Taught by
Stephen ArmstrongGenesis
Genesis 2011 - Lesson 9C
Chapter 9:24-29
Next lesson
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Today we move on from the Flood story and transition to the next toldat or genealogy in Genesis
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But first we have some unfinished business in the family of Noah
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Noah has unfortunately given into his flesh, become drunk and uncovered himself
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Thus proving that Noah was not perfect, not sinless, though he was a man of great faith
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Then his son Ham saw his father and magnified his shame
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Ham celebrated his father’s sin rather than showing discretion and endeavoring to cover the shame
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His brothers, on the other hand, show mercy and do their best to help their father recover his dignity
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Next we watch Noah’s response to how his children reacted
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Noah responds by making prophetic statements concerning the boys and the future of their respective family lines
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As we read these pronouncements, remember that Noah would have understood the seriousness of what he was saying
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Noah understood that his boys would repopulate the earth
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He knew that each son would produce a multitude of people over time
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Which explains why Noah chose such sweeping pronouncements
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And we must assume that Noah’s impetus to make these statements was the Spirit’s influence and direction
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So now look at Noah’s response:
Gen. 9:24 When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him.
Gen. 9:25 So he said,
“Cursed be Canaan;
A servant of servants
He shall be to his brothers.”
Gen. 9:26 He also said,
“Blessed be the LORD,
The God of Shem;
And let Canaan be his servant.
Gen. 9:27 “May God enlarge Japheth,
And let him dwell in the tents of Shem;
And let Canaan be his servant.”
Gen. 9:28 Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood.
Gen. 9:29 So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.
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As Noah awoke, he learns of his indiscretions of the prior evening
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My English text says the “youngest” son
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But the Hebrew word can also be translated younger, which is more accurate since Ham is the middle child
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Some of us may be able to identify with Noah, perhaps as a result of past decisions and indiscretions
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The sinking feeling as we replay the previous night in our memory, piecing together what was said and done
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In Noah’s case, he probably noticed that he wasn’t wearing his normal sleep attire
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Instead, there was a cloak thrown over him, something he wouldn’t have done for himself under normal circumstances
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It probably didn’t require much thought to recognize that someone else had covered him
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And with that recognition, Noah would have been horrified and embarrassed and ashamed
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Perhaps he approached the boys to apologize or to ask for an explanation
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In the course of that discussion, v.24 says Noah knew or understood what his youngest son had done
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And what Ham had done was disrespect his father
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More than simply disrespect, Ham had shown a willingness to enjoy and even celebrate the sin of another
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And in that behavior he had shamed Noah and himself
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Ham’s example is a good one for us to consider ourselves
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Do we glory in another’s sin?
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Our first answer might be, “Of course not...”
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But before we rush to that answer, let’s ask ourselves a few questions
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When we learn embarrassing or shameful news of another person, do we ask ourselves who can I share this with?
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If we’re out with friends and one person begins engaging in mischief, do we encourage them on hoping to see them do something outlandish or risk getting into trouble?
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Do we look the other way when a friend breaks the rules or even the law rather than correcting them kindly and reminding them of their Christian witness?
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In all these cases, and others like them, we repeat the mistake of Ham, certainly in manner if not in degree
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We glory in another’s sin, encouraging, feeding it or at least enjoying it vicariously
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Paul said he prayed that the church would act differently
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Phil. 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,
Phil. 1:10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;
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Paul’s concern for the church was that we wouldn’t be a Ham, so to speak
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We would abound in love based on knowledge and discernment
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Which would lead us to approve of excellent things
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And we would be blameless until our judgment day, filled with righteousness
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We are not blameless if, by association, we encourage others into sin - that was Ham’s problem
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Noah certainly didn’t approve of Ham’s behavior, and in response Noah pronounces a curse
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The first thing we notice is that the curse is directly against not Ham but Canaan
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Since the beginning of this chapter, we’ve noticed that any mention of Ham has included the phrase “the father of Canaan”
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Here we see why Moses has been making that connection throughout the chapter
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Moses was helping us understand the connection between Ham and the curse Noah gives
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Noah is upset at his son Ham, but Noah directs his curse at Ham’s son rather than at Ham himself
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Why?
