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1:19So there we have the verses that we're going to be covering, but if you remember from last time, I enjoy context. So while that is What we'll be looking at. We're going to actually go a little bit further back and understand a little bit about what Genesis is writing, Moses is writing here. It seems almost to some like a throwaway statement. You're reading along, you've got this grand narrative, and then you've got this genealogy, and inside of this genealogy that is inside of that narrative, you have this one little blip, and then you move on, and we all rock along. And you just kind of go over it. But I don't believe there's any portion of Scripture that can be tossed away so lightly. And I think there is a great message here for us in this story of the life of Nimrod.

2:14And in order to understand that, we look first at Genesis chapter 1. And you begin to understand what is happening as God creates all that is. And what we immediately get is a picture of God working with the entire earth, sculpting it, and shaping it and working with all of creation therein. And in chapter 1, verse 31, we get a glimpse of this global perspective. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. Everything was before him. And he's looking at it, and we keep this global perspective. Perspective, starting here and going all the way through chapter 12. And we're getting this beginning of everything on earth. And we find our text within this global perspective. But this perspective and this global idea of earth and how good it is is quickly shaped by a specific activity in a specific place. We see in chapter 3 that what was very good becomes not so good. We see the fall and we see the introduction of enmity. And we see the enmity specifically, the problem, the fall, the sin, the divide between God and his creation that he had just made. And we see this in a specific way between the seed and Satan. The seed and Satan. The seed and the idea of the seed, and I'd love to trace it all the way through. I don't really have the time, but you see it repeated over and over, not just at the beginning here, but starting in chapter 12 when it zooms in from this global perspective and you look at the blessings on Abraham and his seed. And you follow this all the way through the Old Testament until the culmination in Jesus Christ. And lest you think that I'm making that up, we have a perfect commentary on. The fact found in Galatians chapter 3. So we see this idea of the seed, and it's God working through a chosen family, which becomes a chosen people through whom we get Christ and the people of God through him.

4:51God and his people versus Satan and his. The godly versus the ungodly, the righteous versus the unrighteous, a refrain that will follow throughout. And Moses is building up this narrative starting in chapter 3. The gospel, in a word. We have creation, we have the fall, and we have a solution. All working together here. And in Genesis 4, we see this begin to unfold. We see Cain and Abel, the first example of conflict after the fall. Cain bringing his sacrifice, which is not respected by God, and Abel bringing his sacrifice, which is, again, this righteous and unrighteous, the people of God and the people that are not of God.

5:44And Cain, when, because of jealousy for his brother, has killed Abel, God drives him out from his family, drives him out from his blessing in much the same way his father was driven from Egypt. Eden, and we see a phrase given a couple times. Cain complains, I shall be hidden from your face, chapter 4, verse 14. Again, two verses later, Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. And this is reminiscent for those of you who might call it to mind of Habakkuk, chapter 1, verse 13, the idea that Habakkuk, in complaining a little bit, says that God cannot look upon evil. And we should understand this. I'll give a quick commentary on this, a verse taken out of context a lot of times.

6:40Does Cain ever actually leave the presence of God, meaning his awareness or his power, or in any way escape God? No. That's not what's going on here. Is God incapable of recognizing what is happening with his people? Well, if that was the case, he wouldn't have been talking to Cain and correcting him about the evil that he had just committed. The idea here is not that suddenly God's omnipresence or omnipotence is impugned. Instead, it's the idea of communion. Again, the idea of God's people, those who are with him, and Satan's, those who have rejected him. Those with whom God has communion and those with whom there is community. No communion. Those who are blessed and those whom the blessing has been removed from.

