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Genesis 11:27-32: Aiming and missing

^“27 This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. ²⁸ While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. ²⁹ Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. ³⁰ Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive. ³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. ³² Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.” NIV

It is sadly true that, on this Christian journey, we can have good intentions, but fall short of them (31b). Yet it’s not the falling short that is the problem per se. It’s the ‘settling’ for less than God’s best. We embark with the best of ambitions; we are full of idealism. But then we ‘settle’ for considerably less than we initially set our hearts on. That’s the story of many a Christian life. The ‘launch’ was explosive. This person flared across the night sky spectacularly. But then they just fizzled out.  Our short section for today introduces us to the tragedy in Terah’s family. He had to bury one of his three sons. That must always feel unnatural. So we come to get a feel for why Lot was with his uncle Abraham for some of the ensuing story. Perhaps the fact that Abraham had no children of his own made it more likely that he would care for his nephew.  We are also introduced to a vitally important detail in the Abram and Sarai story – the fact that she was ‘’barren’’ (30:12). The promises of God are tested by the hard realities of life. We are shortly going to read chapter 12:7, and we need to remember chapter 11:30. We will be caused to marvel afresh at how, by faith, impossibilities may be overcome. Dr. Joseph Parker observed that, ‘Great lives are trained by great promises.’ When the promises of God’s Word collide with the harsh realities of life, you can be sure that the promises will come out unscathed. Abram and Sarai were unlikely candidates to have a family and build a great nation. ‘But God’s ways are not our ways (Isa.55:8-9), and by calling and blessing a barren couple, the Lord revealed the greatness of His power and His glory…There’s quite a contrast between man’s ways at Babel and God’s ways in calling Abraham and Sarah. The world depends on large numbers of powerful people in order to accomplish things, but God chose two weak people and started a new nation…Babel was built by the energy of the flesh and the motivation of pride, but the nation of Israel was built by the grace and power of God and in spite of human weakness.’ Warren W. Wiersbe.

Genesis 11:10-26: God in the detail

^“10 This is the account of Shem’s family line.  Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad. ¹¹ And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹² When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. ¹³ And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. ¹⁵ And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁶ When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. ¹⁷ And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁸ When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. ¹⁹ And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. ²¹ And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters. ²² When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. ²³ And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁴ When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. ²⁵ And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁶ After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.” NIV

It is often said that ‘the devil is in the detail’ and I think we understand what is meant by that. You can make an ‘in principle’ decision which seems wonderful on paper, but when you come to implement it, unexpected details keep swimming out of the organisational swamp to bite you!  But when I thought about this further list, my inclination was to state: God is in the detail. It might be possible to read this genealogical table and see it as just another (boring?) list of names. But you’d be wrong. God is in, over, under, through this list, overseeing the process of establishing the chosen line – His own people. He knew all these people by name. He was aware of the intimate details of their lives. He cared about them. They were part of His great purpose. God had promised that He would send a deliverer, the seed of the woman (3:15), who would defeat Satan and bring salvation. Noah’s prophecy revealed that God was going to bless the world through the line of Shem, the ‘Semites’ who were the ancestors of the Hebrew people (9:26-27). ‘’Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber’’ (10:21). (It seems likely that the word ‘Hebrew’ comes from ‘Eber by the way). So God was in control of these movements – these comings and goings: beginnings and endings. People were born and died, but God’s purposes marched on.  ‘The important thing about this genealogy is that it records the faithfulness of God in watching over His people and fulfilling His promises. What to us is only a list of names was to God a ‘’Bridge’’ from the appointment of Shem to the call of Abraham.’ Warren W. Wiersbe.

Another thing you may spot in reading this is the decreasing life-span in the human race. Noah lived for 950 years (9:29). From there, the list ‘dwindles down to Nahor’s 148 years. The post-flood generations were starting to feel the physical consequences of sin in the human body.’ Warren W. Wiersbe.

PRAYER: I thank you Lord that ‘history is HIS story.’ I am grateful to know that your eye is on the sparrow and your hand is on each detail.

Genesis 11:1-9: Which line do you belong to?

“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. ² As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.  ³ They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and bitumen for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’  ⁵ But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. ⁶ The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’  ⁸ So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ That is why it was called Babel  – because there the Lordconfused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.”

In Genesis 11 we see two lines. You have the line from Babel; and the line of Shem – from which Abraham, and ultimately, the Messiah, would come. To which of these two lines do you belong?  In the Bible, Babel (Babylon), is not just a geographical location. It stands for an entire system: this world’s system. It’s been pointed out that it represents worldly pride, moral corruption, and revolt against God. The world system opposes God, hates Christ, and appeals to what is base in human nature. People either belong to the Heavenly Jerusalem or the earthly Babylon. It’s of note that in the book of ‘Revelation’, Babylon is identified as prostitute, while the Holy City from heaven is called the bride of Christ (17:1,2; 21:9ff). Babylon is ‘doomed’. It’s only a matter of time and then this ‘city’ will be overthrown. It’s important to know that you belong to the line of God’s people. Get out of the crumbling edifice that is Babylon. You can do this by asking Jesus to save you. He ‘’…gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father’’ (Galatians 1:4).

