Son, Be a Man!

1 Kings 2:2-3
I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:

In our scripture we find King David talking with Solomon about his days being few here on earth. David said that the time for him to die, just as all others on earth, was soon. So in his final words to his son David said, "Be strong son, show yourself as a man."

What does this mean, show yourself to be a man? If you don't play manly sports such as football, baseball or rugby then you're not a man huh? If you can't take a whoopin' without crying then you're not a man huh? What if you don't carry a long barrelled 45 and spit tobacco? Still not a man some would say. But what is David telling Solomon? Show yourself as a man. Be a man son! We could speculate on what David was getting at or we could read the Word of God and see exactly what David classified as a man. Now remember, this was the David who tore bears and lions into with his hands and cut off the head of the greatest soldier that came against Israel.

A man is one who would "keep the charge of the Lord thy God." A man who would "walk in his ways."  A real man who would "keep his statues' commandments, judgments and his testimonies (written word) found in the law of Moses." I can hear David, "Solomon, when you do these things as a man of God, you will prosper in all that you do and wherever you go."

Dads, what is your standard for being a "man"? If it's not after this pattern, which is actually God's pattern more than it was David's, then you are measuring up your child with the wrong ruler.