by Joyce Adedayo Adams on Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 5:01am
JOSEPH
Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Mat 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
Mat 1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
ABRAHAM
Gen 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Gen 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Gen 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Gen 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
BOAZ
Rth 2:1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
Rth 2:3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
Rth 2:11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
Rth 2:12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
Rth 2:13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
Rth 2:14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
Rth 2:15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
Rth 2:16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
My sisters, I had to lay the foundation to my article hence the scriptures outline. Do bear with me, we will land very shortly!
I was listening to a message by Bishop David Oyedepo (a man I love and respect enormously) on how the Holy Spirit reveals the mind of God to His children, so my mind just wondered mildly, Lord, what is your will for single women who love you and sort of relationship or marital destiny do you have in store for them? Whoosh! Like a movie in a five second fast-forward, these men I listed above flashed through my mind. I went quiet and got the full gist from the teacher Himself. How many of us (me included) go to the bible when we tender to God the list of the qualities we want in a man? Every woman above the age of 21 knows exactly the kind of man she wants to marry, or at least she has the 10 top qualities she wants in her future husband listed out at this age. My question is: “where did this list come from?” Is it from romance movies or novels; is it from TV shows, or do you ask God to give you a man based on physical attributes only? (Oh believe me, we do!). Have you ever opened the bible and listed all the men who lived their lives for God, pick at least six of them that you identify with and tell God, now these are the qualities I want in my man? Have we ever done this? Let’s be very honest with ourselves. This is a very serious issue. Marriage is one of the most important decisions you will ever make your entire life (the most important being the salvation of your soul).
I cast my mind back to my university days. In our dorm room, we would sit and talk about the type of man we want to marry. The list as far as I can remember goes like this:
1. Tall, dark, rich and handsome (TDRH) First on the list!
2. Then all other qualities can follow!
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing absolutely wrong with TDRH. Wisdom is profitable to direct. Amen. The problem is when we just stop at TDRH and never for once open the bible to read and check out the qualities of the men who fought and won battles for God, then came home to love, cherish and provide for their wives and household.
Let’s go over these four men as it was given to me by the Spirit of God. Don’t limit yourself to these four only, the list is exhaustive. From Genesis to Revelation, there are loads of TDRH, spiritually discerned men you can pick and study his life. There is Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, Abednego; there is Peter, John, Andrew, there is King David, (Oh yes.. King David..don’t focus on the adultery..rather focus on his good qualities..he is a true worshiper of God and a strong warrior, he is a true friend, he is kind and loves his children..remember also that God called him a man after His own Heart). There’s Samuel, Solomon, Noah, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Elijah & Elisha and Jacob, who worked liked a slave for fourteen years for Rachel, the list goes on and on.
The first man we will examine is Joseph, Mary’s husband – Joseph who the bible calls a just man. In those days in Israel, under the Mosaic Law, if a girl was found pregnant and was not married, she will be stoned to death and her family will be shamed. So when Joseph found out Mary was pregnant, he was supposed to run screaming to the priests. But he just decided within himself to break off their engagement quietly so no one would find out. As he was contemplating the best way he would do this, God’s angel spoke to Him in a dream. Joseph obeyed God and offered love and kindness to Mary without thinking twice! He proved to be a man of men, strong and dependable. He stood as a father, brother, caregiver and a husband for both Mary and her unborn child.
Looking at Joseph with new eyes, I have a witness in my spirit that every single woman who has an issue she wants/ needs covering for should have Joseph listed at the very top of her list not a TDRH. Every woman who has a past, or an issue and needs a husband-defender, you better get on your knees and ask God for a Joseph. Because Joseph will listen to God’s voice and protect you. Joseph will stay with you and help deliver Jesus who he did not father. Joseph will wait till you have fulfilled God’s will (giving birth to Jesus) before asking for his own needs to be met (Oh I feel the Holy Spirit moving on my finger-tips as I type!!) Your prayer night and day should be Lord, like you found Joseph for Mary, who stood by her and protected her from untimely death and covered her up, I ask and trust that you will also provide a Joseph for me as well. Joseph is kind, gentle; strong and dependable. He is a provider and he is matured to a very high degree. Joseph has got a very healthy dose of self-control. According to bible history, he did not touch Mary sexually until she had weaned Jesus. Now is that a husband material or what! Tell me something I don’t know sisters.
