CHRIST IN GENESIS | Lesson 7 | Lesson Notes / Talking Points

Read Genesis 10.1-11.26 & Revelation 7.9-17

‘CHRIST IN GENESIS’: MAKING THE CONNECTIONS & SETTING THE CONTEXT

1/ Since our purpose in this whole course of study is narrowed down to discovering how CHRIST IN GENESIS is pictured and pointed to in these various study sections. we will want to ask ourselves: “Where and how do we see CHRIST here in this lesson?”

2/ So, what is the narrator’s purpose for including chapters 10-11? The Flood is over, and the only survivors of the Flood are Noah and his three sons. Go back to ch 9.18: “The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.” And so, we, the present humanity of the earth are ALL of us descended from these three sons of Noah. Yes, we are the descendants of Adam, but now the earth’s population is re-starting again with these three sons. And, from one of these three sons, Shem, CHRIST will be brought into the world to be our Redeemer. All the other nations of the earth and human history – from that time to this – are descended from the other two sons: Japheth and Ham.

3/ So…

[1] ch 10.1-32 will chronicle the names and nations that descended from each of the three sons. Ch 10.32: “These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.”

[2] ch 11.1-9 will record how those nations that began to multiply decided among themselves that they would not, in fact, disperse as Yahweh had commanded them. Instead, they would remain congregated and concentrated together and establish their own self-governed counter-civilization among themselves. God confused their languages so that they had to disperse to their God-directed distinctive areas of the then-world.

[3] ch 11.10-26 records God’s purpose to focus His Kingdom and Messianic plans in the family of Shem whose genealogy leads us to Terah, who was the father of Abram [Abraham]. And, of course, Abraham becomes the Scriptural and historical ‘father of the faithful,’ and ‘from whom CHRIST came.’

4/ Just one more textual and literary note about how the text of Genesis is composed and written: ch 10.1 begins with “These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.” That phrase: “These are the generations of…” begins another toledot [tohl-dah] I’ve been telling you about from the beginning. That phrase could also be interpreted “this is what became of…” A toledot is a ‘short story’ or ‘genealogy/biography’ of a specific ancestral forefather of CHRIST. There are ten of them in Genesis that begin with the same key phrase (see Lesson 2).

• This one is #4.
• It will take us to #5 in ch 11.10 which will narrow down God’s Historical-Redemptive Progression of the Bible story to Shem;
• then to #6 which is in ch 11.27, which will record the genealogy of Terah, who is the father of Abram – and that will open up the history of Abraham.

I / Genesis 10.1-32 | Noah’s three sons and the nations that came from each  

1/ These are the names of the sons, the clans, the nations, and the areas of the then-world to which they were dispersed after the dispersion recorded in ch 11. So just keep in mind that ch 10 records both how they multiplied both BEFORE and AFTER the Tower of Babel dispersion. A key phrase is in ch 10.32: “These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.” This is an obvious reference to the AFTER-BABEL dispersion. So ch 10 will record who they were and who they came from…and ch 11 will describe how they ended up where God dispersed them.

2/ Ch 10 is divided up into the descendants of each of Noah’s three sons, beginning with Japheth, then Ham [including also the descendants of Ham’s son, Canaan (see ch 9.18-27)], then concluding with Shem since he will be the most prominent of the three as the father of Terah who will be the father of Abram, who will in turn become the ancestral father of the CHRIST. These ancestral fathers are named in both of CHRIST’s genealogies [see Matthew 1.1-2 & Luke 3.34-38]. So all we will want to do here is distinguish the three sons with their descendants – AND point out just a few of the most prominent nations of descendants whose names will come up again later on in the history of Israel.

3/  vv 1-5 / “The sons of Japheth…” On the simplified map I have provided for you, you will note that the Japhethites were dispersed to what became predominantly European, Caucasian, and Asian peoples. They are represented by the rectangular-shaped boxes. Names of note among the Japhethites are: Madai (Medes), Javan (Greeks), and Magog (which will feature prominently among Israel’s enemies on to the end of Scriptural, world, and prophetic history.

4/ vv 6-14 / “The sons of Ham…” These descendants were dispersed primarily [though not exclusively] to the adjoining continent of what would become Africa [Egypt]. The most prominent Hamite was Nimrod. Nimrod remains in our vernacular as the consummate rebel, rogue, renegade – as in ‘He’s such a Nimrod!’ Nimrod was the founder of the Babel kingdom, which was also the foundation of the Babylonian empire. They were among the first to migrate and settle “in the land of Shinar” which will become another name for Babylon [see Daniel 1.2]. Other prominent names of note are: Assyria, Nineveh, and the Philistines.

