Genesis 11:10-26

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10 This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood. 11 After he begot Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. 12 Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Salah. 13 After he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. 14 Salah lived thirty years, and begot Eber. 15 After he begot Eber, Salah lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. 16 Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg. 17 After he begot Peleg, Eber lived four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. 18 Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu. 19 After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters. 20 Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug. 21 After he begot Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. 22 Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor. 23 After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. 24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah. 25 After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters. 26 Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. ~ Genesis 11:10-26

Today, we return to our study of Genesis 11 where we find ourselves only 100 years after the Flood and sinful man has forgotten the lessons learned from the Flood. It is not fear, not even fear of God that changes the human heart. It is only the grace of God that changes the heart of a sinner. In Ezekiel 36:26 the Lord said, "And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart."

Not long after the Flood, sinful man traveled to Babylon which means confusion. Such is the destination of the life not guided by the God of the Bible. With man's move to Babylon, the world moved ever increasingly away from God. Man's continuing move away from God galvanized his resolve against God to the point that he defied Him openly by building the Tower of Babel. In response, God did what was necessary to halt man's destructive move away from Him; He limited man's ability to bring together his efforts to destroy himself.

In today's passage, God takes us back before the Tower of Babel to list the line of Shem. Although God had given us a more detailed listing of Shem's lineage in Genesis 10, here in Genesis 11, God hones in on a sliver of Shem's lineage in order to show us how Shem's line led us to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

In v.10-11 of today's passage we read, "10 This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood. 11 After he begot Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters."

This is now the fifth genealogy that the Bible has given us thus far. The Flood ended in the year 1657 BC and so Shem was 100 years old in the year 1659 when his son Arphaxad was born. After Arphaxad was born, Shem lived 500 years and so he died in the year 2159.

In v.12-13 of today's passage we read, "12 Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Salah. 13 After he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters."

Arphaxad was born in the year 1659 and he had Salah in the year 1694. Arphaxad died in the year 2097 at 438 years of age.

In v.14-15 of today's passage we read, "14 Salah lived thirty years, and begot Eber. 15 After he begot Eber, Salah lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters."

Salah was born in the year 1694 and he had Eber in the year 1724. Salah died in the year 2127 at 463 years of age.

In v.16-17 of today's passage we read, "16 Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg. 17 After he begot Peleg, Eber lived four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters."

Eber was born in the year 1724 and he had his son Peleg in the year 1758. Eber died in the year 2188 at 464 years of age. He is the last person who would live to be more than 450 years of age and in fact, he is the last one who would even live beyond 300 years. Man’s years drop quickly after the flood.

Interestingly, Eber means "One from beyond" or "He who crossed over." It is from Eber  that we get the term "Hebrew." Eber was alive at the time of the divisions of languages and he certainly was the father of the family line that maintained the original language of the earth which we call Hebrew today. Since his name means, "He who crossed over" and it’s recorded that his descendants lived in Ur which is on the opposite side of the Euphrates from Babylon, it’s probable that he and several generations of his descendants moved away from Babylon to Ur some time after the time of the Tower of Babel. In Genesis 14, we will see the word Hebrew used for the first time in the Bible when speaking of Abraham who was the man who "crossed over" the Euphrates and away from the area of Babel. In Joshua 24:2 we read of Abraham’s father who lived on the other side of the Euphrates and worshipped other gods.

In v.18-19 of today's passage we read, "18 Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu. 19 After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters."

Peleg was born in the year 1758 and he had Reu in the year 1788. Peleg died in the year 1997 at 239 years of age. He died 191 years before his father Eber and 9 years before his great, great, great grandfather Noah. Peleg is the last person in this line of Shem who was mentioned in the generations of the sons of Noah in Genesis 10. He was listed with his brother Joktan, and Joktan’s sons were mentioned, but not Peleg’s. Joktan is no longer relevant to the story and so this line in Genesis 11 focuses on Peleg and those who come after him. It is he, not Joktan, who is an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.20-21 of today's passage we read, "20 Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug. 21 After he begot Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters."

Reu was born in the year 1788 and he had his son Serug in the year 1820. Reu died in the year 2027 at 239 years of age.

In v.22-23 of today's passage we read, "22 Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor. 23 After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters."

Serug was born in the year 1820 and he had his son Nahor in the year 1850. Serug died in the year 2050 at 230 years of age.

In v.24-25 of today's passage we read, "24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah. 25 After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters."

Nahor was born in the year 1850 and he had his son Terah in the year 1879.  Nahor died in the year 1998 at the age of 148. This was 22 years before his father Serug and 8 years before his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather Noah. Noah was still alive in the 9th generation when Abraham’s father Terah was born and even when Nahor died. The environment of the post flood world was obviously much harsher on humans than it was before the flood. And this harshness has a cumulative effect, transferring down the line. We know this because Noah lived 350 years after the flood and each generation lived less than the one before. 

In v.26 of today's passage we read, "Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran."

Terah was born in the year 1879. Abram, one of Terah's sons is listed first in this verse, but he was not the oldest. We know this because the oldest son, Haran, died back in their hometown of Ur. Abram was actually the second son of Terah. With this verse so ends the generations of Shem and leads us into a new section of the biblical account which will focus on Abram and his sons.

And, so, we complete the genealogy that has led us to Abram. Whereas the focus on the line of Shem in Genesis 10 showed all the various people groups that came, in Genesis 11, it narrows down to focus on one line, the line of those who believed in the God of the Bible. As we see throughout the Genesis, this story is an ongoing juxtaposition between those who believed in the God of the Bible and those who did not. Most in today's world believe the value of a person is measured by their achievements in this world or their status in it. This is not the emphasis discovered in the Scriptures. In fact, in the Scriptures we discover that our value is truly measured best by the object of our faith, and, the God of the Bible has the best definitions for things.

Genesis 11:6-9

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6 And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. ~ Genesis 11:6-9

Today, we continue our study of Genesis 11. In our last study we considered the first five verses of this chapter wherein we discovered the building of the Tower of Babel and the reason behind its build. The Tower of Babel is a case of a self-fulfilled prophecy. As you know, Babel means confusion. And, of course that is what the people who thought they were making a name for themselves ended up, in a serious state of confusion.

In v.6 of today's passage we read, "And the Lord said, 'Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.'"

God’s response to man’s arrogance and presumption was to make it harder for them to communicate and thus harder to unite in their rebellion against God. Since God knew the immense potential in the people whom He had created in his image, He had to step in and do something. What God did in confusing and disrupting the goals of man at the Tower of Babel was tantamount to what He did in the Garden of Eden when He placed the angels with the sword at the Tree of Life. So, God multiplied their languages in order to limit their ability to exalt themselves and find security apart from Him.

