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The Purpose of Man
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Session 1 – Course Overview and What is the Purpose of a Real man?
Contents History and the Roles of a Man ................................................................................................. 2
Role of a Man in the 21st century .............................................................................................. 3
What is the effect of the 21st century roles on a man? ............................................................. 4
The influence of the media. ................................................................................................... 4
Hollywood .......................................................................................................................... 4
SPORT ..................................................................................................................................... 5
Money .................................................................................................................................... 5
Pornography....................................................................................................................... 5
What then is the true identity of the 21st century man?........................................................... 6
Principles for finding your purpose ........................................................................................... 7
God put your purpose within You ............................................................................................ 10
GOD’S PURPOSE FOR THE MALE .............................................................................................. 10
1) The male’s priority ........................................................................................................... 11
2) THE MALE’S POSITION ..................................................................................................... 11
3) THE MALE’S ASSIGNMENT ............................................................................................... 13
Visionary and Leader........................................................................................................ 13
TEACHER ........................................................................................................................... 14
CULTIVATOR ..................................................................................................................... 15
PROVIDER ......................................................................................................................... 15
PROTECTOR ...................................................................................................................... 16
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 17
The Purpose of Man
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Purpose of man
PROV 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose
that Prevails”.
…male maturity does not come with age; it comes with the acceptance
of responsibility. “Dr. Myles Munroe”
What is your idea of what a real man is?
*Men need a God-given Identity if they are to fulfill their true Purpose
History and the Roles of a Man
Men were physically stronger so they did the hunting (providing) and protecting.
The woman are physically equipped to have children (no birth control, therefore
many children) and were also the care takers at home... by nature.
In the early days (pre-modern times) the role of the man and woman was far more obvious
concerning the biology. Males are generally physically stronger than woman, so the men
were the ones who went to hunt and provide for the family. Females are biologically
equipped to have babies, so they cared for the children. In general, there were no birth
control options and no abortion alternatives with which a woman could supersede biology.
Roles were less complicated because they were predetermined by biology. Live was a
struggle for survival. Men had to risk their lives making a living; this caused the woman to
respect them. The woman cared for his children and he therefore respected her. There was
no confusion as to who have to fulfil which role. It was obvious and both needed and
respected each others roles. The woman and man saw each other as equal with different
roles.
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Role of a Man in the 21st
century Let us now look at what the role of a man is today?
The woman makes in some families more money than the men. Are the men still
the provider and protector?
Because the woman also provides who has the authority?
An array of studies is telling us that males aren’t quite sure who they are or what woman
expect from them. Why? Men are trying to cope with the collision of new 21st societal
expectations and the traditional ideas (just discussed) of what a man should be. With this
collision of ideas the man may find himself in an identity crisis... Who am I and what is my
role today? Let explain...
Next are a few scenarios where the traditional roles of a man are colliding with the 21st roles
taken up by woman today, roles that was not previously possible for woman.
1. Is a man still supposed to be the provider (breadwinner) and protector? The woman also have a university degree brings in her own money and therefore makes her own bread. With the money she earns she can buy security (protection). The man therefore asks: “Does the woman really need me in these areas anymore?” Am I still a protector and provider?
2. Is man still the leader and authority in the home? This isn’t clear anymore. The woman says, “You’re not my authority. I am not a slave. I make my own money and my own decisions. A man doesn’t know how he’s supposed to relate to a woman any longer? How do I tell her what to do if she makes more money than me?
3. Should a man still show chivalry (respect) to a woman? Sometimes a man will open
a door for a woman and she’ll be offended. “Do you think I’m crippled?” she’ll demand. A man isn’t sure if he should be nice to a woman anymore. Woman in the 21st century wants to be seen as strong as men, not weak as were portrayed in history.
4. Is a man still the defender of his family, property, and country? More women are
entering law enforcements and the armed forces and are carrying guns. Men don’t know if woman even need them anymore.
These few scenarios (and there are many more), cause confusion concerning your manly
purpose, doesn’t it?
So what do you do in order to be a man in the twenty-first century? Who are men in relation
to woman? How are men to sort out the various versions of masculinity that are being
promoted in the world?
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What is the effect of the 21st
century roles on a man?
Men have linked their identity to their roles. Now that the roles have changed,
they are suddenly left with no basis for manhood as it was defined in history.
The media portrays a strong man as someone with success (business, sport, aka
money). Have the looks and ability to get any woman in bed. Men have therefore
linked their identity to performance and the gym.
