Play the Man
What does it mean to "play the man"?
This was an opening to a message given to a small group of men at the monthly, Calvary Chapel Redmond Men's Prayer Breakfast. Guest speaker Robert Case of Calvary Chapel Eastside shared what the Lord has been showing him in his walk as he learned to be a leader. In this blog post I wish to pass on the good message to you.
The phrase comes from 2 Samuel 10:12. The NIV translation says "Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what is good in his sight." The King James says it this way: "Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good." (emphasis added).
In today's society we see men tending to stagnate in adolescence. For example, men in their 20's and even 30's don't want to marry because it means taking on responsibility. And if they do marry, responsibilities are left unclaimed. This even has infiltrated the Christian church. But it is not the way God has intended it.
Robert described the responsibilities of leading and following using ball room dancing as an analogy. It's like this. The man: one hand on the small of the back of the woman, one hand up. The woman: one hand on the shoulder of the man, one hand up to meet the man's hand. The man leads simply by applying pressure using his hands and moving his body forward or backwards. The woman responds to this and follows. Now, if the man is not leading the woman would need to guess at the direction of where to go. Or if the woman is also trying to lead, it would look like an awkward wrestling match. She may move forward when he wants to move forward and it would look strained in struggling. But when done properly ball room dancing is an amazing and wonderful thing to see.
There are examples in the Bible of where men didn't "play the man". In the Garden when Eve was being seduced by the serpent, where was Adam? Was he in some far corner naming more animals? Looking closely at Genesis 3:6 you see he was right there with her. He simply stood by. He didn't play the man.
And there is Abraham and Sarah in Genesis chapter 20. Abraham told everyone Sarah was his sister because he feared he would be killed and allowed her to be taken by Abimelech. He put her in harm's way. He didn't play the man.
Another point made was that if a woman sees that the man's leadership is true self-sacrifice and good for the both of them, a woman shall be ready to accept it. As we men who are prompted to now "play the man", as we learn what it means to lead in this way, expect an adjustment of women to learn to trust the leadership. Ask for patience.
Long before hearing this message Anita has enouraged me to be more of a responsible leader in our household. She is incredibly patient because she knows I am the youngest from a large family. When growing up I've always been provided for and always have been the follower. But still she waits for me to learn to play the man.
Let us play the men for the people in our homes and families, for the people in our churches, for the people in our workplaces, and for people in our communities.
This was an opening to a message given to a small group of men at the monthly, Calvary Chapel Redmond Men's Prayer Breakfast. Guest speaker Robert Case of Calvary Chapel Eastside shared what the Lord has been showing him in his walk as he learned to be a leader. In this blog post I wish to pass on the good message to you.
The phrase comes from 2 Samuel 10:12. The NIV translation says "Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what is good in his sight." The King James says it this way: "Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good." (emphasis added).
In today's society we see men tending to stagnate in adolescence. For example, men in their 20's and even 30's don't want to marry because it means taking on responsibility. And if they do marry, responsibilities are left unclaimed. This even has infiltrated the Christian church. But it is not the way God has intended it.
Robert described the responsibilities of leading and following using ball room dancing as an analogy. It's like this. The man: one hand on the small of the back of the woman, one hand up. The woman: one hand on the shoulder of the man, one hand up to meet the man's hand. The man leads simply by applying pressure using his hands and moving his body forward or backwards. The woman responds to this and follows. Now, if the man is not leading the woman would need to guess at the direction of where to go. Or if the woman is also trying to lead, it would look like an awkward wrestling match. She may move forward when he wants to move forward and it would look strained in struggling. But when done properly ball room dancing is an amazing and wonderful thing to see.
There are examples in the Bible of where men didn't "play the man". In the Garden when Eve was being seduced by the serpent, where was Adam? Was he in some far corner naming more animals? Looking closely at Genesis 3:6 you see he was right there with her. He simply stood by. He didn't play the man.
And there is Abraham and Sarah in Genesis chapter 20. Abraham told everyone Sarah was his sister because he feared he would be killed and allowed her to be taken by Abimelech. He put her in harm's way. He didn't play the man.
Another point made was that if a woman sees that the man's leadership is true self-sacrifice and good for the both of them, a woman shall be ready to accept it. As we men who are prompted to now "play the man", as we learn what it means to lead in this way, expect an adjustment of women to learn to trust the leadership. Ask for patience.
Long before hearing this message Anita has enouraged me to be more of a responsible leader in our household. She is incredibly patient because she knows I am the youngest from a large family. When growing up I've always been provided for and always have been the follower. But still she waits for me to learn to play the man.
Let us play the men for the people in our homes and families, for the people in our churches, for the people in our workplaces, and for people in our communities.
posted by Gary at 9:03 AM
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