This is the road that Lucifer has always led mankind down, away from God. But, the key to overcoming the activity and influence of evil in our lives and in our world is to recognize it and then expose it. We best expose evil for what it truly is by exposing it to the light of God's Word. And, when we expose evil to the light of Christ, evil loses its power in our lives and in the lives around us. Since the Bible is no mere human writing, but is authored by God Himself, it has a unique power to transform the human heart, to "make us wise unto salvation." God's Word enlightens our minds, unveils His plan of salvation through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, teaches us His ways, and shows us how to live as His people on this earth. In order to meet with confidence and wisdom the many challenges of our time, we must be renewed in our zeal to meet the Lord daily through the study of His Word. This is how we fend off the onslaughts of the evil one.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech."

Here again, God refers to Himself in the plural. He said, "let us go down." Even though the word "Trinity" is not used in the Bible, the concept is all throughout. All three Persons of the Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, comprise the one, perfectly unified God. They share the same nature and essence, and they are all the same God, but each individual Person of the Trinity is distinct and unique.

It was at this point in time that God confused the language of the people by their lip, their speech, not by their words. And this explains why all the way back in v.1 of the chapter the idea of the language of man was divided into two parts. As the people were working, their speech became confusing to one another to the point where one person would ask for a brick and the other person would bring a stick. In no time at all, fights broke out, people killed each other, and decided to pick up their families and bail out of the God-sized task they had set out on.

In v.8-9 of today's passage we read, "8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth."

As the people moved out into the world with their increasingly distinct languages, they developed written languages to assist them in their lives and to keep their cultures tied together. Here then is a miracle of God which disperses the people of the world and which caused devolution from one culture and monotheism to a cacophony of cultures and a world rife with religious beliefs which encompass the earth even to this day. But by another miracle of God, the world’s people are reunited in the family of God and all speak in one voice, not as individuals, but through God’s manifestation of Himself in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the true Universal Translator for everyone who has been reunited into God’s family through His shed blood.

The credit for the dispersion of the people is given solely to the Lord. It is He who directs the winds which blow across the nations and through time and it is He who fashions the changes in everything, from the transformation of the caterpillar into a butterfly, to the number and size of the nations on the earth. He is in complete control of everything that happens around us.

The city the people left behind was called Babel, which means confusion in the Hebrew language. Spiritual Babylon is the city of confusion even to this day. In the place where religion is developed by man, there is confusion. In the place where people attempt to please God through their works, there is confusion. And in the place where God’s word is disregarded or distorted, there is confusion.

This is why God has given us His word because His word reveals His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ who reveals to us the unseen Father. There is nothing confusing in that scenario. Apart from this revelation, there is only confusion and disorder, but when we open our eyes and our hearts to the truth of God’s word, confusion is replaced with right thinking. Anger is replaced with peace. And discontentment is replaced with the hope of a better life at the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The tower of Babel teaches us one major lesson: we were never meant to center our lives on who we are and what we can do, but on God who created us. The tower of Babel illustrates for us the fatal delusion of all man-made religion that says that through superior effort man can reach God. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is infinitely more beautiful than any other religion because it says that, although man is sinful and God is holy, man can be forgiven and gain access to the presence of God if he’ll only repent of his sins and look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation.

Genesis 11:1-5

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1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.  2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." 5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. ~ Genesis 11:1-5

Today, we transition into Genesis 11. Within just a short 100 year period of time after the Flood, the world had walked away from the knowledge of what happened and had not only rejected the God of the Bible and the lessons learned from their recent history. They had actually come together to work against God and establish their own society and religion apart from Him.

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Now the whole earth had one language and one speech."

There are two key words used here that are used to describe the communicate the people of the world had at that time. The first word is "language" which is the Hebrew word that literally means "lip." They had the same lip. The second word is "speech" which means "words." The whole earth had one language and one speech that enabled them to be unified apart from God. They did not understand that communal living is not doable apart from God.

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there."

The people moved east. That is a way of saying that they went away from God and His presence. Just as man was cast out east of Eden, just as Cain moved further east of Eden to the Land of Nod, they all wandered away from God. The land of Shinar was the same area that Cain dwelt before the Flood and it is the same area which has been in complete spiritual opposition to God to this day. It was in Shinar that false religion got its foothold through Cain. 

In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "3 Then they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.'"

The Tower of Babel was a religious building, intended to expose man to the mystery of the heavens and to God. That, perhaps, is what is meant here by the statement that they intended to build a tower with its top in the heavens. They were impressed by its greatness architecturally, that is, it was a large undertaking for the men of that day to build and they thought of it as reaching into heaven. But they also unquestionably were thinking of it as a means of communication with God, of maintaining contact with Him. 

These two verses point to us every false religion that has ever existed. The first six words of v.3, "Then they said to one another," reveals the guts of false religion, the worship of self. These people had rejected God’s way of approaching Him and decided that they could make up their own way to get to Godlike status. 

From the day they decided to build the tower onward, the motto of humanity has been, "let us make a name for ourselves." This motto reveals one of the basic philosophies of humanism which says, "Glory to man in the highest, for man is the master of all things." That is the central thought of humanism, glory to mankind.

The saying, "All paths lead to God," finds its origin here at the Tower of Babel. But God has and always will reject this notion. The biblical model reveals man doesn’t work his way back to God; the biblical model reveals that God must come to man otherwise man is doomed in his sin. In the land of Shinar which was away from God, the people had determined that their way to God was the right way, so they built their tower to heaven. This is exactly what every false religion on earth has in common; works-based salvation.

Not only were they defying God by attempting to work their way to Him, but they were also attempting to defy Him should He ever presume to go back on His word about flooding the earth again. The problem with religion is that the people of the world are really motivated by their own glory, not God's glory. They thought that if they built this tower, they would somehow be able to be like God. And, they succeeded through uniting their efforts.  The only problem was that it didn't work.

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built."

When the Lord came down before the flood, a different type of terminology was used. Before the flood there was still a place where the Garden of Eden was located. Before the flood, the Lord talked with Adam and Eve, and with Cain. Before the flood there were cherubim who guarded the Garden of Eden. Before the flood, God spoke with Noah in several different ways and He established a covenant with him. And before the flood, the Lord was the one who shut the door to the ark. 

After the flood, Noah built an altar at the top of the mountain of Ararat and the smoke of the offering soared even higher to reach the Lord. His presence since the time of the flood has been symbolically on high. So now, with the building of the tower, the Lord descended to bring about judgment and to deliver unwanted discipline on those who had so quickly and so shamefully had been disobedient to the commands they were given from God through Noah.