If both husband and wife are now bringing home the bacon, then who’s the provider? If
both are paying the mortgage, then who’s putting the roof over their heads? That is a
problematic question for men. Men are afraid that their wives don’t need them anymore.
What is the effect of this on a relationship?
This causes that men and woman look to one another primarily for love and companionship
rather than survival and protection as was the case in history. Our priorities as human
beings have change. People are looking for something more in their relationships. In
contrast to the past where survival was the focus, now happiness, intimacy, and lasting
passion are the requirements for a relationship.
Why is this a problem?
Men have linked their identity to their roles. Now that the roles have changed, they are
suddenly left with no basis for manhood as it was defined in history.
The 21st century man is in a struggle to find a new identity. Let us explore some of the
influences that the man has to cope with while trying to find his identity and trying to prove
his masculinity.
The influence of the media.
Let’s look at the media’s presentation of a man.
Hollywood
Sport
Money
Pornography
Hollywood
Most movies that Hollywood produce portray a strong man as someone who can get a sexy
woman in bed. You normally have your love scene where most of the time marriage is not
even thought about, not to mention that the friendship stage is mostly not adhered to
either.
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Secondly if you look at the type of man who gets the sexy woman it is mostly the good
looking, finely gut masculine men. Although it is not wrong to exercise men are now trying
to find their identity in the gym.
Thirdly Hollywood started to support the gay community. Together with this confusion of
men asking: “What is happening. Am I a man or a woman-man?”, the idea that men must be
more in touch with their feminine side gets shouted from all sides... even woman.
SPORT
The “main” guys in the school are mostly the 1st team rugby captains, the fastest sprinter or
the best cricketer. After every weekend it is not hard to notice that murders and economic
crisis takes second preference to what happened in the Sport the weekend. This influence
at school together with the media’s portrayal of how great sport stars are confuses a man’s
identity where he now links it to performance.
The man now says: “If I can just perform and be the best sportsman in my school, university
or country... Then I am a man and will get accepted by everybody.”
Money
This is the measure of success today. Money can by acceptance. Insert
Pornography
Insert
The man is now stranded in trying to find his new identity with all this influences, mingled
with the confusion of what is his role?
Putting everything together what does the media say a man should be?
You are a real man if you look like Incredible Hulk, have one or more
sexy girls at your side, have a very successful business or have a run at
Sport’s man of the year. With all this pressure the woman still earns
more money than you as previously discussed. No wonder the 21st
century man have an identity crisis.
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What then is the true identity of the 21st
century man?
Men need to think in terms of purpose rather than roles.
It is not hard to see from the discussions above that something must drastically change to
restore the identity of men.
First, men must adopt an entirely new way of thinking. We need to think in terms of
purpose rather than roles. Roles have never been the true basis of a male’s identity and
purpose. What men really need to discover is their underlying purpose.
A mans position and actions must flow out of his purpose, not other way around. Next we
are going to explore what is the purpose of the male-man in general. Which purpose does
every man have to fulfil and comes natural to him? If men can find their purpose they can
once again discover their true identity. Not in his role as in history, but in his God-given
purpose.
Proverbs 19:21 is our foundational Scripture in regard to understanding God’s purpose:
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”
The answer for males in the 21st century is therefore to-
1. Define their worth on God’s purpose for every man, rather than society’s roles. 2. Learn God’s vision for their lives. 3. Continue to live in the truth of who they were created to be.
To summarise these statements: Men need to discover their God-given identity if they are to
fulfill their true purpose.
Something very important to understand is that we don’t create a new purpose for the 21st
century man. No, we are going to discover! Your God-given purpose is already in you, it’s
not something you have to force. It is the natural, because God has placed in you.
This crucial truth tells us that we can make all the plans we want to in life, but if we don’t
make our plans according to the purpose for which God created us, then our plans will be in
vain. If you look at the man today it is easy to see that his plans are proved to be in vain.
We may even pursue goals and engage in practices that are harmful for us. We have only
one life, and we have to make that life count if we are ever to fulfill our purpose.
In this journey we will discover that purpose, therefore, the key to a young mans
effectiveness and happiness in life.
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Principles for finding your purpose Let’s look at our master, our role model in life... Jesus Christ. How did he live in His purpose?
Insert verses
At twelve years of age, Jesus was busy with his purpose. Isn’t that an exciting way to live?
Don’t give up on having a purposeful life, no matter what your age is. Get busy with the
right thing.