7:35So Cain is sent out and removed from all the many blessings that God has for his people. Very quickly, in the same chapter in verse 25, we have another seed, and those words are used. We have Seth, who comes along. And with them, we have men who began to call on the name of the Lord. So we have a restoration, if you will. We have Abel, who has been slain, but God maintains his remnant, a theme from Shepherd's Conference. He maintains his people that he will continue to maintain throughout the Old Testament, a story that we are given over and over. After Seth, after we see his line in chapter 6, we see that the wickedness of man has grown great, and we get Noah. Noah, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This entire cosmic scene with God looking on earth and he is seeing all of this unfold, and we get the story of all the people spreading across the face of the earth, and he sees Noah, and he is before the face of the Lord, and he has favor.

9:00Chapter 9 of Genesis, then we have the three sons of Noah, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. And we see Ham, who goes and commits a grave sin, because of which there is a curse. And we see that even despite the flood, despite the purging of evil, there is still sin. Simple punishment physically is not going to suffice. There must be a sacrifice which we will later see in Christ. So this division remains despite the flood. And then we arrive at chapter 10, our immediate area of concern. And herein you are given the descendants of these three men, the sons of Noah, each of which is sent out, dispersed. This is the theme of the chapter. You see in chapter 10, verse 5, verse 18, verse 20, verse 25, verse 30, 31, and 32, this idea of dispersal. And they're dispersed according to their nations and according to their languages, which is interesting because this looks forward. Where do those languages come from? Well, in chapter 11, we get that explanation with the Tower of Babel.

10:30The division of peoples. So, within this idea, we have the righteous and the unrighteous, the division of people, all of whom are living their lives before the Lord. And that is the phrase from our specific text I really want to focus on: before the Lord. What does that mean? As we're called to watch, we're given this narrative, watching with God in a manner of speaking, how everything unfolds, this literary unit up to chapter 12, we have a small glimpse, Nimrod, one man, which tells us a story. So, what does it mean to be before God? First of all, I suggest to you it means that he is an agent of divine providence within this scene. He's not just a man living life alone by himself and for himself. He's a man through whom things happen. A mighty man.

11:43It begins, and we look a mighty one on the earth, he became such, and a mighty hunter. The mighty hunter aspect that you might stop and say, Well, that is an interesting detail. What does that mean? To do anything, why would God give him this particular gifting? Well, first of all, I'd suggest to you it's a personal means to acclaim. You see, if you look at some of the traditions, some of the mythologies, most of them false, but have that seed of truth that are based around Nimrod. This idea of a mighty hunter is found all across many of the cultures. By being a mighty hunter, he gained fame, and God used this. Note that beasts in Scripture are used regularly as an adversary. We see them in Genesis 37, Job 5, Jeremiah 15, Ezekiel 5, Hosea 2, among many, used as a means of punishment, used as a means of killing, used as a worthy adversary in a way.

12:58It was an accomplishment to be a great hunter, unless we forget that. If you have a bow and a spear and you're facing down a lion, that's kind of a big deal. Not many of us would readily and willingly do such a thing. And the idea is that he's not just a hunter, he is a mighty hunter. He's going after the big game. He's accomplishing things that brought him renown. And this was a gift from the Lord. He's also gifted through. Kingship. You'll notice that it says the beginning of his kingdom, verse 10. There is no such thing as a kingdom without a king. It was his kingdom. Therefore, he is the king of his kingdom. We see in Romans chapter 13 and in the epistles of Peter this idea that all authorities and governance come from the Lord. So the Lord gifted him in his hunting for a reason. The Lord gifted him in his rulership as well. He was given a role in governance.

14:09And those kingdoms are interesting because you'll note, it gives us which cities his kingdom consisted of. Babel, which is going to be spoken of in the next chapter. Erek, which, as the best I can determine, is right around the location from which the Chaldeans come. Interestingly enough, they play a big part in a few more chapters when we see that's where Abram, later Abraham would come from, the land of the Chaldeans. You have Akkad, for which we get the Akkadian Empire, not the French, but the first known empire of all this land, which would later be The Babylonian Empire, one of the greatest empires ever. We see then, next, Nineveh and the lands of Assyria.

