Nations are not going away. The spread of humanity that starts in Genesis 10 changes things forever. It may not be as significant a hinge as Genesis 3 and the difference between Genesis 1-2 pre-fall, pre-sin and then Genesis 3 afterwards. Nevertheless, all the streams of civilization after the flood flow from this genealogy.

This is a watershed chapter. There is glory that is coming at the bottom of the hill that endures in eternity. This is as much a part of God’s story as is the creation of the universe. The creation of peoples and clans and families and languages serves to bring Him greater glory.

This map provides a good, if oversimplified, picture of where the sons of Noah spread.

Japhethites - Europe (North and West)(verses 2-5)

Last time we looked at the first two sons of Noah starting with the Japhethites in verses 2-5. They’re mentioned first not because Japheth is the oldest but because his descendants lived furthest away from Israel’s experience. From Japheth we believe came the Indo-Europeans (Europe and one branch into Persia and India); or, the Gentiles. Most of us in this room probably are descendants of Japheth; if you want to call yourself a Japhethite, feel free.

Hamites - Africa (South and West)(verses 6-20)

Ham and his descendants are mentioned next because they were those closest and most well known to Israel. From the Hamites come those in Africa such as Egypt and Ethiopia. Egypt, of course, plays a big part in the story of Israel by the time we get part way through Genesis. An entire book of the Bible in devoted to Israel coming out of Egypt, Exodus, the book that follows Genesis.

From the Hamites also come some of the Middle Eastern countries in the Mesopotamian region in particular the Canaanites and the Amalakites and the MacArthurites (no, sorry, thats a different context), but all of those ‘ites’ who were inhabiting the land to which God will call Abram.

Shemites - Asia (East)(verses 21-31)

This is the third son of Noah. Often in Genesis the group mentioned last in a genealogy is the focus group. From this point on in the genealogy and throughout the rest of Genesis we’re concerned with what happens to the sons of Shem.

There are a few other indicators from the paragraph itself that this is special group. No other group of descendants from Noah’s sons has an introductory sentence like verse 21 (compare with verse 2 and verse 6). This paragraph also extends to the fifth generation of Shem. Only two generations from Japheth are mentioned and only three from Ham. And Shem’s line won’t actually be concluded until the end of chapter 11.

Preface about Shem (verse 21)

To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born. (10:21)

This is an “extra” verse. It’s extra not in the sense that it surprised the Holy Spirit but in the sense that the Holy Spirit put in an extra verse to get our attention. Unlike the previous two sons of Noah who are immediately identified by their sons, Shem is actually identified as the father of all the children of Eber , his great-grandson. Why? Why does Eber get top billing? It isn’t just the Shemites that are pivotal, but the Eberites in particular. As Shemites is to Semitesk so Eber is to Hebrew. It’s a different pronunciation but the same group. When we talk about the Hebrews we are talking about the sons of Eber. Genesis 14:13 refers to “Abram the Hebrew” meaning that he’s from Eber’s line.

Sons of Shem (verse 22)

The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. (10:22)

Verse 22 lists the sons of Shem, then verses 23-30 list the grandsons of Shem. I’m not going to try to give information about each of these guys. There is information about all of them, or at least there’s suggested connections with them, in various commentaries and other historical books.

From Elam came the Persians who lived northeast of the Persian Gulf. From Asshur came the Assyrians who lived between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. From Arphaxad came the Babylonians who lived in Chaldea. From Lud came the Lydians who lived mostly in Asia Minor, and some traveled across the Mediterranean and settled in northern Africa. From Aram came the Syrians who lived north and east of Israel.

Grandsons of Shem (verses 23-30)

Sons of Aram (verse 23)

The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. (verse 23)

Aram may have been someone significant since the Aramaic language lasted a long time. It was the language for the leading nations of the world such as Assyria and Babylonia. Some parts of the Old Testament, such as sections in Daniel and Ezra, were written in Aramaic. Jesus spoke more Aramaic than even Hebrew or Greek. Even today many people speak Aramaic or some child language of the broader category of the Aramaic language.

