The flood is over. This devotional reading looks at what happens to Noah’s three sons.
Nuggets
- Even from the beginning, God was separating Jew from Gentile.
- We can tell from Ham’s genealogy that the Noah’s curse came to fruition.
- Shem’s line would lead to the Messiah.
Let’s face it. Noah was a senior citizen when the flood occurred. He was 600 years old when he entered the ark and 601 when he came out.
Though he lived 350 years more after the flood and had a mostly good life, the job of repopulating the earth probably didn’t fall to Noah. We aren’t told that he had more sons and daughters.
Maybe Noah did. Maybe he didn’t. We aren’t told.
We are told what happened to the triplets, Noah’s three sons that entered and exited the ark with him.
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Devotions in the Creation’s Do-Over series
Descendants of Japheth
This is the account of the families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah. Many children were born to them after the great flood. The descendants of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The descendants of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The descendants of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. Their descendants became the seafaring peoples that spread out to various lands, each identified by its own language, clan, and national identity” (Gen. 10: 1-5 NLT)
Even from the beginning, God was separating Jew from Gentile.
We’ve talked before that God is in the business of separating those who believe in Him from those who don’t. I know we said that it started with Cain and Abel.
Leale warned us not to get so cross-eyed reading all the names that we miss what God was telling us about the governance of the world. He seems to be quoting an unnamed source when he wrote, “This chapter ‘is as essential to an understanding of the Bible, and of history in general, as is Homer’s catalogue, in the second book of the Iliad, to a true knowledge of the Homeric poems and the Homeric times.’”
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These aren’t just names on a page. These were real people. We talked in Genesis 5 how little information was given there: age when he became a father, how many years he lived another the birth, that there were siblings, and how old he was when he died.
But it is more than just a list of names. It is the people on which humanity continued.
We wouldn’t be here without them.
One little side note on one of the names. There is some debate on the actual name of one of them: Rodanim or Dodanim. It is believed it is a copying error. More than likely, it is Rodanim because Japheth’s grandson was associated with Rhodes island.
Second little side note. Kittim was also associated with a land region. It is either a settlement presently known as Lamaca or the whole island of Cyprus, previous known as Kition.
I had originally planned to use the New King James Version for the verses. It translates verse 5 a little differently.
“From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations” (Gen. 10: 5 NKJV).
I mean, when we’ve talked about him, it seemed like Japheth was right up there with Shem in walking with God. Maybe. Maybe not.
Yeah, let’s look at this in the Hebrew. “By these were the coastlands of the Goyim [Gentile, non-Jew] divided in their lands; every one after his leshon [tongue], after their mishpechot [family], in their Goyim [nation]” (Gen. 10: 5 OJB).
Okay, one translator I did said Goyim was Gentiles (which is what I always have heard). Another just said the generic nations.
No, the Goyim/Gentiles are not forever cut off from God – provided they repent and turn back to Him. The Plan of Salvation is open to them, too.
But I am tripping over verse 5. “Their descendants became the seafaring peoples that spread out to various lands, each identified by its own language, clan, and national identity” (Gen. 10: 5 NLT).
I get the seafaring part. That is just an occupation.
I can see the sons as having land of their own. They would more than likely spread out somewhat in their own little corner of the world.
It is the own language that is getting me. Is that just foreshadowing of Genesis 11? Is it just Moses’ way of describing what went down in language his readers would understand? Should Genesis 10 actually be after Genesis 11?
That is something else for the UNR book – understanding not required.
Descendants of Ham
“The descendants of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth. Since he was the greatest hunter in the world, his name became proverbial. People would say, ‘This man is like Nimrod, the greatest hunter in the world.’ He built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia, with the cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. From there he expanded his territory to Assyria, building the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and Resen (the great city located between Nineveh and Calah). Mizraim was the ancestor of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, Pathrusites, Casluhites, and the Caphtorites, from whom the Philistines came. Canaan’s oldest son was Sidon, the ancestor of the Sidonians. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. The Canaanite clans eventually spread out, and the territory of Canaan extended from Sidon in the north to Gerar and Gaza in the south, and east as far as Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha. These were the descendants of Ham, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity” (Gen. 10: 6-20 NLT)
We can tell from Ham’s genealogy that the Noah’s curse came to fruition.
