Genesis (Part 16)
Bible Study Time 9-27-08
(From James Roberts 11-17-96)
Bible Study Time 9-27-08
(From James Roberts 11-17-96)
In our Journey Through the Scripture last week, we saw something about the curse that was placed upon Canaan in the days of Noah. Canaan’s father, Ham, did something that was dishonoring to Noah, and God used that incident to utter a prophetic judgment against Canaan. Seven hundred years later, Moses would use this prophetic curse to encourage the children of Israel as they prepared to enter the Land of Canaan.
According to Genesis, Chapter 15, the children of Israel served the Egyptians as slaves for 400 years before Moses came to lead them to the land of Canaan. God promised them that He would give them the victory over the Canaanites, but the children of Israel had to remain in the land of Egypt until the iniquity of the Canaanites was full. With the iniquity of the Canaanites full and running over as the nation of Israel left the land of Egypt, it was time for the righteous wrath of God to be poured out upon the children of Canaan.
Moses wanted the children of Israel to know that they had nothing to fear from the Canaanites because even in the days of Noah God had predicted that a great judgment would come upon the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. Even from the days of Noah, God knew that the children of Canaan would become so wicked that He would have to bring a great judgment upon them. As the children of Israel neared the land of Canaan, Moses announced that it was time for that prophetic judgment to be fulfilled.
As we approach the book of Genesis, Chapter 10, we see how that the earth was divided up into various nations, and we also see how the various languages came about. We’ll begin reading in verse 5.
Genesis 10:5 NKJV
5 From these (three sons of Noah) the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.
After this statement, Moses goes on to talk about the sons of Ham and Shem and then of Japheth as he gives their various generations. But it’s very interesting to note that these people were of different languages. You would think that these three sons of Noah would all speak the same language, and you would think that their families after them would all speak the same language.
How did it happen that they all spoke different languages, and what is the origin of all of the various languages that we see in the world today. To understand this we need to go over to Genesis, Chapter 11. Notice as we begin reading in verse 1:
Genesis 11:1-9 NKJV
1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.
3 Then they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.
4 And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."
5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.
6 And the Lord said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.
7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."
8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.
9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
We find this word Babel in our language today. People are said to be babbling if they speak in a confused manner and that expression comes from the word Babel. Another word that comes from the word Babel is the word Babylon, which was to later become the name of the capital city of the Babylonian Empire.
The city of Babel and the city of Babylon are seen in the scriptures as two great centers of rebellion against God, and we see the beginning of these two cities in Genesis, Chapter 11. These two cities were established under the rule of a man named Nimrod. Genesis, Chapter 11, tells us that the beginning of Nimrod’s kingdom was Babel.
Now let’s just take a look at why God brought such great judgment upon the people of Babel. They built a city and they built a tower and there seems to be nothing wrong with that. But in the book of Romans, Chapter 1, the Apostle Paul is used of God to fill us in and help us to understand what was really happening there in Babel.
The people of Babel were not just building a city, although that was in itself something that came out of their own minds and out of their own hearts in their rebellion against God. But notice what Paul says in Romans, Chapter 1.
Romans 1:16-18 NKJV
16 . . . I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
You see, God revealed Himself, and instead of man accepting that revelation by faith and being saved, man tried to hold it down. This carries the idea of suppression. It carries the idea of resistance. Man did not want anything to do with the revelation of God, and Paul says that the wrath of God is revealed against all those who labor to hold down the truth.
Then Paul went back to the time of Noah’s sons in Genesis 10 and 11 to give us an example of a group of people who tried to hold down the truth. Notice verse 19:
Romans 1:19 NKJV
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
God had an ancient revelation of Himself which He had given to these people, and notice what that ancient revelation was.
