Judgment for Sin by the Flood

Transcript

GRS 4R
February 9, 1986
Judgment For Sin By the Flood
Old Testament Survey
Genesis 6-10
Gil Rugh

We’re going to be picking up in Genesis, chapter 6 in our time together. Genesis, chapter six and one of the things you will note about the opening chapters of Genesis is there’s a lot of material compacted here. We’re simply covering some of the highlights of the material. Chapter 6, 7, 8, and 9 of Genesis tie together as a unit focusing on the flood that comes on the earth in the days of Noah. So, all four of those chapters really center on the flood itself. We’ll break down each chapter with a separate title, but you could summarize those chapters by just the flood. We’ll focus in chapter 6 on the man Noah. As God reveals to Noah what is the cause of the flood coming on the earth. And then, the preparations that Noah will make for the flood. The cause of the flood is covered in the first twelve verses of chapter 6 of Genesis. And what we’re going to see here is how corrupt the human race had become. Things had deteriorated so badly and humanity was so depraved, so corrupted that it’s going to become necessary for God to wipe human beings off the face of the earth. In fact, He’s going to wipe the bulk of His creation off the face of the earth. But in the midst of judgment there’s going to be the reflection and manifestation of God’s grace, because He’s going to preserve Noah and his family. There’s going to be that emphasis on judgment, but in judgment, grace. Grace manifested towards those who have trusted God as their Savior and Deliverer.

As you begin chapter 6 of Genesis, you begin with a major problem. We’re told in verses 1 and 2, “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men that they were beautiful; they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.” And a problem evolves around the identity of the sons of God in verse 2. What are we talking about? The sons of God saw the daughters of men and took them for their wives. We’re going to look at just two basic views. There are usually three basic views looked at. I think two major ones that at least you ought to be familiar with. The first says that the sons of God are angels. The second view says that the sons of God are the line of Seth, which would be the godly line. Now, if the sons of God are angels, what we’re saying is that fallen angels, demonic beings, took human form – we see angels taking human form in the Bible – and cohabited with women and produced an offspring. Some of the evidences for this view that they would be angels; the very expression sons of God. When it’s used in other places in the Old Testament it refers to angels. It’s only used four other times in the Old Testament, three of those times from the book of Job, once in the book of Daniel. But, on each of those occasions, the sons of God referring to angels. You remember how the book of Job refers in the opening chapters, “there came a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before God and Satan came among them.” The sons of God there being angelic beings. So, the fact that the title is sons of God would fit if they were angels. This fits certain New Testament passages where we are told that certain angels, because they left their first estate have been bound in darkness by God awaiting judgment. And two of those passages, key passages, are 2 Peter 2:4 and the book of Jude and verse 6. Maybe you ought to turn over there just quickly. 2 Peter 2:4, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness reserved for judgment.” So there, certain angels are held up as an example of how God doesn’t withhold judgment from anyone who needs it, even if they’re angels. And these angels have been confined to hell, committed to pits of darkness awaiting judgment. Well, that would seem to be different than fallen angels who are free to roam the earth and tempt men and so on. Look over in the book of Jude and the sixth verse. The book of Jude and verse 6, “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds, under darkness for the judgment of the great day.” It’s sometimes connected with verse 7, “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they, in the same way as these.” And those who would hold that they are angels in Genesis 6 would say that the ‘these’ in verse 7 of Jude refers back to these angels in verse 6. Indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh. So, saying that the sin of the angels is the same kind of sin, sexual immorality, as Sodom and Gomorrah. Those two verses, the one out of Peter and Jude are the strongest support for the one out of Peter and Jude are the strongest support for the angelic view. Another evidence that they would be angels in Genesis chapter 6 is that it would be strange that the daughters of men, they were all women and the sons of God were all men. That means that the godly people were all men on earth? And so, godly men took ungodly women. It would seem that that’s making a line along the sexes, male and female, but you wouldn’t expect that all the children of God would have been men. The Nephilim in verse 4 of Genesis 6, “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days.” The Nephilim evidently were giants, towering and powerful men. We’ll say something more about them when we look at verse four in a moment. But these Nephilim would have been a result of this union of angelic and human beings. And if that were the case that would explain where all the mythological ideas of the gods cohabitating with women have come from. We’re familiar in the mythology of various religions that there is the idea that the gods came down and cohabited with women and produced offspring. Well, if these are angelic beings that would explain where that concept developed from.