God told them to fill the earth, to populate the earth. Sinful man's response was one of defiance. They congregated together to build a city that was supposed to reach all the way up to God. It wasn't that building a city was wrong, it was that they built a city for themselves exclusive of God. There have been many archaeological discoveries that revealed these seven level towers made out of mud bricks called ziggurats. These towers were used to worship the zodiac and they used them to look to the stars for direction. Instead of looking to the God of creation, instead of trusting Him for their future, they looked to creation for direction. "But the Lord came down to see the city." And, in so doing, man was held accountable.

Genesis 10:21-32

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21 And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder. 22 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24 Arphaxad begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber. 25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. 26 Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. 31 These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations. 32 These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood. ~ Genesis 10:21-32

Today, we close out our study of Genesis 10 where we are given the genealogies of Japheth, Ham and Shem. Having considered the first two genealogies, we now come to the genealogy of Shem. When Noah pronounced his curse and blessings, it was Shem who received the spiritual blessing and the first place over the rest of Noah’s seed. Since before time began God has had a plan to reconcile sinful and rebellious man to Himself and He decided to do it through real people who really lived. And, along the way He has given us insights into the human condition and what does and doesn’t please Him. Down through time, all who have fostered in their hearts a response of faith to God have experienced His grace. And it is this grace that leads us to salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.21 of today's passage we read, "And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder."

Eber was the great, great grandson of Shem. And yet despite this, he is brought into the picture at the same time that Shem’s son’s are to be mentioned one of 70 names mentioned here. Eber will be mentioned again and again denoting the  importance he had in the story of delivering the Lord Jesus Christ to this world. It is from Eber that we get the word "Hebrew." It has the same consonants that form the word for "Passover."  The Hebrew people are literally "the people of the Passover." This tucked away message merely illustrates that God is always at work in the context of the chaos that man's rebellion from God has created.

In v.22 of today's passage we read, "The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram."

Shem means "fame." He is the father of all of the Semitic peoples of the world which includes Jews and Arabs. Shem had five sons. The first was Elam which means "eternity." His line has lead to the Elamites and Persians of the world today. Asshur which means "strong" is the descendent of the Assyrians and Northern Iraqis. Arphaxad which means "I shall fail as the breast," has as his descendants the people of the Southern Iraq, the Hebrews, the Moabites, and the Jordanians. The fourth son of Shem was Lud, which means "strife." His descendants are those people groups in Asia Minor (today's Turkey) and North Africa. And the last son of Shem mentioned here is Aram, which means "exalted." Aram's people are the Syrians, and the Lebanese.

In v.23 of today's passage we read, "The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash."

Little is known of these sons of Aram. Evidently the children of Aram had more contact with Shem than his other grandsons (except through Arphaxad) since none of the others are listed here. As we know, Job came from the city of Uz which is what we know as Jordan today.

In v.24 of today's passage we read, "Arphaxad begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber."

We have gone from Shem to his son Arphaxad and then down the line. First the sons of Shem were mentioned and after that came the side branch which were the sons of Shem’s son Aram. They were specifically listed because the sons of Aram play such a large part in the later pages of the Bible as they interact with the chosen line of Israel.

In v.25 of today's passage we read, "To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan."

Peleg interestingly means "divided." He was named for the judgment of God at the tower of Babel. As we will see in Genesis 11, when the world was one big empire under Nimrod, God came down and judged and divided it. He divided them into separate locations and separate languages. Nimrod was a contemporary of Eber. So, Babel was built with its tower in Eber’s lifetime. And Eber named his son Peleg when he saw what God did to Babel. So, Eber, whose name means "Hebrew," named his son, in those days when the Earth was divided.

In addition, what is known as the "continental divide" or the separation of the continents, happened at this point in history. Peleg in Greek it means "sea." The word archipelago comes from this word. The Greeks called the Aegean Sea "Archipelago," or the first sea, drawing the name from this man, Peleg. Peleg's brother "Joktan" name means "small." The people who came from Joktan are all located in Arabia. 

In v.26-30 of today's passage we read, "26 Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east."

This whole chapter presents to us a story about how far man fell away from God and how fast he fell away from God. All of mankind, down throughout our history, has known the true God of the Bible to varying degrees. The varying of the degrees was not created by God but by man who either chose to respond to the evidence that God has given everyone including our conscious and creation or not. It is not God's fault that different people groups abandoned their knowledge of God. Many believe it is unfair that some have more access to the gospel than others but the history shows who is to be held responsible for this difference. As a result of the unsaved man's rebellion away from God, he became mired in idolatry started which was on full display at the Tower of Babel. It’s still going on. It will, ultimately, be judged by God at the end of time. Interestingly, in the middle of all of these names, there was one who sought the God of the Bible, the famed Queen of Sheba who came to visit Solomon in search of the truth. Sheba was located in Ethiopia. 

In v.31-32 of today's passage we read, "31 These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations. 32 These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood."

The lineage of Abraham, the father of all who place their faith in the God of the Bible, came from Shem. Abraham is the biblical example of justification by faith according to Paul’s writings. All of these names reveal that God has always worked through time and history and slowly unfolding His beautiful plan of salvation for all willing and humble enough to believe in Him. In the end, the lesson of Noah is one that we all need to take to heart. God loves all of the people of the world and He extends to all who call on and trust in Him forgiveness of and deliverance from sin. And in place of that He promises eternal life.

Genesis 10:13-20

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13 Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim). 15 Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; 16 the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 17 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 18 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. 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. ~ Genesis 10:13-20

Today, we return to our study of Genesis 10 where we are given the genealogies of Jephthah, Ham, and Seth. Having considered the first part of Ham's genealogy, we continue that study. As we pointed out in our last study, more space is used in this chapter to describe the line of Ham than either of the other brothers.

In v.13-18 of today's passage we read, "13 Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim). 15 Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; 16 the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 17 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 18 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed."

Canaan means "servant." It was Canaan who received the curse of servitude from Noah and these are the accursed descendants of him. Eleven groups of people descended from Canaan. Despite this, we see later in the Bible that grace is found even towards those who are willing enough to believe in the goodness of God as seen in the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, the curses in this life can yield the greatest outcome; only if we are served by it rather than being defined by it. If our curses serve us into seeking the Lord, the curse becomes a blessing.

There were three descendants of Canaan who found the Lord’s grace and they are recorded in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 1. Of the five women mentioned in that genealogy, only Mary is an Israelite. Ruth was from Moab which was from the line of Shem, and the three others mentioned were from the line of Canaan. The first was Tamar who was the daughter-in-law of Judah. The second was Rahab the harlot of Jericho who hid the spies of Israel and was brought into the people of Israel when she married Salmon. And the third was Bathsheba who came through the line of Shem.

In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "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."

