DIVIDED

Amen, and amen. So we're coming in these chapters out of the flood narrative the great Deluge of judgment that God brings upon the world because of the increase and intensification of Evil Within mankind. God judges Humanity as a whole with the flood but in his grace, he preserves Noah and his family we seen in these chapters a repetition of what we saw in the early chapters of Genesis that there is a great wise loving relational and faithful Creator who designed and created and made all that is so that he might participate in that Creation with his creation. And we seen over and over again though that his creation and tragically his the height of his creation his imagers the Imago Dei reject his kingship reject his kingdom in favor of forging their own way. And so we have these themes of blessing and Covenants and God's grace and generosity followed by Mankind's rejection and rebellion, and sin which brings chaos and death in Brokenness which invites God's justice to bring judgment. But in the midst of judgement, there's always Grace because God is not a God to give up on his creation. So as we move now out of out of the flood narrative now Noah and his family have been have been mandated by God to continue in that original mandate that was given to Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply we see it expressed in Genesis chapter 9 verse 1. God bless Noah and his son said to be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth. This is a expression of Genesis 1:27 in that area. We're queer God called them to be fruitful and multiply fill the Earth rule out subdue. It mankind was not meant to stay in one small part of the earth. Mantine was designed by God At His Image Bears to spread his kingdom to spread his order to spread his Beauty and his life, even though Adam and Eve and their descendants failed. So tragically even though the Judgment of the flood Came Upon the Earth Gods mandate for Humanity to be his imagers was not broken. We've been broken but our mandate is still the same. We are still called to be God's images. And so God blessed Noah and his son now they are to bring God's order a kingdom God's Beauty God's rule God's presence. Throughout the Earth aorta multiply be fruitful and fill. the Earth sadly what we find in chapter 10 and 11 is that they don't do that. Once again, we have God's gracious blessing and Covenants and we have man's rebellion and failure. So let's look at chapter 10 this table of Nations genealogy. I'm going to go ahead and just read the whole thing. And I know there's a lot of names and I have no idea if I'm going to pronounce them correctly, but I'm going to do it with confidence and you'll believe me. So it says these are the generations of the sons of Noah Shem ham and japheth Sons were born to them after the flood the sons of japheth Gomer maygog medaille II e r s the sons of Gomer Panera's Riff Raff and tour, the sons of Javon Elijah tarshish kid him and doubting him. From these the coastlands people spread in their lands each with his own language by their Clans in their nation's the sons of ham Kush Egypt put and Kanan the sons of kush subah havilah Santa Rama InStep Teka the sons of Rama Sheba and de-dan Nimrod. He was the first on the 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 Eric a car and, in the land of shinar from that one land. He went into his cereal and built Nineveh rabbit ear Kayla and resin between none of it and Kellogg. That is the great City. Egypt fathered luden animeme have him neptunium parts rusyn and pollution from whom the Philistines came and kept Orem pain and father sight in his firstborn and Heff and the jebusites the amorites the girgashites the hivites archives and afterward the clans of the Canaanites the Spurs. And a territory of the Canaanites extended from sidon in the direction of guerard as far as Gaza in the direction of Sodom Gomorrah. Admah and zeboiim as far as These are the sons of ham by their Clans their languages their lands and their Nations to Sham also the father of all the children of Eber the elder brother of japheth children were born the sons of Shem Elam. Asher rpac said lose in a rum the sons of a rum whole Gessner and mash Arpita she had fathered say Shayla and Shayla bothered Uber. The Eber were born two sons. The name of the one was peleg for in his days. The Earth was divided in his brother's name was Josh doctson fathered Al madad, shell app has Amara Gera haturim. Who's the male Shiba over all these were the sons of jokes in the territory in which they lived extended from mesha and the direction of Safar to the Hill Country of the East. These are the sons of Shem by their Clans their languages their land and their Nations. These are the clans of the sons of Noah according to their genealogies in their nation. And from these the nation's spread abroad on the earth after the fly Pretty exciting stuff, especially if you're you know pregnant and looking for baby names if you're paying attention and it's difficult sometimes to pay attention. We get lost in the strangeness of the names. We we feel intimidated trying to pronounce them and I understand that but if we pay attention if we look at some of the details some of the echoes in this chapter that take us back to what came before and lead us to what comes next we see that this chapter is actually a significant bridge in the story of Genesis. It's not a normal genealogy first of all because it includes the names of people but it also includes the names of cities and the names of tribes the names of geographic areas of land and what you notice if you begin to study and map this out and look at what's described. It said it's not describing the time of Noah and his son. It's describing the people's at the time of Moses and the Israelites Exodus from Egypt on their way to the promised land. It's describing the sons of Noah and where they have ended up by that time. It is a very intentional. And intentionally detailed description of these people that are mentioned you going to come up with the number 70. There are 70 Suns that are listed in chapter 10, the number 70, very significant in the ancient near East one of the numbers of completion the number of photosynthesis significant number in the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament as well. At the end of Genesis, it's 70 descendants of of Israel that that go off to Egypt.

