Godly fathers-ungodly sons-6

We spent two weeks traveling for the special family gatherings around the country. We are glad that we are now safely back home.

Today we will study the extended family of Cain for a number of reasons. First, to show how far into the future our lives can and will affect others. Second, it is far easier to knowingly or unknowingly pass on traits,traditions, and values to our future family members. This is a sad example of this problem.

Genesis 10:8  Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. 10:9  He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD." 

10:10  The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 10:11  From that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, 10:12  and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. 

Nimrod was a real person, but much has been written about him in other documents that would border on legend. However, let us take note of what the Bible attributes to him. First, his first kingdom was Babel! He was a very successful leader of sinful men. You could call him a military politician.

All students of Bible history recognize Babel, Nineveh, and Assyria which all have a very significant contribution of our knowledge of Israel and the sins of men.

Genesis 11:1  Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. 1:2  It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 

11:3  They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly." And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 11:4  They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." 

11:5  The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 11:6  The LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. 11:7  "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech." 

11:8  So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. 11:9  Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth. 

It would appear that Nimrod was their leader in this ambitious endeavor. This tower was to enable them to reach God and to replace God. This is religion at its worse. But God changed everything and introduced the languages that still separate us today.

Nineveh was a very sinful city within the sinful, evil, cruel country of Assyria. Jonah refused to obey God and warn Nineveh.

Jonah 1:1  The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 1:2  "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." 1:3  But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. 

No one can flee from God. No one should disobey God either.

Jonah 4:1  But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. 4:2  He prayed to the LORD and said, "Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. 

4:3  "Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life." 

Jonah’s complaint was that Nineveh and Assyria were cruel, evil oppressors. God would at some time in the future send the armies of Assyria to take the 10 northern tribes (Samaria) to captivity, never to return again as part of the true Israel.

Ezekiel 8:13  And He said to me, "Yet you will see still greater abominations which they are committing." 8:14  Then He brought me to the entrance of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. 8:15  He said to me, "Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater abominations than these."

Tammuz was a son or grandson of Nimrod. Here in Ezekiel we read that Tammuz was still worshiped in Israel. God is revealing all the idolatrous practices in the very Temple that was supposed to be only for God.

All of this can be traced back to Cain. Generations of evil, idolatrous worship and warfare were the fruit of one ungodly son, who became an ungodly father for generations.

More next Saturday.