Genesis chapter 10, the section of scripture is referred to as the table of nations. It does just that. It highlights 70 nations at this particular time. And I want to read beginning in Genesis chapter 10 at verse 1.
Scripture Reading: Genesis 10
Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood. The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshach, and Tyrus. The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these, the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations. The sons of Ham were Cush, Mitzrayim, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Rehama, and Sabtaka.
And the sons of Rehama were Sheba and Dadan. 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, Erech, Achad, and Kalneh in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Kala, and Rezon between Nineveh and Kala, that is the principal city. Mitzrayim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehebim, Naphtahim, Pathrusim, and Kasluhim, from whom came the Philistines and Kaphtarim.
Canaan begot Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth, the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite, the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite, the Arvidite, the Zemurite, and the Hamathite. Afterward, the families of the Canaanites were dispersed, and the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza, then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, as far as Laisha. These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, and in their nations. And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder.
The sons of Shem were Elam, Asher, Arphakad, Lud, and Aram. The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Arphakad begot Selah, and Selah begot Eber. To Eber were born two sons.
The name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother's name was Jokdan. Jokdan begot Almadad, Shaleph, Hazar, Meveth, Jera, Haderam, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimele, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joctan, and their dwelling place was from Misha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.
These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations. And from these, the nations were divided on the earth after the flood. Amen.
Introduction
We'll close in prayer and we'll go. I'm just kidding. This is a bit of a difficult section of scripture. We're going to probably not deal with every particular name here.
There are very able treatments that do that. If you want to spend about 20 pages and commentary, I can suggest John Gill. because he goes through each and every one and tells you where they are and some specific details and facts about that particular place. I'm of the mind of Calvin. Calvin said, if anyone pleases more accurately to explain the genealogies related by Moses in this and the following chapter, I do not condemn his industry.
And some interpreters have not unsuccessfully applied their diligence and study to this point. Let them enjoy, as far as I am concerned, the reward of their labors." And then he goes on to say that he's going to draw out some of the main lessons from Genesis chapter 10, and that is my hope and my aim tonight. But I do want to go back for just a moment to chapter 9, where we see the sons of Noah mentioned. If you go into chapter 9 at verse 18, the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
And remember that Noah got drunk. He planted a vineyard, he reaped the grapes, and then he got drunk. And then Ham, or he became uncovered in his tent, according to verse 21. And then Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.
But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away and they did not see their father's nakedness." So Ham engages in voyeurism, sort of a homosexual voyeurism, as he looked upon his father's nakedness. It showed a great deal of dishonor. He did not give that filial obedience to the fifth commandment to his father as he should have.
But here we see that Shem and Japheth really went out of their way to protect him, or rather Noah, They really went out of their way to protect their father. They turned away. They did not see their father's nakedness. Now, on the heels of this, Noah finds out what has happened, and then Noah speaks this word of prophecy in verses 25 to 27.
Then he said, Cursed be Canaan. Now again, Canaan is the son of Ham. If we ask the question, why doesn't he curse Ham? Because Ham was already blessed, and what's involved here is the blessing and cursing, ultimately of posterity.
So that's why Canaan is targeted here. But cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants, he shall be to his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.
Now we see this prophecy confirmed or affirmed or beginning to be fulfilled in Genesis chapter 10. In terms of the theology of this particular section, we learn that God is gracious and merciful. Noah sinned but nevertheless God forgave him. Now God is also righteous and just and he brings judgment to bear upon Canaan as a result of his father Ham's sin against his father.
Remember as well in terms of that curse of Ham or that curse of Cain. Some people take Genesis chapter 9 and they condemn all black people. They say that black people suffer from the curse of Cain. The curse of Cain was blackness, and then the curse of Ham was slavery.
And that's what has been appended to the black people subsequent to this particular instance. Older Mormon theology taught that. The curse of Cain was black skin and the curse of him was that blacks were cursed with servitude. That's not what's in view in this particular passage.
That is simply not accurate. That is owing more to a defective hermeneutic and owing more to an idea concerning race or supremacy or other things that have no sort of root in scripture. So I would encourage you and caution you against imbibing this doctrine of the curse of Ham or the curse of Cain. So that's sort of the background.
And then that brings us to this table of nations in Genesis chapter 10. And essentially, you have the sons of Japheth in verses 2 to 5. You have the sons of Ham in verses 6 to 20. And then you have the sons of Shem in verses 21 to 31.
