Front matter (continued, part 4)
No more universal floods (v. 21b). God also determined that there would be no future floods. God's reason given in verse 21 has been variously explained, and your explanation depends to some degree on your translation of the text. Did God say "for the imagination of man's heart is evil" (kjv, niv margin), or did He say "even though every inclination of his heart is evil" (niv)? The Lord had originally sent the flood because of the evil hearts of the people (6:5), so not to send another judgment would make it look like the flood was a mistake or a failure, or that God had given up on the human race created in His own image.
In Old Testament days, when you sacrificed a burnt offering, you gave the entire animal or bird to the Lord with nothing kept back (Lev. 1). "All on the altar" (v. 9) was the biblical law, because the sacrifice symbolized total dedication to the Lord.8 In a new step of commitment, Noah gave himself and his family completely to the Lord. God had graciously protected them and brought them through the storm, so it was only fitting that they make themselves available to the Lord to do His will.
If we translate 8:21 "for," then we have God saying, "The human heart is incurably wicked. The flood wiped out the transgressors, but it couldn't change
The description of God "smell [-ing] the pleasant aroma" (Gen. 8:21 niv) is a human way of stating a
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get up at sunrise, and if we don't like the weather where we are, we can quickly travel to a different climate. But if God were to dim the sun, rearrange the seasons, or tilt the earth at a different angle, our lives would be in jeopardy.
hearts. Therefore, to have another judgment won't solve the problem." If we translate it "even though," then we have God saying: "Yes, they deserve judgment because their hearts are wicked. And to persist in sin and not learn their lesson from this flood only shows how evil they are. But in grace, I will not send another flood or curse the ground."
God invites us to live a day at a time. Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11) and to be thankful for it. "As your days, so shall your strength be" (Deut. 33:25 nkjv; see Matt. 6:25–34). When His disciples warned Jesus not to go to Bethany, He replied, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?" (John 11:9). He obeyed the Father's schedule and lived a day at a time, trusting the Father to care for Him.
Perhaps both are true. The important thing is that God spoke these words in response to Noah's sacrifice, and that the sacrifice was a picture of the sacrifice of Christ (Heb. 10:1–10; Eph. 5:2). On the basis of the atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ on the cross, God could say, "A price has been paid for the sins of the world, and I can withhold judgment. Justice has been met, My law has been upheld, and I can show grace to a lost world. I will not send another flood and wipe out the human race. Instead, I will offer them My great salvation."
God's "covenant of day and night" is especially meaningful to the people of Israel, for it guarantees them His care and protection so that they will never cease to be a nation (Jer. 33:19–26). God's promise that He will not send another flood is assurance to the Jews that His covenant with them will never be broken (Isa. 54:7–10).
This doesn't mean that God doesn't judge sin today or that there will be no future judgment of the world. Romans 1:18ff. makes it clear that God's judgment is being revealed against sinners right now through the consequences of their sins. God gave them over to their own sinful bondage and gave them up to the consequences of their sins in their own bodies. One of the greatest judgments God can send to sinners is to let them have their own way and then pay for it in their own lives. That's the judgment the world is experiencing right now. There will be a future global judgment, but not a judgment of water; it will be a judgment of fire (2 Peter 3).
We're prone to take for granted sunrise and sunset, the changing face of the moon and the changing seasons, but all of these functions are but evidences that God is on the throne and keeping His promises. All creation preaches a constant sermon, day after day, season after season, that assures us of God's loving care. We can trust His Word, for "there has not failed one word of all his good promise" (1 Kings 8:56).
No interruption of the cycle of nature (v. 22). The flood had interrupted the normal cycle of the seasons for a year, but that would never be repeated. Instead, God reaffirmed that the rhythm of days and weeks and seasons would continue as long as the earth endured. Without this guarantee, mankind could never be sure of having the necessities of life.
1 Moses took this approach when he interceded with God for sinful Israel: "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel" (Ex. 32:13), and it was Nehemiah's repeated prayer (Neh. 13:14, 22, 29, 31). To ask God to remember is to remind Him of His promises and claim those promises for yourself (Ps. 25:6–7; 105:8, 42; 106:4, 45; 132:1; 136:23). Mary rejoiced in God's remembrance of His mercy (Luke 1:54–55), and Zacharias sang about it at the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:72–73). The name Zacharias means "God remembers." 2 To review God's special concern for animals, read note 11. 3 See Genesis 28:15; Deuteronomy 4:31; 31:6; Joshua 1:5; 1 Kings 8:57; 1 Chronicles 28:9, 20; Isaiah 42:16; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5. 4 Kay Orr, when Governor of Nebraska, made me an Admiral of the Nebraska Navy. When I asked a long-time resident why Nebraska had a navy, he explained that the state is sitting on "an ocean of water," which explains the extensive farm irrigation system that you see as you drive on I-80. Nebraska also has some of the richest "digs" for finding the remains of prehistoric animals. Is this something we should attribute to the flood? Perhaps. 5 Beginning with the Exodus, the Jews had both civil and religious calendars. The civil year began in the seventh month (Tishri), our mid-September to mid-October; but the religious year started with Passover, the fourteenth day of Nisan (Ex. 12:2), our mid-March to mid-April. However, Nisan would be the seventh month of the civil year, and the seventeenth day of the seventh month would be three days after Passover, the day
We know now that the steady cycle of days and nights, weeks and months, seasons and years, is maintained by the rotation of the earth on its axis and the orbit of the earth around the sun. God made it that way so that His universe would operate effectively. Although there were myriads of galaxies to choose from, the Lord chose to pour His love and grace down upon the inhabitants of the earth. "The earth is the Lord's" (Ps. 24:1). The Lord so arranged the universe that the living things on earth might be maintained, and this includes men and women who too often forget God's care.
The guarantee in Genesis 8:22 gives us hope and courage as we face an unknown future. Each time we go to bed for the night, or turn the calendar to a new month, we should be reminded that God is concerned about planet earth and its inhabitants. With the invention of the electric light and modern means of transportation and communication, our world has moved away from living by the cycles of nature established by God. We no longer go to bed at sundown and
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God had told Adam and Eve to "be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth" (1:28), and He repeated that mandate twice to Noah and his family (9:1, 7). All of Noah's descendants were important to the plan of God, but especially the line of Shem. From that line Abraham would be born, the man God chose to found the Jewish nation. From that nation would come the Redeemer who would fulfill 3:15 and crush the serpent's head.
of our Lord's resurrection. This explains why Peter associated the ark with the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:18–22), for the ark rested in Ararat on the date our Lord arose from the dead. 6 Ever since the days of the church fathers, preachers have seen the two birds as illustrations of the two natures (and two appetites) in the child of God, the flesh and the spirit (Gal. 5:16–26). The dove certainly typifies the Spirit of God (Matt. 3:18). 7 God's concern is for the salvation and devotion of the entire family, and that's why He instructed the Jewish fathers and mothers to teach the Word to their children. See Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and Psalms 78:1–8; 102:28; 103:17–18; 112:1–2. At Pentecost, Peter declared that God's promise included the children so that they too could believe and be saved (Acts 2:38–39), and Paul gave the same assurance to the Philippian jailer (16:31). We can't believe for our children, but we can prepare the way for our children to believe. 8 The burnt offering also involved atonement for sin (Lev. 1:4; Job 1:5) and thanksgiving to God. 9 It was God who provided the sacrifices because He commanded Noah to take the clean animals with him on the ark (Gen. 7:2–3). What we give to God, He has first given to us (1 Chron. 29:14), and we don't give to God because He lacks anything (Ps. 50:7–15) or needs anything (Acts 17:24–25). Our giving brings delight to God, but it doesn't enrich God personally. Rather, giving enriches the worshipper (Phil. 4:18).