‘What humanity can’t achieve by means of its ‘’proud towers,’’ Jesus Christ has achieved by dying on a humiliating cross. All who trust in Christ are one in Him (Gal.3:27) and will share heaven together, regardless of race, nation, language, or tribe (Rev.7:9)…

In one sense, Pentecost is a reversal of Babel, for the people present in Jerusalem at Pentecost heard the praises of God in their own languages (Acts 2:1-12). The day will come when people from every tribe and nation will worship Jesus Christ (Rev.15:4) and the judgment of Babel will be done away (Zeph.3:9).’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘The Wiersbe Bible Commentary’ (Old Testament), p.53.

‘…Pentecost and Heaven will undo the wreck of Babel. See Rev.7:9.’ F.B. Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary’, p.18.

 Genesis 11:5-9: The last laugh.

^“5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. ⁶ The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’  ⁸ So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ That is why it was called Babel  – because there the Lordconfused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” NIV

It’s been pointed out that God’s answer to their: ‘’Let’s go up’’ was to say, ‘’let us go down’’ (7). The relevance of Psalm 2 to this passage has also been noted. There, in that scenario, people are in rebellion towards God, but He has the last word and the last laugh (Psalm 2:4).  God is merciful, and for all their disobedience and rebellion, God did not destroy the people at Babel. He only ‘’scattered them’’ (8), and so put a stop to the building project. But He allowed them to live and breathe, and so, presumably, gave them the opportunity to return to Him.

What a contrast between these people (‘’so that we may make a name for ourselves’’, verse 4), and Abraham ( ‘’I will make your name great’’, Chapter 12:2). Can you imagine someone speaking or writing about you many thousands of years from now? No, you can’t can you? Nor can I. But when God chooses to make someone’s name great, He does a fine job of it. We are mentioning Abraham today (and we’re going to be travelling with him for several weeks) because God is as good as His word. Abraham’s name is widely known today, and he is honoured by Jews and Muslims as well as those of us belonging to the Christian faith.

But it doesn’t matter at all to have a famous name. All that is important is that God should fully have His way with you. If that is to live in anonymity and obscurity, that’s all fine too. His will be done. Someone wrote: ‘If the Lord’s going to raise you up, let Him raise you up. But whatever you do, don’t raise yourself up.’ You’ll be sorry in the end – and many other people will be too.

‘’Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them’’ (Jeremiah 45:5).

PRAYER: Help me please, Lord, to learn from this passage, to quell the least stirrings of selfish ambition. I admit I will only be able to do this in your strength.

Genesis 11:1-5: Inspection time!

“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. ² As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. ³ They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and bitumen for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’ ⁵ But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.” NIV

Recently, in our church Bible Studies, we’ve been looking at the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. I seem to remember someone saying that the image of Christ among the churches is one of Him patrolling them. You might say, He is ‘managing by walking around.’ You can’t hide from the ‘x-ray vision’ (David Pawson) of Jesus. He sees and knows everything. We are accountable to Him. Here we have a similar picture. We may build big, impressive, splendid things, but will they pass God’s inspection? He’s going to carefully examine our building materials (1 Corinthians 3:10-17).  It’s been pointed out that the reason for placing the Babel story here may be more literary than chronological. Wiersbe argues, persuasively in my view, that it’s likely that the events of chapter 11 belong prior to those in chapter 10. So the scattering described in chapter 10 was the consequence of God’s judgment at Babel. He suggests that perhaps the story was placed here so that it could lead into the genealogy of Shem, which leads into the genealogy of Abraham, who was the father of the Hebrew race.

So God commanded the peoples to be fruitful and multiply and scatter across the earth, but they decided to move to Babel and settle there. However they were in flagrant disobedience to God’s clear command (9:1 and 7). Perhaps they were motivated by fear as well as pride – huddling together for warmth as it were. But whatever other motivations they had apart from pride, they were in disobedience to God, and He could not approve of their work.

Genesis 11:1-4: ‘Hallowed be thy Name’.

“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. ² As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.  ³ They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and bitumen for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’” NIV

It was, apparently, Thomas a Kempis who coined the phrase: ‘Man proposes, but God disposes.’  Solomon said effectively the same thing, in slightly more words (Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.).

I believe it is broadly true to say that it has been the way with builders of cities and towers, ever since Babel, that they want to ‘’make a Name’’ for themselves. They want to leave a legacy to the world which has to do with their name and their fame. There is something in sinful nature that wants the glory of me! For those of us in regular ministry in the church, whatever form it may take, we could do with regularly (although not obsessively) examining ourselves: why are we doing this? Who is it for really? Whether it’s city construction or church building we can be doing it for ourselves.                            In the best of people motives can be mixed.

I have often prayed for myself, and my fellow leaders, that the Lord will write ‘’hallowed be your name’’ on our hearts – that we will not be like king Saul, who built a monument to himself, or like Absalom, who erected a pillar to himself. May we have a desire for the glory of God alone.

Let us learn the lesson of Babel, where something significant got built, but God was displeased with it.

PRAYER: Lord, please will you continually purify our hearts that we may bring acceptable offerings to you.

