The Foundation: Study in Genesis Part 12
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Genesis 9:18-29; Genesis 10
Genesis 9:18-29; Genesis 10
Noah’s Fall & The Table of Nations
Noah’s Fall & The Table of Nations
Begin with prayer
18 Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan.
19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.
20 Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard.
21 He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent.
22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.
Up until this time, Noah’s record was unblemished. One of the things that I love about the Bible and I think speaks to its veracity is that it doesn’t sugar-coat it’s heroes. Noah is certainly a hero, but he is not without his faults. Here we find that after the flood, he planted a vineyard, and then he drank wine from his vineyard, and got drunk. This is the first time drunkenness is recorded in the Bible. In fact, it’s the first vineyard and the first wine we have record of the Bible.
There are about as many interpretations of this passage as there are interpreters. I’m going to go with what seems the most clear-cut to me.
As a result of Noah’s drunkenness, he becomes exposed. He is laying naked in his tent. His son Ham sees him and goes out and tells his brothers. Instead of covering his father, Ham runs out and tells his brothers. “Hey, guess what! Dad is drunk and is lying in his tent naked! Ha! Ha!”
The brothers do what Ham should have done. They take a covering and they back in to Noah’s tent. They were so respectful of their father, that they didn’t want to see him in that condition.
Before we finish the story, let’s back up and take a look at what we have here. Look at the parellels to this story and the story of the fall in chapter 3. Adam and Eve are in a garden. Noah is in a vineyard. Adam eats of the fruit of a tree. Noah drinks of the fruit of the vine. Adam and Eve discover that they are naked. Noah becomes naked. As a result of Adams sin, a curse (of sorts) is placed on his descendants. As a byproduct of Noah’s sin, a curse will be placed on part of his descendants (which we’ll get to in a bit). God makes a covering for Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness. Shem and Japheth cover their father’s nakedness.
Many of the different interpretations of this story come out of the idea that the curse that we are about to read about seems so much greater than Ham’s actual sin. However, from a human standpoint, we could say that about the sin of Adam and Eve. Eating a piece of fruit when God said not to? Big deal! Well, it was a big deal. I have read some that said that Ham’s sin was seeing his father’s nakedness. I don’t think that’s it. He couldn’t help seeing what he saw. He could help advertising it to his brothers, though. That was the sin. In a way, it was not just a sin of commission but a sin of omission. What he should have done was respectfully cover his father. Though the sixth commandment had not been written on stone, it was still God’s heart that we are to honor our father and mother.
Furthermore, as those called to follow Christ, what are we to do when we see a brother or sister fall in some way? Look at what Peter said:
8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
In 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, it says that love...
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
We are called to do more than even Shem and Japheth did to their father. We are called to restore our brothers and sisters when possible.
1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Notice that we are to restore in a spirit of gentleness. Shem and Japheth had that spirit. Ham did not. When we see someone fall, we should never think that we are better than them. “There but for the grace of God go I.” There is much truth in that statement!
Let’s read on:
24 When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him.
25 So he said,
“Cursed be Canaan;
A servant of servants
He shall be to his brothers.”
26 He also said,
“Blessed be the Lord,
The God of Shem;
And let Canaan be his servant.
27 “May God enlarge Japheth,
And let him dwell in the tents of Shem;
And let Canaan be his servant.”
28 Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood.
There is much commentary as to why that Noah cursed Canaan the son of Ham rather than Ham himself. It is speculated that Canaan had a part in the sin of Ham. Maybe. We just don’t know. One view that may be accurate is that it is not so much a curse as a revelation to Ham of what would become of the descendants of Canaan his youngest son. We could also look at it as something of a mercy that only one son of Ham was cursed rather than all of his sons. In the case of Adam, it would be all of his descendants who would bear the curse of Adam.
I have to note that there is an interpretation of this story that was used for many years in America, especially in the south during slave days. It is the idea that all black people from Africa are under “the curse of Ham” and are therefore destined to only be servants. I have heard a variation of this myself. It is totally unbiblical. It is true that some of the descendants of Ham were Africans, but the descendants of Canaan were not, and only these descendants were under the curse.
As we are about to read in chapter 10, the descendants of Canaan were the various Canaanite tribes that lived in the land of Canaan before the Israelites arrived. We will see this fulfilled in the days of Joshua. The wicked Canaanites who were not killed during the conquest would become servants of the Israelites.
Questions/Comments
Chapter 10 is commonly called The Table of Nations. There are actually 70 names in this chapter and it lists the descendants of Noah’s three sons. These immediate descendants would become the fathers of the nations, many of which are still around today. As we read through this, if you have your Genesis Time Line, you might want to follow along. (Show Table of Nations in time line)
Dr. William F. Albright, the world’s leading authority on the archeology of the Near East, said,
“The tenth chapter of Genesis…stands absolutely alone in ancient literature, without a remote parallel, even among the Greeks, where we find the closest approach to a distribution of peoples in genealogical framework…. The Table of Nations remains an astonishing accurate document.” (William F. Albright, cited in Boice)
The chapter is divided into three parts. The sons of Japheth, the sons of Ham, and the sons of Shem
1 Now these are the records of the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah; and sons were born to them after the flood.