These locations are given to indicate that the Canaanites settled in the land that would eventually be given to Abraham and then to his son Isaac and then to his son Israel. Before Abraham and his son arrived, the Canaanites inhabited the land of promise. Subsequently, many of these people groups were destroyed in conquests and battles with Israel. But many of them survived partially intact or after having interbred with other people groups. The accomplishments of these people have been immense and today Ham’s children fill the earth as a result.

One of those groups are the Chinese people. The Chinese have a tradition that their first king, Fohi, which is Chinese for Noah, appeared on the mountains of Chin which was surrounded by a rainbow after the world was covered with water. He sacrificed animals to God, just like the Genesis story. And he had a great grandson named Sin, which again perfectly matches the Bible. The Sinites, named after Canaan’s son Sin, lived at exactly the time that the Chinese culture developed. Even today the Chinese culture is called the Sino culture after Sin.

Another flood tradition within the Chinese culture comes from the Miao tribe of southwest China. It’s said that before they were ever visited by missionaries, they believed that God had once destroyed the entire world by flood because of man’s wickedness, but He saved a righteous man named Nuah, his wife, and their three sons. Nuah’s sons names were Lo Han (Ham), Lo Shen (Shem), and Yah-hu or Japheth. They and pairs of animals were all saved by building a giant ship.

The Chinese also have a Book of History known as the Shu Jing which was compiled by Confucius. This book speaks about an Emperor Shun who ruled about 2200BC when the first dynasty began. He worshipped and sacrificed a bull to Shang Di or the Heavenly Ruler. Shang Di corresponds to Shaddai who the Almighty of the Bible. Apparently, these sacrifices to Shang Di went on until 1911 when the last Chinese emperor was deposed.

The story of the Bible is that despite whom we are, or where we have come from, God looks at us all the same once we have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. It doesn’t matter what our color is, where we were born, how much money we have, or any other thing. All of us are or were enemies of God, but He reached out to us through His word which tells of His Son the Lord Jesus. It was He who lived the perfect life that no one has ever lived and it was He who willingly laid down His life so that we could be saved. We are all either sons of Shem, sons of Ham, or sons of Japheth. And they are all sons of Noah who came from Adam. We bear sin’s guilt and the Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth to take it away from us so that we can spend eternity in heaven apart from sin and death. 

Genesis 10:6-12

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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, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city). ~ Genesis 10:6-12

Today, we continue our study of Genesis 10 which is full of genealogy. In this chapter we have been given the genealogies of Japheth, Ham and Shem in that order. Having considered the genealogy of Japheth in our last study, today we consider the genealogy of Ham. 

In v.6 of today's passage we read, "The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan."

After the Flood, Noah enjoyed wine a little too much and became inebriated as a result. While his father was both drunk and naked in his tent, Ham went into his father's tent and saw him in that condition. Then Ham told his brothers about his dad's drunkenness and nakedness. This elicited a curse from Noah but since God had already blessed Ham, Noah cursed Ham's youngest son, Canaan. This curse impacted the entire line of Ham, specifically the line of Canaan.

Interestingly, more space is used in this chapter to describe the line of Ham than either of the other brothers, Shem or Japheth. For this reason, it’s important to know who these people became and how they affect both God’s people in the Bible and future prophecy. The line of Ham has been the subject of a tremendous amount of abuse and some have tried to justify illegal slavery based on Noah’s curse of Canaan. It is from Canaan that the African people have descended. The curse placed upon the son of Ham was one of servanthood, not abusive slavery. 

Ham means "passionate;" it can also mean "burnt" or "dark." Both of these descriptions perfectly fit the people who descended from him. Most of the darker people of the world descend from Ham, however, other dark groups of people are found in both the lines of Shem and Japheth.

The first of Ham’s sons was Cush which means "black" and today Cush is known as Ethiopia. The second son of Ham was Mizraim which means "double straits" and they became the people of Egypt. The next son of Ham was Put which means "a bow." The Libyans come from Put along with Cyrene, Tunisia, Somalia, and the Sudan. 

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan."

Here, we have five sons of Cush. In the next verse we’ll see another. They’re divided up and named based on their importance to the story of the Bible. Out of the five sons listed in this verse, only one has the names of his sons listed too, Raamah. His sons are Sheba and Dedan. Once again, these are listed because they are relevant to the biblical story and how they will interact with God’s people. There probably were others born to these sons of Ham, but only these are listed. These sons and grandsons spread all around the borders of Israel. They are from North Africa, Arabia, and as far as the area of Iran to this day.

In a beautiful example of God’s faithfulness to the line of Cush we read in the book of Jeremiah, about one of his descendants, an Ethiopian eunuch named Ebed-Melech, who saved Jeremiah’s life by getting him out of a pit full of mud. It was so bad that Jeremiah had actually sunk into the mud, so this eunuch went to the king to get permission to pull him out. In order to get him up, they had to put worn out clothes and rags under his armpit and it took thirty men to pull on the ropes. Because of what he did, in the next chapter, God remembered Ebed-Melech during the horrible siege and eventual overthrow of Jerusalem. The very first descendant of Ham to receive the Lord Jesus as his Savior in the book of Acts was also from the line of Cush. He was the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8 who worked for the Candace, the Queen of the Ethopians.

In v.8-9 of today's passage we read, "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.'"

Along with his other sons, Cush begot Nimrod. This is an enigmatic figure mentioned only a couple times in the Bible and his name means "we shall rebel" and comes from the word marad which specifically means "to rebel." The word marad in this case was used to describe rebellion against God and His light.

Nimrod was the first active figure mentioned of all of the Noah’s grandsons. Up to this point, we’ve only had names and places mentioned, but now we get real details on an individual. As a "mighty hunter," Nimrod became a leader and gathered people under his command in order to make himself a ruler of the area he would settle. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. This meant he rebelled against the Lord and against His authority. Just like Cain before the flood, Nimrod rebelled against God and His light or truth.

In v.10-12 of today's passage we read, "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)."

Nimrod was a mighty hunter, but he was also a mighty builder, and a mighty leader. Like Cain who established the first recorded city and culture, it is Nimrod who follows this same path after the flood. The line of Cain, though wiped out in the flood, was symbolically alive and well in Nimrod.

Nimrod established the city of Babylon, which means "confusion." Babylon was in Shinar and was the city in spiritual opposition to God. Babylon is where evil and wickedness reigned. Babylon to this day is located east of Jerusalem. When man was sent out of Eden and away from God’s presence it was to the east. When the Israelites were in fellowship, or at peace with God, they possessed the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem, but when they were disobedient, they were cast out of the land to the east, to Babylon in the land of Shinar.