The other view that this is referring to the line of Seth, the sons of God were the line of Seth. Some support for that view. Number one and perhaps strongest is the immediate context. In chapter 4 in verses 16-24, the family of Cain has been developed. So, we have the line of Cain, in Genesis 4, verse 16-24 and then, from verse 25 of chapter 4, all the way through chapter 5 we have the line of Seth developed. And the line of Cain is a godless line. The line of Seth is a godly line, in fact in verse 26 of chapter 4, “Seth, to Seth, to him also a son was born; He called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.” Evidently indicating formal worship of God as they joined together. So, the very context has led up to chapter 6 by stressing the line of Cain and the line of Seth. The statement in verse two of Genesis 6, “They took wives for themselves”, that’s the normal expression for a marital reunion. That’s the normal way to express marriage in the Old Testament. They took wives for themselves. So, it does not refer to fornication or adultery, but to a permanent union. So, it’s not just the idea that demons here entered into sexual relations with these women, but the picture here is a permanent marriage union was established. Be unusual to see angels taking a permanent human form here and setting house, keeping on earth. There’s been no reference to angels in the context except Lucifer back in Genesis chapter 3. The very fact that angels don’t seem to have been in the context. Matthew chapter 22 and verse 30 says angels do not marry. Now, it qualifies it, angels in heaven, but nonetheless, that’s all the information we have about angels and marital relationships. They don’t marry, enter into marriage unions. And since it said here that they entered into a marriage relationship, at least Mathew 22:30 has to be taken into consideration. When it says that they took whomever they chose in verse 2 as their wives may indicate indiscriminate marriage, because that is a problem in the Old Testament and it’s always a sign of spiritual decay. For example, Ezra chapter 9 and chapter 10 and in the 13th chapter of Nehemiah, indiscriminate marriage is an indication of spiritual decay. It could also be a reference to polygamy. And here there is a break down in the moral character even in the line of Seth. And polygamy had been started by Lamech in the line of Cain back in Genesis 4. It may indicate now that this has spread and this corruption of God’s intention in marriage overtakes the whole race. Lastly as in evidence that these are probably the line of Seth is that men are punished. There’s no reference in the context to angelic punishment and the fact that humanity is going to be punished would seem to indicate that there is a voluntary involvement here that makes them accountable before God for this sin. So, it couldn’t just be that demons took on the form of men and tricked people, because the punishment of the flood comes on those who are living on the earth. Now, I see possibilities for either view and there are difficulties in either view. And some commentators have come to the conclusion there is no possible way to resolve it now. Other commentators are convinced and they are good men, as you study this in both areas. When I study the New Testament, I tend to think they were probably angels. When I study the Old Testament, I tend to think they were probably men. And I can’t have it both ways and since I’m studying the Old Testament, my preference is that they’re the line of Seth. If they were fallen angels, I can live with that, but I tend toward the idea that this is probably the line of Seth for some of the reasons that I shared.

At any rate, the corruption is getting so great that God is going to intervene. So, in verse 3 we read, “Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he is also flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.’” Sod’s Spirit would cease His convicting ministry, His restraining ministry. You ought to take note of that. My Spirit shall not always strive with men in holding back his wickedness, convicting him of it, doing battle with him over sin. Now I’m going to pour out judgment. Similar idea. Here God is going to cease dealing with men in regard to their sin and rather now would pour out judgment. There’ll be a hundred and twenty years until the flood. I take it that’s the point there. His days shall be 120 years. That’s how long we have now until the flood will come on the earth. “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterward when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, they bore children to them. These were the mighty men o old, men of renown.” Now, you ought to note here, the Nephilim were on the earth before the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, so I don’t think the Nephilim were the result of that union. And the only other use of the word Nephilim in the Old Testament is over, just jot it down, Numbers 13:33. When the spies went into Canaan, they said the Nephilims are there, we saw them. And then we’re told that the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim. So, the Nephilim continue even down after the flood. Evidently, passed on through the genetics of the family of Noah. And the children of Israel said we were like grasshoppers in their sight. In fact, when we saw them, we were like grasshoppers in our own sight. Took away their courage altogether.

