Six Male Role Models in the Bible

Jun 27, 2016
John McOwen

We have many, many role models in society and if we would take a quick poll as to what the two most popular role models are in our nation, in our modern time, I think that the most common answer first would be the entertainers, be it in the movies or in television. The second would probably be our sports “heroes,” those who are really good at sports. These seem to be the two occupations which, at least in the media, are lifted up as role models today; and how unfortunate that this is the case, because we see, over and over again, that we have some bad role models in both of these realms of life and, typically, there is a lot of sin or pride involved, or both. Fortunately for us, we have the Scriptures; and in the Scriptures, we have great role models. So today we are going to do a study of six male role models in the Old Testament, men who lived exemplary lives. Of course, all men are sinners. The Bible tells us, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” But different examples of the lives of certain men are recorded for us in the Scriptures to give us a great example and to inspire and encourage us how to live. If you are in a particular situation or predicament, then this is when you can especially call upon some of these great examples that we see in the Scriptures, for strength, for guidance, for wisdom. After all, these historical characters did exist, and some of the things that happened in their lives were recorded in the Bible for our edification and for our purpose. So we are going to look today briefly at six male role models to see why they are particularly singled out as role models in the Scriptures. The first one we are going to start with is Noah. We read about him in the Old Testament, in Genesis 6. So let us go back there and take a brief snippet of Noah’s life to see exactly what God says about him and why I picked this particular incident to look at. What are the lessons that can be learned from this particular example in his life that can benefit us? If your child is ever given a homework assignment and has to write a biography on a role model, you would want to point him/her to the Scriptures, of course. I am going to give you six today that you can call upon, six men in particular. We are going to look at both men and women and the great examples that we can all learn from their lives. In Genesis 6:13-16, we are going to take a snapshot of Noah: And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. This is pretty specific information that God is giving to Noah here, is it not? It is a blueprint. If you are in the construction of something, you have to have a blueprint of what the project is going to look like; you need to be given very specific detail. Now we will go down a few verses. We read in Genesis 6:19-20: And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. Then we read another command that God gives to Noah. It says in Genesis 6:21: And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. So God gave Noah certain things to do. And we only took a brief snapshot here of the laundry list of the specific details concerning the Ark. God also told Noah when to bring in the animals, how to bring them in, and to bring the food. Verse 22 ends the chapter, and we read in Genesis 6:22: Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. Noah is our first role model from the men of the Old Testament. What is the lesson here? What did Noah do that was so exemplary? What Noah did was that he obeyed all, not just a little bit, but all. Who is someone from the Bible who did not quite obey all? He made a seemingly minor infraction, and yet a lot of evil came of it? There are actually two examples, but we are looking here at Saul. Saul in his beginning was pretty obedient, was he not? Remember Samuel told him a bunch of things to do. Finally Samuel told him that after seven days to wait and he would come and offer a sacrifice before Saul was to go out to battle. Saul did all of these things perfectly, until the seventh day. After Saul had waited a week, Samuel still had not shown up. On that seventh day, the day was still young. So Saul got impatient and went and burned sacrifices himself, because he was scared to go before the enemy without sacrificing before the Lord first. Then what happened? When Samuel got there, his attitude was not, “Oh, I am sorry that I am late.” Remember he told Saul that he was going to take seven days and to wait. Saul did not and what happened? What happened was that a very unfortunate conversation occurred between the two of them. Because of what Saul had done, Samuel had to tell Saul that on that very day, the Lord had forsaken Saul from being king, and Saul went away very, very sad. Who else did a lot of good things, was seemingly obedient to the Lord, and had life “perfect”? The word “perfect” should give you a clue. It was Adam. Adam was seemingly fine, until he did one thing that was not quite right. Adam took of “the fruit of the tree” that was forbidden. What happened as a result of that one infraction? What happened was that the whole world, all of mankind, was cursed, and we have what we have today, sin everywhere multiplied. Sin is in every one of us, including those who are with child. Just as we mentioned earlier in our prayer requests, even that little unborn girl in Jennifer’s womb is a sinner