Jan 3: Genesis 8-11

Jan 3: Gen 8-11

Chapter 8… When we left off in chapter 7, things were looking pretty bleak, as life does sometimes… But God remembered Noah - God had not forgotten about him. No matter how treacherous your circumstances may be, God has not forgotten you. The flood lasted from beginning to end, 371 days. The ark rested on a mountain and Noah did nothing until God told him to. When God told him what to do, he and his family and the animals left the ark. Then he is told by God - like he did to Adam and Eve - to multiply and fill the earth. What is the first thing that Noah does? Makes an altar and gave free-will offerings (voluntary thanks to God) to the Lord. Even with so few animals, Noah decided to give God his best out of the little that he had, and God liked it. Then God covenants (an agreement) to never again send a flood and He gives the rainbow as a reminder of His Grace and promise. 

Chapter 9 is when God reiterates His original command to fill the earth to Adam and Eve, but now he allows humans to eat meat. God also makes clear that all man and animals are accountable to Him and because human life is so valuable to God, that He implements a system of punishment for those that murder. Noah began to plant crops and he made himself a little wine, and drank too much of it. Granted, drunkenness is a sin, but the sin that is called out here is the sin of Noah’s youngest son, Ham, who mocked his fathers nakedness instead of respecting him and covering him up - like the other 2 brothers did. Therefore, the descendants of Ham - the Canaanites - will be a cursed people, while the other brothers were blessed. This is interesting to note, as we will later learn about Ninevah, the Philistines, Babylon, Egypt - all of which are against Gods ways and turn out to be the future Israelites (God’s chosen people) enemies. It is the descendants of Ham that the Israelites will later have to remove, to inherit the promised land - but I will not get too far ahead of myself! Noah dies at the ripe old age of 950.

Chapter 10 shows the development of the genealogy of Noah and how the earth was beginning to repopulate. Don’t just skim over all the names - God has them in our Bibles for a reason. These people listed are a part of history, our history! If you have ever had your family lineage traced, you pay attention to the names - well, this is part of our lineage too! And like we learned in chapter 9, the lives lived affect future generations, just like our lives affect future generations.

Chapter 11 is another famous Old Testament story, that of the Tower of Babel. All the people were united in language and motive to be the greatest in the world. In essence, this people group had no mention of God in their aspirations to build this city, it was for their own desires. And God wanted to give them room/time to repent. And so, the Lord visits the city and decides to change their languages and disperses them (vs 7 is another Trinity reference). God’s ways will happen, as He is the Creator and He sustains everything. We then read through a brief genealogy of Noah’s descendants, Shem & Terah, where we hear two more very famous Old Testament names, Abram and Sarai (which God later changes to Abraham and Sarah). Terah, Abram, Sarai, and Terah’s grandson, Lot, go to settle in a new land. We also learn here that Sarai is barren (can’t have kids).

To sum it all up:

• Even when it seems like it, God has not forgotten us. Even if you haven’t ‘felt’ His presence, He has not forgotten you.
• We were introduced to the Canaanites, a group of people that don’t fear or love Yahweh, and they will later be dealt with by Yahweh.
• God will have His way - even when we have the best laid out plans - our motives are true before the Lord, and God will have His way.