The cause of the flood is man’s wickedness and verse 5 says, “The Lord saw the wickedness of man was very great, every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” He was always planning his next sinful deed. That’s howthe race has degenerated. Down in verse 11, “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, filled with violence.” God looked on the earth. It was corrupt. All flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. So, because of this violence, because of its corruptness, because of its evilness God is now going to bring an end to humanity with a gracious exception.

Verse 8. That Exception. “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” You might want to mark that verse. That’s the first appearance of the word grace in the Bible. The word translated favor. Noah found favor of grace in the eyes of the Lord. And there you see the preservation of Noah is due to the grace of God, not even the goodness of Noah. Noah’s righteousness will be a result of God’s grace. And because of God’s grace, Noah and his family are going to be spared coming judgment.

The last part of the chapter focuses on the preparation that Noah is to make for the flood. Verse 13 to 22. And the basic preparation is building an ark, a large boat. And the ark would have been a large rectangular barge, not shaped with a hull, like we think of it. It would have basically been a very large rectangular barge. That would have made it very seaworthy, very floatable, very stable, very large boat. The dimensions as they’re given would be 450 feet long, that’s long. 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. It would have had the capability of carrying over 500 box cars. So, what you could put in 500 railroad box cars would fit on the ark. So if you’ve ever sat at a railroad crossing and waited and counted the box cars, you can get an idea. Five hundred would be a lot. This would be a big vessel. I want to call it a boat or a skiff, but a big barge. Now, interesting, it would take less than two hundred box cars to carry two of all air-breathing animals alive on the earth today. So, you have plenty of capacity in the ark for the food that would be necessary and storage and so on. So the size is adequate for its intention. You might wonder how would he ever construct it. I mean, these were primitive people, weren’t they? Well, not if you believe the biblical account. We have degenerated from Adam, remember. And back in chapter 4, we saw in the line of Cain, there were very skilled artisans, working with iron and brass, musical instruments, so they were very capable in those days. Now, they didn’t have modern equipment like we do, but it wouldn’t be beyond their capability to construct such a vessel. It had a window, verse 16, at the top. And probably, the way it’s described is this window run all around the top of the ark. So, it’s not like one little window. But, it would have been an open window all around, running all around the ark. It would have provided air and ventilation for those on the boat or the ship.

Verse 18, after God said He’s going to destroy the world and everything in it, He says, “But I will establish My covenant with you.” You might want to take note of that. That’s first mention of the word covenant. The content of this covenant will be developed in chapter 9, but here He promises there’s going to be a covenant made with Noah and through Noah with all of humanity. And the details of that covenant will be unfolded after the flood occurs. Then, Noah is instructed to bring two of each of the air-breathing animals into the ark. He didn’t have to bring fish, obviously. They could make their way in the water okay. So, that simplifies things. Two of every air-breathing animal. Had to bring that into the ark. Now, how would he do that, you know? Go out with a piece of bread and start calling, “Come on, come on.” And you begin to wonder. Well, you know, we see God has established migratory patterns in animals. It may have been God moved on animals to begin to migrate toward the ark. I don’t know how He did it. And I’m just as glad He didn’t take up 35 chapters explaining it to me, but He tells me He did it. So, how was it done, I take it God is involved here. So, it’s not how would Noah have to do this? It’s God’s intention that the animals be gathered. So, Noah is doing it under the enabling of God. If God wants two of every air-breathing animal in the ark, it’s no problem for Him to provide them for Noah.

