What does it mean to be a man?
Our culture is confused about this. Some say masculinity is the problem. Others say it means dominance and power. Neither is true.
There is such a thing as toxic masculinity. We see it in Goliath. He used his strength for himself — to intimidate, to dominate.
But there's another danger that gets far less attention. Passive masculinity. Men who know what they should do and refuse to do it. Men who wait. Men who avoid responsibility and stay silent. That's Saul.
And somewhere between those two stands David. Not toxic. Not passive. Strong, courageous, humble, dependent on God.
Here's the main point, and I don't want you to miss it. Biblical masculinity is strength surrendered to God for his glory and the good of others.
In 1 Samuel 17 we meet three men — a giant, a king, and a shepherd. Only one of them understands what manhood is.
Goliath
Everything about Goliath says look at me. Look how big I am. Look what I can do. He's nearly ten feet tall. His armor weighs more than some middle schoolers. The tip of his spear weighs fifteen pounds — imagine carrying a bowling ball on the end of a stick and throwing it at people.
But Goliath's problem was never his size. It was his pride. His strength existed for his own glory. That's toxic masculinity: strength without God.
Church, the strongest man in the room is not necessarily the godliest man in the room. A man can bench four hundred pounds and be spiritually weak. He can run a company and fail to lead his family. He can conquer a boardroom and be conquered by his own sin.
Saul
Saul hears Goliath, and does absolutely nothing.
Which is remarkable, because Saul was the biggest man in Israel with the most battlefield experience. He's the king. He's the warrior. He is precisely the man who should have stepped forward to protect his people. And he sits there.
Why? He feared man instead of God. Proverbs says the fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Once you fear God, there is nothing else left to be afraid of. You're free. Saul was not free. Saul's life had become about protecting Saul.
Before we're too hard on him — a lot of men are fighting the same thing. The greatest threat to masculinity right now is usually not aggression. It's passivity. Someone else can pray. Someone else can lead. Someone else can disciple my kids, fix my marriage, step up.
Meanwhile the giant keeps talking and the king keeps sitting.
David
David looks at the same giant everybody else is looking at. The difference isn't what he sees. It's who he sees behind it. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.
Ask yourself: who made you into the man you are? None of us got here alone. God usually uses faithful men to shape the next generation of faithful men.
For me, one of those men was Dr. Lyle Dorsett. Before he was a seminary professor he was a Marine, and before he was a Marine he was a broken man who needed grace. One night after an argument with his wife he left the house, picked up a bottle, and passed out on the side of a mountain road. When he came to, he was lying at the edge of a drop that could easily have killed him — and Billy Graham was preaching on a radio somewhere nearby. Right there on the roadside, he gave his life to Jesus Christ. He went on to become a pastor, a professor, and eventually held the Billy Graham Chair of Evangelism at Beeson Divinity School.
I met him my first year of seminary, right after failing an exam I had studied as hard as I possibly could for. I was discouraged. I did not know if I had what it took. He sat me down and told me not to quit. He believed in me when I was struggling to believe in myself, and I honestly wonder whether I'd still be in ministry without that conversation.
Later he invited our class to his house. Some men have workshops. Some men have man caves. Dr. Dorsett had a basement full of World War II chaplain memorabilia — books, artifacts, stories of chaplains carrying the gospel into the darkest places on earth. Standing in that basement is where God planted the seed that made me a military chaplain.
Near the end of his career he stepped back from public ministry to care for his wife as her health declined.
That is biblical manhood. Not fame. Not power. One faithful man following Christ and investing in others. A conversation. An encouragement. An example. A life lived faithfully in front of other people. That's how God changes generations.
The twist
Who are we in this story?
I want to be David. The hero God uses to deliver his people. Sign me up. But honestly, that isn't me, and it probably isn't you. We're Israel — afraid, powerless, unable to save ourselves, standing behind the battle line.
And then our champion steps forward.
Jesus is the greater David. David defeated a giant; Jesus defeats sin. David defeated a warrior; Jesus defeats death. David won a victory and shared it with Israel; Jesus won a victory and shares it with his people.
If you're sitting there thinking I've failed, I'm no model of biblical manhood — welcome to the club. You are surrounded by men who don't have it together. David failed too. The Bible is not primarily about great men doing great things for God. It's about a great God showing mercy to broken men. The hope is not that you become David. The hope is that Jesus becomes your Savior.
Run
Most giants don't live in valleys. They live in our homes, our marriages, our parenting, our habits, our fears, our excuses.
Look at verse 48. David ran toward the giant. He didn't walk. He didn't hesitate. He didn't overthink it or wait for a better opportunity. He ran.
Because faith moves. Fear hesitates.
Goliath fought for himself. Saul protected himself. David risked himself for God. And Jesus gave himself for us. The world does not need more perfect men. It needs faithful ones.
So what's your giant? You probably already know.
Run toward it.