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Do you remember what we learned in Chapter 3 concerning curses?
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A curse is a pronouncement of eternal damnation
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And when it comes from God (in this case by the power of the Spirit), it is a permanent and irrevocable verdict
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Could God pronounce a curse – eternal damnation – upon Ham?
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Remember Ham was one of the eight on the ark
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Peter testifies that all eight on the ark were righteous by faith
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2Pet. 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;
2Pet. 2:5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
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2Pet. 2:9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
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So if Ham is a man saved by God’s grace, then God cannot pronounce a curse upon Ham
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This is the same situation as God faced with Adam and Woman in the Garden
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Adam sinned yet God pronounced curse not upon him but upon the ground, Adam’s source
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Similarly here, God pronounces a curse through Noah upon Ham but indirectly
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In this case it lands on Ham’s son, Canaan
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Remember, being a believer doesn’t assure us of a perfect life
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A believer can sin, and a believer can find life taking terrible turns
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Saving faith isn’t an insurance policy against the horrors of a sinful world
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Looking in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, we might notice that the first three men listed were Abel, Enoch and Noah
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Noah dies of old age, but not before enduring a traumatic disaster and an embarrassing sinful episode
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Enoch is preserved from even experiencing death
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Abel was murdered at a young age
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If these men can experience such different outcomes in life yet be listed in the Hall of Faith, then we can know anything can happen to us
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But no matter what happens, we’re assured that death won’t conquer and we will receive an eternal inheritance
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So now we understand why Noah doesn’t directly curse his own son Ham, but why place the curse on Canaan?
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The answer is simple, but it may not be satisfying for us – at least not at first
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God is intent on bringing a consequence for this sin
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And the consequence must come from Noah, the man who now represents human government
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But it can’t come against Ham
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And so it will flow from Ham to the next generation
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And it doesn’t really matter where it lands
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God is sovereign over the life of each person and He determines how each life will serve His purposes
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In God’s wisdom and providence He determined that Canaan was the proper recipient of His wrath for Ham’s sin
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You might say that isn’t fair, but remember that Canaan was born a sinner like every man
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He was already on a path to judgment for his sins, like every unbeliever
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Ham’s sin didn’t put Canaan under judgment
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Canaan’s own sin did that for him
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But God’s pronouncement means that Canaan will not receive God’s grace so as to overcome his sin
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He will be left in his sin, cursed as everyone who dies a sinner will be
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Yet still we ask why Canaan? Why not Ham’s oldest son Cush? Or the second or third children?
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Many commentators have tried to answer that in inventive ways, but I think the answer is simple
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When God responded to Adam’s sin in the Garden, He didn’t curse Adam, but He cursed the ground
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God’s choice communicated that though Adam’s sin required God’s judgment, nevertheless God would turn that into good for those who love God
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So by cursing the Earth, God was putting an end to our corrupted physical body, which came from the earth
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And God was promising to replace the physical world, which itself was infected by sin
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So now as God selects a son of Ham to curse, God selects the fourth son
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And the number four in Scripture is the number associated with Earth
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Like we see four compass directions, four seasons, four winds, four corners of the earth, etc.