The next question you might have is probably: How did Jesus new what His purpose was at
age 12 already? How do we discover what is right for our lives? I believe Jesus understood
the word purpose. He understood that His Father send Him to earth to fulfil a specific
purpose. I believe we first need to understand what purpose is in God’s eyes before we
discover our purpose in our personal lives.
Below are seven principles that we will discuss in brief to understand the importance of
purpose in our lives. Applying these principles in our lives will result in living successful lives
in the eyes of our Father because we understand the purpose He has for us:
God is the God of purpose
God created everything with a purpose
Not every purpose is known to us because we have lost our understanding of God’s
original intent for us.
Where purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable.
To discover the purpose of something, never ask the creation; ask the creator
We find our purpose only in the mind of our Maker
God’s purpose is the key to our fulfillment
1. God is the God of purpose
The creation that we read about in Genesis was not the real beginning; I would like to call
Genesis “the end result” after God finished His thought processes. The purpose of man
didn’t evolve as God started creating the creation. God finished deciding what he wanted to
do, and then He created it. First God predetermined, predestined, or purposed everything.
Then He produced it.
2. God created everything with a purpose Since God created everything with a purpose, both males and females need to go to Him if
they want to know their true reason for being. If they try to change His plans or fight against
them, they are in essence fighting against themselves, because they’re working against their
own nature, the way they function best based on the Manufacturer design. Moreover,
because God is love, His plans embody what is best for us, so they would also be working
against their own highest good.
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3. Not every purpose is known to us because we have lost our understanding of God’s original intent for us.
When human beings as a race turned their backs on God and His ways, as we learn in
Genesis 3, they ended up losing their knowledge of God’s intent for themselves and for the
world. Humanity has not respected the fact that God’s creation and His directions for living
were established for a specific reason. This is a very dangerous situation and we may find
ourselves back to square one where the first Adam moved out of his purpose that God gave
him.
4. Where purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable. People abuse things because they just don’t know their purposes- or because they disregard
those purposes. Where males and females don’t know God’s intentions, they end up
abusing each other, even if they don’t mean to. If males are going to solve their current
identity crisis and fulfill their purpose as men, husbands, and fathers, they must rediscover
God’s plan for them. Otherwise, they will hurt those around them, even if it’s unintentional.
Take for example a guitar. You can use a R30000 guitar for a cricket bat. You will probably
not score 6s but you will get around with a few singles. The value of the guitar does not
change but because it is used out of its original purpose, it is basically useless with no value.
On the other hand put that guitar on stage in front of a 50000 crowd roaring and screaming
where they are enjoying the perfect sound coming from its strings. Suddenly the value of
that guitar is appreciated much more as to when it was used as a cricket bat.
5. To discover the purpose of something, never ask the creation; ask the creator Whenever you don’t know the purpose of a thing, you are experimenting. That’s what many
people- especially young people- are doing with life. They experiment with sex and sexual
identity and they end up with all kinds of problems. If you want to know your reason for
existence, don’t ask another product; ask the manufacturer. Everyone else is guessing.
Therefore, if a man wants to know his reason for living, he must look to God and His
manual- not other males. If he looks to himself or others, he will travel an unreliable and
hazardous course in life.
6. We find our purpose only in the mind of our Maker We need to understand the mind of our maker. How do we do this? By learning how He
thinks. The only way for us to succeed is by discovering and living in the purposes of our
Maker, by undergoing a transformation in the way we think about ourselves based on His
original intentions for us. That transformation comes about by a renewal of our minds: (Rom
12: 1-2) God’s ways will transform your spirit, your mind, and your outlook. When you
present yourself to God and learn from Him, you will start to understand His purpose. Thus,
the male will fulfill his purpose only if he seeks the mind of his Maker with all his heart.
When God’s plans unfold before him, his fragment life will become an orderly whole, and he
can become the man he was meant to be.
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7. God’s purpose is the key to our fulfillment You can never be totally and completely satisfied until you find your purpose and then live
in it. You cannot do what you’re supposed to do. And if you do what you’re not supposed to
do, you’re not going to be fulfilled. You’re wasting time. You’re abusing your life. Stop now!
God said in His word “Remember your creator in the days of your youth” (Eccl. 12:1)
God didn’t say, “Remember the university” or “Remember what your friends are saying”
They can give you only their opinions about what you should do. God said, remember you’re
Creator, the one who made you. Remember Him first while you’re young. Why? So that the
evil days won’t rob your days
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God put your purpose within You As we said earlier it’s about discovering your purpose, since God has already placed your
purpose within you. Becoming what God has purposed for you not only allows you to live
affectively, but also to worship your Creator who has given you ideas, talents, resources and
energy to fulfill His desire and plans for your life.
