Genesis 10 (2011) And this week we begin the next toldat or genealogy in story of redemption. Chapter 10 and 11 work together as a single unity

Transcription

1 Genesis 10 (2011) Last week we fficially ended ur study f Nah And this week we begin the next tldat r genealgy in stry f redemptin Chapter 10 and 11 wrk tgether as a single unity Chapter 10 is a zm ut view f the beginning f all natins n earth Chapter 11 is a zm in n a part f chapter 10 In fact, the events f Chapter 11 actually explain the events f Chapter 10 Tgether they finish the stry f ancient man and ancient civilizatin What will fllw is a narrwing f the fcus f Genesis t examine the beginning f a new natin, called by Gd S we leave the generatins f Nah and mve t the generatins f Nah s three sns Gen. 10:1 Nw these are the recrds f the generatins f Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sns f Nah; and sns were brn t them after the fld. Nah had nly three sns, accrding t Scripture S all peple n earth tday trace their rigins t ne f these three men The next time yu sit in a sprts stadium r watch a crwd at the mall, cnsider that everyne is related Everyne 1 in 3 peple came frm the same grandfather And nw we re reminded that all the children frm these bys were brn after the Fld Since nly 8 were n the Ark The names f the bys in this list are in rder f age, frm ldest t yungest 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Genesis 10 2 But in the genealgy t fllw, Mses reverses the list This makes sense when we understand that Genesis is fcuses n the seed line f the prmise Since we knw that Shem is the seed line, then he is saved fr last Mses gets the ther tw sns ut f the way first Befre we lk at the genealgy, let s take ntes f tw imprtant qualities f this chapter First, we can t help but ntice that Gd is making deliberate and purpseful decisins cncerning where His prmise will rest Fr example, Nah had three sns but nly ne was able t give fulfillment t the prmise f Gd Japeth and Ham are excluded frm the hnr t carry the prmise frward Only Shem is permitted this hnr and blessing Similarly, nly ne f Shem s children will carry the prmise frward On and n this pattern will cntinue until we reach Jesus Himself Bth Matthew and Luke give us genealgies precisely s that we culd trace the birth f Jesus back t Abraham and t Adam These genealgies prved the Jesus was qualified t lay claim t being the prmised seed Secndly, Chapter 10 is unparalleled amng ancient texts in explaining the rigins f all mankind There is simply n ther dcument frm antiquity that cmes clse t explaining the rigins f mdern natins and cultures In fact, many later dcuments refer t Genesis 10 as an authritative recrd f hw the Earth was settled This is why Chapter 10 is ften called the table f natins 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Genesis 10 3 The genealgy is hrizntal rather than vertical like chapter 5 The list isn t a descending list f peple thrugh time Instead it s a descriptin f hw the family immediately after Nah mved ut ver the Earth We get the next vertical list in chapter 11, when we fcus again n the seed line f Seth I have fund a map t help yu visualize the dispersin f the peple grups Many f the names f Nah s grandsns can be directly traced t natins f peple still existing tday In ther cases, the names are suppsed t relate t present-day peple Finally, ther names have lst their meaning and their peple grups are a mystery tday S as we read thrugh the list f names and places, reflect n hw the wrld we see tday was settled by a few families mving utward And all this tk place abut 4,500 years ag Gen. 10:2 The sns f Japheth were Gmer and Magg and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech and Tiras. Gen. 10:3 The sns f Gmer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Tgarmah. Gen. 10:4 The sns f Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Ddanim. Gen. 10:5 Frm these the castlands f the natins were separated int their lands, every ne accrding t his language, accrding t their families, int their natins. Mses starts with Japeth, the sn wh wuld eventually give rise t mst f the peple and wealth f the wrld Japeth had seven sns in ttal, wh mve NE and NW frm Mesptamia As a general rule, the farther a peple grup mve frm Israel, the less imprtant they are in the Bible 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Genesis 10 4 Gmer settled suth f the Black Sea and became the Cimmerians f the ancient wrld Magg settled in suthern Russia and became the Scythians The peple wh descend frm Magg cmbine with the descendants f Meschech and Tubal t fight Israel in a future war described in Ezek 38 The third sn is Madai, wh becmes the Medes and later settle India In fact, a tribe f India still refer t an ancient ancestral father as Iyapeti, which cmes frm Yapeth, the Henbrew name fr Japeth The furth sn was Javan, wh was the father f Greece Interestingly, Greek legend names the father f Greeks as Iapets, which is the Greek frm f Yapeth, r Japeth again The fifth sn was Tubal, wh settled parts f Russia They get the Russia wrd Tblsk in SIberia frm the name Tubal The sixth sn was Meshech, wh was als in suthern Russia Meshech, Tubal and Magg lived near each ther in mdern Russia and Iran Which is why the cming war with Ezekiel 38 in which Magg and Tubal and Meshech attack Israel is thught t be a war lead by Russia and Iran Finally, Japeth s seventh sn was Tiras wh went t mdern Italy Mses then list the grandsns fr tw f the sns f Japeth