Genesis 10

Bible Passage:  Genesis 10

After the exciting events over the last few days in the family of Noah, we come to this passage of the Bible which we have a tendency to skip over quickly.  I mean… what is it with all these names?  I hardly recognize anyone of them.  What can I possibly learn today?

I admit my mind was an absolute blank as I read chapter 10.  I know that this was the genealogy of Noah and his sons after the flood but is there anything to learn from the names of the descendents of Ham, Shem and Japheth?

The flood reduced the world’s population to just Noah, his wife, 3 sons and their wives (Gen 7:13, 20-23; 8:18).  In a sense, God was starting all over again – repopulating the earth from one righteous man’s family.  Today’s passage gives a summary of the nations that were born from that family (Gen 10:1).  That is why this chapter is sometimes called the “Table of Nations”.

I am sure you are tempted, like me, to skip over reading this list of obscure names and long forgotten places.  But as I read through it finally, I realised that this was the key to the rest of Biblical history.

I mean, it is like the cast of characters given in the preface of a play so that the audience will understand who the players or actors are, how they stand in relation to one another and which ones have the main roles.

So when you read the rest of the Bible with Genesis 10 in mind, you will realize that God is working out a plan that includes all the peoples of the world.  In tomorrow’s passage you will read how He scatters them by confusing their language (Gen 11:1-9).  Then reading on, you will see how He chooses one family – the family of Abraham – through which to bless all the families of the earth (Gen 12:1-3).  Ultimately, that bleing comes through Jesus – whose work of salvation grace is seen clearly in the New Testament.

So keep some of these names in mind and if you have the time… spend some effort to find out more about these descendents of the sons of Noah.  After all… it just shows that everyone in the world is related.  And that amongst some of these descendents were the ones that raised up kingdoms that became great enemies of Israel.

But the assurance is this… we continue to see God’s hand in everything that happens in the world.