Proverbs 20:5 says, “The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but
a man of understanding draws them out.”
In this verse it is clear that your purpose is inside of you. God has placed it deeply within
you. However, in order to draw it out, you need to be assisted by God’s wisdom and
revelation- because your purpose was born in the mind of your maker.
GOD’S PURPOSE FOR THE MALE Do you sometimes wonder; “why do I exist?” Finally we are going to explore what God
teaches in the about the purpose of a man.
Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a mans heart, but it is the Lord’s
purpose that prevails”
Where do we start? It is easy. What are the purposes that God gave the first Adam, the first
male-man? By discovering Adam’s purpose as male-man we will discover the natural
abilities that God gave every male-man.
The creation of the male-man
As you read the passages discussed below keep in mind that God creates according to the
requirements of His purpose, and the purpose of something determines its nature, its
design, and its features.
For instance, let’s say that Ferrari decides to build a car so that they can compete in Dakar.
The requirement when designing the car will be to handle the tough dessert terrain. This
will influence the design and features of the car. It doesn’t help they build another sports
car that can travel at 350km/h, but it can only travel 20m in sand before it gets stuck.
Requirements determine design and features.
In our context this means that the nature, design, and qualities of male were decided upon
by God and created by Him according to what He determined was best for the sake of
mankind! Meditate on this statement until it sinks into your heart that you were created by
God in a way that is BEST for mankind.
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Looking at Adam the purpose that God gave the male-man may be summed up as:
his priority,
his position, and
his assignment
Priority refers to the man’s order in creation and what this means in regard to his reason for
being.
Position refers to the environment and place in which the man is to carry out his purpose.
Assignment means the functions or tasks that the man has been given.
1) The male’s priority
Lets think of this; God really made only one human being. When He created the female, He
didn’t go back to the soil, but He fashioned her from the side of man. Only the male came
directly from the earth. This was because the male was designed by God to be the
foundation of the human family. The woman came out of the man rather than the earth
because she was designed to rest on the man- to have the male as support.
Men must understand that society is only as strong as their men.
If men crumble the world will crumble, just the same as a building would fall if its
foundations are weak. I’m praying that God will raise up some strong foundational men.
Men who will stand by their wives and stand with their children and be there as a stabilizer.
Men whose families will feel secure in their strength. You can become a strong foundation
by becoming the man God created you to be.
2) THE MALE’S POSITION
The male was placed in the environment in which he was meant to carry out his purpose:
“now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there He put the man He
had formed (Gen. 2:8) this point is very, very crucial. God put the man in the environment in
which he was supposed to remain in order to fulfill his reason for being.
A central reason that God placed the male in the garden was so that he could be in His
presence all the time; the male is not wired to function outside the presence of the Lord. He
could walk and talk with the Lord in the cool of the day. (insert scripture) He could hear
God’s voice. This was a place where communion, fellowship, and oneness with God were
always intact.
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Deu 4:10 [MSG] - That day when you stood before GOD, your God, at
Horeb, God said to me, “Assemble the people in my presence to listen to
my words so that they will learn to fear me in holy fear for as long as
they live on the land, and then they will teach these same words to their
children.
If a man is not living in the presence of God, he might be moving, but he is not really
functioning. Outside the presence of God, he’s a dangerous, uncontrollable beast. Today’s
news paper headlines confirms this when you look at the amount of rape charges, murders
and even affairs and adultery cases.
It is only by the continually being in God’s presence that our minds and hearts can be
renewed. We need to learn to walk “in step of the spirit” (Gal 5:25) rather than in step
with our own ideas about life. As the prophet Jeremiah said, “the heart is deceitful above
all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jer. 17:9).
We should never doubt our need of God. What was the first thing God
gave the male? He didn’t give him a woman, a job, or even a command;
He gave him his presence
It isn’t enough just to go to church. We need to be in touch with Him constantly, hearing
His voice, listening to His commands, following His
directions.
Why?
Because our inner beings need to be strengthened (Eph 3:16) and because we are
responsible for leading those for whom we are accountable. That’s way God gave Adam
Himself before he gave him anyone or anything else.
Eph 3:16 : That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,
to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man...
