The Table of Nations

That was no easy task. I think our brother excelled. For you guys that would have made a rabbi faint to hear some of the pronunciations. But better than I could have done. Well, here we are in Genesis 10 here.

The Table of Nations in Genesis 10

We are in the so-called table of nations. And we begin as we end in Genesis 10 with this Genealogy of the sons of Noah could be translated the generations of the sons of Noah. Shem Ham and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

So we have a repetition of Noah. All common descent through him and his three sons and then again that little demarcation of the flood. Which is a reminder that God has brought about new creation after this this global judgment.

He wiped humanity off the face of the earth all save eight souls perished in the flood and yet by God's grace He's brought forth salvation and that salvation is off as a new creation with a new commission a commission to be fruitful.

And to multiply some of the things that stand out will look at in the moments. But we have to keep in mind the bigger picture this table of nations is really the Generations of Noah and his sons and we've already seen these kinds of records Throughout Genesis and there'll be more to come.

We call them the the Toledot and we said there's this Toledo structure to Genesis where you have these sequences of generations and these sort of front load the events that happen between the significant movements in the book of Genesis and all of this is carrying us forward to.

Where we'll begin in chapter 12 with the call of Abram out of Ur and so everything's been this sort of Preface to the patriarchal narratives beginning with Abram and then Isaac and Jacob. Now we've already seen examples of this record and yet here perhaps is the most dense the most thorough.

And I know this time of year many of us have been slogging in our daily Bible reading charts. I know many of us as we turn that corner in January. We have high hopes. We're gonna do better than we did the year before we're gonna make it to at least March in our daily readings.

And we thoroughly read every sentence of every paragraph of every chapter of every book that is our heart. When chapter 5 comes and there's some strange names. We soldier through and then inevitably here comes chapter 10 and and what happens.

I won't ask for raise hands.

But what happens?

Your eyes wander you skip a line you skim before you know it you turn the page there goes Genesis chapter 10. We tend to lose heart when we have all these names that we've never heard of places that mean nothing to us.

We shrug our shoulders turn the page and we think I'm sure that meant something to the ancients in their time. But it really doesn't mean much to me. Now, maybe you don't go that far. But I doubt anyone in this room including myself would go as far as James Boyce in his Genesis commentary.

He said this in reference to chapter 10. This is surely one of the most interesting and important chapters in the entire Word of God. Can I hear an amen? We usually turn the page on this. How could this be the most important the most interesting chapter in the Word of God perhaps interesting just because it's so bizarre.

And so cumbersome it's hard for us to get our hands around it. Imagine gaining some ground with an unbeliever. You finally convince them they ought to be readers of the Bible that they've heard it all before from Christians and here you are on The sidewalk in Worcester and they they finally admit.

Yes. Okay, you're right. I should sit down. I guess I should read the Bible. You said it's God word. Now you Christians are always saying a good place to begin is the Gospel of John. Is that right? Would you ever say to them?

Well John is wonderful, but you really ought to just open up Genesis chapter 10. It's one of the most beautiful chapters In God's Word, of course not. We don't even know what to do with Genesis chapter 10.

This is not a preacher's favorite passage. I was telling some fellow classmates of mine. They asked, you know, what are you preaching on Sunday said the table of nations and there was an audible groan among them.

What do you do with this chapter? Part of the difficulty lies in how unfamiliar we are with these names in these places. We can Spot a few places that become significant in the later history of the Bible.

We can see some figures that we know we're going to be set up to see again. But really for the most part most of these names could could we really name one fact about any of these people?

One solitary fact.

Look at the nations and the cultures that are prefigured that these figures become. Can we name one fact about these cultures one event in the history of these nations?

Hardly.

All we have are these bizarre names and that's it. For the most part we glide over this long list of names this long Historical record of human dispersion over the face of the earth and this brings up a very bad tendency.

We have whenever we read Scripture when we come to Scripture We have a very bad tendency to look at past history as though it were incredibly simple and undefined. So the less we know about a historical epic the more we assume and this is our bad tendency.

Well things must have been very simple very straightforward very monotonous even. So for centuries and centuries on end there was just days blurring into century. Almost every year was simply more of the same.

