Isaiah 32:8 - The Noble Man

The Bible has excellent things to say about what it means to be a true man. Recently I found a great verse that speaks to the heart of what a man is and what a man does. The verse is found in the book of Isaiah - who himself was a very good man.

Isaiah 32:8 "But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands."

To be a noble man - that should be the goal of every young man and young boy. That should be the goal of every man alive. That was what the goal was back in the day. In years past, men wanted to be noble. That was their first and greatest aim. Above all else, they wanted to be noble. Men of old knew the importance of being noble, and they made it the benchmark for their lives.

For the next two posts in this blog, we will look at how the Bible tells us we can be noble. There are two things that we can do to be noble: make noble plans and do noble deeds.

To be noble - that was the aim of the man of old.

Men today need to have that same aim, as well.

Father's Day: Story about My Dad

As I think back upon this past Father's day, I am reminded of a story about my dad. My dad is probably the greatest man of old that I know. He is strong, honest, and good. I love my dad very much. Without getting too sentimental, I will share it here.


When I was a kid, I used to love to play baseball. I still like to play baseball, actually. My favorite thing was just to throw the baseball around. I loved to play catch. I was in that phase where baseball was still new to me, and I just loved each time I got to play catch to see how much farther and faster I could throw it and to see if I could catch all of them thrown to me.

I would sit in the living room waiting for my dad to come home from work in the summer. Secretly I would know exactly where my mitt and the ball was just in case my dad had time to play catch. My dad is a hard-working man, so I never wanted to intrude myself upon him to play catch. I always waited until he asked me.

I still remember those times. I would try not to show it, but I would be so excited. It's not like my dad never had time for me or anything. He always made time for me and would do anything for me. But, it's not like we played catch every single nite. So the nites that we did get to play catch, it was extra special.

I really never realized it until this year when I was gone in Africa. My dad would probably be so tired when he got home. I was just a kid who had sat around all day in the summer. But he would ask me if I wanted to play catch and then we would go out and throw the ball around. He would be wearing his work clothes. And I would be wearing a silly grin on my face.

I know it is not a ground breaking story or anything, but that is one of the things I will always remember about my dad.

In the Eye

Men of old would look each other in the eye when they spoke. This simple, natural gesture goes deeper than what it seems, and it is something that men today have lost. And this is something that men today need to regain: the ability to look each other in the eye.

Again, this goes deeper than just having good manners. Looking another man in the eyes means that you have nothing to hide. It means that you consider that person your equal – not in a competitive sense, but in an equality sense. It means that you are being authentic and real with that person; you don’t just look through them or around them. It means that you are speaking the truth, and you are backing it up by putting your word and your name behind it.

Men today need to regain the ability to look each other in the eye. We need to not be deceptive or sinister with our objectives. We need to develop equality with our actions and our attitudes. We need to be authentic enough with people to live in the moment – look them in the eyes and be in the moment with them. And we need to put ourselves fully behind the things that we say and the things that we do. When we are speaking and living the truth – and we are completely resolved in those actions – we will be able to look another man in the eye confidently and proud of our character.

Men of old could look each other in the eye with confidence because of their integrity. Young men, we need to regain this ability: the ability to look each other in the eye.

Why is this even important???

So why is this even important? Why is trying to be a better man even on our radar screen? Why should you be reading this? Why should I even be writing this? Basically, why is this topic even remotely important?

It's important because it's not where it should be. Since it's not where it should be, it becomes a problem. Because it is a problem, people are getting hurt. Families are struggling. The next generation of men have no examples. The good things are being lost. This problem affects every piece of community and society. Truly, this problem shapes the world.

Is that important enough?

No, really, I don't mean to sound coy. I just want to try to express how important this issue really is. When men are not real men, it impacts everything. It has a trickle down effect. It has a lasting effect. It has a large effect. Too often people pass this off as a simple change in society or a blah blah blah (technical terms). There are a thousand different excuses for why men are not as strong or disciplined as they used to me. And there are a thousand reasons why this isn't a big deal. So it might seem like I am exaggerating a little bit with my reasoning, but I don't think I am. This is a real problem. This is a big problem.

And, men, we have to fix this.

We have to fix this.

It is important.