This looks a little funky. In verse 8, we are given the descendants of Cush. But in verse 9, it says that Nimrod is also a descendant. What gives?
The sons of Cush are listed in verse 8. Somewhere down the line, Nimrod is a grandson of Cush’s. We aren’t told if or how many times great is put in front of it.
We are given a windfall of information on Nimrod. He was a warrior and hunter. He is credited with founding the city of Babylon.
Gilfillan called him a giant and an oppressor. He noted that Nimrod preyed on other men through warfare. Talmage noted that this was accomplished by use of bow and arrows.
Resources
Yeah, that Babylon, which we read so much of in the books of the prophets.
But Nimrod also built the city of Ninevah. We’ve heard of that city in the Book of Jonah. This was in Assyria.
Ooo, baby. Look at all the nations that came out of the line of Nimrod: Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Hivites, and Philistines – plus Babylon and Assyria. In years to come, Joshua and David will be battling those nations.
It doesn’t tell us who built Sodom and Gomorrah, but those are cities that are infamous. We’ll read about those further on in the Book of Genesis.
All of the nations that we mentioned will be at war with the nation of Israel in the future. That will be their punishment for a lifetime of disobedience to God.
We don’t know how many generations it was until it was Nimrod’s generation. That was however long it took for the world to become thoroughly wicked again.
Starting in verse 13, it talks about Mizraim. He not only was an ancestor of the Philistines, but Hollis said that he also founded Egypt.
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I’m reminded of the description of Cain’s descendants. We had a list of their accomplishments. However, with Seth’s line – the chosen line – we mainly got the standard name, son, and years information.
We get very little information about the accomplishments of Japheth’s line. We’ll have to see in the next section how Seth’s line is handled.
Doesn’t that burn us when worldview people are so successful? We would think that, when they are disobeying God, they should not have an easy, comfortable life.
But they do many times.
Oh, yes. In the end, they will find their disobedience was not worth the punishment that they will get.
That doesn’t always comfort us in the here and now.
Descendants of Shem
“Sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth. Shem was the ancestor of all the descendants of Eber. The descendants of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. The descendants of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber. Eber had two sons. The first was named Peleg (which means ‘division’), for during his lifetime the people of the world were divided into different language groups. His brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan was the ancestor of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were descendants of Joktan. The territory they occupied extended from Mesha all the way to Sephar in the eastern mountains. These were the descendants of Shem, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity. These are the clans that descended from Noah’s sons, arranged by nation according to their lines of descent. All the nations of the earth descended from these clans after the great flood” (Gen. 10: 21-32 NLT)
Shem’s line would lead to the Messiah.
Focus turned from Japheth and Ham to Shem. That is logical, as this is the chosen line.
We finally get a glimpse at the birth order of the sons of Noah. Shem is the older brother of Japheth. Ham is the second son. That means they are in age order when listed.
I first started to write that means they weren’t triplets. Maybe. Maybe not. Two, even three, babies wouldn’t come out at the same moment. They would be born one after another.
They could still be triplets or just siblings.
We know Shem’s line was the chosen line because of the genealogy in Luke 3. “Nahor was the son of Serug. Serug was the son of Reu. Reu was the son of Peleg. Peleg was the son of Eber. Eber was the son of Shelah. Shelah was the son of Cainan. Cainan was the son of Arphaxad. Arphaxad was the son of Shem …” (Lk. 3: 35-36 NLT).
It is interesting how Moses wrote verse 21. “Sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth. Shem was the ancestor of all the descendants of Eber” (Gen. 10: 21 NLT).
Did Moses know about the promised Savior? Well, we just said that Bradford thought Noah did. It is conceivable that Moses did.
If this was oral tradition that Moses was making more permanent, he may have only known that Shem was expecting something out of one of his descendants but the exact Who and what may have been lost.
We know the Jews in Jesus’ time sure weren’t looking for a baby to take away their sins. That little tidbit had to have been lost somewhere down the line.
Here in Genesis, Cainan was skipped, making Arphaxad the grandfather of Shelah, not the father as indicated here.
But then, it really doesn’t say Shelah was Arphaxad’s son, just his descendant. A grandson would be his descendant.
We have to watch when we are reading passages like that. Some would say that the passages are contradictory. Hopefully, we can discern when we are being given full information and when we are being given abbreviated information.