Farming farming farming farming, maybe a famine farming farming farming. Maybe a raid farming farming, and that's how we tend to approach ancient history. But what we know by experience what we know about human life is nothing's ever quite so simple or undefined is it.

At every level at every scale. There's always complexity in motion in every human life in every sphere of human relationships. There's pressures and forces at work. And then there's a Corresponding to the smallest details day by day that we tend to just glide right over we paint with a broad brush over millennia.

Because we don't know any details and so we don't use our our minds our thoughts our experiences our imaginations to understand. Just what's being communicated to us? And so when I approach Genesis 10 what I'd like to do and we'll circle back to this after we go through some details from The chapter is really to use our imaginations and help that Bring up this larger doctrine of God's providence.

I think that's what ultimately Helps us find our way through Genesis 10 in light of the book of Genesis in light of all of Scripture all of human history. We see God's providential work plotting humanity day by day century by century millennium by millennium.

Forward.

Before we get to that we do want to point out some features that are going to be important as we move forward. Remember the there is a theological significance to the generations, right? God has brought salvation through judgment the judgment being the flood and this becomes larger larger symbolism in redemptive history.

Creation.

Encounters the judgment of decreation and through that D creative judgment. We have recreation or new creation. This is the pattern issuing forth beginning with Noah. So all humanity descends from Adam and yet through Noah.

You could think of it as a funnel that expands and then it's completely cut off and again. You begin with Noah and here we are in the year of our Lord 2021 ad. Common descent from Noah all of these names all of these men women children cities kingdoms Nations every human being that ever has does or will exist has a common descent through Adam.

Through Noah, and that's very significant in understanding chapter 10. We see that humanity has common blood. We all descend from one man and through his sons. We see God's sustaining promise that has come about through a covenant by way of a sacrifice.

He had commanded Noah like Adam to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and here we're looking at the fulfillment of that command. Mankind is being fruitful. They are multiplying. They are dispersing over the face of the earth.

This is a fulfillment as much as it is history individual tribes cities nations all. Answering that commission that was given to Noah. Another thing that we see very significantly is the way God ordains family according to his purposes.

Notice that God does not use kingdoms to advance his kingdom so much as he uses family. It's very interesting, isn't it the significance of family in the book of Genesis? We see that family is close to the purposes of God and that corresponds and the best way to the New Testament fulfillment of the family of God over which Christ is head.

Christ's our elder brother we all being brothers and sisters in this new family this new people of God. Again we see God working against the wisdom of the world. Men build kingdoms. They dominate as tyrants.

They they flex and boast and strut upon the face of the earth. God uses Humble even broken families to bring forth his promises made in Genesis 3. We see that already. We've seen the significance of Shem from the last chapter.

Shem is not the firstborn we can tell that just from the structure of the Toledoth here and yet when we've Been looking at Shem. He's always the first mentioned up to this point. So Shem is the one that receives the election of grace.

Through his line as it narrows will come the promised seed and we see this again and again and again. The the overturning of primogeniture or the firstborn being the blessed one. Ishmael is set aside for Isaac.

Esau set aside for Jacob. Reuben set aside for Judah and Joseph. We've also seen some other significant highlights. We see Japheth being the progenitor of the Gentiles in verse 5. We're told that Japheth becomes the coastland peoples of the Gentiles.

We have a fulfillment that we'll get into next week and and we heard it this morning from Isaiah 66. This is the gospel going forth to the nations to the Gentiles here. We have a glimpse. We have a behind-the-curtains understanding of what God is up to over the millennia.

That his salvation has always Comprehended humanity as a whole though. The fulfillment must come very narrowly through a very specific line. So there is this Shem Centric outlook and yet it's surrounded by hints that God will pour out his salvation upon all flesh.

We see this greater salvation yet to come and it's a fulfillment of what we saw in chapter 9. Japheth will dwell in the tents of Shem. Ham we see the sons of Ham descending and two very significant figures there.

Nimrod and Canaan. Nimrod and Canaan. And verses 8 through 12. We read of Nimrod. Cush begot Nimrod. He began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel.

Eric.

Kalma and the land of Shinar from that land. He went to Assyria and built Nineveh Rehoboth or Kala and wrestling Nimrod is described as a mighty one. On the earth now that might not be immediately familiar, but we've already seen mighty ones back in Genesis chapter 6.