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Therefore, God repeats His pattern of cursing the earth, so to speak
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And like in the Garden, the curse against Canaan ultimately has a positive impact for those who love God and are called by His purpose
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The family that descends from Canaan will become poster children for depravity in the land later occupied by Israel
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They were sexually depraved and idolators with extreme practices
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And when God’s chosen people entered into the promised land under Joshua, God made Israel’s army an instrument of punishment
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They were conquered by God’s people and they were in a position of slavery or inferiority until they were finally enslaved and destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC
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Noah’s pronouncement said Canaan would be cursed, a servant of servants, the lowest servant
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And he would serve the people who come from his brothers, meaning the families of Shem and Japeth
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The Israelites came from Shem and the Romans came from Japeth
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God’s wisdom is evident in this plan, as it ensures that the people disposed by the arrival of Israel in the land are a people properly destined for this outcome
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Some have speculated that this curse is the source for the slavery of Africans over the centuries
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Ham’s descendants populate Africa, so this thinking is an attempt to justify the enslavement of Africans by Europeans
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But even a casual reading of Genesis shows us the flaw in that thinking
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Ham wasn’t cursed, Canaan was cursed
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And Canaan didn’t settle in Africa
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Next, Noah turns to the other brothers who protected his dignity, and Noah pronounces blessing
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For Shem, Noah blesses not Shem directly but the “God of Shem”
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For Shem, the meaning of this blessing is clear
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He will be the line of the Seed
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The promise for a Messiah will come through Shem
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And Shem’s blessing will be found in the line of Messiah
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From Shem we get two notable lines of people present in the world today
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First, we get the people of the promised seed; the Jewish people
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Secondly, we get the Arab peoples; the appointed foils for Israel
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We learn more about the origins of these two groups in future chapters
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Both these groups are considered Semites, because both came from Shem
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But only the Israelites are the promised seed line
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And then Noah repeats that Canaan’s family would serve the families of Shem
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Finally, Noah turns to Japeth
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Noah declares that Japeth and his families will be enlarged
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Enlarged refers to both the number of them and their territory and wealth
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The peoples who come from Japeth eventually settle Europe and Asia, and later North America
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Obviously these territories represent the vast majority of the world’s population and the world’s wealth
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And Japeth’s family would dwell in the tents of Shem
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The phrase in Hebrew conveys a certain meaning
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The word dwell in Hebrew (sheken) can mean to abide in
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Similar to shekan, which is neighbor
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The sense is of shared benefit
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But the tents will be Shem’s
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Japeth will have the wealth and the numbers
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But they come to Shem’s home and gain benefit from association with Shem’s dwelling
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The sharing will be mutual, but the greater blessing will come from Shem and go to Japeth
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The fulfillment of this prophecy can only be understood spiritually
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Shem will produce the line of the Messiah through Israel
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And Japeth will produce the bulk of the Gentile people of the world
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And the Gentiles will receive blessing by dwelling spiritually in Israel, Shem’s descendants
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And Shem will benefit from the association because the Gentiles will bring numbers and wealth to serve Israel in the Kingdom
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Looking back at the three brothers, we can see each serving as a representative for the three major divisions of humanity, spiritually speaking
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Ham, as represented by his son Canaan, pictures the fate of the sinner
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The one who glories in sin, and celebrates the flesh
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This person will go to destruction paying the penalty for that sin
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We would say the unbeliever
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Shem represents the Jew
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The seed line
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God’s chosen people
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The people who bring salvation to the world
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Finally, Japeth represents the Gentile believer
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Those who own the world but give it up for the hope of Israel
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The person who later enters the family of God by faith and is grafted into the promises of Israel
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Who will dwell in Israel’s promised kingdom by association with God’s promises
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To end this important chapter, Moses tells us of the end of Noah’s story
Gen. 9:28 Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood.
Gen. 9:29 So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.
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Noah’s life span is 950 years, of which 350 occurred after the Flood
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Noah lives long enough to see the world repopulated
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The world has seen people settled from Europe to Africa to East Asia
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And Noah’s son Shem, another passenger on the Ark, lived until Jacob was over 100 years old
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Clearly, between Noah and Shem, there was plenty of opportunity for ancient men to hear the story of the flood firsthand, and record the details accurately
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As news of his death spread, it must have been an important day
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Noah was born shortly after Adam died
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And now Noah was gone
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And it’s been 2,000 years since the Fall in the Garden
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Until this moment, we could connect human history back to the beginning of time through the lives of just three people (Adam, Methuselah, Shem)
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After Noah’s death, length of lives drops dramatically
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And in future generations, men will have lost that direct testimonial connection to the beginning of all things
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And along the way languages are increased and distances grow, and men begin to create stories to fill in their gaps of understanding history
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Myths and legends develop, idols increase
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And so the mercy of God is revealed in His willingness to record these truths through the prophet Moses
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So that even today, six thousands years or so later, we’re still able to understand the details of our origins
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And more than that, we understand the hows and whys for the way things are
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The source of sin, the consequences of men living apart from God
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And God’s mercy to provide a promised solution, found in the Lord Christ
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