Uz is a grandson of Shem, and Uz is a place too, probably where Job lived (Job 1:1).

Son and Grandson of Arpachshad (verse 24)

Arpachshad fathered Shelah; and Shelah fathered Eber. (10:24)

Then we see the son and grandson of Arpachshad. Eber was already mentioned; that’s why we care about the Shemites because from the Shemites eventually become the Eberites, the Hebrews.

Sons of Eber (and comment) (verse 25)

To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, (verse 25)

Other than Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord, there’s more digression about Peleg than anyone else in chapter 10. The comment that in his days the earth was divided gets our attention. When we studied Genesis chapter 5 I talked about how to look at a genealogy, to look for patterns and to look for things that break the patterns. This is a pattern breaker. The name Peleg means “division,” and Moses was writing: for in his days the earth was divided . That has to be a reference to the tower of Babel. It is the line of Shem through Peleg to Abram that we’ll read even more about in Genesis chapter 11:18-26.

Joktan (and sons), the other son of Eber (verses 26-30)

and his brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. (10:26-30)

Verses 26 through 30 give us Joktan and sons. Peleg was one of the sons of Eber and Joktan was the other. And so in the second part of verse 25 through verse 30 finishes off a cul-de-sac of the genealogy.

By the way, if you can learn the names of people and places in The Lord of the Rings then don’t get irritated that there are actually weird names and places that don’t sound like Bob and Billy Joe as you’re reading the Bible.

Formula (verse 31)

These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations. (10:31)

The formula that we’ve seen already comes again in verse 31 as the finishing summary to this part of Shem’s line.

Summary (verse 32)

Here is the finishing bookend compared to verse 1.

These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood. (verse 32)

This genealogy sticks, that it is the watershed from which all people and families and us then come is not a throw-away statement for as simple and as summarized as it might be.

Setting the Stage

Why include this chapter? It’s always important to ask why did God include such and such a verse, a paragraph, a chapter, a book, in the Bible.

I said in the last message that I think God includes this genealogy because it’s showing God’s blessing. The LORD told Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply and here is proof of God’s faithfulness to bless humanity. That’s why the result of the spread comes before the reason for the spread at Babel City. If the tower of Babel came first we’d be likely to interpret these divisions only as evidence of God’s fury. As it is, there is both favor and fury. Why are there nations? Is it because God is happy about nations or because nations are a judgement? Yes. Both. This genealogy begins to show us is that it is a sign of God’s blessing. Chapter 11 will show the part that is God’s judgment.

Is there anything else?

We have been walking up the flights of stairs in God revelation. We are on floor ten (in Genesis 10). We can see the door to floor eleven. Let’s take the elevator up to the top of the building for a few minutes and look back down over the other eleven hundred sixty some chapters. Let’s get a view of what the rest of the building of revelation looks like, then we’ll take the elevator back down and start walking up the stairs verse by verse again.

Paul said in his message in Athens in Acts 17:26-27, “he made from one man every nation of mankind.” He’s thinking about Noah, “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they may feel their way toward him and find him.” Nations exist with languages and boundaries and borders so that people will realize there is a God. Men don’t, they reject that, they ignore that, and yet that’s God’s purpose.

Here are five ways I think the genealogy sets the stage for God’s purposes in history.

First, this genealogy sets the stage for Abram.

The genealogy exists to get us to Abram. It’s moving us from the flood to God’s call of Abram, one of the sons of Eber, and the beginning of the Hebrew nation. The rest of the book of Genesis from chapters 12 to 50 is talking about Abram and the first few generations of his descendants.

I mentioned this at the very beginning when we started introducing Genesis. The first 11 chapters of Genesis refer to perhaps a couple thousand years and the last 39 chapters cover only a couple hundred. Cataclysmic, worldwide events happen in the beginning of the book and yet the majority of the book deals with one guy.

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)

God set up a bunch of other nations so that he could call out one man to do something special. If you don’t like Abraham then Genesis is not a good book for you and really the rest of the Bible is no good. Abraham is the father of God’s chosen people.

