The Table of Nations
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
As we start this evening I want to remind you of a important scripture found in 2 Timothy 3.16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
All scripture comes from God and is profitable for us, even the scriptures like we are covering tonight.
Now I am sure you are wondering how I am going to cover this since I just covered a genealogy not that long ago. Well these two genealogies are completely different in how they are structured and what their purpose it.
The Genealogy found in Genesis 5 is what is called a linear genealogy. This means it tells us who the father is and who the son is and all of this is going in a specific direction. Genesis 5 gives us this line that takes us in the specific direction from Adam to Noah. This is to move the story along to the next major event.
The genealogy that we are looking at tonight is what is called a segmented genealogy. This means that it documents the father and all of his sons. This forms a more comprehensive family tree that we can see.
This one is comprehensive because it documents the earliest people after the flood, it is these people who become the nations of the world. As we read you will recognize some of the peoples names as the names of countries. All of this goes towards one central point that we will cover after we look at the story.
Lets pray then we can begin to dive in.
The Story
The Story
These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.
So Noah has three sons and these three sons all have sons after the flood, this is how the world restarts.
Remember too with this the information that we discussed about Ham last week, he is the father of Canaan. This serves as a tell for us that these people are not good followers of God. The people of Israel would have known this because the first audience would have been up against the people of Canaan having to prepare to fight them and they knew that God was on their side.
Now for the first of the sons Japheth.
The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations.
If you have ever read the book of Ezekiel you will know that Magog is referenced a lot in it, it is also referenced in Revelation. Magog is used a lot in a figurative way as a land that represents evil and they are hostile to the Lord. This tells us a bit about what this people will become.
Another name you might recognize is Tarshish. This is the land that Jonah tried to flee to instead of going where God commanded him to. Tarshish is on the far outreaches of the known world and here we see that these are the coastland people.
The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.
Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites dispersed. And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.
There are lots of names to recognize here. You may have seen Cush and Put some as you read but the one that stands out the most it Egypt. This leads to the nation of Egypt that will eventually enslave the people of Israel. This is the same Egypt that we have today.
Then there is Canaan. When you read about the people that the Israelites had to fight to take the promised land it is many of the ones that follow Canaan. It is not all of them though, it is believed that they went away by some means before Israel came to fight them. Maybe famine or war or they meshed with the other people.
Nimrod is one that we do not really recognize but we see that he was known as a mighty hunter in the ancient world. What we do recognize is the beginning of his kingdom, Babel. We will cover the tower of Babel next time but we can see that it happened sometime in the middle of this chapter. This is similar to how chapter 1 and 2 work. Chapter 2 happened in chapter 1. The tower explains to us how all of these people spread out and became nations.
After Babel Nimrod founded Nineveh. This is the place that Jonah was supposed to go when he ran to Tarshish. He eventually does go to this pagan place and they do repent.
Casluhim is another name that we do not recognize but we know his descendants, the Philistines. The giant Goliath was a Philistine. This is one of the nations that becomes a major enemy of Israel. This even treads into modern day with the conflict going on in the middle east. The Philistines is where the word Palastine comes from. This name was given to the nation of Israel by the Romans when they took over to humiliate them. So there never was a Palastine, it was a way to make fun of the nation of Israel.
Among the sons of Ham we see Sodom and Gomorrah. These are places that we know are sinful. So sinful in fact that we will see God wipe them off of the face of the earth is a few chapters.
To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born. The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Arpachshad fathered Shelah; and Shelah fathered Eber. To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.
The descendants of Shem do not have as many familiar names, but we will see several of these names very soon in chapter 11. It is through Shem that the promised line continues. At the end of chapter 11 we will have a linear genealogy like chapter 5 that will take us from Shem, which picks up where chapter 5 left off, and will lead us to a man names Abram. Abram will have his name changed Abraham, he is one of the most important people in the Old Testament.
Though this line seems quiet, it is the line of the Messiah.
These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.
These are the people that form the first nations on the earth. This is the context in which salvation history takes place from now on.
Fulfillment
Fulfillment
So why is this section so significant? Look back with me at Genesis 9.1
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
This chapter is the fulfillment of this command. They were told to fill the earth and here we see that it is being filled. This shows us the goodness of God and further shows us the obedience of Noah’s family. Even though Ham was cursed, he knew to fear God.
When reading the Bible we should look to commands and prophecies and see where they are done or fulfilled. When God tells someone to do something, look and see if they did it. This will give insight to what is happening in the story.
For example you may wonder why Israel goes into exile so many times. Well in the law God tells them to observe Sabbath years and he says the the land will have it’s Sabbaths. That is a command and the people do not follow it. The length of their exiles goes right along with the amount of missed Sabbath years.
Here they obey the command and all is well.
A simple place where we can look for prophecy is Genesis 3.15
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 is telling us about something that will come, so where was it’s fulfillment? It is fulfilled in the coming of Jesus, Mark 1.15 says
and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
The time is fulfilled, this refers to another prophecy in Daniel, and now the kingdom of God is at hand! The snake crusher has arrived! The prophecy is fulfilled!
Many of the nations that do fulfill this command are evil nations. This is because of places like Genesis 6.5
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Man is evil and has sin, yes they fulfill this command. There will be a future fulfillment of prophecy that will make a way for salvation even for wicked nations. This salvation is seen in that Mark verse.
Jesus came and lived a perfect life, through this perfect life he fulfilled many prophecies. Even though he lived a perfect life he was killed. His death though was a sacrifice for all who would put their faith in him. Upon that cross he died for our sin, not his own because he had none. Three days later he rose from the grave and conquered sin and death.
For us to accept the salvation that Jesus brought through his death and resurrection we must only do one thing, repent and believe. These things go together completely. When you put your faith in Jesus you are turning away from sin completely. This does not mean that you have no sin, it does mean that you are forgiven for your sin though.
Think about the life of Noah, we see his sin, yet he is described as a righteous man. Later in the New Testament he is commended for his faith. That is what you need for salvation, faith.
This is what all the people in the Old Testament were looking towards the fulfillment of and we have access to it.
Conclusion
Conclusion
God moves in mighty ways. He raises up nations and he can tear them down. He fulfills promises and moves in ways that we could never understand.
Maybe tonight he is moving in your life. Maybe you see that you are a sinner in need of a savior, then tonight you need to give your life to Christ. Through one man God raised up all of the nations of the world and through one word he has the power to destroy them. He also has the power to save you. Repent and believe in the gospel tonight.
See that God is good, see the command to be fruitful and multiply is fulfilled, see the power of our great God. Let’s pray.