In Scripture, children are described as a blessing, not a curse, and to have many children and grandchildren was evidence of the favor of God (Gen. 24:60; Ps. 127:3–5; 128:3–4). God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as the stars of the sky and the sand of the sea (Gen. 15:5; 22:17), and the patriarchs invoked the blessing of fruitfulness on their heirs (28:3; 35:11; 48:4). The Lord covenanted with Israel to give them many children if the nation would obey His laws (Lev. 26:9; Deut. 7:13).
Many people today don't seem to have that attitude toward children. Starting with the Revolutionary War, in nearly 200 years of American history, 1,200,000 military personnel have been killed in nine major wars. But in one year in the United States, 1,600,000 babies are legally aborted.1 In biblical times, Jewish couples wouldn't have considered aborting a child, no matter how difficult their circumstances or meager their resources. Life was God's gift and children were a heritage from the Lord, treasures to be protected and invested for His glory.
CHAPTER TEN Genesis 9:1–17 TO LIFE! TO LIFE! T
Sustaining life (9:2–4) A survey taken in 1900 revealed that people felt they needed seventy-two things in order to function normally and be content. Fifty years later, in a similar survey, the total came to nearly 500 things! But the Bible lists only two: "And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content" (1 Tim. 6:8 nkjv).
C.The covenant—9
o Life" is one of the happiest songs in Fiddler on the Roof, the musical that dramatizes Jewish life in the little village of Anatevka. The milkman Tevye and his neighbors were defenseless, poor, and unsure of their future in czarist Russia, yet they still celebrated life as a joyful gift from a generous God. Whether it was the announcement of an engagement, the birth of a baby, or even the arrival of a sewing machine, the humble residents of Anatevka found reasons to give thanks for the blessings of life.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught the same truth when He spoke about the birds and the flowers (Matt. 6:24–34). If the heavenly Father clothes the flowers with beauty and gives the birds their food, surely He will provide food and raiment for His own dearly loved children. "For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things" (v. 32 nkjv).
In this paragraph (Gen. 9:1–17), God addressed the eight survivors of the flood and gave them instructions concerning four areas of life. Though given initially to Noah and his family, these instructions apply to all people in all ages and all places. They are permanent ordinances from God for all humanity, and they must not be ignored or altered. Life is precious, and it must be handled with care.
When God established Adam and Eve in their garden home, He gave them fruit and plants to eat (Gen. 1:29; 2:9, 16); but after the flood, He expanded the human diet to include meat. The harmony in nature that Adam and Eve had enjoyed was now gone, for Noah and his family didn't have "dominion" over animal life (1:26, 28). Now the animals would fear humans and do everything possible to escape the threat of death. Since most animals reproduce rapidly and their young mature quickly, the beasts could easily overrun the human population; so God put the fear of humans into the animals. Cain was a farmer, Abel was a shepherd, but Noah and his sons were now hunters.
Multiplying life (9:1, 7) When Noah came out of the ark, he was like a "second Adam" about to usher in a new beginning on earth for the human race. Faith in the Lord had saved Noah and his household from destruction, and his three sons would repopulate the whole earth (v. 18).
However, God put one restriction on the eating of
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refuge to which an accused murderer could flee for safety (Num. 35:6–34; Deut. 19:1–13). The elders of the city would protect the accused until the case could be investigated, and if the accused was found guilty, the family of the deceased could proceed with the execution. Since the murderer had shed blood, the murderer's blood must be shed.
animal flesh: the meat must be free of blood (9:4). God stated concisely to Noah what He later elaborated through Moses: the life is in the blood, and the life must be respected, even if you're butchering an animal to eat at a feast. (See Lev. 3:17; 7:26–27; 17:10–14; 19:26; Deut. 12:16, 23–25; 15:23.)2 In this restriction, God revealed again His concern for animal life. The life is in the blood, and that life comes from God and should be respected. Furthermore, the blood of animals would be important in most of the Mosaic sacrifices, so the blood must be treated with reverence.
Government was established by God because the human heart is evil (Gen. 6:5) and the fear of punishment can help to restrain would-be lawbreakers. The law can restrain but it can't regenerate; only the grace of God can change the human heart (Jer. 31:31–34; Heb. 8:7–13). But if individuals, families, or groups were allowed to deal with offenders in their own way, society would be in a state of constant chaos. Human government has its weaknesses and limitations, but government is better than anarchy and people doing what's right in their own eyes (Judg. 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).5 God ordained and established three institutions on this earth: marriage and the family (Gen. 1:26–28; 2:18–25), human government (9:5–6), and the church (Matt. 16:13–19; Acts 2). Each has its sphere of responsibility and one can't substitute for the other. The church wields the sword of the Spirit (Heb. 4:12), not the sword of justice (Rom. 13:4; John 18:36), but if the government interferes with matters of Christian conscience, believers have the right to disobey (Acts 4:18–20). Opponents of capital punishment ask, "Does capital punishment deter crime?" But does any law deter crime, including parking laws and speed laws? Perhaps not as much as we'd desire, but the punishment of offenders does help society to honor law and justice. Nobody knows how many people learn about convictions and think twice before they disobey the law. The law also helps to protect and compensate innocent people who are victims of lawless behavior.
Jesus taught that it was permissible to eat all foods (Mark 7:1–23), and both Peter (Acts 10) and Paul (1 Tim. 4:3–4; Col. 2:16) reaffirmed this truth. However, the early church still faced disagreements over diets (Rom. 14:1—15:7). To keep Gentile believers from offending Jewish believers or seekers, the early Christians were advised not to be careless about the eating of meat (Acts 15:19–21, 24–29).3 Paul's counsel was: receive one another, love one another, do nothing to make one another stumble, and seek to build one another up in the faith. The approach was love; the goal was maturity.
Protecting life (9:5–6) From instructing Noah about the shedding of animal blood, the Lord proceeded to discuss an even more important topic: the shedding of human blood. Thus far, mankind didn't have a very good track record when it came to caring for one another. Cain had killed his brother Abel (4:8), Lamech had killed a young man and bragged about it (vv. 23–24), and the earth had been filled with all kinds of violence (6:11, 13). God had put the fear of humans into the animals, but now He had to put the fear of God into the humans lest they destroy one another!
Those who kill their fellow human beings will have to answer to God for their deeds, for men and women are made in the image of God.4 To attack a human being is to attack God, and the Lord will bring judgment on the offender. All life is the gift of God, and to take away life means to take the place of God. The Lord gives life and He alone has the right to authorize taking it away (Job 1:21).
Not everything that's legal is biblical. Regardless of what philosophers, parliaments, and courts may say, God's mandate of capital punishment begins with "whoever." It was given by God to be respected and obeyed by all people.