Second, this genealogy sets the stage for Israel!

The Hebrews comes from Abram, Abram comes from Eber. One chosen man becomes a chosen nation in God’s plan to do something special.

”When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than yourselves.” (Deuteronomy 7:1)

If the land would have been empty it wouldn’t have been as amazing that God removed hostile enemies to give them such great land. It’s part of God’s story to show off His care, His ability for His people.

”For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” (Deuteronomy 7:6-9)

His election would not have been as significant if there weren’t different groups of people to choose from. God put nations in place so that His own people would know a special kind of care and power as He called them out. His people were also called to witness to those nations. That’s why our Scripture reading this morning was 1 Chronicles 16:8-36. “He is to be exalted among the nations” even though Israel is his special people. It was through Abram that all the nations of the earth, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

When we read Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God” we often think of that as personal Kumbaya time. Be still and know that I am God. It can tend to get really narrow focused on me. Yet note the very next phrase, not even a new sentence:

Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
(Psalm 46:10)

“I will be exalted among the nations.” Part of the point is if He can control the nations, then we can trust Him in the nitty-gritty. The more we know about His control of the nations the more we can be still and know that He is God and exalt Him in the earth.

Third, this genealogy sets the stage for the seed of the woman, Jesus.

It’s from Noah to Abram to Judah to Jesus with lots of people in between all of those different generations. Matthew 1:1 begins: “the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham”. If Genesis 10 is getting us to Abraham, that also is necessary to get us to Jesus who is the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15, the seed of the woman who will crush the seed of the serpent. No genealogy in Genesis 10, no Jesus.

To the degree that there are more nations expanding out is the degree to which Jesus becomes more precious and special as the seed of the woman. It’s also in Jesus that all of those nations can come back and have God as their God rather than just Israel. Galatians 3:26-29.

in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:26–29)

He built up the nations to break them down (unlike breaking them down to build them up, which is true, too.)

Fourth, this genealogy sets the stage for the church.

The church is that growing body of disciples who are identified not only by their earthly nation but by heavenly citizenship. That’s why in Matthew 28:19 Jesus commissioned His disciples: “Go into all the world and make disciples of all the nations.” That task is overwhelming to us now because of Genesis 10, and then lots of years of people being fruitful and multiplying after that. God knew when He divided all the languages that that would make the Great Commission a little tougher. Yet “repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:47).

In Jesus we are one body, there is no longer spiritual distinction between Jew and Gentile. He is the propitiation not only for the Jews, but for the entire world (1 John 2:2).

Fifth, this genealogy sets the stage for eternal praise.

As Abram receives promises and those promises are continuing to be fulfilled and will finally all be fulfilled in Israel, in Jesus, through the church, experiencing some of those leading to eternal praise where people from every tribe and tongue and nation forever worship the Lamb slain.

God is the God over all the nations. He’s the one from whom they came, He just chose one of them (Israel) as a special people for Himself. And He will get praise for eternity because He reigns over all the nations. He is the ultimate King.

Many students don’t say the Pledge of Allegiance anymore and, when they do, “one nation under God” may not mean much. But actually it’s “all nations under God” whether they like it or recognize it or not. He’s the King of kings and Lord of lords; He’ll get eternal praise for being over all of them.

Heaven is the place where countless worshipers will share one song. Those singing that one song will have different skin colors. The diversity of tribes and tongues and nations in harmony will bring Him greater glory.

And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God,
and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
(Revelation 15:3)

Genesis 10 frames our thinking about why nations exist, what their purpose is, and where they’re headed. Nations are intended to get us to “behold our God sovereign and good, matchless in power, king over all the earth. Fear not my soul, trust in his plan, over all the world God reigns. Behold our God.” Our God.

Conclusion

So the genealogy in Genesis 10 is very much like a hinge on which the rest of the redemption story swings. Genesis 10 is a watershed, from the flood to streams of civilization, from mbl (flood) to bbl (Babel).

Nations are from Him and through Him and to Him. The Table of Nations may not be for memorization, but it should at least be for appreciation and God’s eternal glory in His Son.