And I rescued by Joseph. It's 77 descendants that multiply in the millions that are let out in The Exodus when we continue on in the story. We find that there are there 70 elders in Israel when Jesus comes and he not only makes the 12 disciples right to parallel the 12 tribes, but he also gathers another group of 70 disciples and send them out. We have all sorts of extra biblical references to the number 70 in the ancient near East Astra who shows up in the Hebrew scriptures over and over again, as one of the gods that the Israelites are tempted to worship and run after the cane. I got his asherah had 70 Sons Is the Sanhedrin the Jewish ruling Council in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus had 70 members there's reasons for all of that and they all flow back to the heater to Genesis chapter 10. So we received this this collection of names. It's not it's not a census. It's not it's not even intended in any sense to be complete. Right? We will have one one person will father three sons and we'll find out how one of the sons had kids and the middle one will be ignored in the last one have a whole bunch of other kids. And then sometimes we get this third-generation. Sometimes we hit the 4th generation. The point is not to give us a detailed ancestry.com description of Noah's genealogy. The point is to connect where the people of God were in the time of Moses. Back to when Noah and his sons were preserved from the flood. So it doesn't even if it doesn't describe all the peoples of the Earth. It describes the peoples of the Earth in that region at that time the people that were known to the Israelites.

this is a it's important text when you looked at it. Just see that there's two. people are two groups of people specifically that are highlighted the first well, the first is Nimrod we're introduced to one of the descendants Nimrod and he gets described for us as a mighty Hunter a Mighty Man. When you look you see that? the Nations that he father and the kingdom That are ascribed to him absolutely viton significant in the life of Israel later it in the same way. We have the expansion around the territory of the Canaanites the descendants of Canaan. Why because that's where the ancient Israelites were going out of the Exile. These were the primary people that they had to deal with. resync contacts

What do you think about who wrote it and who he wrote it to? I think about why he wrote it that's when this chapter of seemingly meaningless names begins to have significant meaning and shape. And what would I hope you can see at least from a big picture level? The what's being communicated is that in this process?

They've gone from family. two Nations from family to Nation After the flood bear is one family 1 families but what happens is that as they grow as they develop as they do what God called them to do be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth something happens. It's it's subtle but it's right in the text itself. Look at the first verse of Genesis 10. These are the generations of the sons of Noah Shem ham and japheth Sons were born to them after the flood. At the beginning of this chapter we have this one family this one tight-knit unit, but they're broken. We already saw that last week. in the Sin of ham by the end of the chapter by the end of chapter 10. It's described this way. These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies in their Nations. And from these the nation spread abroad on the earth After the flood. Which of these words is intentional but sometimes we don't see it because we just read so quickly. This is unintentional move from family to nations from Unity to division.

So now we get the chapter 11. Chapter 11 takes place sometime within chapter pain when we see what happens at the at Babel city of Babylon and the tower that was built. We know that it happens someplace Within Chapter 10th, and we get clues about in chapter 10 itself. It talks about this was before the nations were divided. This this is we have certain time frames that are given within it. So let's let's look at the text. It said now the whole earth had one language and the same words. If you remember back in chapter 10, there's certain people and they were described as having their own languages and having so somewhere in this process. All of humanity all these descendants are still there together than one language and the same words and if people migrated from the East they found a plane in the land of shinar and settled there. They said the one another come let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly and they had brick for stone and bitumen for Mortar. Then they said come let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens and let us make a name for ourselves lest we to be dispersed over the face of the whole earth and the Lord came down to see the city and the power which the children of man had built and the Lord said behold they are one people and they have all one language and this is only the beginning of what they will do. Nothing that they propose to do will not be possible for them. come let us go down and they're confused our language so that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord disperse that them from there over the face of all the Earth and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel because they're the Lord confuse the language of all the Earth and from there the Lord disperse them from Over the face of all the Earth.