And he ends with the statement that frm these the castlands were separated Japeth s family mve tward the casts and later mve int Eurpe and Asia, mving by the sea in many cases Since Japeth s family mve away frm Israel, they are given minimal treatment in this chapter Ntice in v.5 we re tld that this utward mvement led t a separatin in lands 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Genesis 10 5 Fr the first time, we see land wnership Previusly, men used land, but there is n indicatin that peple thught f themselves as separate tribes r grups Nw peple separate and think f themselves as different Then we re tld that the separatin is accrding t each persn s language This reference raises the pint f different languages This reference is the clue t tell us that Chapter 11 is a zm in n the events f chapter 10 Finally, v.5 cnfirms that this separatin prduces natins f peple, distinct grups with different cultures and identities Gen. 10:6 The sns f Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. Gen. 10:7 The sns f Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabteca; and the sns f Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. Gen. 10:8 Nw Cush became the father f Nimrd; he became a mighty ne n the earth. Gen. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter befre the LORD; therefre it is said, Like Nimrd a mighty hunter befre the LORD. Gen. 10:10 The beginning f his kingdm was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land f Shinar. Gen. 10:11 Frm that land he went frth int Assyria, and built Nineveh and Rehbth-ir and Calah, Gen. 10:12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. Gen. 10:13 Mizraim became the father f Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim Gen. 10:14 and Pathrusim and Casluhim (frm which came the Philistines) and Caphtrim. Gen. 10:15 Canaan became the father f Sidn, his firstbrn, and Heth Gen. 10:16 and the Jebusite and the Amrite and the Girgashite Gen. 10:17 and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite Gen. 10:18 and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite; and afterward the families f the Canaanite were spread abrad. Gen. 10:19 The territry f the Canaanite extended frm Sidn as yu g tward Gerar, as far as Gaza; as yu g tward Sdm and Gmrrah and Admah and Zebiim, as far as Lasha. Gen. 10:20 These are the sns f Ham, accrding t their families, accrding t their languages, by their lands, by their natins Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Genesis 10 6 Ham has fur children and numerus grandchildren Ham settled nrthern Africa and later the rest f the cntinent His first sn Cush, which has becme synnymus with Ethipia The secnd is Mizraim, which is the Jewish name fr Egypt Third is Put, which is Libya Finally, Canaan, wh we knw settles in the Land t be ccupied by Israel His descendants becme the varius ites f the land Israel later ccupies Interestingly, Mses gives the brders f the peple f Canaan accrding t lcatin names we can still identify tday Based n this descriptin, Canaan s territry rughly equals the land that Gd prmised t Abraham Israel was given the land first ccupied by Canaan, in keeping with Nah s prphetic curse n Canaan Of all the grandsns f Ham, ne gets an extended treatment here and again in Chapter 11 Nimrd was brn t Cush His name means t rebel and this gives us the key t appreciating his sptlight in this list We ll learn mre abut him in Chapter 11 but there s sme detail here He is a mighty ne n the earth This title suggests he was a leader amng men, perhaps the first cnquerer r leader pst fld In v.9 we hear he was als a mighty hunter Men had been given the right t eat meat a few decades r centuries earlier, but nw Nimrd raises hunting t an art But the imprtant phrase is befre the Lrd 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Genesis 10 7 In fact, a prverbial saying develped frm Nimrd s example What is the full meaning f this phrase? In ancient thinking, t be befre smene meant t be in ppsitin t them Being befre them meant t be antagnistic r t be standing in defiance befre them And then knwing Nimrd was a mighty man n earth and a hunter, we can put all this tgether t arrive at a clearer picture f Nimrd He was a man wh cmmanded bedience and used the threat f frce t cmpel fllwers He was skilled in implements f battle and in taking life He std ppsed t Gd and brught thers with him against Gd S the phrase came t mean an evil persn wh tries t prvke Gd by his rebellin Lk at the parallels t chapter 4 f Genesis Each f the 8 n the Ark were believers And here we have a grandsn f ne f the eight leading the rebellin against the same Gd Wh saved his grandfather It never takes lng fr the evil heart f man t take ver and bring him back int rebellin Only Gd s saving grace can rescue us frm this never-ending cycle Nimrd becmes a type r picture fr the antichrist, the ultimate empire builder wh std ppsed t Gd In fact, lk at Nimrd s empire in v.10 It stretches frm Babel t Calneh It s called the land f Shinar These are all terms fr Mesptamia r Babyln 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Genesis 10 8 This is the same regin as the riginal Garden f Eden This is als the land that will later becme the headquarters fr the aantichrist Here we find the familiar east-west theme f Scripture Scripture is filled with pictures r themes t reinfrce basic truths These themes help us learn and remember the message f Scripture One such theme r picture is the difference