Goodly Men Gen. 39:6 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
There are several men in the Bible who are called goodly men. Goodly means of pleasant appearance, character or quality: comely, handsome, excellent. Here are the goodly men and here’s what we can learn from them:
Joseph – Gen 39:6 – Joseph’s looks nearly got him in trouble with Potiphar’s wife. Men today are too concerned with their looks, with how they appear to men. It wasn’t Joseph’s goodliness that gained him favor with Pharaoh. It was because of his wisdom that he became the second ruler in Egypt. Wisdom is what you need, not looks. In Gen 41:38-39, notice Joseph’s wisdom, discretion, and filling with the Spirit.
Saul – 1 Sam 9:2 – Saul was a good-looking man and, yet, he turned out to be a type of the anti-Christ. Since, “man looketh on the outward appearance,” watch out. A man may “appear” to be a good leader only to turn out to be a stubborn, disobedient, rebellious, idolater [1 Sam 15:22-23] who hates God’s men. And don’t think you can hide these traits in your life by goodliness and by just acting like a man of God!
David – 1 Sam 16:12 – David was of a beautiful countenance. That probably didn’t help him when it came to the first night that he met Bathsheba. But God didn’t choose him because of his appearance; he chose David because he was “a man after mine own heart.” That’s what set David apart [Acts 13:22]. So, develop your heart, not your wardrobe and your hairstyle.
An Egyptian – 2 Sam 23:20-21 – the Egyptian was armed better than Benaiah, but Benaiah was a better soldier. We are to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ [2 Tim 2:3-4; Eph 6:10-18]. You are a better soldier for your ability to fight, not for your looks and countenance. In 1 Tim 6:12 we are to fight the good fight of faith. In 2 Tim 4:7, we read that Paul fought a good fight.
Adonijah – 1 Ki 1:6 – Adonijah, like Saul, was a type of anti-Christ. He tried to take David’s throne away from Solomon, who is a type of Christ. Again, just because a man looks good doesn’t mean he is good. We can see from this order that the anti-Christ will sit on the throne before Jesus does, and the world will follow him because he will be a goodly man.
Conclusion: don’t worry about your outward appearance so much. Groom your wisdom, discretion and spirit, your heart and your skills as a soldier. Fight the good fight of faith. And watch out following somebody just because they have “the look.” They may wind up being terrible for you. Remember Jesus was not comely [Is 53:2] and, yet, he is the best man that ever walked on this earth. Follow in his steps [1 Pet 2:21].