Noah then has to start building. You ought to note that Noah does this by faith. Just jot down Hebrews, chapter 11 and verse 7. Because, it’s going to say in verse 22 in chapter 6, “Thus Noah did according to all that God had commanded him.” And the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 7 says that Noah built the ark “having been warned of God about things not yet seen.” And that’s important. That shows the faith of Noah that God in grace provides righteousness through Noah and Noah is a man of faith. And Noah trusted God to build an ark, even though he had been warned by God about things he had never seen. You know, it’s possible that Noah had never seen rain, because Genesis chapter 2 and verse 6 tells us that God waters the earth by a mist coming up from the ground. So, it may be that Noah had never even been out in the heavy rain, let alone a flood. And now he’s going to build a big ark. Well, God said do it and he did it, because he believed God and so he’s listed in Hebrews 11 under those great men of faith.

Chapter 7, you have the flood itself. The first 16 verses talk about Noah getting into the ark. And Noah, all the animals enter the ark. Chapter 7, verse 1, “Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Enter the ark, you and all your household; for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time.’” You and your household. He said you are the only righteous ones I find. Now, that’s amazing, because Noah’s going to go into the ark. It’s been 120 years since God addressed Noah about building the ark. During this time, Noah has been overseeing. He didn’t have to build it all himself. And it wasn’t just Noah and his sons, as sometimes you see in the picture book. There’s no reason he couldn’t hire the skilled artisans and carpenters and workmen of his day. I’m sure they were available for pay, even for a crazy scheme like building an ark. But you know what Noah was doing in all this time? He was preaching about judgment. You know how we know that? The book of 2 Peter. Just jot it down. 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 5. 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 5 tells us Noah was a “preacher of righteousness”. He was preaching about righteousness found through faith in God and judgment coming. And after 120 years of that, Noah gets into the ark with his three sons and their families. That’s all there was. I take it no one responded to the message of Noah. Now, that’s a long time. Probably none of us are going to get 120 years to have life, let alone ministry. Yet, when it’s all said and done, Noah had no converts. Perhaps his family. Perhaps his family had already been believers before he started the preaching during the time the ark was constructed. The best we can say is there is going to be seven people saved giving him credit that all seven of his family were saved through his preaching. That’s a result of 120 years. We wouldn’t call that a successful ministry, but is Noah a success? In the eyes of God he is. Why? He did what God told him. That’s success, isn’t it? When I accomplish the purposes that God has for me, I am a success. So, we ought to be encouraged. Gets in the ark. He takes clean and unclean animals and I just note in verse 2, because there’s already a distinction being made by God between animals that are clean and unclean. And he’s going to take extra clean animals, perhaps for sacrifice, perhaps so that clean animals have a head start on multiplying. We’re not told the reason, but you ought to note that even in the days of Noah there’s a distinction between clean and unclean animal and the clean animals being used for sacrifice. You note in verse 13, the very same day that the rains begin and the flood begins, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah and Noah’s wife and the three wives of the sons with them, entered the ark, they are monogamous. It doesn’t say Noah and his four wives and the twelve wives of his three sons. You know where we have the first polygamist mentioned among the godly in the Bible? The man Abraham. The first godly man mentioned in the Bible who has more than one wife. Noah and his family are monogamous. So, there is just the eight of them. The four men and the four wives that get on the ark and God is going to bring the flood. Verse 16, there is a nice personal touch, “Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the Lord closed the door behind them.” I’m sure that was reassuring to Noah. He gets in, God closes the door – just a reminder to Noah, I’m in charge. Isn’t it nice, God gets them all tucked away in the ark before it starts, too? Did Noah hustle and bustle? God’s always got things under control. You know, sometimes our lives as believers, we seem just to get run over by things. But here, Noah’s got to get all these animals in the ark and I’m not sure how you resolve all the questions about it, but keep in mind, he didn’t have to bring two full grown, mature dinosaurs. He could have brought two baby dinosaurs. But, even with all those problems, no problem. Now, Noah, today’s the day. God’s timing is just right. ‘No, hurry up, Noah! Hurry up, you’ve got two more to go! And I’ve got a schedule to keep, you know.’ None of that. Everything’s just right. Here we got them in just on the right day. Now, Noah you just get in and I’ll close the door and you settle back and relax for the next 371 days. God closes the door and we are ready for the flood. Now, I ought to say something, there are natural questions that come to our minds, but I don’t know if this is a good time to mention it. But who cleaned up after all these animals? You know, after floating around on an ark for a year, I’m sure it was sitting lower in the water than when they started. I don’t know how that resolves. Perhaps God had all the animals hibernate. You know, He can make bears do that now. He could have just lullabied those animals to sleep and they could have hibernated and so they would have eaten less and did everything else less during those days. Some things I don’t have an answer for and that doesn’t surprise me. If God was going to provide all the details to all our questions, imagine the volumes we’d have. We have our hands full just trying to digest what He has summarized for us. What good would it be if we’d say, we have four hundred volumes of God’s revelation? We’d say it’s just hopeless. It’s of no value. So, we can be thankful that God summarized on some of these details and just allows our minds to run a little bit.

