History books speak to early civilizations as hunters and gatherers. While I have a green thumb from time to time with successful gardens, hunting is something I’ve never done. The closest thing I’ve done to hunting is catching fish in a net to stock the dammed creek in my back yard. Despite having relatives who are skilled deer hunters with bow and shotguns, I can barely hit the target at rifle ranges. Subsequently, it’s hard to relate to the man Moses refers to as a mighty hunter before the Lord.
Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was the first to be a mighty man on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord, Genesis 10:8-9.
Perhaps, Nimrod was the Clint Eastwood of his day, able to shoot any moving target at a moment’s notice. Maybe this athletic ability skipped me and was given to my oldest son James who earned the honor of expert marksman at summer camp while in high school. All those years of playing video games as a child paid off for him. Yet, what qualities did a mighty hunter before the Lord possess and what exactly does that look like?
The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar [in Babylonia], Genesis. 10:10.
I suppose that whenever Nimrod went out hunting to provide food for his family, he never came home without something hanging over his shoulder. As someone with the gift of writing in the Spirit, Nimrod likely had a sixth sense for hunting, able to track down animals like an American Indian who lives off the land. Just as Enoch habitually walked with God, Nimrod followed the Spirit’s leading until catching the game he set out on was completed. This is all we know about Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 