In the book of the Revelation, the Babylon of the future, is described as the great Harlot and will be centered in Rome, right where the Vatican now stands. At some point in the future, probably after the Rapture of the Church, the city of Rome will become the leader of all spiritual opposition to God and direct the forces of evil against Jerusalem, the city of Peace. Underscored here is the utter uselessness of being so close to the truth but in the end hearing those words of the Lord Jesus, "Depart from me for I never knew you." Simply put, it is better to be known by God that it is to know God, although one flows for the other.

Religion has always been so very dangerous to man. Although Christianity is grouped with the religions of this world, it is not a religion because religion is man earning the favor of God which is utterly impossible. It is only by the grace of God that anyone is made right before God through the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary. As we read in John 17:3, "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

Genesis 10:1-5

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1 Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood. 2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations. ~ Genesis 10:1-5

Today, we transition into Genesis 10 which is often referred to as the table of nations. Sadly, this chapter is often passed over without any in-depth study or thought. But it’s been placed in the Bible by God and therefore it will always render blessing from Him. As we see in this chapter, 70 nations came from Noah's three sons. Out of Shem came 26 nations. Out of Ham came 30 nations. And out of Japheth came 14 nations. 

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood."

This is the fourth genealogy in the Bible. So far we have seen the generations of the heavens and the earth in Genesis 2; the generations of Adam in Genesis 5; the generations of Noah in Genesis 6; and now we come to the genealogies of the sons of Noah. As you know, Noah means "rest" and he had three sons. From these three sons of Noah, the world divided into seventy nations. This passage, therefore then, is the table of the nations.

Previously Noah’s blessing to Shem was, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant." Rather than directly blessing Shem, Noah said, "blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem." This blessing was spiritual in nature. And the line of Shem since then has been the main spiritual line of man, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Regardless of the validity of the religion, the spiritual nature of the people has continued for over 4000 years.

Amazingly, the three sons of Noah were represented at the cross of the Lord Jesus. The sons of Shem sold Him, they tried Him, they convicted Him, and they handed Him over to the Romans to be crucified. Ham was represented by Simon of Cyrene who acted as the servant, just as Noah prophesied, when he carried the crossbeam for the Lord Jesus to the Place of the Skull where He would be crucified. The sons of Japheth were given the executive responsibility for what occurred when Pilate tried Him and the Roman soldiers actually pierced His body with the nails and the spear.

In v.2-5 of today's passage we read, "2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations."

The lineage of Japheth was given first here because he was the firstborn of Noah and possibly also because his lineage was the furthest removed geographically from the Israelites. In this account, fifteen names are mentioned including Japheth, the seven sons of Japheth, and seven grandsons. This son's part of the overall genealogy is the shortest of the three.

Interestingly, some of the descendants of Jephthah are mentioned in Ezekiel 38 and even in the book of Revelation as people who will come against Israel during the Tribulation in the future. These sons of Japheth became the coastland peoples of the Gentiles. Because of this, they more easily branched out around the world than Noah’s other sons. From the coastlines, they became the great sea-going adventurers of the world.

The descendants of Japheth are also known as the Aryans who split into two main groups. One group settled in Europe and the other in India. These groups, although varying widely in skin tone, are of the same origin. The descendants of Japheth have always been at the forefront of scientific understanding, rivaled only by the sons of Shem. History is replete with names like Newton, Pasteur, Galileo, Kepler, Copernicus, and Faraday. 

Japheth's first son was Gomer from who we get our English word Gaul, or Gallic. These are the people, interestingly enough, to whom the New Testament Epistle to the Galatians was written. They migrated to the north and settled in Spain, France and in Britain. From these come most of the early families of Western Europe and, consequently, of the Americas as well.

The oldest son of Gomer was Ashkenaz. He and his descendants first settled around the Black Sea and then moved north into Scandinavia. Another of the sons of Gomer was Riphath who located in Central Europe. Another son was Togarmah who was the ancestor of the present-day Turks and Armenians, who also migrated northward into Southern Germany. The word, Germany comes from Togarmah. Once we remove the first syllable we are left with the basic root word for Germany.

Two others of the sons of Japheth were Madai and Javan. While the Medes/Persians came Madai, Javan is the ancestor of the Greeks. His name, Javan, is still found in Greece in the form of Ionia. The Ionic Sea and Ionian Peninsula all derive their names from Javan. His sons were Elishah and Tarshish, whom most scholars associate with Spain. Then there was Kittim who settled in Cyprus; and Dodanim, who settled around the Black Sea.

In Psalm 120 we read of dwelling in the tents of Meshech. Meshech was a son of Japheth and it is from his name that we get the name Moscow. We also see in Psalm 120 the name Kedar who was a son of Ishmael and therefore a son of Shem. For 2000 years, the Jewish people were exiled around the world and dwelt in the tents of foreigners, but now God has restored them to their homeland. In His sovereign way, He has faithfully protected and returned His unfaithful people and He will continue to do so as the world comes against them during the great Tribulation.

All of this underscores the faithfulness and the sovereignty of the God of the Bible. He has never rendered a wrong decision, experienced the wrong attitude, taken the wrong path, said the wrong thing, or acted in the wrong way. He has always been and always will be right. He is righteous. And he has complete sovereignty over all things. Needless to say, we can trust Him with every fiber of our being. Even the unwanted moments of our lives have great significance and will render great blessing as we doggedly continue in our pursuit and in our trust of Him.

Genesis 9:24-29

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24 So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. 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.” 28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29 So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died. ~ Genesis 9:24-29

Today, we close out our study of Genesis 9 where we have considered the survival of Noah in v.1-17 and the sin of Noah in v.18-23. Today, we will consider v.24-29 which highlights the sons of Noah in v.24-29. 

Adam and Eve and Noah all sinned in the area of food and drink. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit while Noah got drunk on wine. The very thing God gave to bless became a curse. It was used in a way outside the definition that God had given for it. This is when we sin, when we go outside the boundaries God has given to a certain subject. And, as a result of Ham seeing his dad's nakedness and then telling his brothers about it, Ham's son was subsequently cursed by Noah. Ham did more than just speak in an irreverent way about his father. This caused Noah to be severely displeased with Ham because of his actions.

In v.24-27 of today's passage we read, "24 So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. 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."

Canaan was the father of the Canaanites. He settled in the very place that God told Abraham his descendants would posses forever. In Joshua 9 we learn that when Joshua entered the land of Canaan, there was a group of Canaanites called Gibeonites. They put on tattered clothes and they got old, moldy bread and stale wine and they went a couple miles over the hill to the encampment of Israel making the Israelites believe that they had been traveling for months. So Joshua makes a covenant with the Gibeonites, not knowing that the Gibeonites were Canaanites. God had told Israel to kill every Canaanite when they entered the land. Joshua subsequently made a covenant with the Gibeonites, and later found out that the Gibeonites lied to him. Then Joshua told the lying Gideonites that God had told him not to make a covenant with them but they had deceived him. It was at that point that Joshua pronounced a curse on the Gibeonites. They were now to be their slaves from generation to generation. Even into the New Testament the remnants of the Canaanite population became the servants of Israel.

