I Want to be Like…Nimrod?

Moses gives some extra attention to one of the sons of Cush in Genesis 10, a man named Nimrod. Another “first mention” in the Bible, because Nimrod was the “first on the earth to be a mighty man.” And then Moses adds, “He was a mighty hunter before the Lord.” That sounds like he was a great hero, and in fact there was a saying that grew up in this time, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter.” Instead of wanting to “Be like Mike,” there were boys in Noah’s day growing up who said, “I want to be like Nimrod.”  Here’s the problem. The name Nimrod means “rebel,” or “the rebel.” It can also mean, “we will revolt.” Whether Nimrod was his real name or a nickname, he was known around town as ‘the rebel,’ a man who sought power by tyranny and force. He was a mighty hunter “before the Lord.” Twice Moses tells us that, but the interpretation here is most likely negative. It means he was a rebel right in front of God his creator. We also learn that he was the man who built “Babel…in the land of Shinar.” If you read ahead to the eleventh chapter of Genesis, you will find that things did not go so well for the people there. Nimrod was a great builder, a powerful leader, and a force to be reckoned with in his day. He was much like other great world leaders down through the ages who have used their popularity and power, their cunning and charisma, to entice or force people, whichever worked, into a path that led to great destruction. Listen to what Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian, wrote about this ancient ‘hero’:

“Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it were through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence upon his own power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he (God) should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! And he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers!”

OK, so Nimrod was not so mighty after all. Not in the things that really matter, not in the things that leave lasting fruit. And neither is any leader in a nation, a business, or a church, who sets aside the ways of God and the Word of God in order to get what he wants for himself.

The scary part? There but for the grace of God go I, or anyone else.