Now, not every name given in this particular genealogy is a person's name. It may be the name of a particular place. And then the formula is the same in each of the instances with a little bit of variation in Shem's genealogy. Notice you have the sons of either Japheth, Ham, or Shem in verses 2, 6, and 22.
And then you have a concluding formula in verses 5, 20, and 31. Again, the total is 70, but you'd have to minus Nimrod. And commentators explain why you would minus Nimrod to come up with this number 70. And we simply don't have time to get into all of that. and I don't have the competency to get into all of that.
But if you look at Shem, there's this prefatory remark. Before it gets into indicating his particular children, or his sons, it says in verse 21, "...and children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder." So that's a little bit of a deviation, and again, I think there's a reason for that. As we move through, we'll see why.
Sons of Japheth: Gentiles Afar
But in the first place, notice the sons of Japheth. And the thing that we need to appreciate here is specifically verse 5. From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, according to his language, according to their families, into their nations. If you remember when we went through Genesis 9, I indicated that it's something of a programmatic passage.
Genesis 3.15 is also a programmatic passage. In other words, it's a passage that telescopes into the future. What is stated in Genesis 3.15 moves all the way through the Bible. The seed of the woman will crush the serpent.
Well, Genesis 9 has something of that as well in Noah's prophecy. in terms of cursed Becanaan, and in terms of blessing Shem, and blessing Japheth. Remember that Shem, the Shemites, are Israelites. Japhethites are Gentiles. And so what Noah prophesies is that God the Lord is going to bless the Shemites, and He's also going to include in that blessing of the Shemites the Japhethites.
In other words, the Gospel goes first to the Jew and then also to the Greek. For in that Gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. The Japhethites are going to prosper and they are going to prophet as a result of Shem's God. Now certainly when the Japhethites participate in these blessings, these covenantal blessings, that God of Shem becomes their God to be sure.
But as I say, this is programmatic. This looks forward in terms of redemptive history to indicate what's going to happen in salvation history. And so we need to appreciate that the Japhethites represent the Gentiles. Now, they are the first that the author begins with because, in many respects, they're the furthest off from the Israelites.
They're the least known among the Israelites. So the author starts with Japheth. Now,
Sons of Ham: Israel's Enemies
notice, secondly, he moves to the sons of Ham. And it's the sons of Ham that are really amplified and really expanded in a whole host of ways. Notice, first, that these are most well-known to the Israelites, the sons of Ham. Because from the sons of Ham, you have the arch enemies of Israel.
You have the Babylonians. You have the Egyptians. You have the Assyrians. You have all manner of horrible persons that are against Israel from this son of Ham. the son from which Israel's worst enemies come.
Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Canaanites are all given to us in this particular section in verses 6 to 20. The son whose son, Canaan, was cursed by Noah is given to us here in this section concerning the sons of Ham. And then notice specifically with reference to this fellow called Nimrod. In verse 8 it says, Cush begot Nimrod, he began to be a mighty one on the earth.
Now those who have been here for any amount of time might reminisce about Genesis 6-4. Now I'm not suggesting that Nimrod is the same sort of mighty one that we find there in Genesis 6-4, but It certainly sounds similar. Genesis 6.4 says, There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
So this Nimrod is a mighty man. He's a mighty hunter before the Lord. Now some wonder why it says he was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Some suggest it simply means or it's a reference to the fact that God is over all things and he sees and he knows that this Nimrod is in fact a mighty hunter.
Others say it is a reproach before God and God is at enmity with this particular Nimrod. But what we find is that it became a saying like Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord. Again, that may seem a bit obscure and a bit odd to us, but it's describing this particular fellow who ultimately gives birth to Babylon and Assyria. Now, all of these particular names and these nations are going to come up again, not only in the book of Genesis, but they're going to come up again all throughout the Old Testament history.
In fact, notice what Nimrod does. Verse 10, the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Achad, and Chalne in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh. So this Nimrod is the one behind the two arch enemies of Israel.
The two enemies that would ultimately bring Israel to her knees. It would be the Assyrians that would destroy the northern kingdom, and it would be the Babylonians that would destroy the southern kingdom. Again, what Moses is doing here in terms of this table of nations, we'll see specifically what he's doing as we move through, but what he's doing as well is providing background. He is giving us the nuts and bolts.
