GENESIS

Notes on Genesis 10

• Genesis 10:1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

We can usually tell of which son, we came from by where they settled after the flood. From Japheth we see that both good and evil nations came from their descendants. Many descendants of Japheth accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ after the Jews rejected Him temporarily. However, some nations changed the gospel from it's original intent and substituted rituals, ceremonies and church hierarchy that the apostles did not start.

• Genesis 10:2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
• 3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
• 4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
• 5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
• 6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.
• 7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.
• 8 And Cush begot Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

The sons of Ham have a place in the latter days also just as anyone else if they receive and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. We do see some problems here with some of the descendants of Ham. When we read of the problems and false religions though we must remember that the gospel cancels out the curse upon anyone no matter who their ancestors happen to be. That is why Jesus came and that is a glorious truth. We are not in bondage to the lineage of our birth if we exercise faith in Jesus Christ by recognizing our need for the salvation God provided for us through Him.

Here we have the another rebellion against God perhaps similar to the rebellion against God in Genesis 6 which caused such great apostasy and violence that God had to destroy the earth with a flood. We see a mighty leader rise up to draw men to him and into a false religious system that worshipped man instead of God.

• Genesis 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

Before the Lord means against the Lord according to many bible interpretations. Babel is the beginning of Babylon which is the origin of idol worship and false religion. It was rebellion against our God who created us.

He most probably was a mighty hunter also literally. Wild beasts multiplied after the flood and probably became a danger to men. If a man became a mighty hunter, it would not have been wrong but this man was supposed to have used this power to gain many followers and build a tower which represented a great false religious system intended to get men to heaven as all false religions promise without repenting of sin and living in a way that God desires for us. He became a mighty hero to men. When he died a violent death by a beast, it stands to reason that many began to worship him and think of him as a god. For reference one can read "The Two Babylons" or other reference books that dig deeper into the tales of Nimrod. We must keep in mind that some may or may not be true. Our only reliable source for truth is the bible itself and we can read many references in the bible to Babylon and its false religious system that was in total rebellion against God.

• Genesis 10:10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
• 11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and built Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

We know also that Nineveh became a wicked city and head of another world kingdom that persecuted Israel. Jonah was sent to get them to repent. They did repent for a season but returned to evil and was destroyed later.

• Genesis 10:12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.
• 13 And Mizraim begot Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
• 14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.
• 15 And Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,
• 16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,
• 17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
• 18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
• 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.

We read later about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sin. They probably also had a false religious system set up. Their sin was so bad that they were willing to rape even angels of God. Yet Jesus said that those that reject the gospel will be judged worse than Sodom and Gomorrah. We can rejoice that no matter what our ancestors or parents were like, we can be a new person in Jesus Christ. The gospel is for everyone, great, small, rich, poor and it does not matter nationality we originated from.

• Genesis 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.
• 21 Unto Shem also the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.
• 22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
• 23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.
• 24 And Arphaxad begot Salah; and Salah begot Eber.
• 25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.
• 26 And Joktan begot Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,
• 27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,
• 28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,
• 29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.
• 30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
• 31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.
• 32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

From the genealogy in the book of Luke, we see that Jesus Christ came from Arphaxad, Salah, Eber and Peleg although the spelling was a little different. All these became different nations.

Until Jesus came there was no hope of salvation for mankind. As men began again to forget God and worship other things, there began to be violence and suffering again upon the earth like before the flood. Man (woman) had to be changed within their inner most being. The soul. Something had to happen that was greater than any religion or manmade law. We needed a bridge back to God. We needed power over sin and we needed to learn to love one another. God supplies this need through His own Son, Jesus Christ. Not all who claim Christ has yielded to God's spirit and not all have lived and walked in God's spirit but He is available to all who believe and trust in Jesus as savior and Lord. DC

Genesis 11