TABLE OF NATIONS – 3 by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC

Introduction:  Ever call somebody a Nimrod? What do we mean by that? We mean someone who is a jerk or an idiot, but this new meaning actually came from a 1940’s episode with Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd, where Daffy calls Elmer Fudd a Nimrod for thinking of himself as a great hunter. Since Daffy was being sarcastic, the name Nimrod now implies someone who is dimwitted. In today’s message, we will see who Nimrod truly was. This is part 3 of our message titled TABLE OF NATIONS. The goal of this series is to understand how God chose this one family of Abraham to bring his plan of salvation into this world. What we will learn in this sermon: 1. In every period in the history of our world, there arises someone who wants to create a global government to gain ultimate power; 2. Their goal is the souls of men and women, boys and girls; 3. God is the true king; and 4. His kingdom will never end. 

Genesis 10       6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.” 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).

Context: In part 1 and 2 of this message, we learned how the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, were a field manual for God’s people, the people of Israel, as they entered into the Promised Land. Moses wrote these books in the 15^th century BC to help them identify those wicked nations who were occupying the land and drive them out and be a light unto all the nations around them. God gave the people of Israel the land at the crossroads of civilization so that they would share the gospel will all in their path. By the way, God allocated the land to Israel even before Israel was Israel. In fact, that is one of the purposes of the Table of Nations, to show them how they were chosen and how they were chosen to take the gospel to the other nations. The Table of Nations was also to show them how all peoples came from one family, the family of Noah, the family of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and there was one plan of salvation.

Application: Do you believe that we are all from one family and that there is just one plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, God’s Only Son?

In today’s message, we will learn that God gave the field manual to also teach them what the wicked kings were like, and how their kings were supposed to rule. To understand this, we will focus on the descendants of Ham. Keep in mind that there was a lot of information that is no longer available to us. Also, as people moved, they interacted and intermarried. Nothing is hard and fast. At least, when Moses wrote this book, this is where the nations were in 1500 BC. Good sources for the sermon are D.J. Wiseman, Eugene Merrill, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, and Bodie Hodge Tower of Babel: The Cultural History of Our Ancestors.

1. Cush: This is the ancient name for Ethiopia. Also, the name Hindukush refers to the western mountain range of the Himalayas. According to some dictionaries, the name Hindukush means “Hindu killer,” maybe because of the harsh terrain or maybe a connection to Nimrod, as we will see in a moment. Cush had 5 children:

• Seba – According to Josephus, he represents the Seba between the Blue Nile and the White Nile. He may have been the ancestor of the Sabeans (or they may be the descendants of the sons of Sheba who was the son of Raamah, the 4^th son of Cush):
• Job 1:15 “when the Sabeans raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” 
• Isaiah 45:14 Thus says the LORD: “The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush and of the Sabeans, men of stature, Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours…”
• Joel 3:8 “I will sell your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans…”
• Havilah – He settled in Arabia, but he may have migrated to North Africa. Very interesting that the Getuli of North Africa were descendants of Havilah. There were migrations at the time of Abraham and Ishmael. So also, Abraham and Keturah’s children moved to Arabia. (There’s a Havilah in the line of Shem as well. These may be different individuals or same individuals and they demonstrate the interaction between families.)
•  Sabtah – According to the Sabean Inscriptions, this gives us Shabwat, the capital of Hadramaut in South Arabia, part of Yemen.
• Raamah – They are identified with Oman, which is below Saudi Arabia and east of Yemen. This could very well be closer to the western part of Yemen because it is identified with Sheba, which was below Ethiopia. 2 sons are listed:
• Sheba: 
• Dedan:

These are the same names given to the 2 grandsons of Abraham and Keturah. Genesis 25       1 “Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan.” To complicate things, there is a third Sheba in Genesis 10:28. He was the son of Joktan, the son of Eber, the son of Selah, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem. Abraham came through the line of Joktan’s brother Peleg. Who is who is very hard to keep track! According to Josephus, Sheba, the son of Rammah, left his name to the Sabeans in Arabia. They are mentioned several times in the Quran, and Mohammed used them to conquer various parts of Arabia.

• Sabtechah – this was an Ethiopian tribe.

Then, there is a special mention to Nimrod, which I want to set aside for the moment.