We’re given a little more information on the line’s accomplishments and events that happened during their time. The event referenced is probably the Tower of Babel, which we will discuss in the next chapter.
It is interesting that it is mentioned that Eber had two sons, Peleg and Joktan. Peleg’s name means division. Was that another instance where God separated and divided siblings? We aren’t really told.
It seems like Hughes disagreed. He wrote, “Heber’s children are the true Church of God.” Heber has got to be Eber.
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Children plural.
Or was Peleg given this name because of the division caused from the punishment of the Tower of Babel? Did they know beforehand and name him as Methusaleh was given a prophetical name (when he dies, it will come)?
Hughes kind of said he was named after the Tower of Babel. He wrote, “Saints have been careful to keep in memory such judgments of division; the naming of the child (ver. 25).”
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I don’t see Peleg being born after the division was made. I think it was another prophetic name.
Making the Connections #1
Carlyle emphasized the presence of free will. He wrote, “Instead of saying that man is the creature of circumstances, it would be nearer the mark to say that man is the architect of circumstances. It is character that builds an existence out of circumstance.”
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Take Noah’s three boys. They were probably raised the same way. They chose different paths.
Shem was a sheep. He walked with God. Ham was a goat. He allowed sin to take over his life.
Japheth is the kicker, isn’t he? Was he a goat masquerading in sheep’s clothing? If he was considered Goyim, he wasn’t a Jew – one of God’s people – so he wasn’t a sheep.
Was that only because Seth was the chosen one? Or was it because of Japheth’s decisions on whether or not to follow God in his life?
We really can’t tell. All we know is the three came out of the same family with the same saint as their father.
They made their own choices.
But then, they were as God made them. “From one man he [God] created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries” (Ac. 17: 26 NLT).
Making the Connections #2
Parker gave us a really big caution. “From one man …” (Ac. 17: 26 NLT) came everyone from saint to sinner, who is just like us – cannibal to king.
The gist of what Parker said was that we should consider everyone our neighbor – if not family. He wrote, “If we limit our life to families, clans, and sects, we shall miss the genius of human history, and all its ennobling influences. Better join the common lot. Take it just as it is.”
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We shouldn’t anymore hide what sins our ancestors committed than think there is home and foreign missions. If everyone is our neighbor, there is no boundaries of home.
Making the Connections #3
In a chapter like this, we come back to where did they get their wives? Was it a lot of intermarrying?
Was the Nephilim — the sons of God and who the daughters of men — back in business? They would almost have to be if the Anakim (descendants of Anak) were also the descendants of the Nephilim.
Then again, it may have been intermarriage between those practicing idolatry and the chosen people. In other words, those of the line of Seth/sons of God (Godview) marrying those of the line of Japheth or Ham/daughters of men (worldview).
Making the Connections #4
I have to process what Talmage said. This is going to be in Elaine-speak.
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- Our mighty, sharp, true weapon is the Gospel.
- It is powered by the Holy Spirit and built from the wood of the cross.
- We must build our skills of the hunt by practicing in quiet, out-of-the-way places.
- We have to find our prey, as it will not come to us.
- We just be brave and bold in the hunt.
- We must complete the hunt, not give up halfway.
That is an interesting analogy.
- In Paul’s armor of God analogy, the only weapon listed is God’s Word as the sword. “Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6: 17 NLT)
- The Holy Spirit leads us to knowledge of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. “So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit” (I Cor. 12: 3 NLT).
- We learn of God in quiet reflection during our devotional time. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Ps. 46: 10 NLT).
- Non-believers are not tearing down the church doors seeking salvation. “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!’” (Rom. 10: 14-15 NLT).
- We have to boldly proclaim the Gospel. “And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.” (Eph. 6: 19 NLT).
How Do We Apply This?
- Teach our children to walk with God.
- Be buried in God’s Word.
- Follow the Holy Spirit’s promptings to lead others to Jesus.
- Make time to quietly reflect on what God is revealing to us.
- Meet non-believers where they are and boldly witness to them.
Father God. Lord, when You created humans, You made us to be members of families. You allowed each of us to choose for ourselves whether we would obey or disobey You. We know that You still use those who choose to disobey You. Lord, we pray that all our family members choose to follow You and not compromise with the worldview. Amen.
What do you think?
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