Enjoying life (9:8–17) This section is what theologians call "The Noahic Covenant." Though God spoke especially to Noah and his sons, this covenant includes all of Noah's descendants (v. 9) and "all generations to come" (v. 12 niv). The covenant doesn't stop there, however, for it also includes every living creature (vv. 10, 12) and "all living creatures of every kind" (v. 15 niv). Humans, birds, beasts, and wild animals are encompassed in this wonderful covenant.
But how did God arrange to punish murderers and see that justice is done and the law upheld? He established human government on the earth and in so doing shared with mankind the awesome power of taking human life. That's the import of God's mandate in Genesis 9:6. Human government and capital punishment go together, as Paul explains in Romans 13:1–7. Government authorities carry the sword and have the right to use it.
Under Old Testament law there was no police force as we know it. If a murder was committed, it was up to the family of the victim to find the culprit and bring him to justice. There's a difference between murder and involuntary manslaughter (Ex. 21:12–14), so the Lord instructed the nation of Israel to establish six cities of
In this covenant, God promised unconditionally that He would never send another flood to destroy all life on the earth. As though to make it emphatic, three times He said "never again" (vv. 11, 15 nkjv, niv). He didn't lay down any conditions that men and women
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When the clouds appear and the sun is hidden, we have nothing to fear.
had to obey; He simply stated the fact that there would be no more universal floods. From that day on, Noah and his family could enjoy life and not worry every time the rain began to fall.
Let's think about the bow. A bow is an instrument of war, but God has transformed it into a picture of His grace and faithfulness, a guarantee of peace. God could certainly turn the bow of judgment upon us, because we've broken His law and deserve judgment. But He has turned the bow toward heaven and taken the punishment for us Himself! When Jesus died on the cross, it was the Just One suffering for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18) and bearing the suffering that rightfully belonged to us.
A covenant with creation. At least four times in this covenant, the Lord mentioned "every living creature." He was speaking about the animals and birds that Noah had kept safe in the ark during the flood (v. 10). Once again, we're reminded of God's special concern for animal life.
When the apostle John beheld the throne room of heaven, he saw four unusual "living creatures" worshipping before God's throne, each one having a different face (Rev. 4:6–7). The first had a face like a lion, the second like a calf, the third like a man, and the fourth like an eagle. These four faces parallel the four kinds of creatures with whom God made this covenant: wild beasts, cattle, humans, and birds (see Gen. 9:9–10). These creatures are represented perpetually before the throne of God, because the Lord is concerned about His creation. They remind us that all creation worships and praises the God who provides for His creatures and rejoices in their worship.6
Rainbows are universal; you see them all over the world. God's many-colored grace is sufficient for the whole world and needs to be announced to the whole world. After all, God loves the world (John 3:16), and Christ died for the sins of the world (1 John 4:10, 14).
But the rainbow isn't only for us to see, for the Lord said, "I will look upon it" (Gen. 9:16). Certainly God doesn't forget His covenants with His people, but this is just another way of assuring us that we don't need to be afraid. When we look at the rainbow, we know that our Father is also looking at the rainbow, and therefore it becomes a bridge that brings us together.
Three rainbows. Three men in Scripture saw significant rainbows. Noah saw the rainbow after the storm, just as God's people see it today. But the prophet Ezekiel saw the rainbow in the midst of the storm when he had that remarkable vision of the wheels and the throne (Ezek. l:28). Ezekiel also saw living creatures and each one had four faces! One was like a man, one like a lion, one like an ox, and one like an eagle—the same faces John saw (Rev. 4:6–7).
A covenant sign. To help His people remember His covenants, God would give them a visible sign. His covenant with Abraham was sealed with the sign of circumcision (Gen. 17:11; Rom. 4:9–12), and the Mosaic Covenant at Sinai with the sign of the weekly Sabbath (Ex. 31:16–17). God's covenant with Noah and the animal creation was sealed with the sign of the rainbow. Whenever people saw the rainbow, they would remember God's promise that no future storm would ever become a worldwide flood that would destroy humanity.
Of course, the apostle John saw the rainbow before the storm of judgment broke loose (v. 3). In fact, John saw a complete rainbow around the throne of God! On earth, we see "in part," but one day in heaven, we will see things fully as they really are (1 Cor. 13:12).
Mark Twain and his friend William Dean Howells stepped out of church just as a violent rainstorm began. Howells said, "I wonder if it will stop," and Mark Twain replied, "It always has." He was right; it always has! Why? Because God made a covenant and He always keeps His word.
The personal lesson for God's people is simply this: in the storms of life, always look for the rainbow of God's covenant promise. Like John, you may see the rainbow before the storm; like Ezekiel, you may see it in the midst of the storm; or like Noah, you may have to wait until after the storm. But you will always see the rainbow of God's promise if you look by faith. That's the Old Testament version of Romans 8:28.
God spoke of the rainbow as though Noah and his family were familiar with it, so it must have existed before the flood. Rainbows are caused by the sunlight filtering through the water in the air, each drop becoming a prism to release the colors hidden in the white light of the sun. Rainbows are fragile but beautiful, and nobody has to pay to see them! Their lovely colors speak to us of what Peter called "the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10). The Greek word translated "manifold" means "various, manycolored, variegated." The rainbow reminds us of God's gracious covenant and the "many-colored" grace of God.
God's covenant with creation affects every living creature on earth. Without it, there would be no assured continuity of nature from day to day and from season to season. We would never know when the next storm was coming and whether it would be our last.
God wants us to enjoy the blessings of natural life and spiritual life, because He "gives to us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17). When you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the world of nature around you becomes much more wonderful, because the Creator has become your Father.
Let's pursue that thought. If the rainbow reminds us of God's faithfulness and grace, then why do we fret and worry? God hasn't promised that we'll never experience storms, but He has promised that the storms won't destroy us. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you" (Isa. 43:2 nkjv).
When in later years the American evangelist D. L. Moody talked about his conversion as a teenager, he said, "I was in a new world. The next morning the sun
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from rainbows to shadows, and we behold the shameful sins of a great man of faith. Dr. William Culbertson, for many years president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, often closed his public prayers with, "And, Lord, help us to end well." God answered that prayer for Dr. Culbertson, but not every believer now in heaven ended the race hearing God's "Well done!" However, let's be charitable and remember Paul's warning, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12 nkjv). After all, Noah didn't think it would happen to him!
shone brighter and the birds sang sweeter … the old elms waved their branches for joy, and all Nature was at peace. [It] was the most delicious joy that I had ever known."7
The God of creation is the god of salvation. Trust Jesus Christ and you can then truly sing, "This is my Father's world."
