Men's Fraternity
The Old testament's Top ten men
by tony Demaio
The Old Testament’s Top Ten Men
Scripture is the conveyance of the heart of God through His inspired Word. Men of all types are vividly described throughout the Word. Not only are the admirable characteristics detailed but also their shortcomings are brought to light for all to see. We have an opportunity to peer into the lives of these Biblical men and learn from their good and not so good traits.
Over the next several Fraternity newsletters I would like to introduce my list of the top ten most influential men of the Old Testament, starting at #10 and ending at #1. These men, I feel, are the most critical men of the Old Testament who God uses to illustrate His grandeur and lead us to know Him. Jesus, though in the Old Testament as the pre-incarnate God, is not included in this list. He transcends any earthly list by being the only divine man ever to exist. His inclusion onto the list would not do Him proper justice to define His infinite greatness.
Number 5- Joshua
As young boys most of us looked up to our father or other significant male figure. Knowingly or unknowingly, we looked for him to provide insight into the difficulties of growing into a man. We desired and longed for a mentor to help us through the tough times. During the days of the Exodus, Moses provided this type of mentorship to Joshua. As described in Exodus 17:10-11
10 Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.
Also Deuteronomy 3:21-22
21 “I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so the Lord shall do to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross. 22 ‘Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you.’
Joshua followed Moses constantly, looking to him for direction. Joshua went to the mountain with Moses to meet the Lord. He stayed with Moses during the good and bad times of his rule. With this male support system present, Joshua was able to perform incredible feats for the Israelites during their time of conquering the land the Lord gave them. Joshua was able to hear the voice of the Lord through studying the interaction Moses had with Him. Joshua, in turn, provided the people leadership in a pivotal time in history. Following a leader like Moses would have been impossible without the mentorship provided to Joshua leading up to this point.
As Christian men, we have the responsibility to give this Godly leadership to our sons, nephews or any young man who we interact with. Only by providing this example of what it is to be a man for the Lord will these young men be able to develop into the man the world needs.
Number 6- Joseph
Romans 8.28 reads, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” This verse, though written in the New Testament, speaks to Joseph, the son of Jacob, of the Old Testament. Throughout his life, Joseph dealt with unfair events the world inflicted upon him. In each case, though, God was able to work all things for the good for Joseph, a man who truly loved Him.
Joseph’s brothers first traded him into slavery. God turns this into something positive by Joseph being looked upon favorably by his Egyptian master and made to head his household. Next Joseph is falsely accused of attacking his master’s wife and is thrown into jail. Once in jail, God looks down upon Joseph and gives him favor in the eyes of the jailer, making him in charge of the jail. Joseph is once more brought down by a fellow inmate who promises to speak to the king for his release after he is released from prison. To no surprise, this too does not occur, and Joseph is left in prison.
God works this final trial of Joseph to the good by having the released inmate, the king’s baker, tell the king of Joseph’s ability to interpret a dream. Joseph is released from prison and successfully interprets the king’s dream for him. The king, in gratitude, makes Joseph a high-ranking official in his kingdom. Through this leadership position God is able to impart upon Joseph the wisdom to save countless lives, including his family’s, by storing grain in anticipation of seven years of famine.
Like Joseph, if we look upon the Lord with genuine love and humility He will work things in our lives for His good and according to His purpose. We must submit ourselves to God’s divine providence, allowing Him to have control over our lives even when life deals us unfair blows of events.
Number 7 - Jonah
Noah is often referred to as being a man of faith. He was faithful to listen to the Lord’s command to build a sea worthy structure where no water was found. He had the faith to step out from the masses, experiencing their ridicule, and follow the Lord’s instruction for him to ultimately save the future of mankind. Noah’s faith may be the primary characteristic assigned to him but how much would we, contemporary men of today, want what is written in the Bible about Noah referenced to us?
Genesis 6.8 – 9 reads, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” These two short verses identify how special Noah was viewed in the eyes of the Lord.
What a wonderful claim it would be for each of us to hear that we, “found favor in the eyes of the LORD”. Nothing better can compare to receiving the approval of the Maker of all that exists. As the Scripture continues, Noah is identified as being a righteous man, blameless in his time. In Noah’s time, condemned by God because of its unrepentant evil, how special was he to be called righteous and blameless? Today, in a society continuing to become more and more decadent, we too should strive for the Lord to claim us as being righteous and blameless in His eyes. The two verses conclude by telling of Noah’s walk with God. This refers to his uncompromising faith in the Lord and willingness to follow Him no matter what the personal consequences may entail.