99 little verses describing these descendants of Noah and his family moving After the flood finding this place of beauty and and and prosperity in the land of Shannara and there they come together and they decide to build for themselves a city to make for themselves a kingdom in the center of this they're going to build a hour.

There's so much going on here verse 4. It is really worth looking at. List the three things in verse for that are that are really important first we get their motive. Their motives behind building the city is absolutely essential. There's nothing against cities in the scripture. There's nothing against building powers in the scriptures, but when your motives are corrupt what you do is cry. They said let's build this city and sour left. We be dispersed over the face of the whole earth. This is a willful Rebellion against the Mandate that God gave Noah and his descendants just like he'd given it to Adam and Eve to multiply fill and subdue the Earth. God did not intend for mankind to stay in one place, but the spread out. So what we see in bird store is that they are willfully rebelling against God's design to fill the Earth as they multiply The second thing we see if they say come let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its paw. in heaven

Sometimes we read this in our modern scientific reality. We say all those those people back then we're so stupid. They really thought they could build a tower so high that it would reach out to this place called heaven. We read it. We think that's what it says because we don't understand the ancient near East context. That's not what's happening here these weren't these weren't uneducated pre-scientific idiots who could do thought they could build something so high I got to the heaven. This is an ancient near Eastern cultures what's known as a cigarettes. Ziggurat is like a pyramid in that is a step elevated building that is designed for a specific purpose of ziggurats were representations of mountain. Now if you remember when we were back in Genesis chapter 2 and God created Eden and where God created that was on a Mountaintop everybody in the ancient near East new without thinking of course the Gods dwelled on mountain. Here we have these descendants of Noah, they're saying we're going to make for ourselves a new Eden. We're going to create for ourselves a mountain where Heaven and Earth come together and that the implications of this in every ancient near Eastern culture is that it was a way to meet with a God and his son level serve the god or control that got so that they could have left me rather than letting God mandate for them who they should be and how they should live. They want to build a ziggurat. They want to build their own Mountain their own dwelling place for God so they will be located where they want him to be located. And be for them to God that they want him to be. Again, this is willful rebellion and disrespect to the Creator king of. the universe

3rd, we see.

What's the driving again? Another level of this is pride. Let us make a name. for ourselves Let us make a name for ourselves. This is what connects Genesis 10 and 11 back to what came before and to what's going to follow after the use of these terms and in this language is is mint. the take us back to what preceded the writer is linking this act the earlier Divine transgression of Genesis 6 1 2 4 It's it's drawings with literary terms and an Echoes us back to what came before and was seen once again a rebellion against God's Kingdom. Go back to Genesis chapter 6 verse 4. Strange weird and wacky Divine Rebellion by the sons of God the Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterward when the sons of God the Bene Elohim the Divine council members came into the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the Mighty Men the word there in the Hebrew for Mighty Men is gibborim who are of old men of renown. That works in the Hebrew that is literally men of the name. But that's that's weird. When we when we're stuck with our English translation, sometimes it becomes very difficult for us to pick up these Echoes because we'll translate the same word with different English word it so we don't get to see what the author is intentionally laying out for us and wants us to hear these echoes. Genesis chapter 6 we have this Divine Rebellion. They produce Offspring with human women we have these. These aren't plans these rebellious creatures that are part Divine and part human and they are the Mighty Men the man of the name the men of renown. They are the ones that precipitated the flood their greatness. this is this is what so much of what is written here is a polemic against the rest of the ancient near East in the ancient near East everywhere except Israel the time before the flood would start up at the greatest time. In history that's when the Great Men of renown where that's when they discovered all the wisdom that's when everything was awesome and in the Kingdom of Babylon and Assyria and all the other that come after they always look back to that Kingdom Before the Flood as the time when the world was at its peak the Hebrew scriptures are written to say yeah it was a peak but it wasn't the peak of greatness it was the peak of evil was the peak of rebellion What we have here, is this ancient near East Babylonian and others looking backwards the same this is when culture was great when the feeling were here.

the men of renown

the men of the name

we read this they were the Mighty Men. The gibborim were of old the men of renown. They were in the earth in those days and also afterward.

So we shouldn't be surprised when we get to Genesis chapter 10. And we find this about Nimrod Kush fathered Nimrod. He was the first on the earth to be a Mighty Man. The boy back in 6 in boerum. That's the plural here, it's Gabor the singer. He was the first on the earth after the floods to be a Mighty Man. Fascinating Thing I Never Had just been named Nimrod had to become a derogatory put down. It's equivalent to a an idiot of fool a loser. But when we read in Genesis, he was the first on Earth to be a mighty man writes that he he he was described as a great hunter before the Lord founded the kingdom of Babylon and the kingdom of Assyria.