He is giving us history so that as we move through redemptive history in what we call the Old Testament, we'll have some frame of reference as to where these nations originated. They didn't just show up one day. They are all here. They're all present and accounted for, and there's a reason for the antipathy that exists or obtains between, say, Babylon and Israel, or Assyria and Israel.
So this man Nimrod is an archenemy of the Lord God Most High, and he is the one who begins his kingdom with Babel, and from that he went to Assyria and built Nineveh. Now,
Canaanites and Proleptic Dispossession
notice the reference to Canaanites in verses 15 to 19. All of the ites, you know, you read through the Old Testament, you see the Jebusites and the Girgashites and the Hivites and all those particulars. Well, they're all here in verses 15 to 19. Now, if you look specifically at verse 18, in terms of the Canaanites, it says, afterward, the families of the Canaanites were dispersed.
And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza. Then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, as far as Lashah. Now, this may be a positive statement at the end of verse 18. Afterward, the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. could be positive in the sense that wherever they were, they then dispersed because they engaged in more conquest and obtained more land.
Or it could be negative, and based on verse 19, I would take it as a negative. When he says, afterward, the families of the Canaanites were dispersed, he's foreshadowing what ultimately happens to the Canaanites. The Canaanites are godless, the Canaanites are wicked, and the Canaanites will ultimately be dispossessed from their land. They will be dispersed, and verse 19 sounds like the announcement or a description of the first definition of the promised land that would ultimately be given to Israel based on the promise to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12.
So verse 19, and the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar as far as Gaza, then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Adma, and Zeboim as far as Lasha. So this is a proleptic statement concerning the ultimate conquest of the Canaanites, the dispossession of the Canaanites from their land, and the fact that Israel obtains that land by God's grace given to them. Again, you see how this connects with Noah's prophecy in Genesis 9, 25 to 27. The things that Noah specifies in terms of a curse for Canaan and in terms of blessing for Japheth and for Shem are realized here, at least alluded to here, in Genesis chapter 10.
They begin to be fulfilled here. Now,
Sons of Shem: The Chosen Line
notice the sons of Shem. Again, we have this prefatory remark that children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder. Now, this word Eber is probably where we get the word Hebrew. It's probably that place from which the word Hebrew comes.
Now, John Gill makes this observation. in one small section of his 20-page tree. I'm serious. It's about at least 15 pages. And Gill's, like Calvin, lucid, not as lucid as Calvin.
Calvin was a commentator that liked lucid brevity. That meant clear, quick, to the point. Gill is pretty lucid and brave. But in this section, he abandoned that.
And as I said, he went, every step of the way, every name in here, if you want explanation, please read John Gill. It will satisfy or scratch the itch. Even Matthew Poole went longer than Matthew Poole ever has gone on anything I've seen in Genesis up to this point. So all that to say, kind of my first day back in preparing for a Bible study, I was weighed down with a lot of sort of, information about places that I really had no clue of, and I'm not convinced I'm all that more informed at this particular point.
But notice this reference to Shem, and then he mentions Eber. So Gil says, Eber was the great-grandson of Shem, and is here spoken of by anticipation. And Shem is called not the father of either of his immediate sons, but of the posterity of this man, because the Hebrews sprung from him in this lot, or in his line, among whom the church of God and the true religion were preserved, and from whom the Messiah was to come, as he did." Now, notice as well that it refers to Shem as being the brother of Japheth the elder. Now, this is going to be a bit obscure, or perhaps is a bit obscure, But I think Moses is theologizing right here.
I think he's theologizing in the entirety of the chapter, but notice what he says here. Children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder. He was also the brother of Ham, wasn't he? See, Ham doesn't count because Ham is cursed.
Ham is not the star of the show. Shem and Japheth are based on what Noah had spoken in terms of prophetic word in 925 to 27. The promises of God are to Shem. Based on that blessed reality, Japheth becomes a participant in those things.
In other words, in the language of Noah, may God enlarge Japheth and may he dwell in the tents of Shem and may Canaan be his servant. As well, most agree that this reading is correct, that Japheth was the elder son. Some suggest that he was not, and there's reasons why they give. But most agree that Japheth was the elder.
But typically, the language is Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Shem comes first, not because he's the eldest, but Shem comes first because he's preeminent. Shem comes first because he is the one in whom the seed is going to be manifested. Namely, that seed, Genesis chapter 3.