Maybe this is a throwback. Maybe in some sense Nimrod is a giant or a Nephilim. Maybe there's some continuity or maybe this just helps us understand what that phrase meant in Genesis 6. But these were mighty men in the sense that they were domineering tyrannical even powerful men.

Either way, we see this mighty one this giant on the face of the earth really an empire maker. We should not think that mighty hunter here. Means he had a mossy oak Towel set and had a log cabin with deer and moose heads and you know, it was just a mighty hunter in that sense.

The phrase is idiomatic it it means he was he was predatory. He was sort of a hunter of men. He was ruthless a gloss on it would be a tyrant. It was a tyrant. He was a hunter of men a mighty hunter. Not Nimrod itself as a name could be translated as rebel or even pointed it as a verb.

We will rebel. And so this is very significant in terms of connecting Nimrod and this beginning of Babel to chapter 11. We're getting again a larger glimpse of the flow of history in chapter 10. And then we're going to zoom in on the Babel episode, which we'll begin to consider next week.

So here we see some continuity. Don't we remember the Cainites before the flood? Remember Lamech. We remember this this sense of dominance over the face of the earth becoming mighty over Other men creating kingdoms as it were and we see that evil Empire now re-emerging sin continues to spread rebellion continues to spread even through the ark and There's a mutiny and a rebellion against God and it really Begins or at least comes to its height with Nimrod.

He establishes this quadratic kingdom. We have it as the four almost city-states Babel Eric Akkad and Kalma and from these he moves to Assyria and he builds Nineveh. Which of course becomes very significant in the unfolding history of Israel.

David Fetis wrote Nimrod was bold able to conquer any foe organize any project his courage power and Ambition made him feared and admired Nimrod in this sense.

Was.

Utilizing his imagedness remember even Nimrod even in this rebellion is an image of God and as an image of God. Boldness ambition determination. All of these are our virtues our gifts our abilities that come from God.

Boldness ambition determination. Ability skill prowess that doesn't come irrespective of the Lord It comes from the Lord and yet notice that these things are being twisted to be used against the Lord.

Boldness ambition courage determination skill ability. These things are wonderful gifts from God and their virtues in Humanity when they're done unto the Lord when they're done with the fear of the Lord when they're ordained and oriented by God.

But when these qualities are godless and selfish and self-willed they have horrific Consequences and they lead to human misery and they lead to devastation on the face of the earth. Nimrod back then would be perhaps the equivalent of a Stalin today or or a Mao Zedong.

Determination skill ability. Courage boldness. And yet because it's oriented away from God and away from God's purposes It leads to horrific suffering horrific misery. In our own day. We're surrounded by Nimrod's.

That is an insult. Sounds sounds like an insult.

We're surrounded by Nimrod's in politics in technology in media men and women of ambition men and women of skill of prowess of determination of Ambition that's often blind. They aim for great things. Scientists no longer called by morality aim for just the thrill of new discovery.

If we can do it, we will do it we ought to do it. If we can cross that brink of transhumanism and create a Human, you know. Cybernetic being we should perhaps do that. We can genetically modify Choose an altar just like a video game menu choose what features and aspects we want in our children design children.

In other words, there's this there's this domineering aspect this Nimrod like desire to become like God leave the mark on the world. Now in God's common grace these advancements this desire despite its sinful origin so often despite its selfishness.

It's it's moral ignorance despite its implementation. God will still allow it to be used for the common good. You know if an atheist invents a good cough syrup praise the Lord for that. Okay, praise the Lord for that.

The world would be a poorer place.

If everyone was timid and careful and afraid to be determined or ambitious or develop or invent Even when all those things are against God and for self or for a person to become like God God will still perhaps allow that and allow humanity to flourish my it.

But at the same time apart from the Lord these desires they bring great suffering to humanity. And where there's rebellion against God Humanity suffers the most. They suffer from these things and then they suffer from the judgment of God that these things warrant.

When men and women try to play God Judgment will surely come. We've seen that already in Genesis and will continue to see that. We'll see that in the very next chapter. We'll see that again and again in a way.

Nimrod stands behind all this kind of rebellion bald determination. Bold selfish ambition. He also stands behind all the pain and behind him stands Lamech and Behind him stands Cain and behind Cain we find the serpent.