Next is Abraham, faithful Abraham, God’s friend. You know if Sarah had not offered Hagar to him, he most probably would never have impregnated another woman! And he had every means and every opportunity to. He was very wealthy. He could have any woman he wanted. But he practically worshipped the ground on which Sarah walked on, barren or not. When Sarah says jump, he says how high? (Lol!) Sarah says sleep with Hagar, he did. Sarah says Hagar insulted me, Abraham says “slap the insolence out of her (hahahahaha!!)”. This is Hagar who is pregnant with the child he has been waiting for all his life, yet because SARAH was not happy, he told her to treat Hagar anyway she wanted. The bible says he told Sarah – she is your maid, not my wife! Sarah says banish Hagar and her son, at first, he hesitated, then Sarah got God to back her up, he did! He just loved Sarah to bits. Abraham is rock solid faithful, dependable and wait for it is coming, he is TALL DARK RICH AND HANDSOME (TDRH). He had every opportunity to forsake Sarah, especially after fathering Ishmael but he didn’t. He was stuck to her like everlasting super-glue. Oh.. are you still sitting reading this? You have not yet hit the floor and call forth your Abraham wherever he is? You know, most women don’t like their husbands talking with other women. But there are some women who can’t even stand the thought of their husbands being with someone else except them. Don’t worry. God feels you. He will provide you with your very own Abraham who will love you more than anything. Abraham will look at your ninety-year old body and still call you his sweet sixteen. (Ok ..some theology here now...I believe when God changed their Abraham and Sarah's names, their bodies also metamorphosed into younger bodies. The thought of a 100 yr-old man and a 90 yr-old woman making love is simply eeeeeeeuuuwwww!!)
And now, for my favourite husband in the bible, Boaz. The bible says Boaz is a mighty man of wealth..hmm..we like..another Tall, Dark, Rich and Handsome! What I love about this marriage is how God orchestrated their meeting and brought them together. In the first place, it would have been very awkward for Boaz, who is a very wealthy man, a man of stature and repute in the city to propose to a Moabite widow girl who just came into town (You know the Israelites can be very snobbish about preserving their culture and heritage! Mixed marriages were severely frowned upon). So now, Ruth went scavenging for food (Oh yes..Boaz found her hard at work, bent down in the most undignified position ever, picking up droppings of food from his field. He didn’t see her in a designer suit and heels, make-up all done, everything in place. He found her practically begging for food and from that minute, the Spirit of God started moving. God showed me a sneak preview of what happened here. Do you remember how Adam started blessing Eve the moment he set eyes on her? Come on now! That was exactly what happened when Boaz set his eyes on Ruth. If you read from Ruth 2: 8-13, oh..the guy prayed and blessed Ruth as if he was the chief priest himself! Secondly, Boaz happened to be a kinsman to Elimelech, so by law, he is actually doing a good deed and preserving the seed of the dead by marrying Ruth. End of story!
The story of Boaz and Ruth has a very important significance especially for women who have moved to trust God in one way or the other. By so doing, they honoured God and God will surely move and honour them in a biggest way possible! Ruth trusted in a God that seemed to have abandoned her mother-in-law. She left her familiar surroundings and followed her mother-in-law to unfamiliar terrain. The minute she told her mother-in-law in Ruth1: 16 – 17 “ Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me"; God was stirred up and He went ahead of her and prepared a place for her in Boaz’s home. All she went out to look for was food for herself and her mother-in-law. She came back married to probably the wealthiest man in town! (OK OK..it didn’t exactly happen that fast, but you get my drift!).
So dear sister, whip out your bible and go looking for a husband between those pages. Who says you can’t find a husband in the bible? Every book of the bible must have one. If you want a King, pick your choice from David, Solomon, King Ahasuerus (Esther’s husband). If you want a wise man, you can have your pick from King Solomon, Daniel, Paul, Abraham, Jacob. If you want a father, brother, friend and husband all-in-one, pick Joseph. If you want your husband to pant after your love, pick from Abraham and Jacob. If you want a strong man, Joshua and Caleb. The list is exhaustive. You can make it as long as you want. Start from Genesis down to Revelations. Ask the Holy Spirit to help as you search the scriptures regarding this very important part of your life.
And remember, we are not to go out looking for him ourselves physically. Our duty here is search the scriptures diligently, make a list, tender it before God and leave the rest up to Him. He will position us in such a way that it will be a perfect work. Look at what He did for Ruth..my goodness! She wasn’t dressed to impress or anything, she was just going about her own business, looking for what to eat.
This is a very resourceful tool/exercise for women’s bible study groups, women’s cell groups etc. Please feel very free to share and pass along. Freely have we received, freely give.
I would love to hear from you! Please send me your comments and whatever lists you came up with for what man in the bible so I can add to my research. Email address is: joycea75@gmail.com
God bless you!
Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Mat 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
Mat 1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
ABRAHAM
Gen 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Gen 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Gen 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Gen 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
BOAZ
Rth 2:1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
Rth 2:3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
Rth 2:11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
Rth 2:12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
Rth 2:13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
Rth 2:14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
Rth 2:15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
Rth 2:16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
My sisters, I had to lay the foundation to my article hence the scriptures outline. Do bear with me, we will land very shortly!
I was listening to a message by Bishop David Oyedepo (a man I love and respect enormously) on how the Holy Spirit reveals the mind of God to His children, so my mind just wondered mildly, Lord, what is your will for single women who love you and sort of relationship or marital destiny do you have in store for them? Whoosh! Like a movie in a five second fast-forward, these men I listed above flashed through my mind. I went quiet and got the full gist from the teacher Himself. How many of us (me included) go to the bible when we tender to God the list of the qualities we want in a man? Every woman above the age of 21 knows exactly the kind of man she wants to marry, or at least she has the 10 top qualities she wants in her future husband listed out at this age. My question is: “where did this list come from?” Is it from romance movies or novels; is it from TV shows, or do you ask God to give you a man based on physical attributes only? (Oh believe me, we do!). Have you ever opened the bible and listed all the men who lived their lives for God, pick at least six of them that you identify with and tell God, now these are the qualities I want in my man? Have we ever done this? Let’s be very honest with ourselves. This is a very serious issue. Marriage is one of the most important decisions you will ever make your entire life (the most important being the salvation of your soul).
I cast my mind back to my university days. In our dorm room, we would sit and talk about the type of man we want to marry. The list as far as I can remember goes like this:
1. Tall, dark, rich and handsome (TDRH) First on the list!
2. Then all other qualities can follow!
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing absolutely wrong with TDRH. Wisdom is profitable to direct. Amen. The problem is when we just stop at TDRH and never for once open the bible to read and check out the qualities of the men who fought and won battles for God, then came home to love, cherish and provide for their wives and household.
Let’s go over these four men as it was given to me by the Spirit of God. Don’t limit yourself to these four only, the list is exhaustive. From Genesis to Revelation, there are loads of TDRH, spiritually discerned men you can pick and study his life. There is Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, Abednego; there is Peter, John, Andrew, there is King David, (Oh yes.. King David..don’t focus on the adultery..rather focus on his good qualities..he is a true worshiper of God and a strong warrior, he is a true friend, he is kind and loves his children..remember also that God called him a man after His own Heart). There’s Samuel, Solomon, Noah, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Elijah & Elisha and Jacob, who worked liked a slave for fourteen years for Rachel, the list goes on and on.
The first man we will examine is Joseph, Mary’s husband – Joseph who the bible calls a just man. In those days in Israel, under the Mosaic Law, if a girl was found pregnant and was not married, she will be stoned to death and her family will be shamed. So when Joseph found out Mary was pregnant, he was supposed to run screaming to the priests. But he just decided within himself to break off their engagement quietly so no one would find out. As he was contemplating the best way he would do this, God’s angel spoke to Him in a dream. Joseph obeyed God and offered love and kindness to Mary without thinking twice! He proved to be a man of men, strong and dependable. He stood as a father, brother, caregiver and a husband for both Mary and her unborn child.
Looking at Joseph with new eyes, I have a witness in my spirit that every single woman who has an issue she wants/ needs covering for should have Joseph listed at the very top of her list not a TDRH. Every woman who has a past, or an issue and needs a husband-defender, you better get on your knees and ask God for a Joseph. Because Joseph will listen to God’s voice and protect you. Joseph will stay with you and help deliver Jesus who he did not father. Joseph will wait till you have fulfilled God’s will (giving birth to Jesus) before asking for his own needs to be met (Oh I feel the Holy Spirit moving on my finger-tips as I type!!) Your prayer night and day should be Lord, like you found Joseph for Mary, who stood by her and protected her from untimely death and covered her up, I ask and trust that you will also provide a Joseph for me as well. Joseph is kind, gentle; strong and dependable. He is a provider and he is matured to a very high degree. Joseph has got a very healthy dose of self-control. According to bible history, he did not touch Mary sexually until she had weaned Jesus. Now is that a husband material or what! Tell me something I don’t know sisters.
