There’s much talk about “toxic masculinity” these days, the flames fanned by the release of the Barbie movie. It seems unanimous among reviewers that the movie is decidedly anti-men and presents no path or concept of reconciliation, mutual respect, or true partnership between the sexes.
This saddens me greatly. I read a social media post from a female family member stating that she hates most men, not because of the influence of Barbie, but just because they are men. Ouch.
This is a deep and dangerous cultural sickness. As I heard in one very wise review of the film, how can we not see that the problem between men and women is not a gender problem? It is a sin problem.
Having just read the book of 1 Samuel, I see this book as a set of very instructive case studies of the two types of men labeled in my title, worthless fellows and valiant men. This book of the Bible, among many others, portrays all kinds of men. Some of them are brutish, foolish, cruel, and abusive, or all of the above. Others are courageous, kind, wise, and loyal, or all of the above.
It’s always been that way among men. And it’s always been that way among women too. Humanity is a mixed-up mess of people who try to honor God and his goodness in their lives, and those who care not a bit about pursuing what is righteous and good. And a bunch of people in the muddy middle.
So, let me present a few illustrations and examples from just this one book of God’s word on the matter.
Samuel. The book starts with Hannah’s story, and the subsequent birth of her first child, Samuel. Having sworn an oath that she would dedicate this child to God’s service, she brought him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh as soon as he was weaned. From toddlerhood, Samuel learned the ways of God and became a worshiper, prophet, priest, and judge in Israel. He spoke in God’s voice to Israel after a long period when the word of the LORD was rare…and there was no frequent vision (3:1). Samuel served God in these roles impeccably and courageously throughout his life. He did not suffer fools. He did not tolerate disobedience, idolatry, or spiritual fakery. The only area in which he was lacking was that he did not successfully transmit his godly character to his sons, and they were not found worthy to continue his ministry.
Eli and his sons. Eli was the priest who trained Samuel at the Tabernacle. But, unfortunately, he had not trained his own sons so well, and they had been elevated to the priesthood, in spite of their being worthless men (2:12) of poor character. These men brought shame and disgrace to the ministry through their greed, treating the offering of the LORD with contempt, and having sex with prostitutes at the entrance to the Tabernacle. Their sin was very great in the sight of the Lord (2:17, 22).
Saul. As Samuel became old, sons were found wanting in that they did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice (8:3). God’s people insisted that Samuel anoint a king, and God led him to Saul. Saul was a psychologically complicated individual, who deserves a whole study. But for the purpose here, we see that Saul proved himself unfit in many ways. He was a valiant warrior, but he was mentally unstable, prone to jealous fits of rage, prideful presumption, deception, foolish decisions, and rash judgments. God—and Samuel—rejected him as king. Which brings us to…
David. David was God’s choice to be anointed as king in place of Saul. But there was a long, painful ordeal before he could occupy the position. At first, he was honored after slaying Goliath, proving himself zealous and fearless in his loyalty to the God of Israel. David then became the chief musician in Saul’s palace, providing music therapy when Saul was tormented by dark spirits. David clearly had his faults as a man, but he did become Israel’s first truly righteous king. The Bible reveals God’s view of David as one who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes (1 Kings 14:8).
David’s men. Before that could happen, David was hounded by sick, obsessively jealous Saul, and chased into the wilderness, where he gathered around him a militia of several hundred men. This is a fascinating tale. David doesn’t seem to have been very selective; he attracted everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul (22:2). We see later, in the narrative about the battle to restore Ziklag after a raid by the Amalekites, that some of these men of Israel who served David were wicked and worthless fellows (30:22).
We also see, if we look beyond 1 Samuel, and visit 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles, that some among David’s men were the most valiant, loyal, and tenacious men ever to walk the earth. Their exploits are recognized on those pages like a documentary of Medal of Honor recipients.
Nabal. The name Nabal means foolish or boorish. Why any parents would give their son such a name is a mystery, but in this case it seems to have been a prophecy fulfilled. He became a foolish, boorish man, but also very wealthy. When David very reasonably requests provisions for his men on a feast day, Nabal refuses. David becomes irate and plans to attack Nabal. Nabal’s wife Abigail quickly intervenes to save her husband and household from David’s vengeance and prevents David from committing needless bloodshed. But even in doing this, Abigail admits that her husband is indeed a worthless fellow and folly is with him (25:25). Soon after, Nabal dies and Abigail becomes David’s wife.
Jonathan. What stands out most in the character of Jonathan is his fierce love and loyalty toward David. This is remarkable in light of the fact that Jonathan, as Saul’s firstborn, would have been assumed to be the rightful successor to Saul’s kingship. But that wasn’t God’s plan, and Jonathan knew and accepted this. He came into covenant with David, protecting him against the wrath of Saul, loving David as himself, or as his own soul. This is a unique biblical portrait of undying, unconditional friendship between two men of goodwill.
In summary, we see in only a few scenes from God’s vast landscape of Scripture, that there have been many valiant, righteous, and faithful men who rose above their sinful nature to serve God and humanity in remarkable ways.
There still are many of them among us. These today are the warriors, the first responders, the good husbands, fathers, and grandfathers, the doctors, pastors, teachers, missionaries, employers, inventors, and creators who use their lives and talents for the benefit of others.
And among us there always have been, and always will be, some despicable, abusive, greedy, foolish cruel, unrighteous men. In the Bible stories, this category of men typically come to ruin eventually because of their wicked ways. Still today, we must trust God to do the sorting and the judging.
It is an offense to the heart of God to proclaim hatred for any class of people because of some characteristic of their identity. We call this bigotry. This type of hatred historically brings crimes against humanity. It needs to stop. This is exactly where our true enemy wants us to live, in enmity with one another.
In contrast, God calls men and women to become partners in life, to be fruitful and multiply, to work and love diligently and unselfishly, using our varying gifts to serve others. This displays Christ’s kingdom on the earth and brings glory to the God who made both men and women in his image.
