..To Ancient SDA's ............ To "What's New?"
by
Ron Parsons
The aim of this series:
“Then He said to them, ‘O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?’ And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Luke 24:25-27.
A PDF version of this reading is available by clicking here
Genesis 10 continued, and 11
The dividing of the nations
Continuing with the birth of the nations....
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(Begin quote)Genesis 10:
Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.21
22
The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. 23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.24
And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. 25 And to Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg [Division]; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.26
And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, 27 and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, 28 and Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, 29 and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as you go to Sephar a mount of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.32
These are [the records of] the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.***************
(End quote)The first two brothers having departed north and south, east and west, the descendants of the third brother, Shem, remained around the general area in which the ark came to rest and eventually formed the nucleus of the Hebrew nation when Abraham joined them a few centuries later.
Noah, speaking by divine inspiration, had foretold the history of the three great races which were to spring from these fathers of mankind.
To recap: the line of Shem (Israel) was to be God’s witness, self-chosen because of their general characteristic of obedience and respect. This was not because they were so good, but only that they were better representatives than the others. Japheth’s family (the Europeans) would eventually come to be associated with them because he also showed something of his character when he helped his brother cover their father. Bringing up the rear came Ham’s descendants (the Babylonians and Pagans). And this was forecast simply because of the character transmitted from generation to generation.
Of course, all this was only a picture, and ONLY those who literally accepted the gift of the Son of God, and were converted, or "born again" into God’s spiritual family, could escape the fate set out for the family of Ham. It didn’t matter that they were physically born into the line of Shem, Japheth, or Ham, it was their "spiritual" character (the gift of God) that would save them.
One day ALL the rejecters of God’s mercy from ALL of the families will "bow the knee" as servants to the LORD and the saints. Romans 14:11.
Thus it is written:-
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(Begin quote)Romans 2:28-29
For he is not a Jew [a follower of the living God], which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
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(End quote)The LORD was the God of Shem and therefore he was a spiritual "Jew", reborn into the Son of God’s family. Through Shem’s descendants would come the pledge of God's covenant, the promised Redeemer. From Shem would descend Abraham, and the people of Israel, through whom the Christ was to come. It is written, "Happy is that people, whose God is the LORD [the Son of Almighty God]." Psalm 144:15.
Before we go on we should note again these words:
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(Begin quote)Unto Shem [was born Arphaxad] . . . . 24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. And to Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided …21
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(End quote)After the Flood time passed.…
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(Begin quote)Genesis 11:1-4
[the sons of Ham, particularly Cush] journeyed from [around in] the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, "Go to [come on], let us make brick, and burn [cook] them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech [during that period].
And it came to pass, as they
And they said, "Go to
[come on], let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach to heaven [higher than the flood waters]; and let us make us a name [a central place], lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."***************
(End quote)We now know that city as the famed "Babel" with its tower. (It was in what is now called Iraq.) In later times it came to be called "Babylon" and it is used in the Bible as the picture of the leading religious opposition to God on earth. It shares this distinction with the city from Japheth’s side of the earth, Rome, which inherited its physical as well as spiritual attributes.
There have always been two main groups in opposition to God’s "way", one claiming to be Christian and one not (later called in the Bible the "kings" of the north and south, Daniel 11:6-45) and in their middle has been the true people of God in SPIRITUAL Jerusalem. However, representatives of all three earthly attitudes can be found in any group of humans.
Following their natural behaviour some of the people of the eastern area denied the existence of God, and attributed the flood to the operation of natural causes, while the majority, who believed in a supreme Being, said that it was He who had destroyed the pre-flood world, and blamed Him for it. But whichever way they thought, their hearts, like that of Cain, rose up in rebellion against Him and they refused to spread out into the world.
The religious dwellers on the plain of Shinar did not believe the message from Son of God when He said that He would not again allow a flood upon the earth, so they went about things in their own religious way and built their religious symbol, the tower.
