Read: Genesis 10 - 11
It is
important when reading genealogies or lists of who descended from whom that we
realize that they were included in Scripture for a reason. Sometimes we just gloss over them and jump to
the next chapter but they do give us great insight many areas. Did you know that you are either a descendent
of Shem, Ham or Japheth? The whole earth
was filled by the descendants of Noah’s three sons including you and me!
It is
extremely difficult to trace many of the nations that formed from Noah’s
grandchildren yet some are distinctly marked and can be easily determined. In general we see a pattern that Shem’s
offspring inhabited regions in the Middle East, Ham’s offspring the regions
around present day Israel and Northern Africa, and Japheth’s descendant’s in
the coastal regions of Europe and Asia Minor (around present day Turkey). Ham’s descendants include many of Israel’s
enemies such as the Egyptians, Babylonians, Philistines and various Canaanite
people who first lived in the Promised Land.
Nimrod, one of Ham’s grandsons,
is specifically mentioned as the first person to establish a kingdom (v.
10). He is linked to the city of Babel
(v. 10) which would eventually give rise to Babylon and Nineveh (v. 11) which
is in Assyria. Both these countries will
invade Israel in the Old Testament.
Ham’s descendants will also make up Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 19). Shem’s descendants are those who the
Israelites would feel closest to since Abraham was a descendant of Shem. Shem’s great-grandson Eber is noted for
having two sons; Peleg’s (whose name means divided) line is listed more
specifically in the next chapter. Eber’s
other son Joktan is emphasized here. The
chapter concludes by showing that Noah’s offspring did repopulate the
earth. Each nation listed in chapter ten
had an ancestor who both witnessed and was preserved through the flood.
The eleventh
chapter of Genesis begins with a tragic rebellion against the Lord. According to verse 1, the whole world had one
language so everyone could understand everyone else. Verse 2 tells us that men moved eastward and
began to settle down. They decided to
build a city with a tower to reach the heavens (v. 4). They wanted a place to be settled instead of
scattering over the whole earth (v. 4) and they wanted to make a name for
themselves. But the Lord came down to
see the city and tower and confused their language so they couldn’t complete
their task (v. 7-8). God intervenes and
the people are dispersed throughout the world (v. 8-9). Here we again see the grace and love of God
as He restrained the people from continuing in sin. God’s response to their pride and sin was to make
it harder for them to communicate with each other so they couldn’t unite in
deeper rebellions against Him. Once
again, we see God’s love and mercy present here as He was protecting them from
their very own sin nature!
The rest of the
chapter gives the rest of the genealogies of Shem until Abram. As the generations pass people’s life spans
are getting shorter than they were before the flood. The last six verses of this chapter focus on
the descendants of Terah. Here we see
the focus narrow from the nations of the earth to one man who will become a
nation (Abraham becoming the nation of Israel).
Only enough details are given of Terah’s family so that we can
understand the upcoming chapters. We are
told of Lot and the barrenness of Sarai and of the relocation of this family to
Haran.
Note: We must note that in Genesis 10:5, 20, and 31
each of the descendants of Japheth, Ham and Shem is said to have their own
languages, lands and nations. This tells
us that chapter 11:1-8 must fit somewhere in chapter ten. Many commentators believe that the Tower of
Babel incident happened in the life of Peleg because his name means
divided.
Prayer and Journaling
1. If we dig a little bit deeper in the account of the Tower of Babel we
find the heart of what is going on here.
The building of the city and tower were outward expressions of heart
issues. Their actions show human
independence and self-sufficiency which are both forms of pride. These attitudes are praised by our culture
but loathed by our Lord. What are your
attitudes towards human independence and self-sufficiency? How do you know if your attitudes are aligned
with God and His Word?
2. In this account, the people were no longer seeking to glorify and
honor God but rather wanted to glorify and honor themselves (v. 4). The sin of self-glorification is subtle but
sin nonetheless. We do this in so many
ways, often without realizing it. Ask
the Lord to show you in what ways you seek glory, fame and worry about your
reputation. Ask Him to reveal where this
subtle attitude has a stronghold in your life.
3. In this story we see
that pride is equated with rebellion, independence and disobedience. Yet pride is prevalent in most believers’
lives. We need to repent of pride! Look at the following common areas of
pride. Ask the Lord to show you which
areas you struggle with. Repent of these
things as sin and commit to praying regularly about growing in humility.
· Struggling with admitting you are wrong
· Feeling that your achievements are your own,
‘self-made’ success
· Striving for self-advancement
· Boasting about accomplishments either outwardly
(spoken) or inwardly (unspoken)
· Seeking acknowledgement or praise of others
· Grandiose thoughts about yourself
· Feeling like you know everything
· Controlling others
· Inflexible, not wanting change unless you
initiate it
· Wanting to have your own way.
· Making assumptions, tending to want to speak
first and be heard
· Struggling to listen to others
· Thinking you are better than other people,
whether unspoken or spoken.
· Harboring grudges, not forgiving easily
· Feeling self-righteous about wrongs that have been
done to you
· Being critical of others, judgmental
