2024-08-16
Good Morning Dear Ones,
We have reached the point where the Holy Spirit commands me to give some historical background from the Bible that will aid this discussion on patience and humility-- two of the gifts of the Holy Spirit from GA 5: 22-23. We need to know something more about the impact after the flood of Noah’s family on human history. It will help us to better know what Noah’s example teaches us. Noah’s three sons (given in the order of their ages) were Japeth, Shem, and Ham. The Bible normally lists Shem first, not because he was the eldest but because it is from his line that our Lord Jesus came. GN 9: 20-27 gives us the basis of why Ham and his line was cursed. Noah was a farmer and raised grape vines, from which he made wine. One day, he drank too much and became inebriated in his tent. He took off his clothes and lay there, until Ham discovered him and gazed down on his nakedness. Japeth and Shem realized what Ham had done, and placed a robe over Noah without looking at him, preserving their father’s privacy. When Noah became sober, he realized what his youngest son had done, and placed a curse on Ham’s son, Canaan, saying he would be a slave to his middle brother, Shem. A prayer was said, “May God cause Japeth to increase!” As for their birth order, we find that in GN 9: 24 where it says Ham is the youngest and GN 10: 21, it says Japeth is the oldest—leaving Shem as the middle son.
The name Japeth means “may he have space,” and this man had seven sons: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. They and their issue settled around the coastlines around the Mediterranean Sea. This offers us the first hint that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be shared with the Gentiles. The name Shem means “fame or name.” Shem’s descendants are the Semite people, including the Jews. His sons were: Arpachshad, Elam, Asshur, Lud, and Aram. We know that the Jewish people arose from one of Shem’s descendants, Abram. Abram later became Abraham, once his family located on the west side of the Euphrates River from Haran. Shem’s great-grandson, was Eber, meaning “the other side”—a name from which the word Hebrew is derived. God gives Abram, the first letter of His name in Hebrew, making him Abraham.
You’ll remember that Abram was from Ur of the Chaldees (Mesopotamia) and then went to Haran. God waited until his father, Terah, passed away to call Abram, his wife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot, to leave Haran for what was then called Canaan [GN 11: 27-32]. The name Ham means “hot, sunburned.” Ham is the father of Canaan, Cush, Egypt, and Put; his grandson, Nimrod, was a hunter and the king of Babel. He established Nineveh [today’s Mogadishu], a city which figures into the story of Jonah [JON 3: 1-4]. The Philistines and Egyptians arose from Ham’s line. These descendants of Ham became the enemies of the Jews, part of Shem’s descendants.
I urge you to look at a map of the names and spread of Noah’s descendants because so many of the names ended up as places after God spread these populations to them. Some examples are Tarshish (Spain), Javan (Greece) Tiras (northern Turkey), Lud (SW Turkey), Meshech (south, central Turkey) Gomer (Germany), Canaan (Israel), Cush (Ethiopia), Magog (Russia), Kittim (Roman Italy), and Tekamah (Armenia). Mt. Ararat in Turkey is said to be where the ark settled after the flood. Interestingly, Tiras later called Troas and then Tarsis, is where the apostle, Paul, (originally Saul of Tarsis) was born and raised. We know that Jesus of Nazareth was born in Canaanite territory that was conquered by the Jews and became Israel.
PRAYER: O Lord, all this background given here is only one example of Your great power of Your will to spread human populations over the earth. PS 24: 1, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it; for He founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.” Ham’s descendants settled in Babylon and, against Your will, built the Tower of Babel. Your response to these denizens’ efforts to build this tower intended to reach to the sky was to confuse the language and to scatter the people all over the earth [GN 11: 8-9]. At that point, they stopped building the city. We must understand that You know what is best and that Your will shall be accomplished. We offer You thanks and praise for all You have done, are doing, and will do in our future to bring about Your plans for those who are righteous. We pray in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit commands me to continue writing about the road to patience to demonstrate the richness of Noah’s lessons and their impact on history. The Lord’s patience with mankind over this long stretch of human history is exemplified by Christ’s own patience and obedience to the Father. COL 1: 13-14, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Our Lord took a lot of disrespect, shocking sinfulness on the part of others who interacted with Him, and then, the utter cruelty of His death on the cross. He did all of this so that we could have the hope we share that we will spend a blissful fellowship with Him in heaven for eternity. That is a measure of our Lord’s unparalleled love, compassion, wisdom, humility, and patience. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2024. All Rights Reserved.
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