Genesis 10 - The Table of Nations

Intro

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Genesis 10 is more than just a list of baby name suggestions

Genesis 10 is

Breathed out by God (God’s Word, written under the inspiration of the Spirit)

Profitable

for teaching

for rebuke

for correction

for training in righteousness

for our sanctification and completion

for equipping us for good work

Genesis 10 is actually an important chapter

transitions

from the flood, Noah and his curse and blessings on his sons

to the outworking of Noah’s curse and blessings

We also know it is significant because it is positioned before chapter 11 which actually comes before chapter 10 chronologically

(in chapter 10 we are told about the generations of Ham, Shem and Japheth spreading out and each having their own languages…

… yet that dispersion and confusion of languages only happens in chapter 11 at the tower of Babel)

Genesis 10 comes first because it gives us a bird’s eye view - an overview - of the nations of the earth - and the effects of Noah’s curse on Ham, and his blessings on Shem and Japheth for the whole earth.

And this has implications for us even today

IT BEGINS IN THE BEGINNING

To understand the lesson of chapter 10 we have to go back to chapter 9.

And when we get to chapter 9, we see that ch9 is an echo of chapter 1-3.

Adam is in the new creation, the Garden of Eden

Noah is in a new creation after the flood

Adam is blessed by God and told to multiply

Noah is blessed by God and told to multiply

Adam is a man of the soil and takes care of the garden

Noah became a man of the soil and planted a vineyard

Adam partakes of the fruit and sins

Noah partakes a little too much of thefruit and sins

Adam is exposed and shamed in his nakedness

Noah is exposed and shamed in his nakedness

Adam’s shame is covered with animal skins

Noah’s shames is covered with animal skins

Adam’s sin leads to a curse and a blessing

Noah’s sin leads to a curse and a blessing

The important thing for us to then see is that what we are seeing as we transition from the original creation to the Fall,

And from the Fall to the Flood

From the Flood to the New Creation

And from the New Creation onwards…

is the continuation of the effect of the curse and blessing of God pronounced in Genesis 3

Genesis 3:15 ESV

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

The result of Adam’s sin is the curse of death for all mankind…

But God also announces a gracious blessing on Eve and her children.

He says:

There will be enmity and war between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent

And ultimately the serpent will be crushed by the seed of the woman

And what we then see from that point onward through the rest of Genesis is the outworking of that curse and blessing

and the continuation of the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman

the line of the curse vs the line of the blessing

and we see war and enmity between the two lines -

Cain vs Abel

Lamech vs Noah

Ham vs Shem and Japheth

Ishmael vs Isaac

Esau vs Jacob

Egypt, Philistines, Assyria, etc vs Israel

And this curse and blessing is echoed in the curse and blessing that we see in Chapter 9, which is why we are picking it up again from verse 24

For the purpose of the message today we are going to go through the 3 sons of Noah - not in the order they appear in chapter 10, but in the order of Noah’s curse and blessings…

… to show the affects

The Cursed Line of Ham

The Covenant Line of Shem

The Called Line of Japheth

1. The Cursed Line of Ham

Gen 9:24-25 “24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.””

We can summarize Ham’s actions as “mess around and find out”

Noah had a little too much of the fruit of his vineyard and passed out naked in his tent.

Ham goes in and not only fails to cover his naked father, but goes outside the tent and calls his brothers in to see Noah in his shame

Ham’s sin was in omission and commission

he failed to do the right thing and cover up his father

he did the wrong thing by further exposing his father to others

Prov 10:12 “12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.”

Ham’s actions reveal a sinful heart, a heart that is filled with hatred rather than love.

If he loved his father, he would have covered him up, and kept quiet about the whole thing. But he shows his hatred for his father but failing to do so, and stirring up strife and trouble

As a result of his actions, when Noah woke and learned about what Ham had done, he cursed Ham through his descendants - specifically through his son Canaan …

… and declared that they would be servants of Ham’s brother’s descendants

Not just servants - but servants of servants, the lowest of the low

As we come into chapter 10 now, Moses writing this shows that this was a prophetic declaration by Noah

The Descendants of Ham

CUSH

(list of Cush descendants - Raamah to Dedan)

These settled around the Red Sea and south of Egypt towards Ethiopia

Among Cush’s descendants is Nimrod, and he is given special mention

He is said to be the first of the mighty men on the earth after the flood

If that sounds familiar to you then you’ve been paying attention

Gen 6:4 “4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”

These were the mighty rulers of the world - evil men who rebelled against God’s rule and set out to rule the world themselves

They didn’t seek to honour God’s name but spent their lives trying to make a name for themselves

We see this in Nimrod’s legacy

The text says he was a mighty hunter, but what is meant is not that he went out in his Hilux and shot Kudu

The context appears to suggest more that he was a hunter of men - a war mongerer

The description of him is more like the one given in Mic 7:2 “2 The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net.”