Now
Peleg, Joktan, and the Narrowing Seed
note the theology of the section. From Shem, we have this reference to Eber, and we have this reference to two particular sons. To Eber, notice in verse 25, were born two sons. The name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother's name was Jokdan.
Now, the genealogy here continues only in the line of Jochdan. We then come to the Tower of Babel. Chapter 11 goes hand-in-hand with Chapter 10. It really should be taught together, but I just didn't have the time to go through all of this particular material.
But Babel belongs with what precedes here. So you have this separation that the name Peleg even represents, division. And then from the rest of chapter 10, we only have the line of Joctan. We then go to Babel.
And after Babel, then what happens? We go back to Peleg and specifically his son, specifically the line of Peleg. So it's not the seed, or not the line, rather, of Joctan, but it's the line of Peleg. And that's what the author is doing.
He shows the division, actually, literarily, in the text itself. All of this goes into Babylon. After Babylon, out comes the particular line that leads, ultimately, to Abraham. In other words, what Moses is doing is he's connecting all of this to Genesis 3.15.
He's honing in on and narrowing down for us where the seed of Genesis 3.15 is going to come from. It's not the line of Joctan, it's the line of Peleg. And this consistently, if you go to chapter 11 at verse 10, what we find here in terms of Shem and who he begets down to Peleg, It comes to Terah. Terah gives birth to Abraham, and Abraham is the one in whom the seed is located.
It's the nation of Israel, it's the family of Abraham specifically, and that's what Moses is doing. He's honing in for us on that particular line from whence the seed, Christ the Lord, will come. So the reference, or rather the reference to Peleg means, his name means division. Look at verse 25.
Eber were born two sons, the name of one was Peleg, and then it gives some information. For in his days the earth was divided. Now that may be proleptic or sort of anticipatory for what's going to happen at Babel. But it's also within the family of Shem.
Not everybody within the family of Shem are the chosen ones. It is the particular line of Peleg. And this is consistent with what we've seen in genealogies up to this point. You have Cain.
You have Abel, you have the Sethites, you have the Cainites, you have this demarcation reflecting the announcement in Genesis 3.15 concerning the skull-crushing seed of the woman that would ultimately come to deliver his people from their sins. I think that's what Moses is doing. He's honing in on, and once we get to Genesis chapter 12, I mean, the direction, no, not the direction, the speed greatly, greatly slows down. I mean, look at where we go from.
In Genesis chapter 10, we have this reference to 70 nations. Genesis 11, we have this, you know, magnificent event concerning the Tower of Babel and how God confuses their language. We get some more genealogy to bring us to Abraham, and then what? We have Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
That's it. Go from 12 to 50. 12 to 50, focusing on these three men. Now, ultimately Joseph as well. Why?
Because the purpose, one of the purposes of the book of Genesis is to show us that Genesis 3.15 man. It's to show us the seed and how that seed comes to pass in the fullness of the times. When God sends forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law. How He is both Son of God and Son of Man.
That His pedigree or His humanity reaches all the way back through this particular line. That's what Moses is conspicuously demonstrating in this instance. So Piraeus not only means division, but it also highlights the division that obtained not only at Babel, but the division that occurs between the sons of Shem. And this fits in with what Paul will later say in Romans chapter 9.
Not all Israel is Israel. It's not just physical descent from Abraham, or in this instance from Shem or Eber, that secures your place with God. It's not just blood. It's not a race.
It's not the bloodlines, but rather it's this election of God according to His grace that separates from this Shem, these two sons of Eber, namely Jocton, who are reprobate, and Peleg that are actually the ones that bring the seed to pass. And then notice the reference, or rather the dividing line, falls between the two sons of Eber, Peleg and Joktan. One line leads to the building of Babylon. I mean, again, literally, if you look at the passage, it flows that way.
We have all these nations leading right into Babel, and then we have this dispersal. So Jachdan leads us to Babel, and then after Babel, we have Peleg that leads us to Abraham. It's a beautiful sort of way that the author has converged or brought this to pass. He is narrowing down for us the nation, the family, and ultimately the individual, Abraham, through whom the Messiah would come.
So it would be Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. This is in fact what Abraham will ultimately reflect upon, that in his seed, or God will say to Abraham, in his seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed. So this is extended commentary, extended sort of exposition of the seed promise in Genesis chapter 3 at verse 15. It's consistent with what Noah has spoken in terms of a curse upon Canaan and in terms of blessing upon Shem and Japheth.