Romans 1:20 NKJV
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
God had clearly revealed Himself in the creation. The creation, itself, was the ancient revelation which revealed that God was the creator of all things, but the creation also reveals the various attributes of God in such a way that they are clearly understood. The creation reveals God goodness and His mercy and so forth. If the sons and grandsons of Noah had only looked with an open mind at the creation, itself, they would have been able to see that God is the creator and the sustainer of all things. But notice:
Romans 1:21-23 NKJV
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed (or exchanged) the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
They exchanged the truth of the creator for an image that they made from God’s creation. They actually started a system of worship that was filled with idolatry.
Romans 1:24-25 NKJV
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie . . .
Notice, they took the revelation that God gave of Himself, and they exchanged it for Satan’s lie. They:
Romans 1:25 NKJV
25 . . . worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions, and Paul describes the depth of the perversion of their sexual desires. God simply gave them over to these desires.
And do you know what happened? Paul says that they did not want to retain God in their knowledge. They gave themselves over to work all manner of uncleanness. They ran greedily after their evil desires. They filled their hearts and their minds with every evil thought so that they could crowd out any knowledge that they had of God. That’s exactly what was happening in the city of Babel in Genesis, Chapters 10 and 11, so God came down and confused their language so that they would go into the various regions of the world.
When we look at Nimrod in Genesis, Chapter 10, we see that Nimrod was a mighty hunter. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Undoubtedly, this is not just speaking of someone who goes out with a bow and arrow hunting animals, but it carries the idea that Nimrod was a hunter of men. He gathered men together in rebellion against God. He hunted the souls of man, and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel.
It would appear that Nimrod was the leader of the great rebellion that took place at Babel, and when God confused their languages, Nimrod left Babel and went into the area that was to become the kingdom of Assyria. It was there that Nimrod established the city of Nineveh. As we continue in our Journey Through the Scripture, we will see much more about Babylon and Assyria for they were both destined to become two of the greatest enemies of the children of Israel.
As we close this lesson, I would just like to mention that there was another great line that came from Noah, and that was the line of Shem. The children of Israel came through the line of Shem, and the Lord Jesus Christ came through the nation of Israel. The whole earth was to be blessed through the line of Shem.
Next week we are going to see how God called out Abraham from all of the confused mass of people on the earth. Abraham was the descendant of Shem through whom the nation of Israel and the Lord Jesus Christ would come.
Well, I see our time is gone so our journey for today is over. We’ll take up again next week. Until that time, we bid you goodbye.
Church links:
According to Genesis, Chapter 15, the children of Israel served the Egyptians as slaves for 400 years before Moses came to lead them to the land of Canaan. God promised them that He would give them the victory over the Canaanites, but the children of Israel had to remain in the land of Egypt until the iniquity of the Canaanites was full. With the iniquity of the Canaanites full and running over as the nation of Israel left the land of Egypt, it was time for the righteous wrath of God to be poured out upon the children of Canaan.
Moses wanted the children of Israel to know that they had nothing to fear from the Canaanites because even in the days of Noah God had predicted that a great judgment would come upon the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. Even from the days of Noah, God knew that the children of Canaan would become so wicked that He would have to bring a great judgment upon them. As the children of Israel neared the land of Canaan, Moses announced that it was time for that prophetic judgment to be fulfilled.
As we approach the book of Genesis, Chapter 10, we see how that the earth was divided up into various nations, and we also see how the various languages came about. We’ll begin reading in verse 5.
Genesis 10:5 NKJV
5 From these (three sons of Noah) the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.
After this statement, Moses goes on to talk about the sons of Ham and Shem and then of Japheth as he gives their various generations. But it’s very interesting to note that these people were of different languages. You would think that these three sons of Noah would all speak the same language, and you would think that their families after them would all speak the same language.
How did it happen that they all spoke different languages, and what is the origin of all of the various languages that we see in the world today. To understand this we need to go over to Genesis, Chapter 11. Notice as we begin reading in verse 1:
Genesis 11:1-9 NKJV
1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.
3 Then they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.
4 And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."
5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.
6 And the Lord said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.
7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."
8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.