15:15You'll notice neither here nor in Chronicles, there's one other mention of the genealogies. None of the sons of Nimrod are given. His kingdoms are given. In many ways, every major empire who would come out of this area, this land, if you see where these cities are plotted, it covers this whole entire area. They're all coming from him. And in a way, whether or not biologically, he is the start of all of these that would later come to be. And we see this fulfilled in Micah 5, 6, the last reference to Nimrod. And it talks about Assyria being the land of Nimrod, the whole land, all of it being his land. The land that he settled, that he tamed as a hunter, that he started.

16:07Not only is he a king, but the kingdoms that he started are used by God in the shaping of the entirety of history. He is the agent of divine providence. He is a man before God. We too are before God in this. Respect. We have talents and responsibilities in like manner. I would point you to the parable of the talents. Look at Matthew chapter 25 and Luke chapter 19. Everybody has been given talents, regardless of whether you are a Christian or not. Remember, in the parable, there is one who is rebuked. No matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter what is happening, everybody, every human person, has been given specific talents, and no matter how small they may be, some level of responsibility, if only over yourself.

17:11We have been given talents. We have been given responsibilities. Our future has been divinely appointed by God. I would point you to Jeremiah chapter 10 and chapter 29, where the prophet is extolling God and pointing out the, and he uses the word the stupidity of mankind. The fact is, we do not know what tomorrow brings. We do not know what we are going to be doing a year, two years, five years from now. But God does, and he has appointed for us the steps we are to take. He is using us to shape the world around us.

17:56We are his agents of divine providence. And we are always seen. As I've mentioned, Cain did not escape the sight of the Lord, even if he did go outside of the blessing of the Lord. Look at Psalm chapter 139. No matter where you go, no matter what you are doing, you are before the Lord. On this globe that we all find ourselves in, God sees all. So, just like Nimrod, we are before the Lord in this sense. Notice, lastly, what it does not mean. Before the Lord in this context does not mean that he is seeking God or a Christian. It does not mean that he is seeking God or a Christian. His hunting was in accord with what the Lord told people to do. If you look at chapter 9, verses 2 and 3, it says, The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky, with everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea, into your hand. They are given.

19:12His kingship is in accord with that same section in verse 1. God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Nimrod was creating kingdoms, making them safe, allowing them to prosper with every kingdom that comes. A people that are growing and multiplying. And he allowed for that by organizing and giving governance. No anarchy has ever fostered population. Governance is of the Lord. We are not to be people ungoverned. So, in these ways, yes, he is in accord with the Lord, but that does not make him Christian. We have many people that have, strictly speaking, done the will of the Lord, but they do so because they must, not because they want to. You'll notice that nowhere is it mentioned that he gives fealty to God. In fact, his grandfather was Ham. He comes from a cursed family. And his people, the Chaldeans, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, every one of them, idolaters, some of the worst of the worst. You look at Jonah and the description of Nineveh and the kind of people they were. Despicable. In fact, so much so, that great city, that exact phrase is used in some of the very things we've been studying going through the end times to speak of those that are directly in opposition to God, willfully, purposely rebellious against him.

20:58No, he is not. A follower of Christ. Whether or not he himself, as an individual, is an exemplar of evil, doesn't matter. He is a type of a people who has not bended the knee voluntarily. What we have is once again a continuation of Moses' thought throughout, all the way up to this point, of two peoples: those who are coming to the Lord and those who are rejecting the Lord. What we have once again is this continued thought. You'll note that while there is a brief section here in chapter 10 of Shem's line, the main look at his line is in the next chapter. Therein only four generations are given before it diverges and it looks at the children of Peleg.

21:49You have the general population that is dispersed across the globe. The multitude, those, if I make my own comparison, the broad way. Then you have a narrow line that is compared to it very shortly, soon after. The godly line of Shem, the people, the seed through whom the seed will come, Jesus Christ. So we have this comparison. We also have a word picture, I believe, in the very phrase before God. I find there'd be an interesting Idea.