Next is Abraham, faithful Abraham, God’s friend. You know if Sarah had not offered Hagar to him, he most probably would never have impregnated another woman! And he had every means and every opportunity to. He was very wealthy. He could have any woman he wanted. But he practically worshipped the ground on which Sarah walked on, barren or not. When Sarah says jump, he says how high? (Lol!) Sarah says sleep with Hagar, he did. Sarah says Hagar insulted me, Abraham says “slap the insolence out of her (hahahahaha!!)”. This is Hagar who is pregnant with the child he has been waiting for all his life, yet because SARAH was not happy, he told her to treat Hagar anyway she wanted. The bible says he told Sarah – she is your maid, not my wife! Sarah says banish Hagar and her son, at first, he hesitated, then Sarah got God to back her up, he did! He just loved Sarah to bits. Abraham is rock solid faithful, dependable and wait for it is coming, he is TALL DARK RICH AND HANDSOME (TDRH). He had every opportunity to forsake Sarah, especially after fathering Ishmael but he didn’t. He was stuck to her like everlasting super-glue. Oh.. are you still sitting reading this? You have not yet hit the floor and call forth your Abraham wherever he is? You know, most women don’t like their husbands talking with other women. But there are some women who can’t even stand the thought of their husbands being with someone else except them. Don’t worry. God feels you. He will provide you with your very own Abraham who will love you more than anything. Abraham will look at your ninety-year old body and still call you his sweet sixteen. (Ok ..some theology here now...I believe when God changed their Abraham and Sarah's names, their bodies also metamorphosed into younger bodies. The thought of a 100 yr-old man and a 90 yr-old woman making love is simply eeeeeeeuuuwwww!!)
And now, for my favourite husband in the bible, Boaz. The bible says Boaz is a mighty man of wealth..hmm..we like..another Tall, Dark, Rich and Handsome! What I love about this marriage is how God orchestrated their meeting and brought them together. In the first place, it would have been very awkward for Boaz, who is a very wealthy man, a man of stature and repute in the city to propose to a Moabite widow girl who just came into town (You know the Israelites can be very snobbish about preserving their culture and heritage! Mixed marriages were severely frowned upon). So now, Ruth went scavenging for food (Oh yes..Boaz found her hard at work, bent down in the most undignified position ever, picking up droppings of food from his field. He didn’t see her in a designer suit and heels, make-up all done, everything in place. He found her practically begging for food and from that minute, the Spirit of God started moving. God showed me a sneak preview of what happened here. Do you remember how Adam started blessing Eve the moment he set eyes on her? Come on now! That was exactly what happened when Boaz set his eyes on Ruth. If you read from Ruth 2: 8-13, oh..the guy prayed and blessed Ruth as if he was the chief priest himself! Secondly, Boaz happened to be a kinsman to Elimelech, so by law, he is actually doing a good deed and preserving the seed of the dead by marrying Ruth. End of story!
The story of Boaz and Ruth has a very important significance especially for women who have moved to trust God in one way or the other. By so doing, they honoured God and God will surely move and honour them in a biggest way possible! Ruth trusted in a God that seemed to have abandoned her mother-in-law. She left her familiar surroundings and followed her mother-in-law to unfamiliar terrain. The minute she told her mother-in-law in Ruth1: 16 – 17 “ Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me"; God was stirred up and He went ahead of her and prepared a place for her in Boaz’s home. All she went out to look for was food for herself and her mother-in-law. She came back married to probably the wealthiest man in town! (OK OK..it didn’t exactly happen that fast, but you get my drift!).
So dear sister, whip out your bible and go looking for a husband between those pages. Who says you can’t find a husband in the bible? Every book of the bible must have one. If you want a King, pick your choice from David, Solomon, King Ahasuerus (Esther’s husband). If you want a wise man, you can have your pick from King Solomon, Daniel, Paul, Abraham, Jacob. If you want a father, brother, friend and husband all-in-one, pick Joseph. If you want your husband to pant after your love, pick from Abraham and Jacob. If you want a strong man, Joshua and Caleb. The list is exhaustive. You can make it as long as you want. Start from Genesis down to Revelations. Ask the Holy Spirit to help as you search the scriptures regarding this very important part of your life.
And remember, we are not to go out looking for him ourselves physically. Our duty here is search the scriptures diligently, make a list, tender it before God and leave the rest up to Him. He will position us in such a way that it will be a perfect work. Look at what He did for Ruth..my goodness! She wasn’t dressed to impress or anything, she was just going about her own business, looking for what to eat.
This is a very resourceful tool/exercise for women’s bible study groups, women’s cell groups etc. Please feel very free to share and pass along. Freely have we received, freely give.
I would love to hear from you! Please send me your comments and whatever lists you came up with for what man in the bible so I can add to my research. Email address is: joycea75@gmail.com
God bless you!
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