Nimrod set out to capture and build cities and kingdoms for himself - as can be seen in the text, saying:

Gen 10:10 “10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.”

Like the mighty men of Gen 6, Nimrod marked the beginning of man’s quest for dominion over the world and self-autonomy after the flood - rebellion against God

Jewish tradition suggests that Nimrod was actually the one who commissioned the building of the Tower of Babel which we cover in chapter 11

Whether that’s true or not, it is clear that Babel was established by Nimrod

And so were two other recognizable territories - Assyria and Nineveh

Assyria became one of the cruelest nations on earth and a bitter enemy of Israel - and eventually destroyed Israel’s northern kingdom

And Nineveh of course being that great and evil city that God sent Jonah to, to call them to repentance

EGYPT

You guessed it right - these are the peoples who settled in the region of Egypt and West towards Libya

(list descendants)

Egypt itself is of course instantly recognizable as an enemy of Israel, as anybody who has read Exodus will know.

But also recognizable and highlighted by Moses in this genealogy is the Philistines, who Moses points out descended from Egypt’s son Casluhim

Israel’s history is filled with wars against the Philistines.

They were oppressing Israel at the time of Samson, who died killing 3000 of the Philistines in their temple

Israel was at war with the Philistines even in the times of king Saul who died at the hands of the Philistines

And also in the time of king David who eventually subdued them

CANAAN

(list descendants)

Now that genealogy and list of nations should also strike you as familiar

If you’re unsure where you’ve heard it before, let me bring up some instances where they are mentioned

Deut 7:1-2 “1 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, 2 and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.”

This commandment and promise was extended to Israel again through Joshua:

Josh 3:10 “10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.”

And then later we see in chapter 17:

Joshua 17:13 “13 Now when the people of Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.”

And then lastly we see the fate of the Canaanites in 2 Chronicles 8:

2 Chron 8:7-8 “7 All the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, 8 from their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed—these Solomon drafted as forced labor, and so they are to this day.”

So an overview of the genealogy of Ham and through his son Canaan, and a little time travel through Isreal’s history reveals that the curse of Noah was prophetic indeed.

Sin, in the end, always brings severe consequences.

For Ham’s descendants, as prophecied by Noah, their fate was to become servants of the descendants of Shem - servants of Israel.

They are the line of the curse, the seed of the serpent. The people who oppose the seed of the woman.

As the serpent opposed God and is always at war with God and His people, so also is the seed of the serpent…

… and since they cannot lift a finger to God, they wage war against His people and against the seed of the woman.

It is in their nature to sin against God, rebel against God, to be at war with God and His people, because they are children of the devil and people of the curse.

In John 8:34 Jesus speaking to the Pharisees says that “everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”

and in verse 44 he tells them:

John 8:44 “44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

The descendants of Ham were the seed of the serpent and lived accordingly. They are children of the devil and this was made evident by the way they lived. They were slaves of the devil and therefore slaves to sin.

But Jesus tells us that not only the descendants of Ham by bloodline, but everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin and the seed of the serpent.

This is not just a bloodline, but a spiritual line.

The seed of the Serpent is not only those who descend from Ham by bloodline, but everyone who practices sin reveals themselves to be slaves to sin, children of the devil, the seed of the serpent, and under the curse.

2. The Covenant Line of Shem

Genesis 9:26 “26 He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.”

When Ham came and told his brothers Shem and Japeth about Noah’s drunken and naked condition, their response is the opposite to Ham’s

Rather than go in and look, they go into the tent backwards so that they don’t see their father’s nakedness.

By doing so they kept themselves from sin, and showed that they loved and honored their father.

As a result, Noah pronounces this prophetic blessing on Shem.

But although Shem and Japheth both acted righteously towards their father, and ultimately both are blessed, we do see a difference in their blessing

There is a special significance to the way Shem is treated compared to his brother Japheth - more specifically, there is shown to be a more special relationship between him and God.