The reason Canaan was cursed by Noah and Ham wasn’t goes back to Genesis 9:1 which reads, "So God blessed Noah and his sons." When God blessed Noah and his three sons, it included a blessing in their physical person and possibly even in a spiritual sense too. But that blessing didn’t transfer beyond them. God had blessed Ham and therefore Noah could not curse him. Since Ham had received God’s blessing, it would have been an act of defiance against God for Noah to turn and curse him. Instead he cursed Canaan. Ham was the youngest son of Noah and Canaan was the youngest son of Ham. And so in order to demonstrate justice in the matter and ensure he didn’t curse the one God had blessed, he turned his curse towards Canaan. This curse of Noah upon Canaan and the blessing of Shem and Japheth by Noah is the first explicit prophetic utterance by man in the Bible. 

After the cursing of Canaan, Noah directed his first blessing to the second son Shem. In like manner, Abel had been put ahead of Cain. When Abel was killed, Seth replaced him as the chosen and adopted son of God. Now, for the second time we see a second son placed above the first. This pattern continues throughout the Old Testament and points us directly to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ who replaced fallen Adam. The second replacing the first. When we get to the story of Abraham, we’ll see him receive the blessing even though he was the second son of his father.

In his blessing, Noah mentions Japheth, his firstborn. He says, “May God enlarge Japheth.” In saying this, Noah made a pun on Japheth's name whose name means to enlarge or to widely extend. Noah blessed his son with the very name he gave him.

In all, the prophecy mentions the servanthood of Canaan 3 times and he was placed directly as a servant to both Shem and Japheth.

In v.28-29 of today's passage we read, "28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29 So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died."

Noah was 600 years old at the time of the flood and he lasted another 350 years after it. This means that Noah died in the year 2006 BC. In the Bible, there are blessings and curses that fall on various people and, yes, these transfer through to the descendants of those people. The problem many people have then is that if they are outside of the favored line, they may feel like they are still living under the curse of their fathers. However, through the Lord Jesus Christ, all are granted the same privileges and the same salvation. The account of Noah lists his sons in this order: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. In the book of Acts, this is the same order in which salvation through Christ came to the people of the world. The sons of Shem include Israel, and they received the Lord Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.

The sons of Ham came next when the Ethiopian eunuch received Christ and was baptized in Acts 8. And finally, the sons of Japheth were represented in Acts 10 when Cornelius, an Italian, received Christ together with his family. In other words, God worked out His plan which would restore all of the people of the world, represented by these three men. In Christ, every curse is lifted and every heart is positioned to be made new. All who call on Him are elevated to the same level and none rises above another.

Abraham was of the favored line of Noah’s son Shem, but we are all included in the same spiritual blessing through the ultimate Seed of Abraham, the Lord Jesus Christ. No matter where we descend from and no matter what our past may have been like, in the Lord Jesus Christ there is a grand and glorious future for us as cherished and blessed children of God. Of course, this blessing is only accessed through our faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross ensuring us eternal life.

Genesis 9:18-23

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18 Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. 20 And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 21 Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. ~ Genesis 9:18-23

Today, we continue our study of Genesis where we have seen the survival of Noah in v.1-17. Today, we transition into the section which highlights the sin of Noah. At this point in the narrative, all God-rejecting sinners had been drowned in the Flood. They had been swept up into eternal judgment, and now there was a new beginning for the eight people who made up the entire human race at that time. Fresh on their minds and certainly visible around them was the knowledge of the devastating impact of sin. 

In v.18-19 of today's passage we read, "18 Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated."

After the Flood, Noah and his sons were given by God the responsibility to repopulate the planet. All three of Noah's sons were born after Noah was 500. And, when Noah and his family exited the ark, they came into a whole new world. They must have had a certain amount of hope and eagerness that perhaps they could make a paradise with the absence of all of those God-rejecters. Maybe they thought they could recover Eden. Only if they could have lived without sinning. But, this was not the outcome because the one thing that didn’t drown in the Flood was the sinful condition of man. Sin was riding in the ark, in Noah, his wife, Shem, Ham, and Japheth and their three wives. And sin survived the Flood with them. It was a new earth, but it was the same old wicked humanity. And when they walked off the ark, sin walked off the ark with them.

In v.20-23 of today's passage we read, "20 And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 21 Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness."

Noah was a farmer, like Adam. They both understood curses and blessings. They both knew the disastrous effects of sin. They both knew that sin was far-reaching. Noah was identified by God as a righteous man. He was THE righteous man of the old world before the Flood. After the Flood was over, Noah was the father of sin in the new world. 

Today's narrative started when Noah planted a vineyard. This vineyard had the potential of blessing but it also had the capacity to deliver a curse. This is the case with anything in our lives. There was so much danger in drinking the fruit of the vine that it was forbidden for those who were in leadership in the nation of Israel. It was also forbidden for those who took the highest vow of devotion called the Nazarite vow. If one wanted to live at the highest level as a Jew and take the highest position of devotion to God, one was prohibited from drinking wine.

Noah, at age 600, sinned by drinking too much wine and then he exposed himself. This clearly means age is no guarantee against sin. We might think that when we are 60 years old we will be able to avoid sin; not possible. And so, we have an old righteous man, Noah, who chose to drink too much wine. So, even with all the non-believers gone from the face of the earth, sin remained to be the sovereign of human life. 

While Noah was in his inebriated condition, his son Ham "saw the nakedness of his father and told his two bothers." Ham made light of the matter and treated Noah with either contempt or levity. But his brothers treated their father with a reverential respect. Instead of joining Ham in his contempt or levity, they took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered their father's nakedness. And while they did this, they had their faces turned away.

All of this highlights the fact that no sin is minor, no matter how insignificant it may seem. The sin of Noah wasn’t minor, and the sin of Ham wasn’t minor because no sin is minor. God highlights one of, I am sure, many sins in the life of Noah, but the point of it all was that sin had survived the Flood. God picked what appears to us to be somewhat of a minor sin to demonstrate to us that it doesn’t have to be murder for it to be defined as serious. All sin is destructive and brings with it various forms of death.

So, Noah lost his sense of shame, his sense of dignity and his sense of decency. This is what drunkenness does to us. In that condition, immodesty took over. And I’m sure Noah was a modest man as a righteous man. But sin had floated over the waters of the Flood and landed in the new world, and it was still very alive. Noah got intoxicated and he disgraced himself by taking off his clothes. 