And in terms of the similarity in the genealogies up to this particular point, it's been the same sort of a thing. If you go back for just a moment to Genesis chapter 4, Well, Genesis 3, 315, "...I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." So we're taught that there will be these two seeds. The seed of the woman, that's Jesus Christ.
The seed of the serpent, or rather the serpent himself, is the devil. And then we get to Genesis chapter 4, and we see this genealogy of Cain. Cain is not the one through whom the seed ultimately goes, but rather it's going to be Seth. And that's highlighted for us in Genesis chapter 5.
And the same thing is true here. It's ultimately not Joctan, but it's going to be Peleg. And this in the family of Shem. Consistent with the promise of God through Noah to Shem, blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.
May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. And then as well, in terms of just some practical sort of observations, again, you can read the other commentaries to get all the particular names and countries and locations, and to see what was carved out for each of these particular brothers, or these particular sons, rather, of Noah. but
Providence of God in World History
in terms of just some overall general observations. In the first place, it demonstrates the providence of God in the history of the world. The providence of God in the history of the world. God not only created man in Genesis 1 and 2, but God multiplies man.
God preserves man. God establishes man. God spreads man throughout the earth. And when man rises up in rebellion against God, as he will do in Genesis chapter 11, God brings judgment to bear.
Now, I don't think you're supposed to read Genesis 10 and 11 strictly chronologically. I think chapter 10 is proleptic, and that means it sort of anticipates what's going to happen. Genesis 11 shows us why the division came about. You have this one family under God, this one blood, and then they rose up in opposition against the High King of Heaven, and so God confounds their lip.
He confuses their language and then they are dispersed from there. So the providence of God in world history, if anybody ever wants to know their history or wants to know how they came to be, Genesis 10 is fundamental. It explains for us. God's hand in the government of the world.
Discovery of the Chosen People
Secondly, Genesis chapter 10, as I hope you've seen, is a way, or rather a means, by which there's a discovery and a distinction of the chosen people of God. We move from Shem, ultimately, down to Abraham. Notice in 26, in verse 11, Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. We've got Terah's descendants in verses 27 to 32, and then, boom, Genesis chapter 12.
Again, the narrative slows down to almost a complete halt. We focus now incredibly and in detail upon Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Why? Because the author's done the specific work of identifying the family from whence Messiah will come, and now we're going to investigate these people in their world.
As well,
Confirmation of Noah's Prophecy
this whole section confirms Noah's prophecy to his sons. The fact that there's going to be this dispersal of Canaanites, according to verse 18, and that verse 19 is ultimately what the children of Israel inhabit or obtain, show us that what Noah said, he spoke by the Spirit of the living God in a prophetic manner. He didn't make this up. He cursed Cain and he blessed Jeb and Japheth consistent with what the Spirit of God had laid upon his heart.
And then in terms of that prophecy, it does jive with later redemptive history. I mean, isn't this the whole point? Not the whole point, but certainly one of the points in New Covenant Christianity. It is to explain Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God.
In fact,
Gentile Inclusion: The Jerusalem Council
you can turn to Acts chapter 15, a passage that we looked at, you know, a month ago, four weeks ago, when we looked at that statement in Genesis chapter 9. But you remember, at the Jerusalem Council, The issue was, what do we do with these Gentiles who are coming in among the people of God? Acts 15 verse 1, certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question." You see, brethren, we've already got this established.
This is already settled for us. We already have the benefit of the Jerusalem Council, but remember the first century. This Jewish Messiah comes, and he's crucified, and he's raised the third day, and then his apostles, his disciples go out, and they start preaching the gospel, not just to Jews, but to Gentiles. And lo and behold, those Gentiles are getting saved.
Lo and behold, those Gentiles are confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and the Apostles specifically. Paul the Apostle is encouraging this, and he's even sent specifically to these Gentiles. Well, everybody's starting to kind of, you know, scratch their heads and say, okay, what do we do now? Do these Gentiles have to subscribe to the same sorts of things that we Jews have to do?
Do they have to get circumcised? Do they have to fulfill the Mosaic law? Do they have to go through the ceremony? These were legitimate, real, live issues.
These were burning, pressing issues. And that's why you had some who said, no, they can't enter in among us unless they subscribe to circumcision. They can't join in with us unless they go through what we went through. In other words, they have to not only become Christians by faith in Jesus Christ, but they also need to become Jews by circumcision a la Moses.