One object before them in the erection of the tower was to secure their own safety in case of another deluge. By carrying the structure to a much greater height than was reached by the waters of the flood, they thought to place themselves beyond all possibility of danger and save themselves. And as they would be able in this way to ascend to the region of the clouds, they hoped to ascertain the cause of the flood. The whole undertaking was designed to exalt still further the pride of its projectors, and to turn the minds of future generations away from God and to lead them into idolatry while still professing to be His followers. See 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8. They had the form of Christianity without the power. 2 Timothy 3:5.
However, God’s people were more obedient, for Noah had said that the descendants of Japheth were to share in the blessings of the gospel, which is what we find today. Paul referred to this when he wrote:
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(Begin quote)Romans 11:17-25
[the disobedient Israelites, Caiaphas etc.] be broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree [the obedient Gentiles, Cornelius etc.], were grafted in among them [the obedient Israelites, Paul etc.], and with them partake of the Root and fatness of the olive tree; boast not against the branches. But if you boast, you bear not the Root, but the Root you. [Revelation 22:16.]And if some of the branches
You will say then, "The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in." Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Be not highminded
[proud], but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not you [if you become like them].Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell
[they were not pushed, or rejected by God, it was their choice], severity [strict justice in giving them what they want, separation from His guidance]; but toward you, goodness, IF YOU CONTINUE in His goodness: otherwise you also shall be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief [and repent], shall be grafted [back] in: for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature [Japheth], and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree [Shem]: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?For I would not, brothers
[and sisters], that you should be ignorant of this mystery [an unexplored truth], lest you should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.***************
(End quote)But what about the dividing?
Here’s some more fascinating background of the nations for you.
It is written:-
Shem "begat Arphaxad two years after the flood", Genesis 11:10;
Arphaxad was thirty-five years old when Salah was born, verse 12;
Salah was thirty years old when Eber was born, verse 14;
and Eber was thirty-four years old when Peleg was born, verse 16;
and Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:
and Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, verses 18-19.
Thus we have (2+35+30+34 = 101) years after the flood when Peleg was born, in whose days the families of the sons of Noah, in their nations, were divided in the earth. He lived 239 years altogether, therefore the division could have come anywhere in the years between 101 and 340 after the flood, in the fourth generation, which would make it 1656+340 = 1996 since the creation (about 2008BC).
Why did the scattering occur? Because of the following principle.
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(Begin quote)Isaiah 8:9-15
[and try to work out your own plans], and you shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all you of far countries: gird yourselves [with weapons of force], and you shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and you shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to nothing; speak the word [of union], and it shall not stand: for God is with us.Associate yourselves, O you people
For the LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand
[with great emphasis], and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, "Say you not [Don’t you say, ‘I agree with] a confederacy’, to all them to whom this people shall say, ‘A confederacy’ [i.e. a union, of churches or with the state for protection]. Neither fear you their fear, nor be afraid."Sanctify
[follow] the LORD of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He shall be for a sanctuary [for you]; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of [apostate] Israel [north and south], for a gin [trap] and for a snare to the [disobedient] inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken [in Satan’s deceptions].***************
(End quote)Whenever this attempt at unity is made without the Spirit’s leading, a division occurs.
This is the record of the dividing at Babel.....
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(Begin quote)Genesis 11:5-7
[the Son of God] came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. And the LORD said [to His angel friends], "Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to [come on] let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."And the LORD
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(End quote)The LORD did not need to "come down" personally to see what was going on, but, like the time He came to Abraham, and after lunch went to "see" what was happening in Sodom and Gomorrah, He came to Babel and brought some friends with Him so that they could appreciate what was happening. (See Genesis 18:1-2.) As they watched at Babel they saw the people rejoicing in their success, and praising their homemade gods of silver and gold, and setting themselves against the real Ruler of heaven and earth, as was their custom.
We have a record of one of those occasions.