How did nimrod?

You come up derogatory name. The answer is strange almost as strange as this chapter. It was Bugs Bunny. In the 1940s cartoons were being developed Bugs Bunny got into his eternal Feud with Elmer Fudd Elmer Fudd the bumbling hunter who could never outsmart that wakeley rabbit. In some of the earliest cartoons of Bugs Bunny and then later over and over again and even some of the other characters Daffy Duck they began to refer to Elmer Fudd as what a nimrod. Elmer Fudd was supposed to be a hunter a great hunter. It was sarcasm. Now people are not biblically literate they heard it. They didn't understand the sarcasm age of Elmer Fudd is an idiot Nimrod and that's how the nature of that term has become a derogatory insult in our culture way to go Bugs Bunny. This is a strange but weird story in our culture Nimrod was not an idiot. Nimrod was not a fool Nimrod though was a mighty man of the bar. Siri and Babylon the two great civilizations that will later destroy Israel. Siri in the North Babylon in the south Nimrod is the father of these two Nations. Getting me Connection in Genesis 10th and Dennis 11 to take us back to Genesis 6 what we see. Is this issue of rebellion? In fact Nimrod most likely that's what the word means. That's what his name means it means Rebellion.

When we go to Genesis 1169. We keep reading. And the rest of this text says in the Lord said behold. They are one people and they all have one language in. This is only the beginning of what they will do. Nothing that they propose to do will not be impossible for them again their Rebellion against God they're coming together and they're Define his mandate to spread their trying to harness him and control him by building this ziggurat this Tower I got so it's all happening again. Just like before the flood the increase of evil.

Super 7 takes us back again, not only the Genesis 6, but the Genesis 1 in the use of the plural language come let us go down and their confuse their language.

God is again goes to his Divine Council. You see what's happening here you witness what is happening in this place out of Babel come let us go down there and confuse their language so that they may not understand one another speech. So the Lord disperse them from their over the face of all the Earth and they left off building the city. You're supposed to hear the echo of Genesis chapter 1 come let us make man in our image. God addressing his Divine Council, but who actually does the creating it's God. Is addressing his Divine Council come let us go down and confuse their language with them from their over the face of the Earth and I left off building the city.

Have God involved in this inclusion of the Divine Council. Are you going to have to come back next week to really understand the fullness of this but trust me it'll be worth it. Therefore its name was called Babel because the lord they're confused the language of all the Earth and from there the Lord disperse them over the face of all. beer

from family the nation

community the division the history of mankind in the history of the Earth from Babylon word Is a history of confusion? a separation of alienation and distancing of competition in coercion outright violence and the corruption of power and greed mankind is spread out. They are divided.

That's impossible for me to think about the confusion of the Tower of Babel. About thinking about another event thousands of years later.

We find an Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2 we find the Disciples of Jesus after his death burial and Resurrection waiting in Jerusalem in obedience to what Jesus had told them. He said wait in Jerusalem, cuz something's going to happen.

And look what happens when the day of Pentecost arrived. They were all together in one place.

They're all together in one place that is supposed to take you back to Genesis 11. Suddenly there came from Heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. and divided tongue as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. We have something happening here. They are gathered in one place. And now I'm a mighty sound when comes rushing and then Flame come down fire come down and divides and it looks like tongues that I don't know what that looks like. It seems weird to me and it goes upon each one of them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance.

The word dwelling in Jerusalem juice devout men from every nation under heaven.

The words that Luke uses hear the phrases are Echo. There's not a Jew in Jesus's day. Who's going to read this description and Acts chapter 2 and not pick up those Echoes and take them back to Genesis chapter 1011.

At the sound the multitude came together.

They were bewildered because each one was hearing them speak the disciples in their own language.

They were amazed and astonished saying are not all these who are speaking galileans.

How are these proverbial rednecks of the Israel at the time? How are these galileans speaking our languages? How is it that we hear each of us in his own native language? Parsons Mead's elamites residence of Mesopotamia Judea and Cappadocia Pontius and Asia phrygian pedophilia Egypt in the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene and visitors from both Jews and proselytes cretins and Arabians. We hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God. You do some geography work here. And yes what you see. Is that the Nations that Luke chooses to describe he's using his modern terminology to describe the exact same people that we find in Genesis chapter 10 in the tables of nation.

absolutely intentional What do we see here? In Genesis 11. God comes downstairs got one language one people one place and he confuses their language and separates them out. Now here in Acts chapter 2 God tells them to gather in one place. Visits them again through the Holy Spirit, but now rather than bringing confusion. He brings understanding. Now rather than separation he drives them together in unity in Genesis chapter 10 and 11th. We see mankind going from family to Nation. In Acts chapter 2 because of Jesus.