Now, the floods come. And the tremendous catastrophe of the flood. And let me just summarize for you. I believe we have a universal, world-wide flood described in this last part of this chapter of Genesis. Several reasons: number 1) The very depth of the of the flood would indicate that. We are told that in verse twenty of chapter seven that it was 23 feet deep above the mountains. So, if it’s going to be that deep, you know, you almost have to have a miraculous, it’s more of a miracle to believe than a local flood. It was 23 feet deep above the highest mountain, well that means if you could have stood over here in the valley and looked at this big wall of water. Look at that square of water that’s there. I mean it makes no sense. Since water seeks its own level. The very depth would indicate a world-wide flood. 2) The fact that it lasted for 371 days would indicate we’re talking about something of world-wide dimensions. 3) The descriptions that are given in chapter 7, verse 11 where we just don’t have rain coming down. But in verse 11 of chapter 7, the Spirit of God brooded over the face of the deep. Now, we have the fountains of the great deep bursting up from under the earth, as well as the floodgates of the sky breaking loose. So, I take it that the water that had been separated in the first chapter of Genesis by that great expanse the firmament separated the waters from below the firmament, from the waters above the firmament. Now, those waters that have been gathered above the earth break loose and collapse on the earth and under the earth now, the tremendous force that this water breaking up and coming through the earth from up under the crust of the earth. The description depicts something more than just a local area. The duration that this goes on would indicate that we’re talking about that as well, the breaking up of the fountains of the deep. Some feel that that went on for a period of months. 4) The Size of the ark. I mean, if we’re just going to have a flood in a little area that’s an awful big ark to build. Just needing the ark. Why does God have to worry about preserving two, at least two, of every air-breathing animal, if the flood’s only going to occur in one area. Just wouldn’t be necessary. Noah wouldn’t have needed an ark. God could have told him to take a journey. Want you to take a trip over here, because I’m going to destroy it, this part of the world. 2 Peter 3:6 says that, “The world was destroyed by God in the flood”. So, the whole picture to me fits only with a world-wide flood. Also, in chapter 9 of Genesis, and verse 11, God is going to promise never to destroy mankind by a flood again. Chapter 9 and verse 11. Now, if that’s referring to local floods, God isn’t true to His word, because there have been tremendous disasters in local floods in different parts of the world. But there has never been a universal, world-wide flood since the days of Noah, nor will there ever be.

We come to chapter eight and the flood comes to a conclusion. What has happened in the flood the righteous and the wicked have been separated. The righteous saved, the wicked destroyed. In verse 1, God remembered Noah. That expression, when in the Old Testament, “God remembered” always a way of emphasizing His love and His intervention on behalf of His people. Here, now, He’s going to intervene to bring Noah and his family onto the earth again. In verse 4, it rests on the mountains of Ararat. You note, in verse 4, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. And Ararat is a country as well as a mountain range. We need to be careful the Bible doesn’t necessarily say the ark rested on this specific mountain, but in rested in the country of Ararat. So, it doesn’t necessarily specify one mountain for us. In verse 21, Noah offers an offering in verse 20, and in verse 21, “ The Lord smelled the soothing aroma, the Lord said to Himself, ‘I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.’” You’ll note here, the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth, Noah and his family bring their sin nature with them through the flood. So, all the wicked almost are destroyed. Noah is righteous, but he is a righteous man that still has the fallen sin nature that he inherited from Adam. So, that comes through the flood and that will become very evident very quickly. So, the very nature of man has not been changed. Noah is simply a redeemed man as his family is and thus, been preserved from the judgment. God promises He won’t curse the earth again. In the context here, He’s talking about destroying it with a flood. And He makes reference to His covenant. That covenant will be developed in chapter 9.