today because of Adam and Eve. Sin has been transposed throughout the line of their progeny, all the way up to us today. So the lesson with Noah is that he did all, and notice all the specifics of how high and how wide the Ark was supposed to be, what kind of wood he was to use, the information about the animals and where and how to bring them in, plus the food to collect for all of them. And the Bible underscores the fact that Noah did all. What a great role model Noah was. What a great lesson. Noah did all, not just a little. Now let us go to another one. I said that we were going to focus on six men. The second one is going to be Moses, and Moses is very similar. We will be looking at Exodus 40. Moses is another very popular historical figure, and in the Scriptures, he was a mighty man of God. Let us just take a look at a couple of things that God tells Moses in Exodus 40. We read in Exodus 40:1-3: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail. Now let us read Exodus 40:13-15: And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: and thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. So we are just taking a look at a few things here. This is speaking about the “holy garments” that were made for Aaron and the priests. In the earlier verses, we read about the tabernacle. Do you remember how intricate the tabernacle was? All of the boards and the entire structure—the curtains, the rods, the pomegranates, the bells—all these things were specifically commanded by God in very great detail, even down to the garments for the priests of Aaron and the priestly line. And in Exodus 40:16, the Bible tells us: Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he. So who wants to tell me the lesson that we learn from Moses? Is it the same? Yes, it is identical; it is all. Moses is pointed out here for doing all that the Lord had commanded him; every single detail was followed specifically. Wow! What a great lesson for us to learn today, because what is a modern trap that we can fall into in our day and age? In our day, it is “situation ethics.” Would God really want me in this situation to do such and such and so and so? I may think that I am doing what God commands in the Bible. I am leading a very moral life. My children are in tow; they are very obedient at home and they do their chores. As a family, we do not participate in any of the typical sins of the world, sins that our neighbors are involved in. But what does the Bible say? If I do not do all that the Lord commands me (and of course we know that the only way we can do anything pleasing to God at all is through the power of His Spirt working within us to will and do of His good pleasrue), then I am going to be like Saul. God rejected him from being king just because he did not wait that extra hour for Samuel to arrive so that Samuel could offer the sacrifice. Also, I am going to be like Adam when he took just one piece of fruit from that tree. I have a large print Bible. This is pretty thick and there are a lot of instructions in here. How am I to do all of that God commands me to do? What do I need to do first? I need to read it. So we start by reading the Bible. We need to study it, we need to understand it, and we need to hearken to what we see in the Bible, to what we read and hear coming from the Bible. If I am not desiring to do all that God commands, I can expect no blessing, no blessing whatsoever. This is just one example. So in your life, the only way that you are going to know how to do all is to study the Word. You have to be diligent. There is nothing better to do with your time than to spend time reading and studying the Bible. The Bible says, “I have esteemed the Words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Let us say that we are eating three meals a day. Now let us throw in a snack or two. So we are eating up to four or five times a day. Am I reading the Bible five different times during the day? Am I reading it even three times a day? Do I read it in the morning and at night, at a minimum? Well, I hope so. Personally, I would not want to start my day without the Word of God, nor would I want to end my day and go into a nice peaceful sleep without first being saturated with the Word of God. So these are great lessons from Noah and Moses. Now let us go to a third Old Testament character to see why I picked him as a role model. He is someone less known than the prior two. The next person is Phinehas. Does anyone know who Phinehas was? Let us read in Numbers 25:3 where the story of Phinehas was introduced in the Scripture. We read in Numbers 25:3: And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. So right away, we see idol worship, do we not? We also see that the Lord is angry. Then we read in Numbers 25:4-5: And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor. This is a pretty harsh statement from God. God is saying that He wants the heads of the people who transgressed against Him to have their heads hung up before the sun. This is God’s severe wrath and anger. Then the Bible says in Numbers 25:6-7: And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it… So here we read about a man named Phinehas. We read that he is in the priestly line, in the lineage of Aaron. Numbers 25:7 continues: …he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; What did Phinehas do with the javelin? Let us keep reading. Numbers 25:8: