26 June 2023
Men acting manly is a vital necessity for God's work in this world.
I've often said I want nothing to do with the western portrayal of manhood. If there is any such thing as "toxic masculinity" in God's eyes, that's it. But that has nothing to do with utter necessity of male dominance in human life. I won't justify that ever; it is God's command. Do it or embrace damnation.
It would be well nigh impossible to discuss what eternal life – living in Eden – might be like by comparison, but we most certainly do have a clear demand from God regarding our fallen existence. And to make a point, God Himself clearly identified with masculinity. He portrays Himself as masculine very consistently.
While we dare not let it roam unleashed, we are assured that testosterone is God's gift to fallen humanity. By it, men are driven to do things God requires. God made it clear that men who lost their testicles were not welcome in formal worship. At the same time, God very pointedly sent Philip to witness to the Ethiopian Eunuch. It's not that geldings are no use to Him, but they were excluded from formal worship because His model for life in this world requires men with balls. Gelding was regarded as an unfortunate problem some few men must deal with.
God's image for manhood is the shepherd. King David is easily the one human symbol that best portrays that image. We might condemn his failure of self-restraint – he was a notorious skirt-chaser and was lazy in fatherhood – but we see in his life a demonstration of what a man can do when he places himself in God's hands. It's not so much what David did, as what kind of man he was.
Thus, the Bible teaches us to guard against David's mistakes, but to aspire to his strength of character, particularly his fiery passion for God. Women can't replicate David's critical service. The dire necessity for women is trying not to lead.
A part of the modern feminist cult is the claim that civilization is utterly necessary for human existence. It is not. I'll give women due credit for their civilizing influence, but it turns out that there is such a thing as too much civilization. Scripture portrays civilization as a useful tool for a few jobs, nothing more. Instead, the Hebrew culture portrays nomadic tent-dwelling as the human ideal. The whole concept of a spiritual revival is to reduce the clutter of excessive civilization and return to the very most primitive existence in trust of God.
With more civilization, women can dispense with men. That is an abomination unto the Lord. Without male spiritual covering, Satan rules women. Thus, it is the hand of God when men periodically destroy civilization, no matter the reason.
Again, you'll notice I did not offer any justification here, only a declaration of how the Bible portrays the situation. This is just a reminder because it's too easy to get lost in pursuing human comfort versus the austere image of holiness. That image doesn't mean doing things the hard way; it means throwing yourself on the mercies of God. It means kicking away all the man-made substitutes for depending on divine provision.
We need to restore the image of biblical manhood.
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