And you might title chapter 9, The Covenant and the Curse of maybe you just want to title it the Noahic Covenant. But it concludes with a curse. So the first part of the chapter 9 has the covenant, the second part of chapter 9 has a curse. Now, the covenant of Noah, we call it the Noahic Covenant, was established to guarantee order in the world, the stability of nature. God sets a pattern that He Himself will not break now. A certain feature of this covenant, life will be preserved; God promises He’ll never again destroy man by a flood. There will not be the universal destruction until God is ready to bring to a conclusion His plan with the earth. There’ll be stability in nature in verse 22 of chapter 8. We picked that up. “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease.” God guarantees that this pattern in nature will continue.

The world is to be populated now in verse 1 of chapter 9, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” Verse 7, chapter 9, He’ll say the same thing. Man is given power over the animal world in verse 2. “The fear of you, the terror of you shall be on every beast of the earth, every bird of the sky, everything that creeps on the ground, the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.” In light of this, some believe that when the fall occurred in the garden, man lost that authority over creation. So, that when Adam was excommunicated from the garden, he was excommunicated from the world where the animal kingdom had no fear of man. And you can imagine what it would have been like to live in that day. But now, man is able to be established again in that position of supremacy. He becomes a meat-eater. “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give it all to you, as I gave the green plant.” So, now man is given the right to eat meat as well as vegetation. Up until after the flood, man was a vegetarian. Human life and the sacredness of human life is established in verses 4 to 6. They are allowed to eat meat, but they are not allowed to eat the blood, because the life is in the blood and God reserves power over man’s life for Himself. He will preserve power over animal life. Life is in the hands of God. That’s symbolized by the blood. So, not eating the blood reminds man that he doesn’t have ultimate power. It’s also preparing the way for the sacrificial system that reveals Christ even more clearly. Some details of that sacrificial system that will be laid out in the Mosiac Law. The death penalty, capital punishment is a very controversial area. Verse 6, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by his blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.” And ought to note here, capital punishment is instituted and God says that man shall execute another man if he has killed someone. And it is divine vengeance, the reason given, man is in the image of God. And so, when one man kills another man, man here in the generic, human being, he has struck at the image of God. And thus he has struck at God and God must be vindicated as the ruler of this creation. It’s like when we hand someone in effigy today. You are really striking at that person. Well, we are as human beings as in the image of God, a reflection of God, so when one man kills another, when one human being kills another human being, they have struck at the image of God and God demands divine vengeance. So, really capital punishment is not for the benefit of society primarily, it’s not to correct wrong. Divine punishment is primarily the vindication of God. Now, it’s no wonder that when a society has come to reject its God that then it also rejects the concept of capital punishment. We look for other reasons to support capital punishment. They may be there. But, the reason God gives is one rooted in His own being, I created that human being in My image and when you strike at that person and kill him, you have struck at Me. For that you must die. That’s the reason for capital punishment, whether it improves society, whether it holds back crime, whether it does anything else is not really the issue. God doesn’t say it’ll make a better society, although it may do that. The reason is divine vengeance and man is the instrument. You say, Do we take vengeance into our own hands? Only when God says to do it and here He says by man his blood shall be shed. So therefore, God gives the right. Now, it’s not individual right. It’s a right given to government. And Paul develops this in Romans chapter 13 in the New Testament. So, I don’t now have personally the right of capital punishment, but society has that right and human government established by God that right. God establishes with Noah the sign of the rainbow in the sky. Another indication that there had been changes in the environment. Evidently there were no rainbows before, which indicates perhaps the lack of rain, as you see the rainbow in the sky when the sun comes out and we have moisture, but now, the rainbow is a new thing. So, there has been a major change in the environment. And if the world indeed