Men suck. Women suck, too. Since I began studying marriage and male/female relationships in the Bible, I have been convinced that Isaiah 3 very closely matches our society here in America (and probably most of the rest of the world too):
- Our most capable men have been killed in war or are so discouraged by injustice and/or hard circumstances that they are focusing on their own little worlds and hiding from the rest of the world.
- Their absense left a vacuum that has been filled by children (Remember the political rallying cry of “But it’s for the children!”), women, and weak men.
- Injustice is the rule rather than the exception in our “justice” system. Your divorce is a prime example. The divorces of more honorable men who are financially shafted and denied access to their children are other examples.
- Physical appearance is everything, while character is nothing. Loose women who flaunt their independence and licentiousness are admired and called strong, while conservative women who keep a low profile and dedicate their lives to their children and husbands are made bitter by years of maltreatment and scorn.
The solution to every social ill is always more faithfulness to God by all members. That’s easy to say, of course, but difficult to interpret, and even more difficult to implement.
Two things from Isaiah 3 jump out at me: backbone and humility. Besides Yeshua, who in the Bible were exemplaries of backbone and humility? The examples that immediately come to my mind are Moses, David, Deborah, and Abigail. Moses was called the most humble man that ever lived, yet he stood up to Pharaoh and ruled millions through hardship and war. David constantly wrote of his unworthiness and refused to attack his own king who tried to kill him, yet men flocked to his side and he was Israel’s greatest general and king. Deborah stayed out of the limelight except when she was called, and then she led a nation in justice and war by the respect of its people and the blessing of their God. Abigail loved her husband in her deeds even if she despised his character in her heart. When his life was threatened by a powerful warlord bent on revenge, she didn’t step aside and gain her freedom. She confronted the warlord and saved her husband’s life.
I won’t presume to tell you what you need to do. That wouldn’t be my place, even if I knew what to say. There might not even be a magic bullet that will fix all your problems. In fact, I’m positive there isn’t. I will tell you this, though: the only way our people will find more good men is if they grow some balls and get down on their knees in prayer. The only way our people will find more good women is if they thumb their noses at who television and Cosmo says they should be and submit to God and their husbands.
You want to find a good man? Look for Moses and David. You want to find a good woman? Look for Deborah and Abigail (unmarried, of course). Where are you going to find them? I don’t have a clue. Keep the faith, though. There’s no other way that God can bless you.
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