9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
We find this word Babel in our language today. People are said to be babbling if they speak in a confused manner and that expression comes from the word Babel. Another word that comes from the word Babel is the word Babylon, which was to later become the name of the capital city of the Babylonian Empire.
The city of Babel and the city of Babylon are seen in the scriptures as two great centers of rebellion against God, and we see the beginning of these two cities in Genesis, Chapter 11. These two cities were established under the rule of a man named Nimrod. Genesis, Chapter 11, tells us that the beginning of Nimrod’s kingdom was Babel.
Now let’s just take a look at why God brought such great judgment upon the people of Babel. They built a city and they built a tower and there seems to be nothing wrong with that. But in the book of Romans, Chapter 1, the Apostle Paul is used of God to fill us in and help us to understand what was really happening there in Babel.
The people of Babel were not just building a city, although that was in itself something that came out of their own minds and out of their own hearts in their rebellion against God. But notice what Paul says in Romans, Chapter 1.
Romans 1:16-18 NKJV
16 . . . I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
You see, God revealed Himself, and instead of man accepting that revelation by faith and being saved, man tried to hold it down. This carries the idea of suppression. It carries the idea of resistance. Man did not want anything to do with the revelation of God, and Paul says that the wrath of God is revealed against all those who labor to hold down the truth.
Then Paul went back to the time of Noah’s sons in Genesis 10 and 11 to give us an example of a group of people who tried to hold down the truth. Notice verse 19:
Romans 1:19 NKJV
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
God had an ancient revelation of Himself which He had given to these people, and notice what that ancient revelation was.
Romans 1:20 NKJV
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
God had clearly revealed Himself in the creation. The creation, itself, was the ancient revelation which revealed that God was the creator of all things, but the creation also reveals the various attributes of God in such a way that they are clearly understood. The creation reveals God goodness and His mercy and so forth. If the sons and grandsons of Noah had only looked with an open mind at the creation, itself, they would have been able to see that God is the creator and the sustainer of all things. But notice:
Romans 1:21-23 NKJV
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed (or exchanged) the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
They exchanged the truth of the creator for an image that they made from God’s creation. They actually started a system of worship that was filled with idolatry.
Romans 1:24-25 NKJV
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie . . .
Notice, they took the revelation that God gave of Himself, and they exchanged it for Satan’s lie. They:
Romans 1:25 NKJV
25 . . . worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions, and Paul describes the depth of the perversion of their sexual desires. God simply gave them over to these desires.
And do you know what happened? Paul says that they did not want to retain God in their knowledge. They gave themselves over to work all manner of uncleanness. They ran greedily after their evil desires. They filled their hearts and their minds with every evil thought so that they could crowd out any knowledge that they had of God. That’s exactly what was happening in the city of Babel in Genesis, Chapters 10 and 11, so God came down and confused their language so that they would go into the various regions of the world.
When we look at Nimrod in Genesis, Chapter 10, we see that Nimrod was a mighty hunter. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Undoubtedly, this is not just speaking of someone who goes out with a bow and arrow hunting animals, but it carries the idea that Nimrod was a hunter of men. He gathered men together in rebellion against God. He hunted the souls of man, and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel.
It would appear that Nimrod was the leader of the great rebellion that took place at Babel, and when God confused their languages, Nimrod left Babel and went into the area that was to become the kingdom of Assyria. It was there that Nimrod established the city of Nineveh. As we continue in our Journey Through the Scripture, we will see much more about Babylon and Assyria for they were both destined to become two of the greatest enemies of the children of Israel.
As we close this lesson, I would just like to mention that there was another great line that came from Noah, and that was the line of Shem. The children of Israel came through the line of Shem, and the Lord Jesus Christ came through the nation of Israel. The whole earth was to be blessed through the line of Shem.
Next week we are going to see how God called out Abraham from all of the confused mass of people on the earth. Abraham was the descendant of Shem through whom the nation of Israel and the Lord Jesus Christ would come.
Well, I see our time is gone so our journey for today is over. We’ll take up again next week. Until that time, we bid you goodbye.
Church links:
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