1 See Precious in His Sight: Childhood and Children in the Bible, by Roy B. Zuck (Baker, 1996), 71. This book ought to be read by every parent, pastor, children's worker, and teacher of children. 2 "But you must not eat flesh from a still-living animal" is the way Stephen Mitchell translates Genesis 9:4 in Genesis: A New Translation of the Classic Biblical Stories (New York: HarperCollins, 1996), 17. Since the blood is the life, then flesh with blood still in it is considered living flesh. 3 The issue at the Acts 15 Jerusalem consultation was not health but theology: must a Gentile become a Jew in order to become a Christian? The answer, of course, was a resounding no. The related question Paul dealt with in Romans 14—15 was, "Must a Christian live like a Jew in order to be a good Christian?" This was a matter of personal love: do nothing that would cause weaker Christians to stumble, but don't let them stay weak. Help them to see the truth and have the faith to obey it. 4 According to the law of Moses, if an animal killed a human, the animal was to be killed. If the animal was known to be dangerous but wasn't penned up, then the owner of the animal was in danger of losing his life. See Exodus 21:28–32. 5 For a biblical study of capital punishment, see On Capital Punishment, by William H. Baker (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985). See also C. S. Lewis' masterful essay "The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment" in God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics, edited by Walter Hooper (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970), 287–94. 6 Psalm 104 emphasizes that all creation depends on God and worships God, including the beasts of the field (vv. 11, 21), the fowl (vv. 12, 17), the cattle (v. 14), and mankind (vv. 14, 23). 7 Richard K. Curtis. They Called Him Mr. Moody (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967), 53.
A family tragedy (9:18–23) The index for "the rest of the story" is in verses 18–19. The main characters are listed—Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and the main theme of this section is announced: how Noah's family multiplied and scattered over the earth. A contemporary reader of the Bible is tempted to skip these lists of obscure names, but that doesn't minimize their importance. These "obscure people" founded the nations that throughout Bible history interacted with each other and helped to accomplish God's purposes on this earth. The descendants of Shem—the people of Israel—have played an especially important part on the stage of history.
Disgrace (vv. 20–21). In becoming a farmer, Noah followed the vocation of his father Lamech (5:28–29). While the Bible condemns drunkenness (Prov. 20:1; 23:19–21, 29–35; Isa. 5:11; Hab. 2:15; Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 6:10; Eph. 5:18), it doesn't condemn the growing or eating of grapes or the drinking of wine. Grapes, raisins, and wine were important elements in the diet of Eastern peoples. In fact, in Old Testament society, wine was considered a blessing from God (Ps. 104:14–15; Deut. 14:26) and was even used with the sacrifices (Lev. 23:13; Num. 28:7).
This is the first mention of wine in Scripture, but wine-making was practiced before the flood, and Noah certainly knew what too much wine would do to him. In an attempt to exonerate Noah, some students claim that the flood brought about a change in the earth's atmosphere, and this caused the grape juice to ferment for the first time, but the defense is feeble. Noah had picked the grapes, crushed them in the winepress, put the juice into skins, and waited for the juice to ferment.
CHAPTER ELEVEN Genesis 9:18—10:32 THE REST OF THE STORY I
Both his drunkenness and his nakedness were disgraceful, and the two often go together (Gen. 19:30–38; Hab. 2:15–16; Lam. 4:21). Alcohol isn't a stimulant, it's a narcotic; and when the brain is affected by alcohol, the person loses self-control. At least Noah was in his own tent when this happened and not out in public. But when you consider who he was (a preacher of righteousness) and what he had done (saved his household from death), his sin becomes even more repulsive.
'm an incurable reader of biographies and autobiographies, and I've often regretted turning the page of a book and discovering a grinning skeleton lurking in the closet of someone I've admired. American columnist Russell Baker said, "The biographer's problem is that he never knows enough. The autobiographer's problem is that he knows too much."1 But when God writes the story, He knows everything about everybody and always tells the truth, and He does it for our own good.
The Bible doesn't excuse the sins of the saints but mentions them as warnings to us not to do what they did (1 Cor. 10:6–13). As Spurgeon said, "God never allows His children to sin successfully." There's always a price to pay.
The history of Noah and his family now moves
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selves, for all of us are candidates for conduct unbecoming to a Christian.
Twice Abraham lied about his wife (Gen. 12:10–20; 20:1ff.), and his son Isaac followed his bad example (26:6–16). Moses lost his temper and as a result also lost the privilege of entering the Holy Land (Num. 20:7–13). Joshua jumped to conclusions and ended up defending the enemy (Josh. 9—10). David committed adultery and arranged to have the woman's husband killed in battle (2 Sam. 11), and the sword plagued his family for years to come.
A family prophecy (9:24–29) When Noah awakened from his drunken stupor, he was probably ashamed of what he had done, but he was also surprised to find himself covered by a garment. Naturally, he wondered what had happened in the tent while he was asleep. The logical thing would be to speak to Japheth, his firstborn, and he and Shem must have told him what Ham had done.
Noah didn't plan to get drunk and shamelessly expose himself, but it happened just the same. The Japanese have an appropriate proverb: "First the man takes a drink, then the drink takes a drink, and then the drink takes the man."
These words are Noah's only recorded speech found in Scripture. It's too bad that this brief speech has been misunderstood and labeled a "curse," because what Noah said is more like a father's prophecy concerning his children and grandchildren. The word "curse" is used only once, but it's directed at Ham's youngest son Canaan and not at Ham himself. This suggests that Noah was describing the future of his sons and one grandson on the basis of what he saw in their character, not unlike what Jacob did before he died (Gen. 49).
Disrespect (v. 22). Ham shouldn't have entered his father's tent without an invitation. Did he call to his father and receive no answer? Did he wonder if Noah was sick or perhaps even dead? Did he even know that his father had been drinking wine? These are questions the text doesn't answer, so it's useless for us to speculate. One thing is certain: Ham was disrespectful to his father in what he did.
How people respond to the sin and embarrassment of others is an indication of their character. Ham could have peeked into the tent, quickly sized up the situation, and covered his father's body, saying nothing about the incident to anyone. Instead, he seems to have enjoyed the sight and then told his two brothers about it in a rather disrespectful manner. He may even have suggested that they go take a look for themselves.
Canaan—enslavement (v. 25). If Noah had wanted to pronounce a curse, it would have been directed at Ham, the son who had sinned against his father, but instead, he named Canaan three times. It was a principle in later Jewish law that the children could not be punished for the sins of their fathers (Deut. 24:16; Jer. 31:29–30; Ezek. 18:1–4), and it's likely that this principle applied in patriarchal times.2
Moses hadn't yet said, "Honor your father and your mother" (Ex. 20:12), but surely the impulse is natural to children and should have been present in Ham's heart. Why would a son show such disrespect for his father? Though Ham was the youngest of the three sons, perhaps he was an Old Testament "elder brother" who was angry with his father because of something he didn't receive (Luke 15:25–32). By what he did, Ham revealed a weakness in his character that could show up in his descendants.
Looking down the centuries, Noah predicted three times that the descendants of Canaan would become the lowest of servants.3 The Canaanites are listed in Genesis 10:15–19 and are the very nations the Israelites conquered and whose land they inhabited (15:18–21; Ex. 3:8, 17; Num. 13:29; Josh. 3:10; 1 Kings 9:20). It's difficult to describe the moral decay of the Canaanite society, especially their religious practices, but the laws given in Leviticus 18 will give you some idea of how they lived.4 God warned the Jews not to compromise with the Canaanite way of life and to destroy everything that would tempt them in that direction (Ex. 34:10–17; Deut. 7).