2. Mizraim – this is the ancient name for Egypt. It comes from the word “tsar” meaning “pressed in.” The “m” before “tsar” makes it “what is pressed in.” This then has a suffix “im,” which makes it plural. This can imply “double pressing” or “double joining” refering to the land on both sides of the Nile River or even the joining of upper and lower Egypt.

• Ludim – Lydia in North Africa, west of the Delta
• Anamim – Cyrene 
• Lehabim – near Egypt and Libya
• Naphtuhim – Lower Egypt, Delta region
• Pathrusim – Upper Egypt, Pathros
• Casluhim (from whom came the…
• Philistines – west of the Nile Delta
• Caphtorim – Crete; remember, the Philistines were “Sea Peoples.”

3. Put – Nothing else is mentioned. Some remained in Libya, and others went west. This is where the Moors came from. Being close to the Greek isles, there was interaction between these peoples, as seen in Morocco. According to some historians, the Olmecs, a Mesoamerican civilization, from middle America, who came before the Mayans, are connected to the people of Put, based on the language similarities. 

4. Canaan – he had 11 sons.

• Sidon his firstborn – Phoenicia
• Heth – Hittites, after the empire fell, the went far east, known as Cathay. Some have connected them to Hong Kong.
• the Jebusite – Jerusalem
• the Amorite – hill country of Judea
• and the Girgashite – maybe Gadarene?
• the Hivite – hill country
• the Arkite – Lebonon (Phoenicia)
• the Sinite – associated with China
• the Arvadite – north of Phoenicia
• the Zemarite – northernmost Egyptian outpost in Canaan
• and the Hamathite – Hamath in Syria

Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20 These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations.

I do want to address a horrible idea that has crept into the church. It is called the “Curse of Ham” – It basically says that when Noah had cursed Ham because of his sin against him. Genesis 9       25 Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.” 26 And he said: “Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant. 27 May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.” By the way, when you go to Egypt, you see the thousands of hieroglyphs, especially at Abu Simbel or in the tomb of Seti I, the Canaanites are not black people or African people. They are people who have features similar to the middle easterners and Europeans. Unfortunately, this does not cause slavery but it certainly supported it. Slavery has been in our world forever. The church should stand up against such wrong teachings. By the way, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses had this in their teachings.

In closing, I want to return to Genesis 10.       8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.” 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).

Who was Nimrod? I believe that he was Sargon of Akkad. I am relying on the research of Douglas Petrovich here. Based on the genealogy, his character, his kingdom, and his direction of spread. Nimrod = marad (Hebrew) which means to rebel. In essence, his name meant “let’s do as we please” or the “rebellious one before the Lord.” Early historical documents tell us that Nimrod was like the first Antichrist. He was a dictator. He tried to turn people away from God and to follow him. He was a hunter – not of animals but of men. Every period in history had Nimrods, even our period. Their desire is to concentrate power and rule the world. Bill Federer in his 2-volume work divides the history of the world with regards to power in 3 parts: Concentrated Power, Separated Power, and Power Concentrated. Look back in history and you will see concentrated power in the great kings of Mesopotamia – Gilgamesh, Akkadian Empire – Sargon, Egypt – Djoser (with Joseph’s help), Yin Dynasty China – Wu Ding (1250BC), Neo-Assyrian – Tiglath Pileser III, Neo-Babylonian empire – Nebuchadnezzar, Persian empire – Cyrus, Greek empire – Alexander the Great, Indian empire – Chandragupta Maurya (with adviser Chanakya), Roman republic – Julius Caesar, Jewish people – Herod the King, Roman empire – Caesar Augustus, Coming of Islam – Umayyad Caliphate, Closer to our period – Lenin (Soviet Russia), Mussolini (Italian Fascist), Stalin (USSR), Hitler (Nazi Germany), the list is almost endless with Castro, Saddam Hussein, Iranian Ayatollahs, Putin, etc.

America’s founding fathers tried to divide power into three branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary. Then, they subjected it to a Constitution and Ten Amendments. Then, they gave that power to the people to elect those who would represent them well. The goal was so all can have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

Crisis has a way of grabbing power away from the people. That’s what’s happening in America and the world.

There’s only one true ruler who will never disappoint us. He is King Jesus.

Isaiah 9.       6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever.

Revelation 19        11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Application: Are you following Christ or Nimrod? Are you saved?