“A Boy Named Sue” is an old country song by Johnny Cash that tells the story of a boy who grew up having to fight his way through life because of his name. His father had named him Sue and then left the family. As the boy grew, and fought, he became determined to find his dad and get revenge for having to fight all his life. One day he found him and they commenced to fighting. Well, his old dad was tough and mean and put up a good fight, but finally Sue got the upper hand. When the dad knew that he had lost he explained to his son why he had given him that awful name. Knowing he wasn't going to hang around to teach the boy how to be a man he gave him that name knowing he would have to fight and become tough. His reasoning was seemingly justified by having been bested in a hard fought brawl.

Believe it or not there’s a Bible story that’s similar to that idea, or at least had a similar ending. Two days ago we began looking at the account of Jephthah, Gilead’s illegitimate son, who was run out of town by his brothers. One thing we didn't spend any time on was his initial description: “Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor” (Judges 11:1). After that the text adds “but he was the son of a harlot” and verse 2 reveals his broken relationship with his brothers and home town and social status as an exiled outcast, which could lead to the conclusion that the social status produced the man – a genuine “Boy Named Sue”.

Now does that mean we men should abandon our children to fend for themselves so they will become real men? Absolutely not, it destroys the boys and the society that tolerates it. Just look around at the all too obvious cultural decay that is the direct result of too many among us having abandoned their boys. The result is absolute devastation to the boys, their moms, and their siblings, and to society as a whole.

Instead let’s be real men who stick around and show them how to live a life of love and support. Ephesian 5:25-33 tells the husband how to love his wife. Chapter 6:1-4 follows by telling him how to love his sons (and daughters) by raising them to respect their parents – and God. That kind of manliness, which is the only real kind, requires us to commit ourselves to serving our wife and children. Oh, and like the song says at the end, “name him Bill or George anything but Sue.”