Mighty Nimrod's Mind

 Mighty Nimrod's Mind

Before the flood there was much wickedness. Genesis 6 tells us of some elements or causes of this wickedness. Marriage between those of God and those who were not of God were arranged. And you also had  the giants, mighty men who made names for themselves. They were powerful, but of course the way it is portrayed is rather a spirit of pride which too many people glorified and loved since.

After the flood this same spirit shows up again with Nimrod, a descendant of Ham who humiliated his father Noah and whose name means ‘rebellion’. 

What does a full rebellion against God look like? What spirit or mind can we expect?


[Gen 10:8-12 NKJV] 8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD." 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that [is] the principal city).


Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Some loose translations even add ‘in defiance before the Lord’.

He was mighty on the earth: he obtained a name and reputation for himself just like the giants of old.

Again history repeated itself. But this time God would not flood the earth as He had promised.

Nimrod was not just a mighty hunter. Not only did he establish himself against the animal kingdom which would both help to obtain stuff and also to protect him from wild beasts.

He was also an empire-builder. Perhaps one of the first in recorded history.

Nimrod made a kingdom that included cities like Babel, Accad and Nineveh. Thus he became great.

But this empire-building, making a name for himself, being a mighty hunter before the Lord all came with a spirit of rebellion and pride.

Or rather: it was a spirit of rebellion and pride that was expressed through empire-building and becoming a famous and mighty hunter on the earth. His name even became proverbial.

And we can assume he did not become so famous and powerful without the acceptance and respect from others. 

It is this spirit of wanting to be well-known and powerful that comes from pride. And it is not only found in the people who actually get success.

Many are ambitious for all the wrong reasons. Many have the same rebellious and prideful spirit of Nimrod.

But it is nothing less than a repetition of the same spirit that was there before the flood. The proud will be humbled.

Let us not partake of such a spirit as Nimrod. Let us not be prideful and desire power and fame. Let us rather be humble and grateful.


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