“And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth”
-Gen. 10:8 KJV
Nimrod
When you hear the names “Jezebel” and “Nebuchadnezzar”, you quickly associate them with wickedness and idolatry respectively, but when you hear “Nimrod”, you think of a military jumbo jet- right?... Wrong!
Of all the great rulers of this earth, Nimrod is probably one of the most significant. Why? He is only mentioned 4 times in the Bible. The Bible only describes him as a great hunter and mighty warrior but he was a lot more than that! The influence of his legend can still be seen today in practices like Baal and Sun worship, Zodiac and horoscopes, the evergreen Christmas tree, the Easter egg (from Ishtar) and fertility, Queen of Heaven in Catholicism to mention but a few. Surprised? Search for yourself.
Nimrod was the great-grandson of Noah, a bold and strong man. His name originally means “the rebel” or “hunter”. After the flood, he systematically used tyranny to turn men away from the fear of God. He is said to have built the Tower of Babel which we shall read about tomorrow.
Sun worship has its origin in the legend of Nimrod and his wife (and mother!) Semiramus (also known as Ishtar). The story has it that when Nimrod was killed for his evil deeds, parts of his body were sent to various cities as a warning. Semiramus fled but spread the rumour that he had ascended to heaven, where he had become one with the sun. Semiramus later became a deity- mother of the sun god and “Queen of Heaven”. In the various cultures throughout history and around the world, the same basic deities have been worshipped under different names.
Quick Read: Genesis 10; Memory Verse: Genesis 10:8; Further Reading: 1 Chronicles 1: 1-10; Micah 5: 4-7 Through the Bible in 1 year: Genesis 12-14; Matthew 5: 1-26
Prayer: LORD, crush every form of rebellion in me
No comments:
Post a Comment