Decency (v. 23). Instead of laughing with Ham and going to see the humiliating sight, Shem and Japheth showed their love for their father by practicing Proverbs 10:12, "Love covers all sins" (nkjv; see 1 Peter 4:8). The brothers stood together and held a garment behind them, backed into the tent with their eyes averted, and covered Noah's naked body. "He who covers a transgression seeks love" (Prov. 17:9 nkjv), and "a prudent man covers shame" (12:16 nkjv).
Two misconceptions should be cleared up. First, the descendants of Ham were not members of a black race but were Caucasian, so there's no basis in this so-called "curse of Canaan" for the institution of slavery. Second, in spite of their evil ways, some of these Hamitic peoples built large and advanced civilizations, including the Babylonians, Assyrians, and Egyptians. In one sense, we can say that the descendants of Ham "served" the whole world through the ideas and implements that they discovered and developed. Like the Cainites (Gen. 4:17–24), these nations were gifted at creating things for this world (Luke 16:8).
Love doesn't cleanse sin, for only the blood of Christ can do that (1 John 1:7); nor does love condone sin, for love wants God's very best for others. But love does cover sin and doesn't go around exposing sin and encouraging others to spread the bad news. When people sin and we know about it, our task is to help restore them in a spirit of meekness (Gal. 6:1–2). It's been said that on the battlefield of life, Christians are prone to kick their wounded, and too often this is true. But before we condemn others, we'd better consider our-
Shem—enrichment (v. 26). Noah didn't bless Shem; he blessed "the Lord, the God of Shem" (niv). In so doing, Noah gave glory to God for what He will do with the descendants of Shem. Noah acknowledged
Genesis 9—10
Alexander Whyte used to say, "The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings."
before his sons that whatever Shem possessed would be God's gift, and whatever blessing Shem brought to the world in the future would be because of the grace of God.
D.The nations—10
A family legacy (10:1–32) This chapter is known as "The Table of Nations" and is unique in the annals of ancient history. The purpose of the chapter is given at the beginning (v. 1) and the end (v. 32): to explain how the earth was repopulated after the flood by the descendants of the three sons of Noah. You find a similar (but not identical) listing in 1 Chronicles 1.
Shem, of course, is the ancestor of Abraham (11:10–32) who is the founder of the Hebrew nation; so Noah was talking about the Jewish people. That the Lord would enrich the Jewish people spiritually was promised to Abraham (12:1–3) and later explained by Paul (Rom. 3:1–4; 9:1–13). It's through Israel that we have the knowledge of the true God, the written Word of God, and the Savior, Jesus Christ, who was born in Bethlehem of the tribe of Judah. In the Hebrew, "Shem" means "name," and it's the people of Israel who have preserved the name of the Lord.
Caution! Before we look at some of the details of this chapter, and then try to draw some spiritual lessons from it, we need to heed some warnings.
First, the listing is not a typical genealogy that gives only the names of descendants. The writer reminds us that these ancient peoples had their own "clans and languages … territories and nations" (Gen. 10:31 niv). In other words, this is a genealogy plus an atlas plus a history book. We're watching the movements of people and nations in the ancient world.
Shem was Noah's second-born son (Gen. 9:24; 10:21), but wherever the three sons are listed, Shem's name is first (5:32; 6:10; 9:18; 10:1; 1 Chron. 1:4). It's another instance in Genesis of the grace of God elevating the second-born to the place of the firstborn. God chose Abel instead of Cain (Gen. 4:4–5), Isaac instead of Ishmael (17:15–22), and Jacob instead of Esau (25:19–23). Paul discusses this profound theological truth in Romans 9.
Second, the listing isn't complete. For example, we don't find Edom, Moab, and Ammon mentioned, and yet these were important nations in biblical history. The fact that there are seventy nations in the list suggests that the arrangement may be deliberately artificial, an approach often used in writing such listings.6 There were seventy persons in Jacob's family when they went to Egypt (Gen. 46:27; Ex. 1:5), and our Lord sent seventy disciples out to preach the Word (Luke 10:1).
Japheth—enlargement (v. 27). He was the ancestor of what we generally call the "Gentile nations." We have here a play on words, for in the Hebrew the name Japheth is very close to the word that means "to enlarge." The Hamites built large civilizations in the east, and the Semites settled in the land of Canaan and surrounding territory, but the descendants of Japheth spread out much farther than their relatives and even reached what we know as Asia Minor and Europe. They were a people who would multiply and move into new territory.
Third, it's difficult to identify some of these nations and give them "modern" names. Over the centuries, nations can change their names, move to different locations, modify their language, and even alter their racial composition through intermarriage.
However, while the descendants of Japheth were successful in their conquests, when it came to things spiritual, they would have to depend on Shem. God is the God of Shem and the descendants of Japheth would find God "in the tents of Shem." Israel was chosen by God to be a "light to the Gentiles" (Isa. 42:6; 49:6), for "salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22). Sad to say, for the most part, the nation of Israel failed to witness to the Gentiles that they might believe in the true and living God (Isa. 52:5; Rom. 2:24).
Japheth's descendants (vv. 2–5). Seven sons are named and seven grandsons from only two of the sons. Does this mean that the other five sons had no children born to them, or is it another evidence of the selective approach of the compiler? Japheth is the ancestor of the Gentile nations who located north and west of the land of Canaan. These would be the distant nations, the countries that represented the "outer limits" of civilization for the average Old Testament Jew (Ps. 72:8–10).
When Jesus came to earth, He brought light to the Gentiles (Luke 2:32), and the apostles and the early church carried that light to the nations (Acts 1:8; 13:47). The descendants of Noah's three sons were represented in the early church: the Ethiopian treasurer, a descendant of Ham (8:26ff.);5 Paul, a descendant of Shem (Acts 9); and Cornelius and his family, who were descendants of Japheth (Acts 10).
Ham's descendants (vv. 6–20). Cush is ancient Ethiopia (not the modern nation), Mizraim is Egypt, and Put may be Libya. We've already touched upon the peoples of Canaan. The descendants of Ham located in areas we'd identify today as Egypt, Palestine, the Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.
At this point in the listing there's a "parenthesis" to discuss a famous man, Nimrod, the founder of a great empire (vv. 8–12). He's mentioned because the nations he founded played an important part in the history of Israel, and also because one of them (Babel) is discussed in the next section of Genesis.
Noah lived another three-and-a-half centuries, and we have every reason to believe that he walked with God and served Him faithfully. As far as the record is concerned, he fell once, and certainly he repented and the Lord forgave him. In our walk with God, we climb the hills and sometimes we descend into the valleys. As
In the Authorized Version, Nimrod is called "a mighty one in the earth" and "a mighty hunter before
Genesis 10
church's commission to go into all the world isn't a New Testament afterthought; it's written into the warp and woof of the Old Testament story.
the Lord" (vv. 8–9). The word translated "mighty" refers to a champion, somebody who is superior in strength and courage. It's translated "mighty men" in 1 Kings 1:8 and 10 and refers to David's special bodyguards. The image of Nimrod in the text isn't that of a sportsman hunting game7 but rather of a tyrant ruthlessly conquering men and establishing an empire. He built four cities in Shinar (Babylonia) and four more in Assyria. Both Babylon and Assyria became the enemies of Israel and were used of God to chasten His disobedient people. We'll learn more about Babylon in the next study.