For Japheth, Noah declares “May God enlarge Japheth” - may Elohim enlarge Japheth

but for Shem, the special name for God used by His people Israel is named - “Blessed be Yahweh, the Elohim of Shem.”

When he wrote this chapter, Moses was indicating that there is a special relationship between God and Shem - a covenant relationship - that is not the same for Japheth

This special covenant relationship is then seen in the descendants of Shem:

(list descendants Aram to Lud)

Arphacshad - Shelah - Eber

Among Ham’s descendants, Nimrod was highlighted as a significant figure - an example of the wickedness of his descendants.

Under Shem, Eber is highlighted

Right off the bat, Shem is called the father (or patriarch) of the children of Eber, though Eber was actually Shem’s grandson.

So there is something of particular interest and significance about the children of Eber.

Under Eber Moses names Joktan (list descendants)

And the other son of Eber is Peleg, who Moses says was called Peleg because in his day the earth was divided.

Peleg actually means “division” in Hebrew, and the verb form means to “separate” or “split”.

So the important question then is what division does Moses have in view here?

Some have suggested that Moses is talking about the actual physical seperation of the continents

More probably, Moses is referring to the Tower of Babel which would have been built in Peleg’s day, and the division of people into their separate clans and nations and languages by God.

I believe that is certainly part of it, but there is a more significant division taking place here than just languages.

And that division is the clear separation and division of all the peoples of the world into two groups - namely those who will be God’s covenant people, and those who are not.

And the reason I believe that is because of Moses’ reference to this chapter in Deut 32:8-9

Deuteronomy 32:8–9 ESV

8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. 9 But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.

There are 3 sons of Noah, 3 brothers, with 70 nations all in all mentioned in this table of nations…

… 70 being the number of completion in the Bible, signifying that this summary of the nations of the world, although it doesn’t mention every individual nation, is meant to be understood to encompass all the nations of the world.

And every nation has been assigned their borders and their places in human history by God, who sovereignly does as He pleases and chooses.

And yet all the nations and all the peoples with all the different languages are divided really into two:

Those who are God’s chosen people, the Lord’s portion and the Lord’s heritage - the covenant people of God…

… and those who are outside the covenant.

The seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent.

The seed of the promise, and the seed of the curse.

This is shown to be the case when Moses continues the genealogy of Shem in chapter 11, where we see that:

Eber —> Peleg —> Reu —> Serug —> Nahor —> Terah —> ABRAM (Abraham)

— from whom would come the nation of Israel through Abraham’s son Jacob.

We will pick that up in more detail from chapter 12 and the call of Abraham, but for now we see the promise of God from Genesis 3:15 and the seed of the woman continues through the line of Shem

And the prophetic blessing of Noah on Shem extends through his descendants Eber, and Peleg, all the way to Abraham, Jacob, and the covenant people of God, Israel.

And the crushing of the Canaanites and Philistines by Israel led by Joshua and David looks forward to the crushing of the serpent that will come through the promised Messiah…

… as the seed continues from Abraham to Jesus, and we see that Jesus crushed Satan once and for all on the cross.

3. The Called Line of Japheth

(list descendants of Japheth) - EUROPE

Regarding the line of Japheth, the text highlights in verse 5 that these were the “coastland peoples” - that’s significant, but more on that in a bit.

Gen 9:27 “27 May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.””

This blessing from Noah for Japheth is very interesting for a number of reasons

First of all, Japheth also behaved righteously toward Noah when he and Shem covered his nakedness with a blanket

but again, even though Japheth is blessed by Noah, as we just saw there is a special covenant relationship between God and Shem that Japheth does not enjoy.

And that is seen here in that Noah’s blessing for Japheth is more of a prayer, and that prayer is that God would allow Japheth to dwell in the tents of Shem.

Shem, by God’s sovereign choice, is made God’s portion - God’s inheritance, God’s people. Shem has his dwelling place with God as God’s covenant people.

And for Japheth’s blessing, Noah prays that God will allow Japheth to dwell there with Shem.

He prays “May God enlarge Japheth”, and the Hebrew word there that is translated into the English “enlarge” actually means “to open, or make spacious”.

So when he says “enlarge” Japheth, Noah is not talking about expanding in number, but opening up.

Noah is praying then the God would open the door or open the way for Japheth to dwell in the presence of God with Shem.