5/ vv 15-20 / “Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth [Hittites]…” Canaan is the son of Ham [v 6], and he will become the ‘father’ of the nations who came to be called ‘Canaanites,’ who were, of course, the inhabitants of the Promised Land that Yahweh will give His people to possess.

• NOTE: that by the time Moses wrote this book of Genesis – probably in the plains of Moab as Israel was finally set to move into the Promised Land to possess it – the Canaanite nations were already long-time established inhabitants of Canaan.
• Heth [Hittites] had become a very powerful nation and had migrated by that time down into Canaan. We will run across them many times, even here in Genesis.
• This section/genealogy is a sub-set of Ham’s descendants – and will give a commentary on the origins of the Canaanite nations. It also explains the basis of the curse on Canaan [see ch 9.24-27], and why the curse of Ham was pronounced against Canaan. NOT because the father’s [Ham] sins were punished upon the son [Canaan], BUT because the son had already shown the proclivities to continue practicing the sins of the father – which he did. Canaan fully cultivated and developed his father Ham’s sins of disregard for righteousness and morality. The Canaanites went ‘full-bore’ into the immoral and sexual perversions that Ham had begun to evidence in his disregard for Noah’s modesty and decency. And, when Yahweh [through Noah’s oracle] cursed Canaan by saying “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers,” He was prophesying that they would be conquered, driven out, and dispossessed by his brothers. And those who were kept alive would become servants.  

 6/ vv 21-31 / “To Shem also…” NOW, the narrative not only of Genesis but also of the rest of Scripture is going to zoom in, narrow down, and focus on the descendants of Shem. Shem will become the father of the Semites, and more particularly of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – or Israel [see ch 11.10-26 and on]. Here is an intentional, foundational, and prominent CHRIST-marker! CHRIST is going to come into the world to fulfill the ‘seed of the woman’ promise [ch 3.15] DIRECTLY FROM THIS LINE OF SHEM! As Paul will trace it in Romans 9.4-5: “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the CHRIST, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” The Spirit of CHRIST [1 Peter 1.10-11] is laying down this CHRIST-marker centuries and generations before CHRIST came so we can now look back through the pages of Scripture and annals of history to see God’s fore-ordained purpose and plan He is working out!

II / Genesis 11.1-9 | The Tower of Babel and dispersion of the nations  

1/ NOW, after enumerating the descendants of Noah’s three sons and the nations that came from them, the narrator will tell us how they came to be dispersed to the areas and regions of the then-world where they eventually migrated to begin this renewed course of world history that continues to this day – and will continue until the Return of CHRIST and the Last Day.

2/ vv 1-2 / NOTE: the nations did not disperse themselves. Verse 8 will tell us plainly: “So The LORD dispersed them from there over all the face of the earth…” But, as v 1 tells us, “Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.” They continued to multiply and began migrating from ‘the mountains of Ararat’ [ch 8.4] where the ark had come to rest. This was located in the northern regions of Mesopotamia [where the kingdoms of Babylon and Assyria would later be established].

3/ vv 3-4 / They had one intention: God had commanded that they fulfill His now-renewed original Creation Mandate to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…” [ch 9.1]. In other words, “Go forth now over all the earth and people My Kingdom under My rule – recognize Me as your Creator-God and steward the earth under My dominion. Fulfill My will and My purpose for My creation!” But they said, “NO! We will hijack Your creation and take it over for ourselves! We will congregate and concentrate ourselves together – the earth will become OUR kingdom, and we will govern ourselves as we please!”

• This was a declaration of PRIDE & ARROGANCE… “And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.”
• This was a declaration of USURPATION, REBELLION & WAR AGAINST GOD… “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens [to displace God], and let us make a name for ourselves…’”
• This was a declaration of DEFIANCE AGAINST GOD’S CREATION/KINGDOM MANDATE… “…lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

4/ vv 5-9 / But God’s purposes and plans for His creation will not be frustrated! Once again, by the inspiration of the Spirit of Christ, we are allowed into the mind of God – what He thought and said:

