“What a Nimrod!” I blurted out right after the blue Peugeot cut me off in the round about. Wait…what? It just slipped out of my mouth.  Now, I haven’t said that word since I was in middle school. Nimrod was the codename for idiot and you could even get away with saying it around adults!

I guess I should have paid closer attention in my 10th grade Old Testament studies class because the actual meaning of “Nimrod” has nothing to do with stupid. Au contraire. Nimrod was an intelligent, heroic warrior. He was a a few generations removed from the great flood and a great grandson of Noah. From different Jewish writings, he was known as a great hunter and a skilled architect. In fact, he was famous or should I say, infamous, for participating in the design of the very first skyscraper, the tower of Babel.

Sadly, brute and brains doth not a good or godly leader make.  It was believed that this Prince, Nimrod, was an egotistical tyrant. He forced and drove his people into submission and on their backs built his various empires.  His name Nimrod, slang for rebel, proved true in his different conquests.  For example, ancient history mentions his main purpose in building the tower of Babel was to revolt against the God of heaven and survive should he ever decide to flood the earth again.  Talk about a Nimrod!

Even after God mercifully intervened by distributing the different languages among the people and Babel’s work was halted, Nimrod’s selfish ambition was far from extinguished and he continued building other cities to rule over such as Nineva, Caleh, Rehoboth-Ir and Resen.

What a Nimrod!  Didn’t he learn? God mercifully stopped him and his building crew from completing their rebellious tower of terror and yet, he simply kept on.  He continued doing what he was good at; building, dictating, and oppressing people.

But, before I start construction on my own tower of self-righteousness and distance myself from this story, I need to ask myself some questions.  Does Nimrod’s desire to build and conquer really differ from mine? Maybe he and I are more alike than I want to admit.  How do we know whose tower we are actually building? When one of my projects crumble, do I blindly rush ahead without reflection, without pausing to take a heart inventory? Am I reckless in spending energy at other’s expense without sticking around to finish what I’ve started? Am I never satisfied, always looking for the next big thing? Or maybe it’s my endless striving for significance or striving for the perfect result.  (I won’t say how many times i’ve rewritten this blog post!)

God lovingly destroys our self constructed towers. He knows they’re no good for us.  He knows they will fail to bring any lasting satisfaction. When God says no, His intention is to protect us from hurt and self-destruction.  The tower of me; success, popularity, self-reliance and power leave no room for God or for others. Their foundations are weak and they will crumble.  Rebellion and selfish ambition end up destroying us.

Instead of such vain work, let’s fit into God’s plan. Let’s join others in building His Kingdom and pursuing His righteousness, then all the earthly needs and things we strive for will be provided for us. (Matthew 6:33.)

Don’t be a Nimrod!