Finally, what's written in Genesis 9—10 must have been an encouragement to the people of Israel when they conquered Canaan. They knew that they were the chosen people of God and that the Canaanites would be their servants. They also knew that their God was the Lord of the nations and could dispose of them as He pleased. The conquest of Canaan was a victory of faith in God's promises, which explains why God admonished Joshua to meditate on the Word of God (Josh. 1:8).
Shem's descendants (vv. 21–31). Shem is usually mentioned first, but he's listed last this time so that the narrative can move right into the story of Babel and the genealogy of Abraham, who descended from Shem (11:10ff.). Five sons are mentioned, but the emphasis is on the family of Arphaxad because he was the grandfather of Eber (10:24). Abraham, the father of the Hebrew nation, came from the line of Eber, and his story begins in chapter 12.8
Noah's three sons left a mixed legacy to the world, but the Lord of the nations was still in charge, and history is still His story.10
1 "Life With Mother" by Russell Baker, in Inventing the Truth, edited by William Zinsser (New York: Book-of-the-Month Club, 1987), 49. 2 Exodus 20:5–6 and 34:7 balance this principle: God does punish the children for their father's sins if the sins of the fathers are repeated by the children, and this frequently happens. Whether it's because of inherited genetic weakness or the influence of bad examples, children sometimes follow in their parents' footsteps. 3 Some students see this "service" not as slavery but as rendering service to others, and perhaps this idea is included in Noah's statement. Some of the Hamitic civilizations contributed much to the material and intellectual progress of the world. 4 In view of what happened to Noah, it's significant that the word "nakedness" is found twenty-four times in this chapter. To "uncover nakedness" means, of course, to have sexual relations with a person, which the the way the niv translates it. 5 This is not the modern Ethiopia but an African nation usually identified as "Cush" in modern translations. Cush was a son of Ham. 6 We've already noticed lists of ten generations from Adam to Noah (Gen. 5), from Shem to Abraham (11:10–26), and from Perez to David (Ruth 4:18–22). Matthew's genealogy of our Lord follows a pattern of three sets of fourteen generations each, from Abraham to Christ (Matt. 1:1–17). Deuteronomy 32:8 states that the division of the nations was "according to the number of the children of Israel." Does this refer to the seventy people in Jacob's (Israel's) family? Some texts read "the number of the sons of God," which may refer to the angels (Job 1—2), since Jewish tradition said there were seventy "territorial angels" and each was assigned to a nation (Dan. 10:12–21). 7 I once saw a sporting goods store that was named "Rod and Nimrod," suggesting that they sold equipment for both fishermen and hunters. 8 It's possible that the name "Hebrew" comes from "Eber," but not all Habraists agree. Some connect "Hebrew" with a word meaning "to pass through or over," that is, "from beyond the other side," meaning "a wanderer, a stranger." Abraham the alien was called "the Hebrew" (Gen. 14:13), as was Joseph in Egypt (39:14; 41:12; 43:32).
There's another "parenthesis" in 10:25 to discuss the "dividing of the earth" during the days of Peleg, which means "division." This is probably referring to the dividing and dispersing of the nations described in chapter 11. However, some students think this "division" refers to a special dividing of the continents and rearranging of the landmasses.9
Significance. This list of names and places carries with it some important theological truths, not the least of which is that Jehovah God is the Lord of the nations. God gave the nations their inheritance (Deut. 32:8) and "determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation" (Acts 17:26). In spite of despots like Nimrod, Jehovah is the God of geography and of history; He is in control. What God promises, He performs, and Noah's prophecy about his sons came true.
Second, in spite of external differences, all nations belong to the same human family. God made us all "of one blood" (Acts 17:26), and no race or people can claim to be superior to any other race or people. While in His providence, God has permitted some nations to make greater progress economically and politically than other nations, their achievements don't prove that they are better than others (Prov. 22:2).
Third, God has a purpose for the nations to fulfill. The account in Genesis 9:24—11:32 makes it clear that God's chosen nation was Israel. From chapter 12 on, Israel will be center stage in the narrative. But God also used Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Media-Persia, and Rome to accomplish His purposes with reference to the Jewish people. God can use pagan rulers like Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Darius, and even Augustus Caesar.
Fourth, God is concerned for all the nations. Frequently in the book of Psalms you find the phrase "all ye lands" or "all nations." Psalms 66:1–8 and 67 both express this universal vision that all the nations of the earth come to know God and serve Him. The
Genesis 11
God had commanded the peoples to be fruitful and multiply and to scatter across the earth, but they decided to move to Nimrod's city of Babylon and settle there (11:8–12). This move was blatant rebellion against God's command that the people scatter. Apparently Nimrod wanted them in his cities and under his control.
9 In 1868, Robert S. Candlish proposed an interesting interpretation of this puzzling verse. He suggested that God told Eber how to divide the various nations and where to send them. Nimrod was attempting to consolidate the peoples under his rule, but God thwarted his efforts by dispersing the various clans. See Studies in Genesis by Robert S. Candlish (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1979), 172–73. 10 Dr. A.T. Pierson often said "History is His story."
The "tower" that they built at Babel was what is known as a "ziggurat." Archeologists have excavated several of these large structures which were built primarily for religious purposes. A ziggurat was like a pyramid except that the successive levels were recessed so that you could walk to the top on "steps." At the top was a special shrine dedicated to a god or goddess. In building the structure, the people weren't trying to climb up to heaven to dethrone God; rather, they hoped that the god or goddess they worshipped would come down from heaven to meet them. The structure and the city were called "Babel," which means "the gate of the gods."
E.The tower of Babel—11:1–9
CHAPTER TWELVE Genesis 11 CAUTION—GOD AT WORK M
an proposes, but God disposes."
That familiar statement is almost a religious cliché. Many people who use it don't even know what it means. It was written by the Augustinian monk Thomas à Kempis (ca. 1380–1471) in his classic book On the Imitation of Christ. An expanded version is the proverb, "Man does what he can, God does what He will." Solomon used more words but said it best: "There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the Lord's counsel—that will stand" (Prov. 19:21 nkjv).
This infamous project was an arrogant declaration of war against the Lord, not unlike the revolt described in Psalm 2:1–3. To begin with, the people were resisting God's edict to scatter and repopulate the earth. Motivated perhaps by fear as well as pride, they decided to build a city and a great ziggurat and stay together. But even more, they wanted to make a name for themselves so that others would admire them and perhaps come and join them. Their purpose statement was the devil's lie in Eden: "You will be like God" (Gen. 3:4 niv).
Few chapters in the Bible illustrate this truth better than Genesis 11. When you read the narrative about Babel and then read the genealogies that follow, your immediate impression is that God is at work in His world and is accomplishing His purposes in spite of the plans and projects of sinful people.
The people had several things in their favor. They were truly a "united nations," one people (11:6) speaking one language and using one vocabulary and dictionary.1 They were motivated by one spirit of pride and one compelling desire to make a name for themselves. The only thing missing was the approval of God.
God stops a revolt (11:1–9) Four great events are recorded in Genesis 1—11: the creation of the universe, the fall of man, the flood, and the attempted construction of the Tower of Babel. These chapters reveal that where mankind disobeys God, the Lord judges sin, and then in His grace makes a new beginning.
