Genesis – First, God.
As we read from “the beginning” when God created the first man and then woman, we need to keep in mind that we all descended from Adam. Noah descended from Adam. This remnant after flood of Adam’s original family will populate the earth. They scatter over the earth as God commanded they will do. As they from groups, these groups form their own languages. That is a natural occurrence. Every group, company work place or family has a language of their own. Until you learn the language, you have a hard time understanding, right? Every place I have worked has an inside language of their own. We know that twins form their own language as they learn the language of their parents.
People will have different interests and talents. Some people groups will be nomads that wander the desserts. Some will sail the seas and maybe become fishermen to make a living for their families. Some family groups will farm the land. Nimrod was a great warrior and hunter so his family probably ate a lot of meat! The names of the cities and towns that were built by the people groups will be of great importance later in our story of God and his power, of what God will be to his created and what He will do for them and through them.
So, at first glance, this is a chapter we typical skim quickly over but imagine the scene. Noah’s sons and daughters had lots of children who grew up to further populate the earth. They spread out over the earth to build, to sail, to farm and to live out their lives in their respective groups. Some revered and followed God and some did not.
Genesis 10
The Family Tree of Noah’s Sons
10 This is the family tree of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. After the flood, they themselves had sons.
2 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, Tiras.
3 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, Togarmah.
4-5 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, Rodanim. The seafaring peoples developed from these, each in its own place by family, each with its own language.
6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, Canaan.
7 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, Sabteca.
The sons of Raamah: Sheba, Dedan.
8-12 Cush also had Nimrod. He was the first great warrior on Earth. He was a great hunter before God. There was a saying, “Like Nimrod, a great hunter before God.” His kingdom got its start with Babel; then Erech, Akkad, and Calneh in the country of Shinar. From there he went up to Asshur and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and the great city Calah.
13-14 Egypt was ancestor to the Ludim, the Anamim, the Lehabim, the Naphtuhim, the Pathrusim, the Casluhim (the origin of the Philistines), and the Kaphtorim.15-19 Canaan had Sidon his firstborn, Heth, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Later the Canaanites spread out, going from Sidon toward Gerar, as far south as Gaza, and then east all the way over to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and on to Lasha.
20 These are the descendants of Ham by family, language, country, and nation.
21 Shem, the older brother of Japheth, also had sons. Shem was ancestor to all the children of Eber.
22 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
23 The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, Meshech.
24-25 Arphaxad had Shelah and Shelah had Eber. Eber had two sons, Peleg (so named because in his days the human race divided) and Joktan.
26-30 Joktan had Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab—all sons of Joktan. Their land goes from Mesha toward Sephar as far as the mountain ranges in the east.
31 These are the descendants of Shem by family, language, country, and nation.
32 This is the family tree of the sons of Noah as they developed into nations. From them nations developed all across the Earth after the flood.
THINK ABOUT IT…
I believe this growing population is a miracle of God in and of itself. From three sons, the earth was populated into people groups that formed nations!God renewed the earth and restored his people. He made the fruitful, reproductive, and able to sustain themselves.
From Adam to Noah, God’s Son will be born from this line of descendants. God knows what He is doing at all times.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for life and purpose. Thank you for Your Presence in our lives. Thank you for loving us the way you do, even when we fall short of pleasing you with our behavior at times. Thank you, Jesus, for coming to earth to save us from our sins for all eternity. Thank you for preparing a better, higher, more magnificent forever home for us when we leave this earth.
In Jesus Name, Amen