So this was a real burning issue. And so they go to Jerusalem, they have this particular council, and then we see the council meets together. We have Peter's testimony in verses 7 to 11, and then we have Paul and Barnabas address the council in verse 12. Notice Paul and Barnabas, they had been the missionaries to the Gentiles.
Their testimony is key here. I mean, so is Peter's. Go back to verse 7 for just a moment. Verse 7, And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them, Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.
So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. See, Peter had preached to the household of Cornelius and he saw the Holy Spirit come upon them and he baptized them. He says in verse 10, now, therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved in the same manner as they.
Lord, this is the one covenant of God applied to Jews and Gentiles. Then Paul and Barnabas, verse 12, then all the multitude kept silent. Listen to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. You see, this was a real issue for them.
That's why at the end of chapter 15, they write this letter to Gentiles and essentially tell them, don't do things that are going to bug the Jews. That's a huge paraphrase, but that's essentially how you should understand Acts 15. It's not a developed covenantal ethic for Gentile Christians. It was to facilitate the transition of Gentile inclusion among the covenant people of God.
In other words, Gentiles, don't eat bacon in front of your Jewish brothers. Again, just to make it as paraphrased as I can, you don't want to upset the apple cart. Do those things that will facilitate this transition. But notice specifically the testimony of James in verses 13 and following.
Verse 13, And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, listen to me. Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written. Now this is Amos chapter 9, verses 11 and 12.
After this, I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down. I will rebuild its ruins and I will set it up so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord who does all these things. Known to God from eternity are all his works. Isn't that a beautiful testimony?
The prophets have declared this. He could have went right back to Genesis 9, 25 to 27. Noah announced this, that Japheth will come and find safe haven in the tents of Shem. Those tents of Shem will provide that blessed cover and that atonement and that glory for Gentiles.
And I love James' statement in verse 18, known to God from eternity are all his works. Brethren, God purposed to save a great multitude that no man can number from every tribe, every tongue, every people, and every nation. He chose the Jews as the vehicle from whence the Redeemer would come. That family specifically identified here in Abraham, or as the text moves forward to Genesis chapter 12, to Abraham, it is in Abraham that all the nations, all the families of the earth will be blessed because of Abraham's seed, even the Lord Jesus Christ.
That purpose and plan always envisioned the inclusion of Gentiles in the covenant promises of God. Noah is preaching in Genesis 9, 25 to 27, Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God. Now, typically we go to Genesis 12 as the sort of first place with reference to Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God. But we have this reference to these Gentiles, these Japhethites that are going to find safe haven in the tents of Shem.
So Noah was a gospel preacher to the Jew first and also to the Greek. And then
Background for Later Redemptive History
finally, Genesis 10 provides background for later events in Genesis and beyond. The background for later events in Genesis and beyond. John Sailhammer made this observation. He said, by and large, the notes, and what he means by the notes is that when you read through Genesis 10, It's pretty much name, name, name, place, place, place, name, name, name.
But there's some notes. There's some reference concerning Nimrod. There's this note concerning the Canaanites. There's this note concerning this division.
There's these sort of comments by Moses along the way in this genealogy. So Sarah Hammer says, by and large, the notes focus on those nations that are the subject of God's judgment in the remainder of the book. For example, Babylon, verses 8 to 12, the Philistines, verse 14, the Canaanites, including Sodom and Gomorrah, in verse 19. So names that are given, places that are described in Genesis chapter 10 are fundamental and key to understand the rest of Genesis.
It's sort of like a key, if you will, or a legend or a grid by which we make heads or tails out of subsequent chapters in the book of Genesis. So, it really is a most valuable and a most excellent chapter of Scripture. Well, let's close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for these covenant promises that are realized in the Lord Jesus Christ, and they are for Jew and Gentile, and in this we greatly rejoice, Lord God. We thank you for this seed of the woman that crushes the serpent. We thank you for his work at Calvary. We thank you that all of the Bible, the scope of the whole, as the old boys would say, is to give glory to God in the salvation of men by Jesus Christ.
How we thank you for Christ our Lord, how we thank you for what Genesis 10 even teaches us about him. And we ask now that you would go with us and watch over us and bring us together on the Sabbath that we may worship you in spirit and in truth. And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.