Seeds of the Future
Genesis 10:1-32
When you’re a student of the Bible, every now and then you’ll
come across a chapter like this one – all names and places. But even in these
chapters we find valuable information. Placing the sons of Noah into their
historical context happens in this chapter. We learn who God chooses to use to
create His nation and where the enemies of God’s people get their start.
Just a little extra-biblical information might be helpful.
The tribes of Shem and Japheth really merge into one, with Shem being
predominate. Shem becomes the father of the people through whom Jesus traces
His lineage back to Adam. The very interesting verses (6-20) in this chapter
are the ones that tell of the descendants of Ham. If you read the list behind
his name you will find the tribes that will eventually become the enemies of
the Hebrews, such as those from Nineveh, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Philistia. We
also find listed the roots of the Canaanites who inhabited the Promised Land
when the Children of Israel arrived. The curse on Ham impacts God’s people for
thousands of years. I confess that’s rather a tough pill to swallow. But we
generally raise our children to be like us – godly or godless. Our ancient
forefathers were just like us in that regard. Ham begets – us! He is the father
of the Gentiles. Wow! Good thing Jesus came to save all the lost – Jew and
Gentile alike.
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