath thus, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied… And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands” (1 Sam 17:45, 47).

David had God on his side. Whom do you have on your side?

Personally “I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause.” I wish you would do the same. God will give your enemy into your hands. “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.”