Genesis 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
What does it mean to be a man? If many men knew and understood the reality of manhood, the world would be a better place. Being a man goes beyond your ability to bring money, have sex with women, and be lord over your wife and children. It’s a responsibility to establish God’s Kingdom here on earth starting with your family.
In the opening verse, we see the Lord making a report on Abraham saying that He knows Abraham will command his children and household after him. Do you know what that means?
The state of a man determines the state of his family.
That’s how powerful a man is. He can influence his family in the right or wrong direction very easily because of his position. If Abraham was going to command his children and household after himself, it meant that Abraham was going to pass on to his household whoever he was. So if Abraham was bad, he would pass that on to his household. The doctrine, lifestyle, and belief system of Abraham are what he would pass on.
I mentioned earlier that being a man goes beyond bringing money. For the longest time, men have been reduced to being providers of family, which in itself isn’t bad. But if all there is to you is the money you can bring, there’s going to be trouble. Apart from money, there are other things a family needs that the man has to provide. One of such important needs is a spiritual need. A man must have an active relationship with God that allows him to hear from God and in turn pass on what he hears to his family as a vision for that family. The work that Pastors are currently doing was meant initially for fathers. A man is supposed to be the Priest and Prophet of his home. The church was actually God’s plan B when the first family failed. When the Bible mentions that the head of the home is the man, it also speaks to the fact that this man’s head is Christ. So the head of the home must have a Head otherwise, there would be a calamity. There’s a statistic that shows if a man is saved first, there is a 93% probability that the entire household will follow suit. No wonder Joshua mentioned in the latter part of Joshua 24:15 that: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. When Paul and Silas were in prison, the jailer after seeing the miracle that had happened was preached to and he was saved with his household because he was the leader of the home and once the leader does something, the others must follow.
Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the Saviour of the body. This scripture is one of the most misinterpreted verses because we usually interpret it with culture. This is the meaning of this verse of scripture. The head of the home must have a head he obeys. Once that is settled, the wife can easily submit because, in reality, the instruction is coming from the head of the man and not just the man himself. And what does it mean to be the head? Matthew 20:26 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: A head is supposed to be a servant and not a lord. If men understood this, no one would brag about being the head. In actual fact, the responsibility handed to the man is many times greater than that of the woman because the Bible mentions that he must love his wife and it doesn’t just stop there. It also says who he should love like – As Christ loved the church and gave himself for her- So a head is in reality the one who should sacrifice the most because Christ gave us his life. The role of a head is not a position but a function. Many times people have seen it as a position because human beings naturally want to lord over others once they have been placed in a position of authority. But here Jesus says, that authority and leadership mean sacrifice, selflessness, and putting others first. It’s not an opportunity to oppress others.
Having said all this about the man, it gives an idea of the kind of man a woman should be with. The world today is filled with a lot of women who dislike men as a result of experiences they have had with some cruel men who didn’t know what it means to be a man. If women also knew who a real man is, they would not just rush into a relationship because a man asked them out. They would want to be sure this man can raise a household that stands for the Kingdom of God and passes on God’s way of doing things to the next generation.
In conclusion, we need more men mentoring men. There was a move that focused on raising the girl child that we lost track of the development of the boy child. This has eventually led to men who don’t know who they are and their role in life. While many women are being told how to be a virtuous woman, what training are we also giving to men? Many women know what to do as a wife but all we tell men is to provide for their family and once they have money, that should be all. The craziness we see in our world today stems mainly from the absence of godly models as fathers. Research has proven many of these things. Examples like how the majority of people in prison, people with gender identity crises, and addictions didn’t have active fathers.
It’s time for a different breed of men to rise!
The Word In Clarity 