This is really the seat of the serpent in continuity.

This is the.

Primeval kingdom of man the city of man. Remember we talked about that. How it's it's not the tillers of the earth. It's not the the Abelites. It's rather the Cainites that begin to implement technology and build cities.

Not that there's anything inherently evil with that but in the way they use it they do it in rebellion against God in cosmic mutiny against God. They try to manage the curse and implement their own image on the face of the earth rather than as the Image of God they want it to be in the image of man.

And so God's judgment comes and there's this warfare that continues between the serpent seed and the seed of promise. And everything that is everything that surrounds us everything that occupies is taken up in this warfare.

Continually, there's never anything docile or neutral. We might look at new technology or new steps forward or new advancements and see them as relatively neutral or docile. Well, that is simply not the case.

Everything has something to do with this warfare between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of man. Between the purposes of God in his world and the purposes of man and mutinying and trying to take hold of the world against God.

Everything lies down between the conflict between the serpent seed and the promise seed. Age after age this warfare persists. And yet the kingdom of God grows. Not just in spite of it. But because of it the kingdom of God advances all because God is the omnipotent king and only his purpose will prevail.

We see that all in seed form here in Genesis 10 with Nimrod. We'll see that even more clearly next week when we see the judgment on Babel. Reversed when we get to the New Testament and the wonder at Pentecost.

God at work. God overturning the wisdom of the world to bring about his salvation. Another thing we see in the Hamite line is the importance of Canaan. We saw that last week when Noah cursed him. He actually cursed.

Canaan.

His grandson. And here in chapter 10 we see some differences in the Cainite line compared to the other names that are mentioned in the table of nations. Notice that in the Canaanite line. They're not nearly names, but they're actually names of peoples names of nations.

Canaan begot Sidon as firstborn in Heth the Jebusite the Amorite the Gergeshite the Hivite the Arkite the Sinite the Arvidite the Zemurite the Hamathite. These are all the Ikes. These are the nations.

These are the peoples that dwelt in the land of Canaan. We recognize cities moving forward. They settle from Gerar. That'll be significant with Abram as far as Gaza Sodom Gomorrah Adma Zeboim as far as Lasha.

So the significance of this curse. We know that the descendants of Ham through Canaan are going to be very familiar to the history of Israel. It foreshadows the conquest and this is all again part of this cosmic warfare.

Between the people of God and the people of the serpent between the promised seed and the evil seed. But where sin abounds Grace abounds much more. God is at work in this sinful.

Post-flood world.

Despite the Nimrod's and the mighty men despite the brokenness and the misery and the tragedy of this rebellion God is patiently. Carefully bringing forward his promised fulfillment moment by moment. Step by step generation by generation.

And we see that with Shem. Shem in two very important names. Peleg in Eber. Children were born to Shem we read the father of all the children of Eber. Verse 25. To Eber were born two sons. The name of one was Peleg for in his days.

The earth was divided. So Peleg means division or divided. Peleg is an important name in this genealogy. Because of that and that's why it's mentioned here in his days. The earth was divided. It's safe to assume that the reference here is to Babel from chapter 11.

The earth is divided how? By God dividing the tongues of the people. God dividing the languages and thus creating different people groups with different languages. That's been formulaic so far in the table of nations.

The division of tongues causes the people to scatter over the face of the earth. This is all of course showing us the significance of Babel in terms of scattering and creating unique identifiable nations tribes and tongues.

Through which God is able to single out a very specific language of very specific people a very specific culture. Rush to me. I think really insightful on this point. Bruce's rush to me. He said the tempter's plan in Genesis 3 5.

Every man has his own God as his own determiner of good and evil is never relinquished. It is as intensely in evidence at Babel as today and it's the same plan. God is to be replaced by man. The dispersion and the confounding of this one-world dream was the work of God.

Not of man, you see. God brings judgment to that. You see the evil working passionately and intensely to realize their dream sound familiar today. This is this globalistic dream. Does that sound familiar?

And the godly ones apparently are indifferent to the threat. God divided up the peoples and by his providence. Ordained that a man in the line of Shem be named in terms of this event. So that's Peleg to vision.