And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly… And listen to what the Bible says right after he did this, as Numbers 25:8 continues: …So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. This means that the plague was stopped. Numbers 25:9: And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. So 24,000 people had already been slain by the Lord here. Yet when Phinehas did this with the javelin, he put it through both the man of Israel and the Midianitish woman, of whom the man of Israel was not supposed to be with. None of the people of Israel were supposed to combine themselves with the people of the other nations. God had certain reasons for doing this, obviously. Then we read in the next verse, in Numbers 25:10: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Do you suppose that the Lord told Moses that he should put Phinehas in jail for murder, or was the Lord very favorable to what Phinehas did? Let us keep reading. It says in Numbers 25:11-12: Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: These are words of commendation from God concerning Phinehas. And we read in Numbers 25:13: And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. What was so commendable about Phinehas? What was commendable was his zeal. We can read about this in two different verses. Phinehas was zealous for God. He was so zealous that when he saw evil and wickedness, he took the javelin and he killed these people, both the man and the woman. And God was very commendable toward him for doing that. Wow, that is quite a lesson! So Phinehas had zealousness for God, but does this mean that I am to emulate his behavior? This is what is seemingly being taught here, right? But I know better. What happened? We can look through the Scriptures to find out how, in our modern-day life, in the life that we live today, God wants us to be zealous for Him. One example is that we are to preach the Word. So let us follow this up in the Old Testament, because what God says here is that Phinehas was so zealous that he was really commended for what he did. But now God is going to define what zealousness means, because remember that the plague was stayed. God’s wrath was turned away when Phinehas threw the javelin that killed the man and that woman through her belly. So how does God say that His wrath will be turned away? Lets go to 2 Chronicles 19 and I will define this lesson of how I can put feet underneath this example in my own life, as I turn back into the world tomorrow, whether I am returning to school or to work or in my own neighborhood and whatever I am doing with my family. 2 Chronicles 19:8-9 says, and listen to the similarity here: Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites, and of the priests, and of the chief of the fathers of Israel, for the judgment of the LORD, and for controversies, when they returned to Jerusalem. And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully, and with a perfect heart. What is the Lord saying? Let us continue and look at 2 Chronicles 19:10: And what cause soever shall come to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the LORD, and so wrath come upon you, and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not trespass. So what would not come upon them if they did this certain thing? If they “trespass not against the LORD,” they would avoid the wrath. So what was the trespass that God did not want them to do? He had commanded them to set up judges over the Law of God. In verse 10, it says to warn them, “that they trespass not against the LORD.” Hence, the wrath of God would not come. So instead of me taking a javelin, what am I to do? Instead, figuratively speaking, I am supposed to pick up a sword. This sword would be the “Sword of the Spirit,” which the Bible defines as the Word of God. So I am to now use the Word of God to warn. We heard earlier in the previous study this morning about the salt, “Ye are the salt of the earth.” So I need to warn others. I need to have judgment in my speech. My speech needs to be “seasoned with salt” always, the Bible says. I need to be more diligent about warning people. That was a great study this morning about bringing the Gospel with humility and with peace and with love, but I still, nonetheless, have to have “salt.” I need to give the warning. I need to warn others. This is what the Bible says, and to be “zealous” for God is to be doing this. However, what am I not supposed to do that I see being done today in the name of “Christianity”? What is a great example, where there is a completely overboard zealousness like Phinehas, but in the wrong way? Where does this happen? Well, we can see this in the area of abortion. We have seen that people blow up abortion clinics. They think they are doing it in the name of God, that they are seemingly being zealous for God, but there is a better way to do this. We do this quietly, as we hand out tracts. If you want to stand on the corner of the abortion clinic where there is traffic, where women are coming back and forth and doctors or whomever, this is the way to do this. Nothing is accomplished by blowing things up. This is what we learn from 2 Chronicles. God told us that if you warn them, then His wrath will be turned. But if you do not warn them, if you leave it out, then His wrath is coming, and it will get you. So there we have it. Phinehas is a great example, a role model of zealousness