2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech and Tiras.
3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah.
4 The sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim.
5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.
From Enduring Word Commentary:
a. The sons of Japheth: He was the father of the Indo-European peoples, those stretching from India to the shores of Western Europe. They are each linked by linguistic similarities that often aren’t noticed by the layman but are much more obvious to the linguist.
b. Gomer: From this son of Japheth came the Germanic peoples, from whom came most of the original peoples of Western Europe. These include the original French, Spanish, and Celtic settlers.
c. Magog…Tubal, Meshech: These settled in the far north of Europe and became the Russian and related peoples.
d. Madai: From this son of Japheth came the ancient Medes and they populated what are now Iran and Iraq. The peoples of India also came from this branch of Japheth’s family.
e. Javan: From this son of Japheth came the ancient Greeks, whose sea-faring ways are described in Genesis 10:5.
3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah.
4 The sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim.
5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.
The sons of Gomer.
The sons of Gomer.
a. Ashkenaz: From this son of Gomer came the peoples who settled north of Judea into what we call the Fertile Crescent.
b. Togarmah: From this son of Gomer came the Armenians.
The sons of Javan (the ancient Greeks).
The sons of Javan (the ancient Greeks).
a. The sons of Javan were: Geographic names that spring from these names in this chapter abound. Linguists have no trouble seeing the connection between Kittim and Cyprus, Rodanim and Rhodes, Gomer and Germany, Meshech and Moscow, Tubal and Tobolsk.
6 The sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan.
Enduring Word Commentary:
Ham: The descendants of Ham are the peoples who populated Africa and the Far East.
b. Cush: Apparently, this family divided into two branches early. Some founded Babylon (notably, Nimrod) and others founded Ethiopia.
c. Mizraim: This is another way the Bible refers to Egypt. Put refers to Libya, the region of North Africa west of Egypt. Canaan refers to the peoples who originally settled the land we today think of as Israel and its surrounding regions.
7 The sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.
8 Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.”
10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
11 From that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah,
12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.
Let’s talk about Nimrod a bit. He seems to have been the world’s first dictator. When it talks about him being a mighty hunter before the Lord this is not a complement. It wasn’t that he hunted animals. He hunted men. He was a warrior. In Hebrew, the name Nimrod means “We will rebel.” And Nimrod was all about rebellion. He would be the founder of Babel (later Babylon) as well as Ninevah, which would be the capitol of Assyria. Many generations later, Israel would be split into two parts. Both parts, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah would be taken captive. Do you remember what nations would take them captive? (Israel by Assyria and Judah by Babylon). Nimrod represents all that opposes God.
Enduring Word:
A Jerusalem Targum says: “He was powerful in hunting and in wickedness before the Lord, for he was a hunter of the sons of men, and he said to them, ‘Depart from the judgment of the Lord, and adhere to the judgment of Nimrod!’ Therefore it is said: ‘As Nimrod the strong one, strong in hunting, and in wickedness before the Lord.’” (cited in Morris)
Genesis 10;13-20
13 Mizraim became the father of Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim
14 and Pathrusim and Casluhim (from which came the Philistines) and Caphtorim.
From Mizraim would become the Egyptians. We find from this text that the Philistines descended from Mizraim as well.
On to the Canaanites!
15 Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth
16 and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite
17 and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite
18 and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite; and afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad.
19 The territory of the Canaanite extended from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; as you go toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, by their nations.
Enduring Word:
a. Canaan begot Sidon: The family of Sidon, the son of Canaan, went north and is related to the Hittites and Lebanese.
b. And the Sinite: Many people believe the Oriental peoples descended from the Sinites.
Now we get to the Semitic people...the descendants of Shem
21 Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, and the older brother of Japheth, children were born.
22 The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram.
Enduring Word:
a. Children were born also to Shem: From Shem comes Elam, who was an ancestor of the Persian peoples; Asshur, who was the father of the Assyrians; Lud was father to the Lydians who lived for a time in Asia Minor; and Aram was father to the Arameans, later known as the Syrians. Arphaxad was the ancestor of Abram and the Hebrews.
23 The sons of Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash.
Does the name “Uz” seem familiar?
According to Job 1:1, Job was from the land of Uz, which was a region in Arabia.
24 Arpachshad became the father of Shelah; and Shelah became the father of Eber.
25 Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.
26 Joktan became the father of Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah
27 and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah
28 and Obal and Abimael and Sheba
29 and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.
30 Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east.
When it says of Peleg that “in his days the earth was divided,” many believe that this is when the earth was divided by language as in the story of the tower of Babel (which is in the next chapter).
30 Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east.
31 These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, according to their nations.
Questions/Comments?
New Testament Application...From “Bible Show” Podcast
Acts 8...Ethiopian Eunuch (descendant of Ham) gets saved. Becomes the first convert from Africa. Currently 300 million African Christians descend from this man!
Acts 9...Saul (descendent of Shem) gets saved.
Acts 10...Cornelius (Roman centurian...descendent of Japheth) gets saved.
God brings all three sons of Noah back into right relationship with Him!