+17-19
Wouldn’t it be grate for a family to have a husband or father in the home whom they could know was in touch with God so that they could get direction for their lives.
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The key is relationship!
God put the male in the garden because He wanted him to always be related to Him in
fellowship and communion. The key to life is relationship. If you have everything that your
heart desires: a big house, a fast sports car, your little beach house, but you are the ONLY
person on this whole planet. Do you even want the stuff if you can’t share it with anyone?
No, we are created to be relationship beings. It doesn’t make sense to have everything, but
you can’t share it with anyone. The movie cast away portrayed this beautifully where Tom
Hanks had Wilson, although just a basket Ball it was someone he could share his experience
with.
3) THE MALE’S ASSIGNMENT
Before Eve was made out of Adam, God gave Adam (Gen 2) the following six specific Assignments that were his responsibility to carry out:
Visionary
Leader
Teacher
Cultivator
Provider
Protector
Visionary and Leader
Gen 2:15 And the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden
of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, you are free
to eat from any tree in the garden;
Gen 2:17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.
The male, being first, received all the information, all the revelation, all the communication from God. He showed him the whole Garden, the whole environment of Eden, a vision of everything He had created, and then He gave him the instructions for living.
Take note that the female wasn’t formed until after the events of the above passage. Therefore, the male received all this information alone. He was in charge alone. He was responsible alone. He was a leader alone.
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Thus, the male was given the charge of being the visionary and leader, the one who would guide those who came after him in the ways of the God.
You will see as we go along that everything that is necessary to lead
the family is built into the male.
This doesn’t mean that woman don’t also have the capacity to be visionaries and leaders. However, the male is the one to whom God first entrusted His plans and purposes for the world. The male is to be responsible for everything under his jurisdiction.
This is a serious thing!
If something goes wrong in your family, you as male-man are accountable. You may say, as Adam told God when mankind fell, “But the woman...” (Gen 3:12). No, not the woman – you are responsible. God went straight to Adam even though Eve was the one who first ate the fruit. When God asked him, “Where are you?” (Gen 3:9), the question was not a matter of location but of position? You are not fulfilling your purpose of leadership, Adam. What has happened to your family and your leadership!
You are the responsible one, whether you like it or not. If you run from this responsibility, it will run after you, because it’s not just a role; it’s a God-given purpose.
TEACHER
God told Adam in Gen 2:16-17 This is my command: “but you must not eat from the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. Note this is still
before Eve was made. God therefore didn’t told it directly to Eve, He told it only to Adam,
which means that it was the man’s responsibility to teach and guide her in the Word of God.
If I were the first to discover something, and then someone else were to show up on the
scene needing to know the information, what would that make me? It would make me a
teacher.
Likewise, the male was given the purpose of being the teacher, not because he’s smarter,
but because he was first. This is the pattern that God established. Again this doesn’t mean
that the woman are unable to teach, but that God intended men to be primarily responsible
for teaching His ways.
In Genesis 3, Satan came to Eve, and he asked her, “Didn’t God say you shouldn’t eat from
any of these trees? (verse 1). Eve’s answer was based on what she heard from Adam, not
from God, because Adam had been the one God instructed. She said, “No, we can’t even
touch it.” (see verse 2-3). Eve learned from her teacher, it was Adams job to teach her God’s
instructions.
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Eph 5 tells us that Jesus Himself teaches His bride, the church, “by the washing with water
through the word” (v26). Christ is a teacher, and “husbands ought to love their wives... just
as Christ loved the church” (v28,25).
God expects males to reveal His will and His word to females. It sad, that in our days, the
males have lost God’s will for their lives so badly that God is teaching the woman directly.
He can do this because woman has a spirit-man within her and has her own relationship
with God. Yet God desires men to be spiritual leaders.
CULTIVATOR
What assignment did God gave the male in regard to the Garden? The bible says in Gen 2:15 that: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden to work (cultivate) [NAS].
God didn’t want the man to do mindless labour – it was to cultivate. To cultivate means to make something grow and produce a greater yield. It also means to make something fruitful, to develop it into its perfection. The man is to be a developer and fruit producer.
Every man should take hold of this truth. The man must be a source of fruitfulness. Everything he touches or have influence in example his family, friends, his work he should cultivate so that both people and things brings glory to God.