for God. We, too, can be zealous today, so let us use the Word of God, the “Sword of the Spirit” to be zealous like Phinehas. Now let us look at our fourth example in the Old Testament. Our fourth role model is Caleb. This name, Caleb, may not be as familiar as the other role models. Let us pick him up in Numbers 13 and see what we read there. In Numbers 13, what was so good about Caleb? Does anyone remember? Caleb gave a good report, about what? Let us read and see. Numbers 13:1-2: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan… Remember, Canaan is the “promised land.” Numbers 13:2 continues: …which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. So how many men went out to investigate and spy out the land of Canaan? How many tribes were there? Twelve, so how many men went out? Twelve, so there were 12 men to go and spy out the land of Canaan, the “promised land.” Now, let us look at Numbers 13:17-20: And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: and see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; and what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes. So there we have it. These men are being sent out to spy out this land. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it fruitful? Is it barren? Are the people strong or are they weak? What does it look like? Let us go to verse 25 of this chapter to pick this up again. Numbers 13:25: And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. So they were out for a long time. This is a nice test, these forty days. And then we read in Numbers 13:26: And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. So here we have it. Let us listen up. It says in Numbers 13:27-28: And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey… So it is a good land, is it not? …and this is the fruit of it. So they showed the fruit of the first ripe fruits. Nevertheless… This word, “nevertheless,” is a key word. Nevertheless, even after this good report of the land and the fruit. Numbers 13:28-29: Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. In the next verse is where we see Caleb. We read in Numbers 13:30: And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. There is the good report; Caleb brought a good report. The land was beautiful. It was flowing with milk and honey. It had great fruits. It was the “promised land” that God had promised. The timeframe for this was very shortly after they came out of Egypt. This was not forty years later. This was right after they came out; it was early on. Then, unfortunately, we read in Numbers 13:31-32: But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched… Do you see what Caleb’s strength was and why he is a role model? Caleb was trusting in God, was he not? He surely was. He said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” He was saying that the Lord would give them the land. Well, in Numbers 14:1, we see the result of what happened: And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. Why are they crying? They are crying because of the “evil report” that was brought by ten of the men. “Those people were too strong. We will never beat them. We are doomed!” Then we read in Numbers 14:2-5: And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces… Look at the next few verses, we see that there is encouragement. We read in Numbers 14:6-9: And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: and they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us… How do you like this example? “They are bread for us.” This is great and a good word of encouragement. Then we read in Numbers 14:10: But all the congregation bade stone them with stones… So the people listened to the majority, to the ten who said that they would never beat them. The probabilities were such that they were going to lose, so the attitude was, “Let us give up now.” God was with them, but the people did not listen. Joshua and Caleb were the only two who brought up a good report. Then what happened to these other men? What happened to all of these adults, 20 years and older? They never got to Canaan, did they? Forty years later Joshua and Caleb did. The Bible tells us that Caleb was 40 when this happened or maybe 42, so he was 80 when they got to Canaan. And the Bible tells us that at the age of 80, he was as strong as when he was 40. So Caleb had to wait to see his prediction come true. Then he was able to go in. He had a city. Everything was given to him. His progeny lived there and built a city. So Caleb was rewarded for his faithfulness. What is the lesson in this? What is the lesson in our fourth role model today? The lesson is for us to charge straight ahead, trusting the Lord no matter what. There are two great verses in the Bible that really summarize this lesson. We read in Proverb 3:5-6: Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Do not lean on your own understanding, even though they may be bigger than us. This is what the ten men thought. This is why they gave up in Canaan. But Caleb knew that God was on his side and that they would be lead through. Let me give an example of this. Let us apply this to the family. We are looking at these role models and you men, you are the head of the household, as the Bible instructs. There is a catastrophe of some sort, something very distressing. Maybe there is a financial calamity in your household or a health emergency with one of your children or