I just gift of the spirit. In Christ we go from Nation the family.

Pentecost is the reversal of Babel Babel intentionally is reverse in Christ through the gift of the spirit. Jesus comes not to build walls, but the build Bridges Jesus comes not for one people for for all people. Israel fails and spoke a shins to be a kingdom of priests to Jesus the great high priest came. table for one sacrifice for all In Christ we go from Nations to family in Christ ethnicity doesn't matter in Christ genealogy. Don't matter in Christ.

We are once again made a part of the family of God.

In Christ we go from Nations to family in our communion service this week on Wednesday. And I hope many of you are able to join us for that. I read Ephesians 2:11 tonight teen

Paul's writing to the church in Galatians and they're struggling with the reality of this. Cuz all they've known for thousands of years are the divisions that came after Babel. Oh, you're a Philistine. Oh, you are a Egyptian. Oh, you're a Babylonian doll. You're a Roman. We're Israelites.

So even after Christ came even after Babel is reverse through Pentecost. Even after the reality that God is Not only rescuing Israelites through Jesus. The God is rescuing through Jesus all people they're still struggling.

the Paul writes the me says therefore remember

at one time you Gentiles in the Flash. Called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands. Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of Promise having no hope and without God in the world before Jesus came. We went from family to Nations. We went from Unity to division. This is what sin does it breaks? It separates it destroy.

I'll just remember that. Remember that without Jesus you were without God and without hope.

Bye. now in King Jesus you who were once far off? I've been brought near by the blood of Christ.

40mm self is our peace. He has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. I can let me say this is not he's not staying here that Jesus came and give us peace with God. He says that other places and it's absolutely true what he saying right here. Is that what Jesus did in his death? Burial and Resurrection? Is he he he tore down the dividing wall between people

the separation and animosity and hatred between Jew and Gentile between Gentile and Jew between

He comes in pairs down the dividing wall of hostility, and he makes us one.

Make us one.

By abolishing the law of Commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself. one new man in place of the two so making peace

he might reconcile us both to God. In one body through the cross. thereby killing hostility Jesus comes and moves us from Nations to family from division to Unity. There is one new man in Christ.

There is one new Humanity in Christ. If anyone is in Christ Jesus he or she is a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come.

I'm not an American Christian I'm a Christian who happens to live in America is there such thing as a Chinese Christian there are Christians that live in China there Christians that live in Africa where Christians live in South America are Christians of the 21st century there Christians of the 14th century but are our identity has been reshaped and reforged in Jesus the King on the cross

In Christ, there is no male or female Jew or Gentile slave or free in Christ. We are made new.

from division to Unity from Nations to family because of Jesus we call God Abba Father because of Jesus we call each other brother. and sister

because we've been made new he came and preached peace to those who are far off and peace to those who were near for through him. We both have access in one Spirit to the father. So then you are no longer strangers in the aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the Saints. and member of the household of God no matter where you come from doesn't matter what language you speak? Doesn't matter who your ancestors worshipped. It doesn't matter who you worship. It doesn't matter how righteous or how sinful you were when we come to King Jesus. Who is send it to his kingship through the cross? And was validated as king of all Nations and All Peoples through his resurrection when we come to Jesus all the come, but came before unpause where he says I count it all as loss as rubbish. In exchange for the overwhelming all surpassing glory of knowing Christ. Jesus the king. In Jesus, everything gets turned back right side up. Once again, we recognize the common unity and ancestry of all of humanity. We belong to each other in and through Christ. He has made peace and through him. We all have access through the spirit to God the Father. We're no longer strangers. We're no longer alien, and we're no longer distance. We've been brought home. They put the ring on her finger and a robe on our shoulders and he slammed Slaughter's the fatten cat. And he welcomes. Welcome home, son. Welcome Home Daughter cut King Jesus Genesis 10 and 11 not a meaningless list of names and a random architectural building program. Chance of 1011 Define for us. Out working and reality of sin in a post-flood world. and God's intentional separation of division of people ultimately is reversed only in the work of Jesus the king.