was enveloped by a canopy of water why there has been a total change from a tropical world now, to the climate as we know it which would fit with what God says at the end of chapter 8. A much harsher world confronts Noah as he gets off the ark. Chapter 9 closes on a rather ugly scene. It’s the curse of Canaan. So, the first part is a covenant, the last part is a curse. And the picture, Noah begins farming, he plants a vineyard, he crushes grapes, he make makes wine, he drinks the wine and he gets drunk. And in his drunkenness, he unclothed himself and his sons see his nakedness. Verse 21, he lays in his tent uncovered. Ham in verse 22, one of his sons, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, told his brothers. Now, begin to all kind of see here, trying to build a picture, is it just he saw? That’s what the Scripture says he simply saw his father’s nakedness. Now, you must understand in the ancient world, to look upon nakedness of your parents was viewed as a great disrespect. It was to make a mockery of your father. He has been exposed before you. The sanctity of that family relationship has been made a mockery of. So, that seems to be the picture here. Ham evidently stumbles on his father accidentally, but he becomes a cause of mockery. That I have something over my father and he goes and tells his brothers. Now, you note the brothers had the respect. They covered their father, even backing in with a blanket, because they would not look on his nakedness. So, you see how rooted here is sanctity of the family and the position of the father there. Ham has no respect there. For that he will be judged. Now a curse is pronounced from Noah. Verse 24, “When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him.” So he pronounces a curse. But you ought to note that the curse is on Canaan. Ham in verse 22, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father. But, the curse that Noah gives is not on Ham, but just on one line out of Ham, his son Canaan. We’re not told why it’s limited to that. There’s some who say, well, through Canaan he’s really talking about Ham generally. But, he could have said Ham here. He does just say Canaan. Now, there are some who say the curse of Canaan again is race. Some would try to way the black race is under the curse of Canaan. Well, we ought to note the descendants of Ham do include Africa, the black race, as well as other nations. It’s not limited to that, but they are included there. However, the entire race of Ham is not condemned and cursed here. The line that is cursed is Canaan. Now, all you have to stop and think a little bit about the Bible, don’t even have to work through the details here of the tables of nations that will come up in a moment and you know of the Canaanites that were in Palestine when Israel came in to conquer the land and not the black people of Africa. So, I take it here, if it is the line of Canaan, that is cursed as verse 25 says, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants He shall be to his brothers.” Then the conquering and conquest of the land of Canaan by the descendants of Shem, the Israelites, would fulfill the curse that’s given here. So, that would seem to be the connection and that ties it, because by the time we get to chapter 12, we’re going to be dealing with Abraham. So, this is background, primarily for Israel to understand where it came from and how God came to choose Israel as the nation. And as they go into Israel to conquer Canaan, keep in mind Moses was the one who penned this at a time when Israel would be going in to conquer the Canaanites. Understand that the descendants of Canaan are under a curse and destined to be subjected to the descendants of Shem that would include the family of Abraham and his descendants. Japheth, he would dwell in the tents of Shem. Verse 27, “enlarge Japheth, ley him dwell in the tents of Shem; let Canaan be his servant.” So, Canaan’s going to be the servant, Shem is going to be the key people. Japheth will prosper, but he’ll live in the tents of Shem, indicating that Shem is the key family here. Shem is the center of God’s developing history of salvation, because as Jesus said, salvation is of the Jews.

Now, we come to chapter 10. Chapter 10 is what is called the table of nations, because what we’re going to do in chapter 10 is develop the family of each of the three sons of Noah: Japheth, Ham, and Shem. And the purpose of this is not to give you a line starting from the top and working down, so you start out and say, here’s a descendant, unto descendant, unto descendant and work down, but it’s going to give you a horizontal plan of how the nations and the countries of the world developed and where they came from. Now, all the nations of the world have come from these three men. So, we are all descendants from either Japheth, Ham, or Shem. And that’s what He’s doing here. That’s why we call it the table of nations in chapter 10, because you can go through and trace and find out now where these people settled, where these people settled.