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(Begin quote)Daniel 5:1-6
[of Babylon] made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein… They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone [which they had made].Belshazzar the king
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(End quote)So, what happened at Babel? Because God has granted freedom of choice to all, what can the following words mean?
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(Begin quote)Genesis 11:8-9
[confusion]; because the LORD there confounded the language of all the earth: and from there the LORD scattered them abroad upon the face of all the earth.So the LORD scattered them abroad from there upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel
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(End quote)Consider this scenario:-
Suddenly the work that had been advancing so prosperously was checked. The tower had reached a lofty height, and it was impossible for the workmen at the top to communicate directly with those at the base; therefore men were stationed at different points, each to receive and report to the one next below him the orders for needed material or other directions concerning the work.
As messages were thus passing from one to another they were confounded, so that material was called for which was not needed, and the directions delivered were often the reverse of those that had been given. Confusion and dismay followed. All work came to a standstill. There could be no further harmony or co-operation, even while speaking the same language on the ground, for suspicion and distrust were everywhere.
This was not done by the Son of God personally, but their way of eating, drinking and general living had so altered their senses of hearing and speaking that it was nearly impossible for them to pass on a message correctly. Although this decline had been building up for a time it did not show up until these special circumstances brought it into prominence.
We know now that this is a natural and normal experience to mankind.
Anyone who has played the party game of whispering to the person sitting next to them, and thus passing on a message around a room, will know how mixed up they can get. Even to the extent of totally reversing the first thought! But the builders of Babel were wholly unable to account for the strange misunderstandings among them, and in their rage and disappointment they blamed one another, and then blamed God. Their confederacy ended in strife and bloodshed, for that was their nature, shaped by their belief in the use of force. Human confederacies can never last for long even amongst those who think the same way!
Now those that could understand one another's altered speech and felt in harmony, united in companies, some of which went in one direction, and some another. This very separation soon extended the problem for they began to take a delight in producing different dialects to distinguish themselves from one another and to keep their "mysteries" safe. (Consider the United States of America and the number of dialects in that nation. A recent National Geographic issue commented on the fact that rather than decreasing in these modern times, they are on the increase as people want to identify more locally.)
This dispersion into the countryside was the means of peopling the whole earth, and thus the LORD's purpose was accomplished through the very attempt that men had employed to prevent its fulfilment. So once again He was willing to take the blame.
That’s probably enough for now, more next week.
Bye for now,
Ron
P. S.
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(Begin quote)Deuteronomy 7:9
"Know therefore that the Lord your God He is God, the faithful God, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations."
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(End quote)?????
Some of the comments in these readings are adapted from books in my library. No recognition is given because they are not intended as authorities, but are used because they express my understanding clearly. All the ideas expressed in these readings, right or wrong, are my own.
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To Ancient SDA's ............ To "What's New?" To the top of this page
Romans 14:11
For it is written, "As I live," says the LORD, "every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." Back
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(Begin quote)Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [the second coming] shall not come, except there come a falling away first [amongst the professed people of God], and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself [pretending] that he is God.3
5
Remember you not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?6
And now you know what withholds [what is restraining him from fooling everyone] that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only He who now lets [restrains] will let [continue to do so], until He be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be [fully] revealed, whom the LORD shall consume with the spirit of His mouth [the truth], and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming [error cannot stand in the light]. Back***************
(End quote)
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(Begin quote)[not knowing it was the Son of God he was addressing], if now I have found favour in your sight, pass not away, I pray you, from your servant: 4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:….Genesis 18:
1
And the LORD appeared to him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3 and said, "My lord
16
And the men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. ….20
And the LORD said, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come to Me; and if not, I will know." 22 And the men turned their faces from there, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD [to plead for the people of Sodom]. Back***************
(End quote)
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(Begin quote)Daniel 11:
And in the end of [certain] years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement…..6
27
And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed. 28 Then shall he [the king of the north] return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land…..36
And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done…..45
And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace [his headquarters] between the seas in the glorious holy mountain [Mt. Zion]; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. Back***************
(End quote)