between East and West East is the directin assciated with Satan and evil and sin Cnversely, West is assciated with Gd s prmises and faith Furthermre, in keeping with the East-WEst mtif, Babyln is always assciated with Satan It s his hme field And the land f Israel, the Prmised Land, is assciated with faith and salvatin This is the hme field fr Gd and His peple We saw this pattern in the stry f the Garden Adam and Eve are sent ut f the Garden t the East Abel and Cain repeats the mtif Cain is sent East t wander after he is banished fr killing Abel Nw we see the rise f an evil wrld leader wh claims his hme in Mesptamia We shuld remember what Paul taught cncerning the real frces at wrk arund us Eph. 6:12 Fr ur struggle is nt against flesh and bld, but against the rulers, against the pwers, against the wrld frces f this darkness, against the spiritual frces f wickedness in the heavenly places Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Genesis 10 9 The stry f Genesis reinfrces this truth at every turn The wrk f men is set n a backdrp f Satan s wrk t undermine Gd And each unbeliever is merely a pawn f the enemy As we study this pattern, it s imprtant that we take this learning utside the pages f the Bible and apply it in ur everyday lives We need t learn t see the peple arund us as either brthers and sisters r ptential brthers and sisters But in the meantime, we shuld als be wise t understand that they are peple wh are tls f the enemy Even as they fight and ppse us frm time t time, we dn t war with them We war with the enemy wh manipulates them behind the scenes Finally, we reach the mst imprtant line, the line f Shem wh carries frward the seed prmise Gen. 10:21 Als t Shem, the father f all the children f Eber, and the lder brther f Japheth, children were brn. Gen. 10:22 The sns f Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram. Gen. 10:23 The sns f Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash. Gen. 10:24 Arpachshad became the father f Shelah; and Shelah became the father f Eber. Gen. 10:25 Tw sns were brn t Eber; the name f the ne was Peleg, fr in his days the earth was divided; and his brther s name was Jktan. Gen. 10:26 Jktan became the father f Almdad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah Gen. 10:27 and Hadram and Uzal and Diklah Gen. 10:28 and Obal and Abimael and Sheba Gen. 10:29 and Ophir and Havilah and Jbab; all these were the sns f Jktan. Gen. 10:30 Nw their settlement extended frm Mesha as yu g tward Sephar, the hill cuntry f the east. Gen. 10:31 These are the sns f Shem, accrding t their families, accrding t their languages, by their lands, accrding t their natins Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Genesis Shem s line begins with the distinctin that he is the father f all the children f Eber Eber as we saw was a grandchild f Shem Why make that pint here at the tp f the list? The answer is t remember why genealgies are even included in Scripture Mses wants us t knw where the prmise f Gd given in the garden lands in each generatin In this case, Eber will carry the prmise frward In fact, Eber is the name frm which we get the wrd Hebrew S Shem was the father f the Hebrews t cme later Shem had five sns The first sn Elam, wh settled in Persia, mdern day Iran The secnd sn was Asshur, wh funded Assyria The third sn was Arpachshad He became the father f the Chaldeans, the peple f Abraham He carries the seed prmise frward The furth sn was Lud, wh lived in the regin f Lydia f Asia Minr The fifth sn Aram, wh settled Syria Eber has nly tw sns The first is called Peleg, which means t divide He was brn when the earth was divided Since we knw that chapter 10 is a zm ut that includes the events f chapter 11, we can safely assume the divisin here refers t the divisin f languages Peleg was brn when the languages f the earth were divided up He is the seed sn f Eber 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Genesis Peleg s brther was Jktan, wh funded the Arabian tribes by his thirteen sns At the end f this list, we have seventy families cming frm Nah D we think that it s a cincidence that the number f families in this list equals seventy? Acts 17:24 The Gd wh made the wrld and all things in it, since He is Lrd f heaven and earth, des nt dwell in temples made with hands; Acts 17:25 nr is He served by human hands, as thugh He needed anything, since He Himself gives t all peple life and breath and all things; Acts 17:26 and He made frm ne man every natin f mankind t live n all the face f the earth, having determined their appinted times and the bundaries f their habitatin, Acts 17:27 that they wuld seek Gd, if perhaps they might grpe fr Him and find Him, thugh He is nt far frm each ne f us; This is a clear sign that Gd is at wrk in dividing up the families f the earth t ensure His purpse is dne The number 70 is cmmnly assciated with Gd ruling thrugh a representatin f men There were 70 elders in Israel and 70 men n the cmmittee wh translated the Hebrew scriptures int Greek Gd is at wrk dispensing grace by ruling ver men s sinful hearts As we ll study next week in Chapter 11, Gd will disperse men t mitigate against their sin gaining tractin t fast and leading them in the ever great acts f sin Just as the chapter ends... Gen. 10:32 These are the families f the sns f Nah, accrding t their genealgies, by their natins; and ut f these the natins were separated n the earth after the fld Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.