Chapter 10 is broken down the first five verses under Japheth’s descendants. Verses 1 to 5. Verses 6 to 20 cover Ham’s descendants. And verses 21 to 32 cover Shem’s descendants. And that’s where we’re going, because the rest of the Old Testament is going to be concerned primarily with Shem’s descendants, the Jews.

Japheth’s descendants in the first five verses. Most of us belong to this family. They are the Indo-Europeans. I realize not everybody here does. We’ve come from various parts of the world, but most are of the European background and the descendants of Japheth are Indo-Europeans, including Russian peoples and so on. So spread throughout that region are the family of Japheth. They don’t occupy a very prominent place through Israel’s history. And you can see there’s not much said about them the first 5 verses. Rather brief. They become significant in Israel’s prophetic future. You read Ezekiel chapter 17. Ezekiel chapters 37, 38, and 39 and you put chapter 10, verse 1 to 5 together with what God says in Ezekiel 38, for example, and you get a picture of how these descendants of Japheth are going to come into conflict and clash. And you see some of the names here in verse 2 of Genesis 10, “The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog…” You see Tubal there and Meshech. Names that are familiar to you, if you study Ezekiel 38. People that settled in parts of the world now that we know as the Russian people. Ham’s descendants pick up with verse 6 down through verse 20. They’re more closely associated with the Hebrew people. So, there is more given about them. They’re more significant in the plan of God and unfolding this. So, everything is going to be seen through the Old Testament as it relates to the nation Israel. It includes the African people, but it includes more than just the African people. As you look in verses 8 to 12. The Babylonians and the Assyrians are mentioned here as well as other people. So, significant people. Babylon is going to play an important part in Israel’s coming history through the Old Testament. Nineveh is, as well as some of these other regions as well. Verses 15 to 19 concentrate on Canaan. Now, you might expect that, because who are going to be the most significant people out of Ham’s descendants as regards to the Jews. Well, the Canaanites as far as Israel and Moses even now, as he writes this is concerned we’re going into Palestine. We’re going to conquer the Canaanites, those under the curse of God, destined to be our servants. That had to be encouraging to them. The focal point is on the descendants of Shem in verses 21 to 32. In verse 21, “And also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber…” And many believe that’s where we get the name Hebrew from this man Eber. Becomes Hebrew so that later on when we talk about Abraham, the Hebrew, in chapter 14 and verse 13 of Genesis. It goes back to the father in the line, Shem, the father of all the children of Eber. And down here in verse 25, “two sons were born to Eber; the name of one was Pelep, an in his days the earth was divided…” That’s evidently a reference to the tower of Babel. And in order chapter 11 probably comes before chapter 10, but he is intent on developing the chronology for the table of nations here so He gives us that first. But it’s in the days of Peleg, the earth is divided among the nations and the countries as a result of the tower of Babel.

Chapter concludes, “These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.” So, God’s laid out for us now, here’s where all the nations of the earth have come from. Particularly, we’re going to zero in on one nation. So, He’s going to talk about how you got the nations with their various languages in various parts of the world through the first nine verses in chapter 11 and then, we’re going to come back and center in on the descendants of Shem again. Why? He has to get to Abraham. And with Abraham in chapter 12, all the rest of the Old Testament is about that one family, the descendants of Shem. So, God’s plan, very clear, laid out. He has to bring judgment on unbelievers, on those who will not trust Him. He’s a God of grace. That is seen. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, because he was a man willing to trust God. Isn’t it amazing on the whole face of the earth, eight people willing to trust God and be delivered by Him? So, those who do not trust Him, there is destruction. But in it all, the gracious plan of God is being unfolded, because He’s preparing the way for a nation among the nations that He will select for Himself. And out of that nation will come a Savior, because God has promised that He won’t destroy all man-kind anymore, because the thoughts of our hearts are evil continually. So what He will do in mercy and grace is provide a Savior to deliver us from sin that we might enjoy His grace. Let’s pray.