your spouse. How are you to be under these circumstances? You are to be like Caleb. You are to be strong, trusting in God, having faith, believing God, leading your family. What is the natural reaction of mankind, especially children? Let us say that there is a big thunderstorm outside and the children are afraid and crying. They come to mommy and daddy, and what do you need to do? You need to comfort them, through a trust in God. So you have to lead. You have to be the one who commits the family, to bring it before the Lord, to trust in the Lord like Caleb and Joshua did as they encouraged the people. If the Lord delights in us, He will get us through this. This is what Numbers 14:8 said. This is a great verse: If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Do the same thing in your family, and do it the same way. Do not fret. Do not get discouraged when there is a problem. When there is a huge curve ball thrown your way men, as the head of the household, stand up. Remember Caleb and trust in God. Use these verses. Use his story. Use this example to read before your family to encourage them that God will get you through the tough times, no matter what is afflicting you at this moment. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 8. This is another great example. There was a big storm on the sea that we read about in Matthew 8. I will just pick it up in verse 23. In Matthew 8:23-25, we read: And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. This is equivalent to your children coming in to you when there is a huge thunderstorm outside. What is happening? They are frightened because the whole house is shaking with thunder. Then we read in Matthew 8:26: And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. Put this passage also in your arsenal, husbands and fathers, of stilling a distressing situation in your family. This is a great passage to read before your family when they are distressed over a problem, whatever it may be. Maybe someone had to be rushed to the hospital. Read this, still them, calm them with Scripture. Faith, that is what Jesus pointed to, faith, “O ye of little faith.” Have faith in God. “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” This is a great way to lead your family. So Caleb was a wonderful example, a role model for us to look at, especially for us husbands and fathers in the audience today. I said we were going to look at six male role models. The fifth one is Solomon. Now Solomon was not perfect, was he? Far from it. He did many wonderful things, and he was mighty. Solomon was the richest king who ever lived and the wisest man that ever lived, the Scriptures say, that is until Christ came. When Christ came, He said, “A greater than Solomon is here.” So let us take a brief snapshot of one thing in Solomon’s life that gives us an example today of why I classify him as a role model. I want us to look at one particular instance in his life. We will be reading in 2 Chronicles 1 of the Old Testament. For all of the mighty things that Solomon was able to accomplish through the power of God in his life, I would say that this one incident, to me, is the hallmark. This defined his life. To me, this is what he is most known for, the greatest moment of his life. When you look at your life, do you have a moment in time that you can look back on and say that it was the highlight of your life, that it was the best moment that you ever had in obedience to God, however it might have worked out? Maybe you have never thought about this, but with Solomon, I really think that this was it. We read in 2 Chronicles 1:7-12: In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like. What a great moment in Solomon’s life. What a perfect thing to ask for: wisdom and knowledge. What is the lesson? What can we take away from this? How can I emulate this incredible example? Well, we read in Matthew 6:33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Solomon was a great example of this. Then how am I to learn this lesson? Prioritize; what did Solomon get right? Solomon had right priorities. What did he prioritize? He prioritized the Kingdom of God. In Solomon’s case, he asked for wisdom and knowledge to lead his people, and God gave it to him in such abundance that there was never the like seen on any man save Jesus Christ. What did God do because Solomon was seeking this first as a priority? Then God gave him all of these other things. This is why Matthew 6 is such a beautiful verse. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness,” and then all these other things will be given to you: the food, the clothing, the security of home, as far as having the comfort of shelter from storms and things of that nature. But you know what? This is what we should do in our life. We should prioritize in prayer. This is the message that we are to take away from Solomon. How many of us mistakenly go before God in prayer and say, “Lord, please heal my broken leg; it is so painful; it is so difficult to get around”? Well, if I am truly prioritizing, this is going to be far down on the list. How am I going to God? I am going to the Lord and I am praising Him first for His goodness and His mercy and His loving kindness. I am worshipping His holiness, and then I am thanking Him for all the benefits in my life. No matter how bad things are, I can always find things that are good, always, always. That is why