Genesis 10: God’s infallible Word.

“This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood. ² The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek and Tiras. ³ The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah. ⁴ The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites and the Rodanites. ⁵ (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.) ⁶ The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan. ⁷ The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteka. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. ⁸ Cush was the father^[c] of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. ⁹ He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, ‘Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.’ ¹⁰ The first centres of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. ¹¹ From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah ¹² and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah – which is the great city. ¹³ Egypt was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, ¹⁴ Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites. ¹⁵ Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, ¹⁶ Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, ¹⁷ Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, ¹⁸ Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans scattered ¹⁹ and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon towards Gerar as far as Gaza, and then towards Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha. ²⁰ These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations. ²¹ Sons were also born to Shem, whose elder brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber. ²² The sons of Shem: Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. ²³ The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek.  ²⁴ Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber. ²⁵ Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan. ²⁶ Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²⁷ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²⁸ Obal, Abimael, Sheba, ²⁹ Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. ³⁰ The region where they lived stretched from Mesha towards Sephar, in the eastern hill country. ³¹ These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations. ³² These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.” NIV

God is in control, overseeing the development and progress of human history. Names matter to Him. People are of concern to Him.  ‘Noah’s three sons left a mixed legacy to the world, but the Lord of the nations was still in charge, and history is still His story.’ Warren W. Wiersbe.

In the previous story, as we have noted, Shem and Japheth set examples we should follow, in showing loving-kindness to brothers in their weakness. We must always bear in mind our own frailties and fallibility.  But Ham is not to be copied. Look particularly at (9:18, 22, 26 and 27), and on into chapter 10. Think about how these words came true in the later history between the Israelites and the Canaanites. Stand in awe as you consider how God’s Word must prevail. Warren Wiersbe points out that the conquest of Canaan was a victory of faith in God’s promises, and it explains why God admonished Joshua to meditate on God’s Word (Josh.1:8).

This chapter shows in more detail what was said as a general statement in (9:19; see also 9:1 and 7)  ‘The Semitic races have been the source of religious light and teaching to the world. God has been known in their tents. The Japhetic races are they great colonisers and populators of the world, overflowing their own boundaries and participating in the religious privileges of the Shemites or Semites. The progressive ideas of the race of Japheth, which of course includes the Indo-European race, have also pervaded the world. The Hamitic races, of which Canaan was one, have always gravitated downward.’ F.B. Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary,’p.18.

‘’Nimrod’’ (8-12) is mentioned ‘in parenthesis’ because he was the founder of a great empire. His importance lies in this, that the nations he founded played an important part in the history of Israel, and one of them, Babel, will feature in the next chapter. The word ‘’mighty’’ refers to a champion – someone superior in strength and courage. (It is used re David’s special bodyguards in 1 Kings 1:8 and 10). ‘The image of Nimrod in the text isn’t that of a sportsman hunting game but rather of a tyrant ruthlessly conquering men and establishing an empire. He built four cities in Shinar (Babylonia) and four more in Assyria. Both Babylon and Assyria became the enemies of Israel and were used of God to chasten His disobedient people.’ Warren W. Wiersbe.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord that you, the Most High, rule in the affairs of men.

Genesis 9:18-29: Love covers.

^“18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) ¹⁹ These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.²⁰ Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. ²¹ When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. ²² Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. ²³ But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backwards and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.²⁴ When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, ²⁵ he said, ‘Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.’ ²⁶ He also said,‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.²⁷ May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.’ ²⁸ After the flood Noah lived 350 years. ²⁹ Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.”NIV

‘’Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins’’ (1 Peter 4:8).

I believe today’s short story from ‘Genesis’ is a fine illustration of the above principle.

Speaking personally, I can’t see that the Bible takes a line against alcohol. (Although I understand, and respect, that many Christians choose to be teetotal for good reasons). However, it does not encourage drunkenness – even when it may be an accidental state (as it appears may have been the case here). The loss of control can lead to shame in many forms, even if it’s not intended.

‘The best of men are men at best.’

F.B.Meyer’s comments on this passage are, as ever, instructive:

‘Noah’s sin reminds us how weak are the best of men; liable to fall, even after the most marvellous deliverances…But if our brethren sin, let us not parade or tell their faults, but cover them with the mantle of divine love. We may abhor the sin, but let us restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, remembering that we also may be tempted. See Gal.6:1-4.’ ‘Devotional Commentary,’ p.18.

Genesis 9:8-17: God is love.

^“8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: ⁹ “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. ¹¹ Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” ¹² And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³ I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; ¹⁵ and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷ And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.” NKJ

This photograph was taken on La Palma – one of the Canary Islands – on 6^th January this year. Thousands of miles away from home we saw rainbows, just as we see them here in the United Kingdom. Wherever you are in the world, you may see God’s bow in the clouds. It is a perpetual reminder that there is a God, and He keeps His promises. He is trustworthy. He is also the Creator – the Divine Artist who paints beautifully on the canvas of His world.

Most people still, I think, are given pause to stop, and look, and point, and wonder when they see a rainbow. I believe God is giving us a nudge; reminding us He is there, and He will always do exactly as He says.