EGW - Lesson 3

Lesson 3

The Origin of Languages/The Beginning of Nations

After the Flood (Genesis 9:1)

After the Flood, God commanded Noah and his sons to replenish the earth. In fulfilling this command, the human race was to spread out gradually over the face of the entire earth to repopulate it.

Once again, however, the overwhelming majority of humankind disobeyed the voice of God. Instead of spreading out over the earth, they located in one specific area and decided to stay there and build a city.

The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-4)

Genesis 11:1–4 KJV 1900

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

The Self-Centeredness of the People (Genesis 11:5-6)

Notice the self-centeredness of these people and their disregard for God’s commandment. He wanted them to scatter over the whole earth to replenish it, but they wanted to build a city and a tower as a center for all humankind to prevent themselves from scattering! In other words, their desire was exactly the opposite of God’s Word.

Different Languages Introduced (Genesis 11:7-9)

Up to this time, everyone on the earth spoke the same language. Essentially, there was only one nation upon the face of the earth. This made the people’s goal of constructing a great city all the more possible.

But the Lord observed their disobedience and said:

Genesis 11:6–7 KJV 1900

And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

By introducing different languages among the people, the Lord stopped their sinful effort. They could no longer communicate sufficiently to complete such an ambitious project, and they began to spread over the face of the earth, everybody finding their pace with those with whom they could talk.

The Judgment of God in Dispersing the People

The judgment of God caused the origin of languages and the beginning of nations. As a result, the earth was repopulated by the descendants of Noah as follows:

Shem’s Sons (Genesis 10:21-32)

Ham’s Sons (Genesis 10:6-20)

Japheth’s Sons (Genesis 10:3-5)

The Time of the Patriarchs (The Chosen People)

Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3; Deuteronomy 4:6; 1 Kings 3:8-9)

As in the days of Noah, God looked upon the earth and found a man with whom He could make a covenant.

This man had come from Ur of Chaldees with his father, Terah. The man’s name was Abram. The Lord told Abram to leave his country, his kindred, and his father’s house to journey to a land that God would show him.

The Lord promised:

Genesis 12:2–3 KJV 1900

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Abram obeyed the Lord and left his home in Haran when he was seventy-five years old. He took his wife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot, and they traveled to the land of Canaan.

When the Lord called Abram, he had no children. Part of God’s promise was that He would make of Abram a great nation. This promise was subsequently fulfilled, as seen in Deuteronomy 4:6; I Kings 3:8–9; and Joshua 21:43–45.

Ishmael (Genesis 16:2)

The days passed, however, without any physical sign that God was keeping His promise.

Finally, as human beings often do, Abram and Sarai decided to take matters into their own hands. Sarai, who had an Egyptian handmaid named Hagar, said unto Abram:

Genesis 16:2 KJV 1900

And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

Abram acted on his wife’s counsel, which was according to the custom of the time, and Ishmael was born of this union.

By trying to help God out because they could see no visible sign of His promise coming to pass, Abram and Sarai brought many sorrows to their family. Ishmael and their son, Isaac, would have conflicts. The seeds were sown for conflict between the Arabs and the Jews, nations who sprang from these two men.

God’s Covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:1-2, 10-11)

When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said:

Genesis 17:1–2 KJV 1900

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

As Abram fell on his face before God, the Lord continued to talk with him. God renewed His promise to make him the father of many nations and changed his name to Abraham. Abram means “high father”; Abraham means “father of a multitude.”

He also changed Sarai’s name to Sarah. Sarai means “princess”; Sarah means “my princess.”

Then God gave a token of His covenant. He said:

Genesis 17:10–11 KJV 1900

This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

Abraham took his son Ishmael with all the male members of his household, and they were all circumcised the same day in obedience to God’s Word.

Separation (Genesis 13:8-9)

Strife developed between the herdmen of Abraham’s cattle and those of Lot. The problem was that both Abraham and Lot were very rich, with many flocks, herds, and tents, and the land simply was not able to bear them.

Abraham said to Lot:

Genesis 13:8–9 KJV 1900

8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

Lot’s Choice (Genesis 13:10-13)

Abraham was very gracious in allowing his nephew to make the first choice.

Lot observed the well-watered plain of Jordan and chose that for himself. He then journeyed east, separating himself from Abraham and pitching his tent in the direction of Sodom. This proved to be a mistake for Lot, for the people of Sodom were wicked and terrible sinners in the Lord’s eyes (Genesis 13:13). It is always dangerous to go in the direction of sin.

Judgment Against Sin (Genesis 18:23-33)

God observed the mounting wickedness in Sodom and Gomorrah, where Abraham’s nephew, Lot, lived with his family. The Lord appeared to Abraham and informed him that the cities would be destroyed.

Abraham, knowing that his relatives lived in the doomed city of Sodom, sought the Lord to spare the city. He agreed to do so, if only ten righteous people could be found. But, sadly, Sodom and Gomorrah were so wicked that not even ten righteous people could be located (Genesis 18).