In Leviticus 18, there is a long list of sins of the sexual nature that are identified by the phrase "uncover their nakedness." It may have been that there was some act on the part of Noah in his drunken state, but we don’t know. What we do know is that Noah lost control of his normal inhibitions so that he passed out stark naked in his tent. He didn’t become naked after he passed out. It was when he was still conscious enough to take off his clothes that he took them off for no good purpose other than exposure. Drunkenness disgraced him. Drunkenness defined him poorly.

In Exodus 20, the Lord, after telling the Israelites to build an altar, told them not to make steps that enabled them to go up to the altar. He said this so that "their nakedness would not be exposed." In Exodus 28:42 God said, "And you shall make for them linen trousers to cover their nakedness; they shall reach from the waist to the thighs." Covering our nakedness is important because nakedness elicits thoughts from our imaginations which can result in impurity in our hearts. That’s why pornography exploits nakedness because that’s how sexual sin is stimulated.

All of this underscores the utter importance of being defined by God on a daily basis. And, we know that we are being defined by God when we are obedient to His word. This will never this side of heaven mean that we will be perfect or sinless. It does mean that we will be wise and effective with regard to God's calling on our lives to know Him and to make Him known.

Genesis 9:12-17

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"12 And God said: 'This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15 and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.' 17 And God said to Noah, 'This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.'" ~ Genesis 9:12-17

Today, we return to our study of Genesis 9 where we see the survival of Noah in v.1-17, the sin of Noah in v.18-23, and, the sons of Noah in v.24-29. In this study, we will close out our study of the survival of Noah who was a real man who really lived through the flood. All of the stories in the Bible are true and they are all about on great thing: God's great unfolding plan for lost humanity to possibly come to faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.12-13 of today's passage we read, "12 And God said: 'This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.'"

God determined to establish this promise on His own, without consulting any man. There are no conditions in man that makes us deserve God's covenants. There are no conditions in us that make us sustain any covenant with God that He has given us. At the same time, there are no conditions in us that causes God to turn away from His faithfulness to us. Most people are clueless about what a covenant looks like because we live in a world where most people have thrown away their vows and covenants. This explains our difficulty appreciating God's commitment to us.

Throughout this passage we read, "between me and you." Such is the nature of God's promises. The promises of God are trustworthy because they are founded upon His character and power, and He cannot present any greater collateral than Himself. The rainbow was given by God to remind us of His faithfulness. The durability of something is what determines whether we are willing to stand on it. The soundness of its structure ensures its durability and reliability. This enables us to rely and trust that the platform will not collapse when we stand on it. God gave the rainbow to be a reminder of His faithfulness and His trustworthiness. We can therefore trust Him with every detail of our lives.

It was Isaac Newton who demonstrated that using a prism the white light of the sun contains all the colors of the visible spectrum. It was Lord Rayleigh who showed us how the interaction of atmospheric particles scatters the light waves into short wavelengths which appear more blue and violet. God made our eyes and brains to interpret certain combinations of wavelengths as a single, discrete color. Our visual sense interprets the blue-violet light of the sky as a mixture of blue and white light. This is why we see the sky as light blue.

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Man perpetuated on the earth due to the obedience of one man, Noah. It was through his faith in the goodness of God that Noah was able to access God's promises. God established His covenant with man and He used the rainbow as an object lesson that the earth will never again be flooded as it was in Noah's day. Before the flood there were no rainbows because there was no rain. God put the rainbow in the clouds as a statement of peace between Himself and sinful man. His goal was to show us that we can trust Him.

Covenants provide the needed solid foundation of any healthy relationship and society. When we establish covenants, we bind ourselves to that promise and to the one with whom it is established. Our character and integrity are all bound up in our loyalty to that covenant. Throughout the Old Testament, one of the attributes of God is He is faithful. And, when we give Him enough time, He will be faithful to show us His faithfulness and thus our trust in Him will grow. If we lack patience with God, we may never recognize His trustworthiness and His faithfulness.

In v.14-17 of today's passage we read, "'14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15 and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.' 17 And God said to Noah, 'This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.'"

The word translated "rainbow" here is the same word for a battle bow, a weapon of death and destruction. In ancient Near Eastern literature there are often deities depicted with a bow, wielding destruction. In Exodus 15:3 we read "The Lord is a warrior." In Habakkuk 3:9 we read, "His bow is made bare." In Zechariah 9:14 we read, "His arrows are lightning." Throughout the Old Testament, God is depicted as a warrior with a bow fighting on the behalf of His people. In the Flood, God the Warrior shot His lightning arrows, pierced the earth, the earth broke open, exploded and then the sky fell. He bent His bow in wrath. But from now on God has hung up His bow and He hung it in the sky where everybody can see this is not the time of judgment, this is the time of peace. 

Every time we see a rainbow, we must be reminded that it represents the victory of grace over judgment. Everyone deserves God's judgment, but His grace is possible because this is the age when God has hung up His bow. The whole flood story is a revelation of God’s holy wrath. But the rainbow is a sign that God is also a God of mercy and a God of grace and a God of patience and a God of peace. There will be a final wrath for those who are unwilling to believe in the goodness of God as shown in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. For 4500 plus years God has been faithful to the Noahic promise and the colors in the rainbow magnificently radiate the manifold glories of God's grace. As does every promise God made to Israel in the Old Testament. These promises point us to God's ultimate promise through His Son, the Lord Jesus. Through Him we are promised eternal life, only if we believe.

Genesis 9:6-11

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"6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man. 7 And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply in it." 8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 "And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. 11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." ~ Genesis 9:6-11

Today, we return to our study of Genesis 9 where the outline is: The survival of Noah in v.1-17, The sin of Noah in v.18-23, and, the sons of Noah in v.24-29. In today's passage we see that God is reestablishing the post flood earth. Although the flood wiped out everything on the earth, there was one thing that it didn't wipe out; the sinfulness of man. But, given the fact that God remade the world after the flood with all of its original elements and rhythms and blessings still in place, despite the persisting sinfulness of man, is a sign of God’s grace.

In v.6 of today's passage we read, "Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man."

As God put the fear of man in the animals, He had to put the fear of God into man. Here, we see the beginning of human government. God, in this passage, gave to man the mandate and the authority to oversee the culture and the society with power and with authority. Here, we are given by God the foundation for capital punishment. Since man was created in God’s image, the man who takes another man's life, his life will be required of him. Capital punishment was established by God after man's rebellion and it has always been in order to deter man from such violence.

In Numbers 35:33 we learn that atonement can’t be made for the land which is polluted by bloodshed except by the blood of him who shed it. This also is applicable to the unborn. Those who herald abortion actively work against God in order to terminate the life in the womb created in His image. If someone commits murder, the Bible doesn’t ask us to look at his childhood and determine what made him do it. It doesn’t ask us to look at his social standing or whether he was drunk or on pain medicines. God is clear that a murderer is to be put to death.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply in it."