Jesus is our best example of a cultivator. He takes us which are worthless and cultivates us, prunes us (insert verse John) so that we can become living beings bearing fruit and bringing glory to God. Jesus brought life to the things he touched, so should we be men that brings life to people who are down and under, because of the living waters of God that flow through us. (Reference to We are made in His image on the next page)
PROVIDER
Men I want to introduce you to one of your primary purposes. It is very simple, nothing complicated. You don’t try and be Batman. You don’t have to compete with Arnold Schwarzenegger or anybody else. You don’t have to have big muscles. You can weigh 60 kgs and still fulfill your purses – no problem. God gave you the assignment to work.
Now, I hear somebody saying, “I’m so mad at Adam. Because Adam sinned, now /i have to go to work.” I have news for you: work was given to the man in Genesis 2, before the fall. In other words, work is not a curse, my friend. Let me tell you the primary reason God gave you work.
It is given in Gen 2:2-3
God Himself worked when He created the world, and still works to carry out His purposes. God rested on the seventh day.
Phil 2:13 – It is God in who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Because you are made in His image you are designed to work.
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What is the significance of work? Work exposes your potential and reflects God’s nature! You cannot show what you have inside unless demands are made on it, and demands are placed on it by work.
God gave the male work because it is related to his purpose. His purpose is to stay in the presence of the Lord and learn to rule and manage what God has given him to do. In this way, he can eventually fulfill God’s complete plan, for him, which is to dominate.
God not only gave the man work because it exposes his potential and reflects God’s nature, but also that it enables him to provide for those whom he is responsible for in his position as visionary and leader. Provide comes from the Latin word meaning: “To see ahead.” Male should be the visionary. He should have a vision for his life, and he should work to see it accomplished – for himself, his family, and others under his care.
A male is physically designed for his purpose as provider, as we saw when we discussed the history of men. In general, he’s built physically stronger than the female, particularly in his upper body, because of God’s command that he should work.
Gen 1:26 God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting
our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air,
the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of
Earth."
Gen 1:27 God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's
nature. He created them male and female.
Gen 1:28 God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be
responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that
moves on the face of Earth."
Gen 1:29 Then God said, "I've given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth
And every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food.
Gen 1:30 To all animals and all birds, everything that moves and breathes, I give
whatever grows out of the ground for food." And there it was.
PROTECTOR
Gen 2:15 – The Lord took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to... take care of it. The next responsibility the male was given was to “take care” of the Garden. I would include under this responsibility guarding and protecting the garden and everything in it.
This is one of the most natural tendencies that the man still have and practise today. Think quickly of a girlfriend you had or your wife. What is the first reaction if some random guy starts beating her with you next to her side? You will immediately act as a protector! It doesn’t even matter if that guy is twice your size, you try everything you can to help and protect her.
The Purpose of Man
Page 17
Why does this come so natural? Since being a protector is once again a God-given purpose for the man. Once again like we discussed in the man as a Provider, the man is physically stronger than the woman and is therefore physically equipped to protect her.
There’s a final aspect of the male as both provider and protector that I want you to recognize. Before the woman came, God gave the man one last responsibility:
Gen 2:19-20
Did you know the Hebrew concept of naming things actually means to possess them? This idea is very important in the Bible. Why did God tell the male-man to name the animals? Why didn’t God name them Himself? It is because whatever you name you own. Whatever you name, you control. Very interesting. That’s why God named the male.
This idea is why God made sure that Mary and Joseph didn’t name Jesus. He personally named His son. Why? He didn’t want Jesus’ earthly parents to possess Him. He knew the day would come when Jesus would reach twelve years of age and His mother asked Him, “Why did you leave us, Son?” and He would have to say: “I must be about my Father’s business. “ He named me. You didn’t name Me. (Luke 2:48-49 NKJV
Can I take you one step further? Look at this verse:
This is why God did not name the woman. Now, men, that’s a lot of weight on your shoulders. God chose not to name the female. He wanted the man to be totally responsible for her. This is why in marriage; a woman has traditionally taken her husband’s name. It is to signify that he is responsible for her!
Real men are very careful about naming things, because they know the truth of this principle: what you name, you claim; and what claim, you have the responsibility for.
Young men, don’t be so quick to give your name away, because whomever you give your name to, you have to cherish and love, care for and secure, protect and provide for.
Conclusion The assignments that God gave the man to be a Visionary, a Leader, a Cultivator, a Teacher, a Provider and Protector are all hidden inside every man. God equipped men physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually to fulfill and live out these purposes. It is up to us to develop our abilities, but it is still there... you can’t run from it, because it is the God-given purpose of a man!