Angels of Mercy (Genesis 19:1, 15)

The angels visited Lot and removed him, his wife, and two unmarried daughters from the city. God sent angels of mercy to Sodom that day. The prayers of Abraham did not save the cities, but they did save Lot. Lot was blessed to have an uncle who stayed close to the Lord.

But Lot’s grievous error in moving into this wicked city took its toll. He had to leave behind daughters who had married men of Sodom. In disobedience to the angel’s commands, his wife looked back as they were fleeing and turned into a pillar of salt. However, Lot and his two unmarried daughters fled for their lives.

Because of the great wickedness of these cities, God destroyed them with fire and brimstone. Today, they have been wiped off the face of the earth. Some Bible students believe the destruction of these cities may have been connected with the formation of the Dead Sea.

The judgment of God upon Sodom and Gomorrah stands forever as a solemn warning to any who would violate God’s Word.

2 Peter 2:6 KJV 1900

6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

As one author noted, “The teachings of Christ are not unlike a river that flows for a long time smoothly and noiselessly between its banks and then suddenly takes the tremendous plunge of the cataract. In the utterance of Jesus about the coming of His kingdom we have the cataract note of His preaching. The same lips which pronounced the Beatitudes and spake the quiet parables of growth and development tell of the coming of His kingdom and the great and terrible day of the LORD.”

Judgment is coming! It is time to prepare!

Isaac, the Promised Son (Genesis 21:1-5)

At last, in God’s time, Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son. Abraham named the child Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old.

Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac was born. God had kept His promise, but He was not yet finished trying Abraham’s faith.

Abaraham’s Faith Tested (Genesis 22:2; Hebrews 11:17-19)

God said to Abraham:

Genesis 22:2 KJV 1900

2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

What thoughts must have gone through Abraham’s mind!

God had promised him a son. The promise had taken many years to be fulfilled, and now God commanded him to sacrifice that son! Abraham was a man of great faith in God, however. He knew that Isaac was the promised son that God had given him. He believed that through Isaac God would raise up countless offspring as He had promised. He knew that, even if he offered Isaac to God, God was able to raise him up from the dead in order to keep His word.

Hebrews had something to say about all this:

Hebrews 11:17–19 KJV 1900

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Abraham’s Obedience (Genesis 22:3-5)

Genesis 22:3 KJV 1900

3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

On the third day of their journey, Abraham saw in the distance the mountain upon which God had commanded that he offer Isaac. He told the servants to stay behind while he and Isaac went to worship.

Abraham’s faith is clear in the statement that he made to his servants:

Genesis 22:5 KJV 1900

5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

He believed that God had a divine purpose in the task that he had been asked to perform.

Abraham’s Continuing Faith (Genesis 22:7-12)

As Abraham and Isaac traveled toward their destination, Isaac noticed they had everything but the sacrifice. He asked, “Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering!”

Abraham responded with a statement of eternal significance: “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:7–8).

After they had prepared the altar, Abraham bound his son and placed him on the altar. Then Abraham stretched forth his hand with the knife to slay his son. At that moment, the angel of the Lord called, “Abraham, Abraham!”

“Here am I,” he answered.

“Lay not thine hand upon the lad,” said the angel, “neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (Genesis 22:12).

Abraham’s faith had been tested by what was dear to him, and he came through the trial victoriously. After Abraham heard the voice of the angel, he turned and saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket nearby.

God had provided a sacrifice. Abraham’s statement was prophetic in that many years later Jesus Christ, who was God manifest in the flesh, came as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29; I Timothy 3:16).

What a marvelous thing is faith!

In the history of our country men traveled by horseback and had to cross rivers swollen by the rains. If they looked at the swirling waters around them, they would become dizzy and possibly fall from the saddle and be swept away. But if they fixed their eye upon the other bank, a tree, a large rock, or a hillside, they would ride safely through.

Similarly, in the storms of life, faith is the balance that gives calmness and victory. It is important to fix our eyes, not upon the shifting scene around us, but upon the solid rock, Jesus Christ.

Jacob and Esau (The Chosen People)

Esau Sells His Birthright (Genesis 25:30-34)

Jacob Steals the Blessing (Genesis 27:1-29)

Jacob’s Encounter with God (Genesis 28:10-15)

Jacob Remembers the House of the Lord (Genesis 28:16-22)

Jacob Wrestles with the Angel of the Lord (Genesis 32:24-28)

The Chosen People (1 of 2)

Joseph’s Dreams (Genesis 37:3-11)

Joseph Sold into Slavery (Genesis 37:23-28)

Jacob Deceived (Genesis 37:29-36)

Joseph’s Temptation (Genesis 39:7-19)

Joseph in Prison (Genesis 39:20-23)

The Chosen People (2 of 2)

Joseph Elevated Under Pharaoh (Genesis 41:37-45)

Joseph’s Brothers Come to Egypt (Genesis 42:1-3)

Joseph Forgives His Brothers (Genesis 45:1-15)

Jacob and His Family Settle in Goshen (Genesis 47:11-12)