God's response (vv. 5–9). "Whom the gods would destroy," wrote historian Charles Beard, "they first make drunk with power."2 From Babel to Belshazzar (Dan. 5), and from Herod (Acts 12:20–25) to Hitler, God has demonstrated repeatedly that it doesn't pay to rebel against His will. "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18 nkjv), and Jesus warned that those who exalt themselves will be abased (Matt. 23:12).
Adam and Eve sinned, but God clothed them and promised to send the world a Redeemer. Cain killed Abel, but God sent Seth to carry on the godly line. The Sethites intermarried with the godless Cainites, and God had to wipe the earth clean with a flood, but Noah and his family believed God's Word and were spared. After the flood, the descendants of Noah's three sons repopulated the earth. But the new beginning with Noah eventually led to one of the most arrogant revolts against God recorded anywhere in Scripture.
God in heaven is never perplexed or paralyzed by what people do on earth. Babel's conceited "Let's go up!" was answered by heaven's calm "Let's go down!" "He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision" (Ps. 2:4 nkjv). Of course, God doesn't have to investigate to know what's going on in His universe; the language is used only to dramatize God's intervention.
Rebellion (vv. 1–4). It's likely that the events in chapter 11 occurred prior to those in chapter 10 and that the scattering described in chapter 10 was the consequence of God's judgment at Babel. Perhaps the story was placed here in Genesis so it could lead into the genealogy of Shem which leads into the genealogy of Abraham, the founder of the Hebrew nation. The arrangement, then, is literary and not chronological.
As with Adam and Eve in the garden (Gen. 3:22–24), God's judgment at Babel not only dealt with the immediate sins but also helped to prevent future problems. The unity of mankind would only give people a false sense of power that would lead them into
Genesis 11
Revelation 17—18, Babylon's sins reach up to heaven (18:5). The original worldwide unity that Nimrod desired for the Genesis Babylon will one day be achieved by Satan's godless world system (vv. 3, 9, 11, 23). Earthly Babylon is called a prostitute, while the Holy City from heaven is called bride of Christ (17:1; 21:9ff.). "Every generation builds its own towers," writes psychotherapist Naomi H. Rosenblatt, and she is right.3 Whether these are actual skyscrapers (the Sears Tower and Tribune Tower in Chicago, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Trump Tower in New York City), or megacorporations that circle the globe, the idea is the same: "We will make a name for ourselves." God's people can't escape being in the world, because it's in the world that we have our ministry, but we must avoid being of the world. We're not here to build the arrogant towers of men; we're here to help build the church of Jesus Christ.4
even greater rebellion against God. By confusing their language and scattering them over all the earth, God graciously spared their lives and gave them opportunity to return to Him. He could have destroyed the builders, their city, and their tower, but He chose to let them live.
The word "babel" sounds like the Hebrew word balal which means "confusion." Because of God's judgment, the "gate of the gods" became the "the door to confusion." Instead of making a name for themselves, God gave the project a new name! In His church, "God is not the author of confusion" (1 Cor. 14:33), but in the world, God sometimes uses confusion to humble people and keep them from uniting against His will.
The word "Shem" means "name" in Hebrew, and Abraham, a descendant of Shem, was promised that God would make his name great (Gen. 12:2). The people of the world depend on their own wisdom and efforts, and yet they fail to achieve lasting fame. Who knows the name of anybody who worked on the famous Tower of Babel? Yet the name of Abraham is known around the world and revered by Jews, Muslims, and Christians. There's a vast difference between mankind's "We will make our name great!" and God's "I will make your name great!"
What humanity can't achieve by means of its "proud towers," Jesus Christ has achieved by dying on a humiliating cross. All who trust Jesus Christ are one in Him (Gal. 3:27) and will share heaven together, regardless of race, nation, language, or tribe (Rev. 7:9). While the world system is outwardly producing uniformity, inwardly it's tearing things apart. What social scientists are now calling "technopoly" is controlling people's lives.5
The book of Genesis emphasizes names; and in this book, God changes several names. For example, Abram becomes Abraham, Sarai becomes Sarah, Esau becomes Edom, Jacob becomes Israel, and so on. What God calls a thing is far more important than what we call it. When He was creating the world, God gave names to things; and He even asked Adam to name the animals. The word "babel" would convey "gates of the gods" to very few people today; most of them would think "confusion."
But the Holy Spirit is using the church as an agent of reconciliation to bring things together in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:10; 2 Cor. 5:14–21). In one sense, Pentecost was a reversal of Babel, for the people present in Jerusalem at Pentecost heard the praises of God in their own languages (Acts 2:1–12). The day will come when people from every tribe and nation will worship Jesus Christ (Rev. 15:4) and the judgment of Babel will be done away (Zeph. 3:9).
Our reply. The story of Babel isn't just a part of ancient history, because Babel and Babylon present a spiritual challenge to every believer today.
Each person must make a choice. Will we identify with Babylon or Jerusalem, the worldly prostitute or the heavenly bride?
Babylon eventually became a great city and a great empire. In 606–586 BC, the Babylonian armies attacked and captured the kingdom of Judah, burned the temple and the city of Jerusalem, and took thousands of Jews captive to Babylon for seventy years. God used the cruel and idolatrous Babylonians to chasten His own disobedient people.
God sustains a family (11:10–26) God had promised that He would send a Redeemer, "the seed of the woman" (3:15), who would defeat Satan and bring salvation. Noah's prophecy revealed that God would bless the world through the line of Shem, the "Semites" who were the ancestors of the Hebrew people (9:26–27). "Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber" (10:21 niv), and it's likely that the word "Hebrew" comes from the name "Eber."
But in Scripture, Babylon symbolizes worldly pride, moral corruption, and defiance against God. The biblical contrast is between the earthly city of Babylon that rebels against God, and the heavenly city of Jerusalem that brings glory to God. You will want to read Jeremiah 50—51 and Revelation 17—19 to appreciate the contrasts between these two cities. Babylon represents the world system that opposes God, hates Jesus Christ, and appeals to the baser appetites of human nature. Babylon is the opposite of the heavenly Jerusalem which is the city of the saints (Heb. 12:18ff.).
Genesis gives us two genealogies of Shem, in 10:21–29 and in 11:10–26. The first genealogy lists all five of his sons and five of his grandsons, but then it focuses on the descendants of Arphaxad: Shelah, Eber, and Eber's two sons Peleg and Joktan. It lists Joktan's many sons but ignores Peleg's descendants. But the genealogy in chapter 11 picks up Peleg's side of the family and takes us through to Abraham. The genealogy in Genesis 5 takes us from Adam to Noah, and the
IV. ABRAHAM AND SARAH (11:10— 25:11) The beginning of the Hebrew nation
In the original Babel, the people wanted to build a tower that reached up to heaven, but in the Babylon of
Genesis 11
without their family. The death of Terah left them only with Lot, the son of Haran who had died back in Ur. Lot became the man who strayed, because he finally left Abraham and settled down in the wicked city of Sodom (13:10–13; 14:12; 19:1ff.).
one in Genesis 11 goes from Noah's son Shem to Terah and his son Abraham.