• “And The LORD came down to see…” This is almost humorous…they thought they would build UP to God as if to bring Him down. But He is so far exalted above all their imaginations and efforts, He had to come DOWN even to observe what they were doing!
• “And The LORD said…” as He exposes their foolish and fruitless enterprises of rebellion. He will so confuse and confound them that they can’t even talk and communicate with one another. NOTE: the Trinitarian ‘us’ in Yahweh’s language. CHRIST is there in all these deliberations and sovereign judgments!
• “So The LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.” The name ‘Babel’ and the verb ‘confused’ are from the same root and sound alike. NOTE: we can see also a very clear CHRIST-marker here as an example of Psalm 2 – God has given the earth to The CHRIST to be His Kingdom, for Him to rule over, to be the universe for His worship and glory! It will be perfectly and fully fulfilled in the New Creation. It is NOW IN OUR DAY being redeemed and fulfilled in the Great Commission of the Gospel. But I want to elaborate on that just a bit here after we make a note about the next section…        

III / Genesis 11.10-26 | Shem to Terah to Abram…

1/ This is now the 5^th toledot [‘short story / genealogy’] which comprise the Book of Genesis. And I have pretty much shown the relationship of this section with the developing Story-line of the Scriptures and the lineage of Christ back in I-6/. So please go back and review that paragraph.

2/ But to sum it up here in a sentence: this section will make the connections and trace the lineage of Shem to Terah, who is the father of Abram, who will become Abraham “the father of all who believe” [Romans 4.11] and “from whom came The Christ” [Romans 9.5]. We will develop Abraham’s story in following lessons.

IV / CHRIST-markers in this lesson…

1/ I have called this lesson CHRIST: The Nations are Dispersed…to be Re-Gathered in CHRIST.

And, I have denoted Revelation 7.9-17 as the primary New Testament end-time fulfillment of this initial re-gathering of these dispersed nations … and it will be fulfilled IN CHRIST through the preaching of His Gospel in the present age. God knows where He is going in the end of all time and things from this event – and it’s going to be fulfilled IN CHRIST.

2/ So what we will do here is go from this point all the way to the New Creation…

• Genesis 10.2, 20, 32; 11.8: Note that these nations were dispersed “in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations” etc. The nations were divided, defined, distinguished from one another, and dispersed throughout the world. All of the nations of their day, throughout Scripture and world history, down to our own day, and to the end of time … came from these nations. BUT God is not going to abandon them. It is His purpose to call them back, redeem and reconcile them back to Himself IN CHRIST, and save them by His grace through their faith in His Redeemer.
• Deuteronomy 32.8-9: “When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He divided mankind, He fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But The LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted heritage.” Meaning that God so situated all the nations around Jacob/Israel, His chosen nation, to make Israel’s witness to Him accessible to all the nations that they might know Him, return to Him, believe in Him, and be saved – re-gathered to Him as His people. [See also Acts 17.24-31 below…]
• Psalm 2: Again we reference Psalm 2 as we did above in II-4/. Not only because it describes their rebellion “against The LORD and against His Anointed [CHRIST],” BUT “The LORD said to Me, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth Your possession.” Yes, CHRIST will exercise His sovereign Lordship over all the nations by destroying in the end all those who persist in their rebellion against Him – but He will also save all those whom the Father has given Him to redeem.
• Isaiah 49.5-6: The LORD covenants with CHRIST to redeem back to Himself, NOT ONLY ‘the tribes of Jacob … the preserved of Israel,” but also “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
• John 11.49-52: In this inadvertent prophecy, Caiaphas reiterated God’s purpose to re-gather the dispersed unbelieving nations and make them the people of God.
• Matthew 28.18-20: Jesus CHRIST commanded His apostles, the succeeding churches – US – to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”
• Acts 2.4-11: On that memorable Day of Pentecost, the apostles began to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus CHRIST to the feast audience, and “…each one was hearing them speak in his own language … we hear them telling in our own tongues the might works of God.”
• Acts 17.24-31: connect this Scripture with Deuteronomy 32.8-9 above. God dispersed them with the intention “that they should seek God…and find Him…” IN CHRIST [as here].
• Revelation 7.9-10: And this purpose of God will continue until, in the end, it will be fulfilled perfectly and completely as John sees in this vision Jesus gives him: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and people and languages, standing before the Throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the Throne, and to the Lamb!’”

3/ CHRIST has re-gathered them from every nation and corner of the earth to where they had been dispersed … and redeemed them back to God as God has purposed from the time He first divided and dispersed them!

4/ And, in the New Creation…in the Light of the Lamb and His Gospel [Revelation 21.24-25]…

 By its [CHRIST’s] light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it … They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations – IN CHRIST!