people at work will sometimes come up to me; say around 9:00 A.M. I might seemingly be a little upbeat, and they are just drinking their coffee and ready to crash after the sugar and caffeine rush, which they do. Then they come up to me and ask me why I feel this way. I always start my response by being thankful. I try to think of what God has done for me or given me. It makes people think when you speak to them in this way. I will start rattling off things to them because I have been thinking about them all morning. This is why I feel great, and this is the way to go before God. Set your priorities. Spiritual things are first, the Kingdom of God and ultimately the forgiveness of my sins and the salvation for my family and for my loved ones. And you know what? Maybe there are prayers that I am not even mentioning, like the physical needs. But guess what? If you seek first “the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness,” all of these things will be added to you anyway. So I do not even need to remember the broken leg or the upset stomach or the house payment next month, or whatever the case may be. God will provide. What a great example Solomon gave to us and left us with! Finally, in closing and very briefly, our sixth and final male role model from the Old Testament is Daniel. In Daniel 9, I am just going to read a few verses. Ask yourself what we are to take away from this example. Ask yourself what was so good about the particular posture that Daniel took in this chapter. I think it really has a lot of application to the current day and age that we are living in. We read in Daniel 9:1-2: In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; in the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Can I fast forward to today? Is there an analogy to today? “by books” means the books of the Bible. So are we understanding “by books” the number of the years today? Are we even understanding where we stand at the end of time? We have a few more years to go, then the rapture coming up, and then the ultimate Judgment Day itself in October 2011. We are understanding a lot and, of course, this “seventy years” of tribulation is exactly analogous to the tribulation that we are in today, the 23 years that we are right in the midst of now. So why was Daniel chosen as a role model? What was Daniel doing by acknowledging this? Let us read the next few verses to see how he starts. It says in Daniel 9:3-5: And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: and I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly… What was the key word for Noah and Moses? It was the word, “all.” What is the key word here? The key word here is “we.” What is the trap that we fall into today? The trap that we fall into today is the word “them.” We refer to those people who are still in church. Do you believe that the people who are still in the churches will not listen? It is very easy for me to fall into the trap of pointing the finger out there, “Look at them; they do not understand.” And I can get very uptight and angry over this, over whatever, and pride can set in. Daniel understood “by books the number of the years.” You may understand by the books of the Bible the number of the years that we are living in. What is the posture that we can take away from this? Why is he a great role model for today? We have sinned. I am no better than my neighbor or my family member who is still in the church. I may be saved and they may not be, but am I any better than they are? No! We have all sinned; we have all committed iniquity. Daniel’s whole prayer in this chapter, all the way to verses 19 and 20, is beautiful. He is in contrite repentance before God, and then he says in Daniel 9:19: O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do… And then he says in Daniel 9:20: And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God… Can you see this? God gives us a great example. He reiterates it again. Daniel was confessing his own sin, as well as the sin of the people of Israel. There you have it—a great role model and a great example. So let me give a quick summary of the six. What was the take away message from Moses and Noah? They did all that the Lord commanded. Phinehas was zealous for the Lord. Caleb gave a good report and trusted God. He had great faith, even in the midst of adversity and probabilities that were against him. Solomon had wisdom for the right things, so he prioritized; he had the right priorities in his prayer before the Lord. So I am to prioritize, “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” And then lastly, Daniel. Daniel was humble and had humility, even in the day of understanding “by books the numbers of the years” and knowing exactly where he stood. He understood when we would be at the very end, and he understood that he was no better off then the “sinners” out there. For us today, it is easy to point to not only the world but to the people in churches. This points to the need for humility and meekness in these last days. If you need a dose of that, read the first 20 verses of Daniel 9. What a great prayer he gives from verses 3-20—awesome prayer; great humility! So here we have six male role models in the Scriptures. May God give us strength to emulate the things that they did that were right before God and that can benefit our lives immeasurably.

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