Take Two: Genesis 10, Proverbs 1

I had to chuckle a bit this morning as I read chapter 10. I consulted some commentaries and decided that the less the Bible "seems" to say about a subject prompts a commentator to say all the more. Many people see genealogies as less than important. Many times I agree with the sentiment, yet I find some satisfaction in unearthing the "nuggets" within them.

Chapter 10 cannot be separated from Gen 11:1-9 without losing some of the thrust. In Gen 11:1 we see that everyone had the same language and used the same words; however, in Gen 10:5,20,31...we see that the nations were separated (in part) based on the difference in languages. While Genesis 10:1-32 are separated by a literary inclusio, and the same exists in Gen 11:1-9, the two sections are dependent on one another for interpretation. In other words, Gen 11:1-9 help explain how Gen 10 comes about and why.

[Sidenote: An inclusio is a literary device where a sentence, phrase, or theme is repeated at the beginning and end of a section. It sets off the text (before the days of chapters and verses) so that you can see a thought in the writer's mind.]

Gen 10:1 contains the characteristic toledoth (generations) marker. The chapter tells us of the descendents of Noah's 3 sons. There are 70 names listed which is significant since the number 7 indicates perfection and the number 10 indicates completion. Since some of the sons do not have descendents listed, it is possible that not all of the descendents are listed here (certainly there were no daughters at all). These two observations (the numbers and the likelihood that not all descendents are listed) help us see the writer's MAIN IDEA. The blessing that God promised to Noah finds its unity in him. From him all nations are derived that are throughout the earth. As such, God's blessing was universal in scope. God is not holding back his blessing from any people group. All groups descend from Noah and his sons who received the blessing from God. (Gen 9:1,7,9). From Noah's sons, we see the origin of all peoples of the earth.

We will see later that while God's blessing was universal, the vehicle which He will use to bring about the blessing will be through the Shemite descendent Abram/Abraham...the father of the Jews.

In Chapter 10, particular attention is paid to the descendent of Ham (Gen 10:6-20) from whom many of Israel's enemies hail. Ham is, as you recall, the son that Noah cursed with servitude due to his sin (Gen 9:25). From Ham comes the Babylonian people, the Egyptians, Assyrians, and the Canaanites (among others).

Also in Chapter 10 we find the beginning of the line of Shem (Gen 10:21-31), which is continued in more detail (Gen 11:10-32)after the rehearsal fo the Babel Tower incident in Gen 11:1-9. This is done to point to the significance of the Shemite line through Terah and Abram.

I will cover the sin of Ch 11 in detail tomorrow. I just wanted you to see where and how it fit into the mix of chapter 10. If you leave with anything from Chapter 10...please see this. God blessed Noah in Gen 9 and showed us in this chapter how that blessing was intended to be universal/ global in scope. This is seen in God's chronicling the origin of all of the nations of the earth (Gen 10:32) through the line of Noah and his sons. Perhaps then, as we consider this, we are to be moved to think about how many of the nations do not yet enjoy the blessing God pronounced because they have yet to experience life with the Savior. This points to the urgency incumbent upon us to insure that the Word of God is spread to the ends of the earth, that all peoples may know Him.

Proverbs 1:30-31 is the takeaway today. As we experience the first day of a new year, I am once again impressed that we will choose the path of our destiny in our decisions. Our future is not fixed as though all of our choices are predetermined. We will choose our outcome tomorrow by what we act upon today. In Proverb 1:7 we see that the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. The verse is presented in the negative in the takeaway. Those who hated knowledge and refused to fear God (Prov 1:29) gained for themselves the fruit of their choices. That fruit always proves to leave one lacking and in want. May we choose the positive and decide in advance that we will seek knowledge and live in light of all that God reveals (the fear of the Lord). Grace and Peace in this new year.