Noah was an example of great faith to all men for the ages to follow. He should not be limited as being just faithful but acknowledged as being a righteous man who followed the Lord even before knowing of the flood. Noah did not choose to be righteous and blameless to be saved from the physical destruction, but chose to follow the Lord because he loved Him, guaranteeing him eternal salvation. This obedience to love God should be something we look for within ourselves with the promise of being in His presence forever.
Number 8 - Isaiah
In Hebrew his name means “The LORD Saves”. The writings of Isaiah reflect how the Lord saves us through His warning of judgment and then His true comfort. Throughout the first part of the book of Isaiah, it speaks of how the nation of Judah will be judged harshly for its rebellious attitude and the idolatry demonstrated against God. The nation of Judah would eventually be invaded and occupied by the Assyrian aggressors. The second part of Isaiah provides comfort to the exiles who would eventually return to Judah and also to the future generations looking for the coming of the Messiah.
Isaiah had the unique privilege to be used by God to foretell the virgin birth, the life and the sacrificial death of Jesus. Foretelling the virgin birth, as only Isaiah did in the Old Testament, Isaiah 7.14 reads, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” Continuing in Isaiah 9.6 the divine attributes of our Lord are described as, “And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Again the Lord uses Isaiah to describe Jesus in Isaiah 42.1, “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.” Finally in Isaiah 53.11 the prophetic words of the sin sacrifice Jesus gave to all mankind is described as, “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.”
We, as men living in a fallen world, must remember the warnings Isaiah gave concerning falling away from the ways of the Lord. We must also know of the love and comfort He gives each of us through His Son Jesus. Isaiah was given the gift from God to present us these warnings and the announcement of the ultimate comforter … Jesus Christ.
Number 9- King Solomon
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” These words of wisdom were written by the number 9 person of the Old Testament, King Solomon, and are contained in Proverbs 3.5 – 6. Solomon reigned as King of the Israelites from 970 – 931 BC. He contributed immensely to God’s kingdom during the period immediately following his father, King David’s, reign over Israel. The Books of Scripture including Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs all were written primary by Solomon. In addition, the Lord allowed him to build the original Temple, housing the Ark of the Covenant.
Solomon, though, illustrates how easily it is to have the world creep into our lives. Having God’s divine blessing for wisdom did not keep Solomon from starting strong and finishing weak. Solomon possessed the highest degree of earthly treasures. This included being the wealthiest man ever to live, being the wisest person and to have over 700 wives and 300 concubines. Even though he was a man of God, Solomon was unable to keep the world from influencing him into a sinful life. For a man who penned the above passage of leaning on God, he fell a long way. Eventually, by letting his wives influence him, he worshiped false gods and forsakes the Lord.
God blessed Solomon, and eventually all of us, with the words we contribute to him found in the Word of God. We can, though, use Solomon as an example of how easily it is to let the world draw us from God. We must constantly be on guard against evil and deliberately follow the Lord daily to keep the deceptive riches of the world from pushing us away from the Light.
Number 10 Daniel the Prophet
Number 10 on the list is the prophet Daniel. Daniel was a man whom the Lord spoke to often. His most noteworthy prophetic interpretations deal with the foretelling of the four great empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. Daniel also prophesized the end of times paralleling John’s later description of these days in Revelation. The identifier of calling Jesus "The Son of Man" was first used by Daniel (Daniel 7.13).
Though abundantly blessed with God anointed prophetic gifts Daniel’s most admirable quality is his display of how godly men should act in a society that does not place utmost importance on our Lord. The Babylonian society worshiped many gods, not unlike our society of today with the blatant worship of the money god, the power god and numerous other secular gods. Daniel throughout all of his trials stayed loyal to the one and only God.
Daniel, when brought to Babylon, refuses to compromise his faith and eat unclean food. Described in Daniel 1.8, But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. Though it would have been easy for him to conform to the Babylon society Daniel choose to keep his high standards and be obedient to God. God rewarded him and his friends by enabling them to maintain their health with substandard rations.
The pinnacle for Daniel occurred in his refusal to worship any other god except for his true God. Daniel 6.10 describes his refusal to give up the worship of God to worship the secular king, Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously. This disobedience to King Darius led Daniel to be sentenced to death in the lions den. Again the Lord shows favor upon Daniel for his obedience and spares his life.
As men living in the United States during the 21st century do we display the same type of faith and obedience to our Lord that Daniel showed while being a prisoner in a foreign country? Or do we conform to society and figuratively kneel before the gods of this world? The easier path for Daniel, and for each of us, is to become like the norm in society, not placing the Lord first and foremost. By rejecting the worldly avenue Daniel had the insight to know he would only be truly satisfied and filled with eternal joy by being obedient to the calling of the Lord. This is a model of how we should live our lives when interacting with a society that often lacks obedience and fear of our Lord.