22:32The Hebrew, if you look at it, is before the face of the Lord. And you have that word before is a one-letter preposition. It denotes movement. Before is the most common idea, and it's used in a lot of different places. It can be alongside, towards, away from, against movement. The face that is God's, the face of God. You see, Nimrod moves before God. He is the one moving. God is unmoving. And in this, I think there's a beautiful idea for each of us. And I used the phrase that I think was useful: that the image of God, an immovable God, is given to movable people. And throughout Scripture, we are regularly called to make a decision. It is a gospel call, and you have to make this decision very simply put.

23:44Are you going to bend the knee or not? You are before God. That you have no choice in. You can't escape him. You can't defeat him. They try that twice. In fact, in the future days, as I've told the Yags, I don't quite understand what's in their heads, but you know, get a bunch of people and they gather pointy sticks and they try to take on God Himself sitting on Mount Zion where they all can see and they know who He is. There is no doubt, there's no confusion, and they think they're just going to take Him on at that time. And as we saw this morning, throwing your lot in with Satan is not a good idea because you will bend the knee.

24:38You can either do it because you are forced to, or you can do it because you choose to, because of the work of God in your life. That is the call that has been given us. And you see, and I'll quickly turn, I didn't have it marked. Isaiah chapter 46, I think, is an excellent way to see that. Chapter 46, starting in verse 2. But I'll start, I'll back up just a little bit. Bel has bowed down. Nebo stoops over. Their images are consigned to the beasts and the cattle. The things that you carry are burdensome, a load for the weary beast. They stoop over, they have bowed down together, they could not rescue the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity.

25:46I find it interesting that you have a man who is a mighty hunter of beasts. You have a God who has subjected the beasts to us, given us dominion. And yet, we as a people regularly, instead of living up to that calling and that image, instead of submitting to the will of God and thereby recognizing his call, we reject God and end up by doing so, rejecting the very things he has called us to do. And the things that we have been given dominion over, the very things that made Nimrod famous, become the things that subject us. And we, like them, ultimately will be bowed down. We will be subjected to the beasts. I mention the beasts being used as punishment. The things that Nimrod was conqueror over will someday conquer them. So we have this call. First, if anybody in this room is not a Christian, the call is very clear. If you do not know Christ, if you have for some reason decided that you are. Going to stubbornly stick it out, whether out of apathy and an interest simply in city building or out of rebellion, either way, it gets you to the same place against God because there are only two categories: two peoples, God's people and those who are not God's people. And I'm calling you directly right now to give up the fight, to become one of God's people by subjecting yourself, repenting of your sins, and becoming one of His through faith in Him. For those of us who are Christians, who have made that decision, then I ask you this: who do you look more like? It might sound familiar because this is something I've said before, and I think really application ultimately, no matter where we are in Scripture, looks a lot alike.

27:58Are you Christ's? Are you acting like you are Christ's? How are you living your life? Your legacy, your epitaph, is it going to be simply that you are a great accountant, a great software engineer, a good hunter, an awesome leader of men, or is it going to say that you are a man after God's own? Heart, or a woman who loved the Lord, a family who made him a priority. You see, we have in this short section a brief note of a man who stood as a type for all of man who has rejected God, and also a warning that I believe has been given by Moses. You are all people before the Lord, but you are called to come before him willingly and submit to a God who loves you. And I'm going to end it just a little bit early, if y'all will forgive me, but let's take all of that home and think about it as we pray.

29:23Dear Lord, I pray that we will take this story of Nimrod and apply it in our lives as a cautionary tale. Lord, I pray that you will keep us cognizant of you and your presence, of your watchfulness over us. Lord, that those here that may not know you will feel that as a form of conviction through your spirit and come to you. That those of us who do know you will recognize that as a Call to holiness and right living, and that either way we will live as a church, glorifying you through our words and deeds. Lord, I pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.