Its a prayer for God to open the way for Japheth to share in the covenant relationship with God, with Shem.

And you might think that that’s an interesting way to put it - why would Noah say it that way?

And the answer to this is fascinating.

Now we have just looked at the descendants of Japheth and we know that they spread out into Asia Minor and into Europe, into Greece, and Italy, and even as far as Spain.

Apparently in the Greco-Roman empire, their history books trace their lineage back through historical figures like Promethues all the way back to a man named Japhetus.

Now if you think forward to the time of Jesus and when the gospels were written, and when the New Testament letters were written, what did the Jews call the people from Europe - Greece, Rome, Spain etc?

The Gentiles.

The people who were not of Israel. They are outsiders. Outside the tent. Excluded from Israel, and excluded from the promises.

Seen by the Jews as the unclean. The uncircumsized.

In fact, anyone that was not born into the nation of Israel by blood, and not circumsized if you were a male, was considered a Gentile.

But the important thing I want everyone to see and the thing that is highlighted in verse 5 is that Moses refers to the descendants of Japheth as “the coastland peoples”.

Now why is that highlighted?

Now what is clear is that the “coastland peoples” are not the children of the promise or the covenant people of God - that distinction is given to the line of Shem by God’s sovereign choice and decree.

And if they are not the children of the promise and not God’s covenant people, then they are not the seed of the woman. And if they are not the seed of the woman, then they are of the seed of the serpent.

AND YET… Noah’s prayer for Japheth and his line - for the coastland peoples - is that God would open a way for them…

… that God would open the door for them to dwell in the tents of Shem, to dwell in the presence of God and share in their inheritance!

How can that be?

Well the prophets picked up on this - this indication that God is going to open a way for the coastland peoples - those outside the tent - to come into the tent…

Let’s look for example at Isaiah

Is 51:5 “5 My righteousness draws near, my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands hope for me, and for my arm they wait.”

And then we have Isaiah 53, that great chapter that foretells the cross of Christ thousands of years before it took place, saying:

Is 53:4-6 “4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Is 53:10-12 “10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

Isaiah 54:1–8 ESV

1 “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord. 2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. 3 For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities. 4 “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. 5 For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. 6 For the Lord has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. 7 For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. 8 In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer.

The prophets saw this…

… that Israel was the seed of the woman, the people of the promise, God’s chosen portion, God’s covenant people…

… and yet, it is too small a thing for God to save only one small nation…

Is 49:1 “1 Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.”

Is 49:6 “6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.””

… the prophets saw that God was going to answer Noah’s prayer and open the way, open the door for the coastland peoples - the far away lands - the Gentiles - to come into the tent!

… to dwell with the line of Shem in the presence of God…

… to share in their portion and their inheritance…

People, that is us! God has opened the way for us!

The apostles also saw this - that’s why the apostle Paul and the others went out on their missions to the Gentiles in Europe and Asia…

… thats why Pastor Siya read out Acts 10 earlier showing Peter’s report of God saving people from all nations, showing no partiality…

… emphasizing in Acts 10:42-43 “42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.””

God has opened the way

He has made a New Covenant, opening the door for people of all nations and tribes and languages to dwell in the presence of the Most High God

This He has done through Jesus Christ, God in flesh, who hung on a cross and crushed Satan and death once and for all

He died and was raised again, to make atonement for our sins and make us holy in His sight.

Jesus says John 10:9 “9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”

Conclusion

Ps 97:1 “1 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!”

Eph 2:1-3 “1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Eph 2:4-5 “4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”

God has opened the door to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ

Everyone who repents and believes in Him will be saved

And because of that…

Eph 2:19 “19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

… fellow heirs with Shem, dwelling in the tent of Shem

Genesis 9 and 10 shows us that:

God is sovereign - He does all that he pleases

God is holy - sin will not go unpunished

God is gracious - in spite of man’s sin, He made a gracious promise to save

God is just - He punished our sin and made atonement for us in Jesus Christ

God is faithful - He remembers and keeps His promise

God’s salvation goes out to all the earth - He has opened the way for people of every nation to be saved

The right response -

realise that the door has been opened and a way has been made for us to be saved - if you have not repented - believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

realise that like the prophets and like the apostles, we are called to go out with this message. God is calling all believers to take this message to the whole world.

Genesis 10 and the table of nations gives us confidence to spread the gospel, knowing God is doing the work of saving.