Abortion would be the very thing that goes against being fruitful and multiplying and filling the earth. I find it most interesting that those who say "no" to capital punishment are the very same ones who say "yes" to abortion. God says children are a blessing from Him. Here, God repeats His mandate to Noah to "be fruitful and multiply."  How pleased He must be when His creation returns that love to Him in praise, worship, and adoration. Children are a blessing and a heritage from the Lord and we bring Him honor when we get married, have children, and bring them up in the nurture and the knowledge of the Lord.

In v.8-11 of today's passage we read, "8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 'And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. 11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.'"

God established a covenant which is the basis of any relationship. It is only on the basis of a covenant where God makes promises that the infinite and holy God can have a relationship with finite and yet wicked man. In the Bible, there are two kinds of covenants; a conditional covenant and an unconditional covenant. An unconditional is where God makes a promise or gives a declaration, saying, "I'm going to do this, period." A conditional covenant is when God has His part and man has his part. God says, "You keep these conditions and if you keep them, then I will do this or that." To Adam and Eve God gave the Edenic covenant. This was a conditional covenant. Man occupying the Garden of Eden, the Edenic covenant which was a conditional covenant. God told Adam and Eve to manage the Garden but they broke their side of the condition.

The Noahic covenant was an unconditional covenant whereby God promised that He would never again destroy the earth by a flood. By promising to never flood the earth again, God was pledging that humans will be preserved on the earth until the end of history. Earthquakes, hurricanes, climate change, pandemics, wars, fires, or freezes won’t destroy the earth. The earth will be preserved against all cataclysmic events until the end. This covenant doesn’t guarantee universal salvation, but it does guarantee universal preservation of the earth until the end.

God has kept this promise. There have been many local floods since that time but never a universal one, never again a universal destructive flood. The reason for this promise was to show man that God had changed his method of judgment. It is not that there will not come a judgment of humanity again, God is clear in 2 Peter 3 that the next time the destruction will come by fire. And, with that word through the Apostle Peter, God promised that His judgment will come. 

The judgement of God upon sin has already been mitigated on the behalf of all who are willing enough to believe in the goodness and the promises of God. In John 3:16-18, the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Genesis 9:1-5

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1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. ~ Genesis 9:1-5 

Today, we transition into Genesis 9 where the Flood is now in the distant past. In the opening chapters of Genesis, we have seen God create the world and we have seen man ruin it with his sin. Since God is holy and man is totally corrupt, man's sinfulness had to be judged. In response, God decided to destroy unrepentant sinful man with the Flood. In the context of all of this, we must not lose sight of the fact that God offered corrupt man a way out of the destruction and all but one family rejected God's kind offer of grace.

In today's chapter Moses fills out more of what God was doing with Noah, his family and the earth during the post-flood period. Here, we see that the God who recreated the earth and promised to preserve it until He redeems it from sin and death.  The main takeaway for us from this text is that God’s grace is the only reason any of us are still alive and the world is still running. In this text, we will consider in the next few studies the survival of Noah in v.1-19, the sin of Noah in v.21-22, and then, the sons of Noah in v.23-29.

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.'"

Before God required anything of man, He blessed Him; With Noah God was no different. We are woefully unaware each day of all of God's blessings. In Matthew 5:45, the Lord Jesus said this about our Heavenly Father: "He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." Rain has always symbolized "God's blessing" throughout the Scriptures. The only time rain has been seen as a bad thing was during the Great Flood due to the evil state of humanity. A close analysis of the covenant God offered man before the Flood was an offer of His blessing, unrepentant man was not willing enough to see it. This was why God had to destroy sinful man in the Flood.

The good news is we serve a supernatural God. When He commands blessing upon us, there is nothing that the forces of darkness can do to stop it. With God's commanded blessings, we will go places we never thought possible. Doors will open that we could not have imagined would open to us. Of course, all of this is predicated upon God's will, not ours. We must be very careful that our faith is being placed in the promises of God rather than in our preferences of the way we think our lives should be. Our Heavenly Father always knows what is best for us.

The command "to be fruitful and multiply" in this verse is a repetition of the original command given by God to Adam back in Genesis 1. The Lord tells us that the fruit of the womb is His reward. Today there are 7.7 billion people on earth. It took from Noah's day to the year 1804 to produce 1 billion people on earth. The modern concept of cutting back on population growth isn’t just unbiblical, it’s anti-biblical. God has ordained that man and animals multiply, not abort. And we are instructed to fill the earth, not to worship the earth. 

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand."

Back in Genesis 1 when everything on the earth was perfect, man was given dominion over the creatures of the earth. Man's dominion continued after the flood but with sin and death reigning on the earth. And, after the Flood, a new aspect of man's relationship with the animals came about; the animals had come to fear man. With this new paradigm, we now see that we are not as we once were. Where once we were the keepers of a creation that was in far more harmony with us, now we find the animals fearing us and hiding from us. 

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs."

At this point in history the animals became food of man. With this change, man now would be reminded that every meal should remind us that life is made possible only by the death of another. We are alive only because other creatures have died on our behalf. We do not live in and of ourselves, we live by virtue of feeding upon other life. This is a reminder that we are not independent creatures, going our own way, mastering of our own fate. We have no life force of our own; life as we know it is all borrowed. 

The Lord Jesus said, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. But whosoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life." In that verse the Lord Jesus did not mean that we should feed on Him literally, but symbolically. We are to feed on Him, and draw from Him all that we need. He is our life, and without Him we will never be what we were created to be.

In v.4-5 of today's passage we read, "4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man."

When the early church was facing legalism and the Judaizers were arguing what believers in Christ could and could not eat, telling them that they had to be circumcised, or telling them that they had to observe certain feasts or festivals or the Sabbath, a council was called in Jerusalem. The conclusion of that council was simple and concise: abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.

Clearly, since then, the epistles of the apostles have to be considered and applied to our lives, but nothing written by the apostles contradict this early decision, especially concerning what can and can’t be eaten. The Apostle Paul later clarified the part about things offered to idols and he and the other apostles speak in detail about sexual immorality. Beyond this, things that are strangled has its own context in which to be considered. And the drinking of blood is forbidden because it predates the Law of Moses and the blood contains the life.

Life is God's property. Man does not impart life; he does not originate it and it does not belong to him. Therefore, man has no right to take life. The life of man is peculiarly sacred to God; only God has the right to take it. If anyone else violates this, God says he will require a reckoning, and that would be a terrible price. The emphasis throughout the Bible is on life and the preservation of life, otherwise man would look upon life as cheap. It is a cheap view of life that leads man down the path of not appreciating the sacred. And, we will not value life unless we see it as all things as sacred.