JOHN’S BLOG-BIBLE CHARACTERS (2)
NIMROD.
In my last Blog I wrote of Enoch, who was good and righteous. This time the spotlight is turned upon a character who was bad and rebellious, for that is what his name means. It comes from the Hebrew word “Marad,” which means “rebel,” or “he will rebel.” This is what he did: Nimrod didn’t just sin, but led mankind in an open rebellion against the person of God.
To learn of Nimrod’s rebellion, we need to refer to Genesis 10:8-12; and Micah 5:6, but before we look at it closely, we see that open sin was already running in the family. As we read the genealogy of Noah’s sons we find that from Shem’s line was born Abraham, and ultimately the Messiah, Jesus. From Japheth descended many of the northern and eastern nations, and Ham was the founder of the Canaanites and many of the Middle Eastern nations. From the beginning, Noah laid a curse upon Ham and Ham’s son Canaan because Ham had abused his father, Genesis 9:24-27. From another of Ham’s sons, Cush, came Nimrod, so his family history was not too good.
It appears that Nimrod grew up as a wild and rebellious person. The Jewish historian, Josephus, tells us that “Nimrod persuaded men not to ascribe their happiness to God, but to him as the cause of it. He became a great leader; he taught men to centralise; and defied God to send another flood.”
In Genesis 10:9 we see the term referencing Nimrod as a “mighty hunter.” This could refer to the hunting of animals or could also mean the hunting of men to enslave them. Psalm 52:1-3 describes the spirit that was in Nimrod. “Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The loving-kindness of God endures all day long. Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, falsehood more than speaking right.” The different Hebrew words describing Nimrod could be translated; powerful warrior, tyrant, champion, giant, or strong one, and has reference to those like Nimrod who were renowned for their wickedness.
In Genesis 10:10, Nimrod set up a kingdom with Babylon as his capital. In Genesis 10:11, Ashur, another descendant of Ham built Nineveh in Assyria. These were the first two empires, and throughout the Scriptures they were opposed to God and God’s people Israel. This was the beginning of empires, not guided by God, but by lawless tyrants who taught men to revolt against Divine laws and authority. According to Strong’s Concordance, the Scriptures mention Babylon two hundred and ninety seven times and Assyria one hundred and forty one times, with very little good said of either of them within the pages of the Bible.
The history and fortunes of Israel, Babylon and Assyria take on the appearance of the two sides of a balance. When Israel is living in obedience to God, Babylon and Assyria are minor players on the world stage. But when the situation is reversed and Israel has turned from God to worship idols, then Babylon and Assyria are in the ascendancy
In Genesis 11:1-9, we read the events of why the people were scattered and their language changed. Again, Nimrod was at the root of it. Not only did he establish the first kingdom, but the first universal false religion after the flood. We note in Genesis 11:1-2 that those who were born after the flood travelled from Ararat to the east of the Euphrates and were of one language (Hebrew), and one religion, and it was there that Nimrod founded his kingdom.
In the next two verses, Genesis 11:3-4 we read of a people determined to act through the motivation of self rather than God. “Let us make bricks; let us burn them; let us build a city; let us build a tower; let us make a name for ourselves.” Where was God in all this? God was quietly watching and taking notes. By the time the people had finished building the tower, God decided that enough was enough. Nimrod and others had said, “Let us make a tower whose top will reach into heaven.” In the Hebrew, there are no words to be translated “will reach,” which means that they were not trying to build as high as heaven. The Hebrew is, “and his top with the heavens.” So, what they were doing was to build a tower whose top would be dedicated to the heavens. This means it’s top would portray the signs of the Zodiac in such a way as to be objects of worship.
Among the ruins of ancient Babylon there is a ruin which rises to the height of one hundred and fifty three feet above the plain. It is made of kiln-dried bricks in seven stages to correspond with the planets to which they were dedicated. The lower black, the colour of Saturn; the next orange, for Jupiter; the third red, for Mars; and so on.
We read in Genesis 11:5-11, how the Lord came down, and between themselves (“us” the Trinity in vs.7) decided to make a dramatic change in the way people spoke and related to each other, which would result in them being scattered throughout the world into different nation groups. It is interesting that in Genesis 11, God gives various tongues as an expression of His judgement; but in Acts chapter 2, He gives various tongues as an expression of His grace; and in Revelation chapter 7 we see all those tongues gathered round the throne, all giving glory to God.
In the life of Nimrod and within succeeding generations, down to the present day, mankind is still suffering from the “self” complex and will continue to do so until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the first four verses of Genesis chapter 11 there is no mention of God, and no house for Him. Man ever seeks to shut God out and exalt himself. We can observe the “Nimrod” character in the life of every ruler of note. We think of the Caesars; the Tsars; Napoleon; Hitler, and Stalin, up to the modern day rulers in various countries.
However, if we are honest with ourselves, this same “Nimrod” character of self-exaltation and self-desires is within us all. As Christians we call it the “old nature,” like Nimrod we sometimes prefer to go our way rather than God’s way.
In closing, let me encourage all who read this Blog, to recognise the stirrings of our “Nimrod,” and before it begins to affect our walk with the Lord, or our relationships, let us quickly seek God’s Spirit to overcome its desires. “Lord, please help us at all times to walk in the character of Jesus, in grace and humility, and help and strengthen us against walking in the ways of Nimrod, Amen.”
God bless you. John.