TABLE OF NATIONS

Noah’s Ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat in Turkey (previously known as Asia Minor). Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, wrote of ark remnants still in that area in AD 100. All serious archaeological evidence points to this area in Turkey being the origin of the second civilization after the flood.

At that time, all of the descendants of Noah spoke one language. Noah lived another 300 years after the flood – long enough to see a vast repopulation of his great and great-great grandchildren. They began to migrate east to the land of Shinar (Mesopotamia). In Genesis 11, the descendants of Noah and try to build the Tower of Babel and are stopped by God when He confuses their language. From that very location (the city of Babylon), they are divided into 70 nations and sent off in different directions.

Genesis 10:32: "These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood."

From Noah's sons (Shem, Ham, & Japheth) and their descendants come all the peoples of the earth: 26 nations from Shem, 30 from Ham and 14 from Japeth. The list is probably not complete, but we get a concise picture of the division of race based on these 70 nations.

In general, the descendants of SHEM stayed in Mesopotamia (Middle East) or headed southeast; the descendants of HAM went southwest (Africa / India) and the descendants of JAPETH went north (Asia / Europe). Not all of the various nations have been identified.

Simplified, the descendants of HAM include: Egyptians (origin of the Philistines), Africans, Ethiopians, Canaanites, Phoenicians and Hittites... pretty much all the villains of the OT!

The descendants of JAPETH (after the languages were confused) spoke what we classify as Indo-European languages, including: English, Spanish, German, Latin, Greek, Russian, Armenian, Persian.

SHEM is the guy to keep your eyes on, though. He was blessed by Noah above his brothers (Genesis 9:26–27), and it is through his lineage that the promised “Seed” will eventually come. Shem lived to be 600 years of age (Genesis 11:10–11) and most of his descendants are well documented. They include the Hebrews, Persians and Assyrians. The descendants of Shem (Shemites) were termed “Semites” in the 1770's. Today the term “Semite” refers to speakers of the Semitic languages (i.e. Jews/Arabs). [The term “antisemitism was derived from “Semite” to refer to anyone who discriminates or is hostile to Jews, in particular.]

Genesis 10:21 tells us that “Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber”. This is important because “Eber” is the origin of “Hebrew”.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM GENESIS

All through the Bible God relates to His people through a “covenant” relationship. Understanding the covenants (or promises) God makes with His creation helps us to see the 'big picture' of the Bible. Simplified, these covenants between God and mankind contain promised blessings for keeping the relationship along with curses for breaking it. And those curses ain't no joke, y'all... 😳

Genesis 6:18 is the first time the word “covenant” is mentioned in the Bible. But to fully understand the covenant between God and Noah, it's important to go back 10 generations to the Garden of Eden and re-read one of the most foundational verses of the Bible. In Genesis 3:15, God says to satan: “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.” [The “Seed” of The Woman (indicating a virgin) is none other than Jesus Christ (1 John 3:8).] Many scholars recognize God's promise as the first covenant... the “Adamic Covenant”. In this covenant, God prophesied about a “Seed” who will destroy the curse of sin. After Adam & Eve's screw-up, God didn't throw in the towel but He did throw down a gauntlet of consequences. From that day forward, He proclaimed that men and women would both endure death, sorrow and “painful labor”... man, by the sweat of his brow and woman, by the sweat of labor pains, i.e. pushing a watermelon out of a keyhole. (See Genesis 3:16-19, with a bit o' paraphrasing. 😜)

From this point on, the rest of the OT is pretty much an outline of God's plan to bring forth the promised “Seed”, while dealing with all the bone-headed antics of His creation.

Which brings us to God's covenant with Noah. A mere 1,650 years after God created man, the world had grown evil beyond belief. Although He was filled with regret and grief for His creation (Genesis 6:6), God's promise to Adam and Eve remained. When God shut the door to the Ark, He was protecting His plans for the Seed. And oh, the symbolism! Just as the Ark delivered Noah through the flood waters into a new life, Christ delivers Believers from sin to salvation through baptism.

FUN FACT:

Noah’s name means “rest and comfort.” When he was born, Noah's father (Lamech) prophesied that Noah would "comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by THE GROUND THE LORD HAS CURSED.” (Genesis 5:29). This refers back to the very same curse of Genesis 3:17-19. After the flood, Noah presented God with a burnt sacrifice and God said in His heart: “Never again will I CURSE THE GROUND because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.” (Genesis 8:20-21).