GENESIS CHAPTER 8
The theme of Genesis chapter 8 is renewal and rest after tribulation. It records the end of the storm and beginning of new life and hope for God's people and God's creation.
God remembers his own. The word "remembered" means pay attention, to fulfill a promise and action on behalf of somebody. God remembered Noah and his family but he also remembered the animals that were with him in the ark.
In verses 1 to 14 God renews his world. Noah waited 40 days sent out the raven. He waited another 7 days and sent out the dove (verses 8 and 9) which returned to the ark. A week later Noah sent out a dove. In verses 10 and 11 we see it had a fresh olive leaf on its return. A week later the dove was sent out a third time and this time it didn't return so Noah knew the water had dried up. In verse 15, 26 days later the order came to move out of the ark and Noah obeyed.
In verses 15 to 19 God rewards faith. Noah exercised faith to wait on God before leaving the ark. The Lord gave Noah's family and animals the same mandate that he had given at the beginning in chapter 1 verses 22 and 28.
In verse 20 God receives worship. The first act out of the ark was for Noah to lead his family in worship. God was satisfied with sacrifice, accepted it and was pleased.
In verses 21 and 22 we see God reaffirming nature of order. Notice the Lord's words to himself in response to Noah's faith, obedience and worship. The curse is reversed on the ground, there will be no more universal floods and no interruption of the cycle of nature.
GENESIS CHAPTER 9
God gave instructions concerning 4 areas of life:
Multiplying life - verses 1 and 7
Sustaining Life - verses 2 to 4
Protecting Life - verses 5 and 6
Enjoying Life - verses 8 to 17
Notice that God expands the human diet now to include meat. Noah and his family did not have dominion over animal life as Adam and Eve had. Noah and his sons are now hunters. But there is one restriction - the meat must be free of blood (verse 4).
God has put the fear of God into humans lest they destroy one another! God established human government on the earth.
The Noahic Covenant includes every living creature as well as Noah's descendants. In this covenant God promised unconditionally that he would never send another flood to destroy all life on earth. A covenant with creation. 4 times we read the words "every living creature" which refers to birds and animals that Noah kept safe in the ark during the flood. Turn to Revelation 4 verses 6 and 7 we read of 4 unusual "living creatures" worshipping before God's throne - the lion, the calf, man and the eagle. Parallel with 4 kinds of creatures mentioned here with whom God made this covenant - wild beasts, cattle, humans and birds (verses 9 and 10).
The covenant sign was a rainbow (verse 13). A reminder of God's faithfulness and grace. God is looking at rainbow just as look at it too! There are 3 mentions of rainbow in scripture - here in Genesis 9 after the flood, then in Ezekiel chapter 1 in the midst of the storm and in Revelation 4 before the storm of judgment.
GENESIS CHAPTER 10
Genesis 10 is known as The Table of Nations. The purpose is to explain how earth was repopulated after the flood by the descendants of 3 sons of Noah. Japheth had 7 sons and 7 grandsons - the ancestor of the Gentile nations.
Japheth - Genesis 10 verses 2 to 5
Gomer - settled in Germany, Turkey and Armenia.
Tubal and Magog settled in the Black Sea including territory occupied by the former Soviet Union. The Ancient Scythians.
Madai - became Medes and Persians stayed in Iran-Iraq. Descendants also traced to Aryians in India.
Javan - father of Greeks and Romans.
Meshech's name is root word "Moskira" = Moscow, Russia.
Tarshish scattered out and settled in Spain but would also include farthest points west of Shinar.
Ham - Genesis 6 verses 6 to 20
Put scattered and settled in Libya and northern Africa.
Misraim became the father of powerful and sophisticated Egyptians.
Cush settled in Ethiopia.
Canaan's name was given to an area he settled in - Palestine includes Gaza strip and land of Philistines.
Sidon's descendants were ancient Phoenician's world renowned for sea-faring skills.
Jebusites; holdings were seized by Israel's King David and became the city of Jerusalem.
Sinites are thought to be the progenitors of China and Japan.
Names like Pharaoh of Egypt, Goliath the giant, city of Nineveh, Babylon, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, Canaanites
Shem - Genesis 10 verses 21 to 30
Aram - father Arameans - adopted as the world's first language and commonly spoken in the day of Jesus Christ.
Uz settled in Northern Arabia - homeland of Job.
Peleg's name means division when the earth divided - either refers to Continental drift of physical planet or division of peoples as a result of God's judgment at Babel.
Ophir and Havilah settled in the area of Saudi Arabia.
Eber's name is the root word for Hebrew from whom descendants are Abraham and the Jews.
GENESIS CHAPTER 11
Verses 1 to 9 God stops a revolt
Verses 5 to 9 God's response
Verses 10 to 26 God sustains a family
Verses 27 to 32 God starts a nation
Chapter 11 actually comes before chapter 10! The people decided to move to Nimrod's city of Babylon and settled there. The tower was a Ziggurat like pyramid. It had a successive levels recessed so you walk to the top on steps - the people hoped gods would come down from heaven to meet them. "Babel" was the gate of the gods. The people wanted to make a name for themselves.
Notice the people said "let's go up" but God said "let's go down."
Babylon eventually becomes a great city and empire.
God's judgment not only dealt with immediate sins but also helped to prevent future problems. By confusing their language and scattering them God spared their lives and gave them opportunity to return to him. "Babel" is the Hebrew word for balal which means confusion.
There are 10 generations from Shem to Abraham.
Notice the difference in this genealogy to that found in Genesis 5 - "and he died". The emphasis is now on how old the man was at birth of his firstborn son - in this chapter we see they didn't live as long! Noah was 950 whereas Nahar was 148.
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