Most likely because it happened in his days during his time he receives the name of that but even this division. The separation is a massive step forward in God's plan of salvation. The whole earth is being populated so that God's redemptive purpose for humanity can be brought to fruition.

He's scattering the nation so that in that fullness of time He can gather them back in as the mother hen that gathers her brood under her wings. He's singling out the promise line so that as a result of the promise He might gather a people from every tribe and every tongue.

We see that again in seed form here in chapter 10. The nations are many. But God's promised line is single narrow down to a living room. Down to a tent and he narrowly brings forward the promise seed.

While the mighty nations rage and plot around him.

That's psalm 2.

The most beautiful psalm in scripture. Why do the nation's rage and the people's plot a vain thing? In verse 4 he sits in the heavens and laughs. He holds them in derision. Verse 6 is one of the best yet's in scripture yet.

I set my king on my holy hill. You see yet yet despite this. Yet against this all they're raging and plotting all the power that a Nimrod would have over the face of a little tent dweller out in the desert regions.

Yet I've set my king on my holy hill you see God confounds the wisdom and the power and the might of the world. This is the logic of the cross. That narrow single messianic line is going to flower into this incredible fulfillment of which today we are in the fulfillment of it.

In fact, it's interesting we get in Jesus ministry in Luke 10. Remember how he sends out the 70 most likely that's reflecting the 70 names here in the table of nations. And so you get this picture that that the gospel is going to go out to the nation's indeed to the very ends of the earth.

That's very significant for Luke who also wrote Acts. Acts is the companion volume to say that the gospel indeed has gone to the ends of the earth. And so we have it in Jesus own ministry in Luke 10. This was always the design of the gospel promise of Genesis 3 15.

That what was promised to Adam would be sustained. Through Abel and through the Abelite line and down through Noah and through the new egg line down through Shem and through the Semite line. Down through the Davidic line down onto the fullness of time in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

But it doesn't end in that narrow line. It touches the very ends of the earth. Here in Genesis 10 humanity is one despite all of the diversity despite all the cultural differences. The difference in appearance the difference in custom the difference in language and manner and value there's a common humanity that is governed by and proceeds under the blessing of God and God takes from all of the peoples a new people.

He makes for himself his own special people his own possession. And so as as an old German commentator Franz Delitzsch says the idea of the people of God the people of God. Implies that they have to regard all nations as future partakers with them of the same salvation.

And that brings us to the last feature in Genesis 10 that I want to highlight in verse 21. We read about Eber. Shem the father of all the children of Eber. Why is that name important well from Eber we get this word Hebrew.

It's literally the same exact word in Hebrew. Eber is Hebrew. So we get this Hebrew line descending through Shem. And so the Israelites come to be known by Eber by Hebrew. And Eber comes of course.

To bear.

Abraham generations later Abraham comes to the line of Eber and that's getting to the very heart of Genesis. Genesis 14 13 Abram is called Abraham the Hebrew. Remember what Paul says of Abraham in Romans 4.

He is the father of all who believe. Abraham is the father of all those who have faith which means here. We are in Genesis 10 brothers and sisters. We are children of Abraham children of Eber. We are the children of promise not according to the flesh, but according to the Word of God.

Paul in fact at the Oropagus in Acts 17. He makes this point very clear. God made every nation of men. That they should inhabit the whole earth and he determined the time set for them in the exact places.

Where they should live. Paul understands that God has been at work. Not just through the Israelite nation. That's likely how Paul would have thought as a Pharisee. God has a chosen people and we wake up every morning and we say thank you Yahweh that I'm not a Gentile.

That I'm not like these lost people these barbarians these dogs. Gentile dogs. But then something happens on the road to Damascus and Paul becomes a follower of the Lord Jesus and his mind is brought to understand.

The larger picture of God's salvation and now he becomes an apostle to the Gentiles. The very people he hated and he hated Jews that made any any reaches toward them or any accommodations for them. They're unclean.

They're impure. They're sinners. Their wrath is well-deserved and now Paul becomes a missionary unto them and here he is in Athens on the Oropagus. And he's saying God has appointed all the nations in all their times in all their places.

And he goes on to preach the gospel to them. Do you see? Get back to Romans 1 and God has passed over these former times of ignorance. But now he commands that every man repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

Conclusion is that God made every nation. And so in Genesis 10, we're not just taking a step toward God singling out a chosen people that will bring about the Messiah we also see the very heart of God and Establishing nations that will establish nations that will establish nations and in salvation will go to the ends of the earth.

