The time came near for David to die; so he commissioned Shlomo his son as follows: “I am going the way of all the earth. Therefore, be strong; show yourself a man. Observe the charge of The LORD your G-d to go in his ways and keep his regulations, mitzvot, rulings and instructions in accordance with what is written in the Torah of Moshe; so that you will succeed in all you do and wherever you go.
As David is about to leave his son to rule over Israel, he admonishes him to live a life dedicated to The LORD. David advises Shlomo that he will have success wherever he goes if he has the strength to show that he is a man by following G-d. This advice is overlooked as far as I can tell. It is also a revolutionary paradigm. It offers an insight into what it means to be a man or prove manhood. The measure of a man is not in wealth, prestige, power, virility or any of the shallow measures of the world. The measure of a man is in restraint, dedication and self-discipline. What makes a godly man a man is as much what he holds himself back from doing as what he drives himself to do.