Except that both lists have ten generations, the listing in 11:10–26 is different from the genealogy in Genesis 5. For one thing, it doesn't contain the repeated phrase "and he died." The emphasis is on how old the man was at the birth of his firstborn son. The people named in 11:10–26 didn't live as long as the men named in Genesis 5. The list begins with Noah's 950 years and dwindles down to Nahor's 148 years. The post-flood generations were starting to feel the physical consequences of sin in the human body.
The remarkable thing about God's call of Abraham and Sarah was that they were childless. Abram means "exalted father," but he wasn't a father at all! They were the least likely candidates to have a family and build a great nation. But God's ways are not our ways (Isa. 55:8–9), and by calling and blessing a barren couple, the Lord revealed the greatness of His power and His glory. Abram would be named "Abraham," which means "father of many nations."
The important thing about this genealogy is that it records the faithfulness of God in watching over His people and fulfilling His promises. What to us is only a list of names was to God a "bridge" from the appointment of Shem to the call of Abraham. God has deigned to use people to help accomplish His will on earth, and people are fragile and not always obedient. But the "bridge" was built and the covenant promises sustained.
There's quite a contrast between man's ways at Babel and God's ways in calling Abraham and Sarah. The world depends on large numbers of powerful people in order to accomplish things, but God chose two weak people and started a new nation. The people at Babel wanted to make a name for themselves, but God promised to make Abraham's name great. The workers at Babel followed the wisdom of this world, but Abraham and Sarah trusted the Word of God (Heb. 11:11–12). Babel was built by the energy of the flesh and the motivation of pride, but the nation of Israel was built by the grace and power of God and in spite of human weakness.
God starts a nation (11:27–32) If Genesis 1—11 is a record of four key events—creation, the fall, the flood, and the judgment at Babel—then Genesis 12—50 is the record of the lives of four key men: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. In this paragraph, five persons stand out: Abraham and his wife Sarah;6 Terah, Abraham's father; and Nahor and Haran, Abraham's brothers. Haran died and left his son Lot behind.
We live in a confused world and Babel is still with us. But God still has His faithful remnant that follows Him by faith and keeps their eyes on the heavenly city (vv. 13–16).
Are you a part of that remnant?
It was God's purpose to call a man and his wife and from them build a family. From that family He would build a nation, and from that nation, God would bless all the nations of the earth (12:1–3; 18:18). From start to finish, it was a work of God's grace; for when God called Abraham and Sarah, they belonged to a family that worshipped idols (Josh. 24:2). In both Ur of the Chaldees and Haran, the people worshipped the moon god.
1 Even where people speak the same language, they may also use different local dialects, and the same words can have different meanings in different places. George Bernard Shaw is supposed to have said that England and America are two countries divided by a common language. 2 Beard was paraphrasing a statement from the Greek dramatist Sophocles: "Whom Zeus would destroy, he first makes mad." This statement became a proverb and versions of it have appeared in many languages. 3 Wrestling with Angels, by Naomi H. Rosenblatt and Joshua Horowitz (New York: Dell Publishing, 1995), 82. 4 This isn't to suggest that all global technology and worldwide megacorporations are necessarily evil in themselves. It's the spirit and purpose of these "towers" that the Christian must avoid. "Be not conformed to this world" (Rom. 12:1). "And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17 nkjv). God's people can make good use of global technology to spread the gospel and build the church, but our faith must be in God and our purpose must be to glorify God. The Bible repeatedly warns believers not to be so identified with the world system that they share in its ultimate judgment (Isa. 48:20; Jer. 50:8; 51:6, 45; 1 Cor. 11:32; Rev. 18:4). 5 See Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology by Neil Postman (New York: Knopf, 1992; reprint, Vintage Books,
According to Stephen (Acts 7:2), "the God of glory" appeared to Abraham and called him to go to Canaan. Abraham must have shared this amazing message with his family and told them that he and Sarah were leaving. He was supposed to take only Sarah and depart, leaving his family behind (Gen. 12:1); but everybody went with him except his brother Nahor and, of course, his brother Haran who had died. Nahor and his wife Milcah will show up again later in the story (22:20), but Nahor was the man who stayed. Even though he remained in idolatrous Ur of the Chaldees, did Nahor believe the message his brother gave him about the true God of glory? We hope he did.
It appears that Terah did believe and took charge of the family and their travels (11: 31), but Terah was the man who stopped. He traveled 500 miles, as far as the city of Haran, and there he settled down and there he died. Perhaps the journey was too great for him, but it was God's plan that Abraham and Sarah follow Him
Genesis
universe is not an accident. It's the incredible masterpiece of a wise and powerful God who works everything according to the counsel of His own perfect will.
1993); and The Technological Bluff by Jacques Ellul (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990). 6 Their names were later changed from Abram to Abraham and from Sarai to Sarah (Gen. 17:1–17).
The complexity of the universe reveals the power and wisdom of God, and the beauty of the universe shows His love. He could have made a dull world, but He decorated His world with a riot of color and gave us a variety of plants, animals, and people to enjoy. Day after day and night after night, creation reveals the glory of God (Ps. 19).
CHAPTER 13 Review of Genesis 1—11 BACK TO BASICS W
Because this is God's creation, we're but stewards of what He's given us. We must use the wealth of creation for the good of others and the glory of God, remembering that one day we'll give God an accounting of our stewardship. To waste or exploit the wealth of creation, or heedlessly mar the beauty of creation, is to sin against God. It's not just a matter of ecology; it's a matter of theology: this is our Father's world.
hat the foundation is to the house, what the Constitution is to United States law, and what the periodic table of elements is to chemistry, the book of Genesis is to the Bible. It's basic. An understanding of the basic truths of Genesis, especially chapters 1—11, will give you the key you need to unlock the rest of Scripture and to live to the glory of God. But you don't stop with Genesis 1—11; you build on it.
God generously gives to us "all things richly to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17), and we should thank Him for His gifts and use them wisely.
Let's review some of these basics.
We are made in the image of God Men and women are created, not evolved, and they're created in the image of God. This is a tremendous privilege and a great responsibility. Every baby that's conceived is made in God's image and has the right to live, to be in a loving family, to come to know God through Jesus Christ, and to enjoy a life that's purposeful and fulfilling.
God is real and we can trust Him The Bible opens with a declaration that God exists: "In the beginning God" (1:1). Genesis presents no philosophical arguments to prove God's existence; it just puts Him at the beginning of everything. When you open your Bible, God is there, and He1 was there before the Bible was written or even the universe was created.
Since God has given us a mind to think with, we need to read His Word and learn His truth. He's given us a will to decide with, and we must make wise decisions that please Him. We have hearts to love Him, and we show this love by fellowshipping with Him and obeying His will. Our inner being is spiritual, and we need God dwelling within if we're to have inner peace and satisfaction. "Thou hast made us for Thyself," wrote Augustine, "and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee."
The God you meet in Genesis 1—11 is not only eternal, but He's also wise and powerful. He is a great God, and so great is His power that He only has to speak to make things happen. And so great is His wisdom that what He creates is to be—and it works! From the tiniest one-celled animal to the biggest galaxy, in all creation God's power and wisdom are manifested.