Every nation is made my God every nation preserved my God. God shows his grace and his blessing and his compassion upon every nation. Every nation is different. Has a unique history unique customs. They use their imagedness in diverse ways to express and reflect diverse things.

Some of it very tragically and sadly against the Lord and against what it means to be in the image of God. There's a darkness and a savagery that comes apart from Revelation. But but Paul of course understands that when God singled out Abram through the line of Eber.

The nations were always in view. Abraham is not God's narrowing of salvation unto the Israelites. Abraham and Paul comes to understand this as a Christian. Abraham is God's way of opening up salvation to all.

When God singled out Abraham and made promises to him. It was that he would be a father of many. Nations are in your loins. He said nations are in your loins. Go look at the stars count them if you can.

This is what your descendants will be like look at the sand on the seashore. Have you ever we're at Falmouth just just at the end of last year? Picking up a little grain on the tiniest little back Cove of the tiniest little section of the tiniest part of the Atlantic Ocean and a single little grain of sand and he says.

Look at the sand on a seashore.

That's what your descendants will be like Abram. God gives a vast salvation. In the Church of Jesus Christ, there's no longer Jew nor Greek nor Scythian nor slave nor free nor male nor female. There's no setting apart.

There's no division all all are welcome to come to him in repentance and faith all are invited. All are made one in Christ all made all are made one by being united to Christ by faith. All have common ancestry through Abraham the father of all who believe God has a plan in the fullness of time that Christ will unite all things reconcile all things whether in heaven or on the earth.

And that includes even the scattering of the nations in Genesis 10. I was speaking with One of the the men in my section Should kind of a funny story how I've become friends with this man. He's an older gentleman from South Korea, and he's a missionary and He's recently left Nicaragua and is doing some training and is looking to go to Colombia and do some missionary work there so he's a heart for South America and Central America and One of the things I do in the class and this is why I've grown close to him is I Usually do a little vocab quiz for Greek and I have a bag of lint truffles and if you get the vocab I kind of throw chocolate at you which people my age or younger.

That's kind of a hit something to laugh at. But for a very dignified Asian culture and an elderly man within that culture. It's rather Shameful shall we say to throw being have candy from Matthew? So I remember the first morning, you know, I said his name is Jim.

Oh, I said, you know Jim. Oh, do you know this word and he bowed very politely and gave the soft answer and then I very awkwardly threw chocolate. Just sort of hit his shoulder and fell off and he didn't know what to do.

And I was like, I'm never doing this. Well, of course I went out to profusely apologize and preserve his honor and preserve mine as well and since then I've got to understand More about his own story and just this past Friday He was telling me about how he came to have a heart to learn Spanish and leave South Korea and move to Central America help plant churches and His his reasoning was this he says the South Korea that my parents grew up in which at the time was just Korea.

It was a dark place. It was a savage place. He said we had next to nothing. And he said South Korea today is is booming economically. There's infrastructure and business and commerce at every level. There's churches That are pouring out and sending missionaries all over Asia Eastern Europe South America.

And he says all of that took place between my parents generation and mine. Because God allowed missionaries to come to South Korea. He said that with tears in his eyes We were a dark nation. And now now we are a very advanced culture in an advanced country and very blessed.

And that was all because missionaries came and they sowed the Word of God.

So I want to go do that in Nicaragua or Colombia or a place?

That's that's like South Korea used to be where there's injustice and prostitution and poverty. This is all part of God's plan for the nation's. And we're all called to to participate in this and Paul you have to understand Paul Has completely turned around 180.

From what he formerly thought about the Gentiles to what he thinks about the Gentiles now through Christ as a result of Christ. He says in Galatians 3 that Christ died. Well, let me just pause there Galatians 3 Christ died so that let's just say blank.

Now if I asked you to fill in that blank you could you could put in a lot of answers couldn't you. We're in a reformed evangelical tradition that as a result of modernism tends to be very individualistic.

So your answer would probably be something like Christ died. To wash my sins to forgive my sins. Christ died to save me. If you're thinking a little more maturely Christ died to save a people an elect a holy bride.