Noah Dividing the World Between His Sons, Anonymous, Russia, 18th century
Call to Worship – Isaiah 42:1-9
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you.”
All People That on Earth Do Dwell
All people that on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
Him serve with joy, his praise forth tell, Come ye before him and rejoice.
Know that the Lord is God indeed; Without our aid he did us make;
We are his folk, he doth us feed, And for his sheep he doth us take;
O enter then his gates with praise, Approach with joy his courts unto;
Praise, laud and bless his name always, For it is seemly so to do.
For why? The Lord our God is good, His mercy is forever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood, And shall from age to age endure.
To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, The God whom heaven and earth adore,
From earth and from the angel host Be praise and glory evermore.
Amen.
Words:William Kethe & Scottish Psalter
Music: Genevan Psalter
Prayer and Intercession
O SOVEREIGN LORD,
You are the creator-Father of all men, for you have made and do support them;
You are the special Father of those who know, love and honor you,
who find your yoke easy, and your burden light,
your work honorable,
your commandments glorious.
But how little your undeserved goodness has affected me!
how imperfectly have I improved my religious privileges!
how negligent have I been in doing good to others!
I am before you in my trespasses and sins,
have mercy on me,
and may your goodness bring me to repentance.
Help me to hate and forsake every false way,
to be attentive to my condition and character,
to bridle my tongue,
to keep my heart with all diligence,
to watch and pray against temptation,
to mortify sin,
to be concerned for the salvation of others.
O God, I cannot endure to see the destruction of my kindred.
Let those that are united to me in tender ties
be precious in your sight and devoted to your glory.
Sanctify and prosper my domestic devotion,
instruction, discipline, example,
that my house may be a nursery for heaven,
my church the garden of the Lord,
enriched with trees of righteousness of your planting,
for your glory.
Let not those of my family who are amiable, moral, attractive,
fall short of heaven at last;
Grant that the promising appearances of a tender conscience,
soft heart, the alarms and delights of your Word,
be not finally blotted out,
but bring forth judgment unto victory in all whom I love.
Amen.
The Family from The Valley of Vision
All the Poor and Powerless
All the poor and powerless, All the lost and lonely,
All the thieves will come confess And know that you are holy.
And know that you are holy.
And all will sing out “Hallelujah”, and we will cry out, “Hallelujah”,
And all will sing out “Hallelujah”, and we will cry out, “Hallelujah”.
All the hearts who are content and all who feel unworthy,
And all who hurt with nothing left Will know that you are holy. (Chorus)
Shout it, Go on and scream it from the mountains,
Go on and tell it to the masses, that He is God. (Repeat)
Leslie Jordan and David Leonard
CCLI #2487144
Scripture Reading – Genesis 10
1 These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.
2 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations.
6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and 12 Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. 13 Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom[b] the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.
15 Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, 16 and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites dispersed. 19 And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.
21 To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born. 22 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24 Arpachshad fathered Shelah; and Shelah fathered Eber. 25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. 26 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.
32 These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.
Sermon – Family Ties
In early February 2019, my wonderful wife asked me what I wanted for my 41st birthday. As I racked my brain to come up with something, I realized that I’d finally reached the stage of life where I couldn’t think of anything I needed or even wanted. (As a matter of fact, once you reach your forties, birthdays begin to lose their luster!) But I knew that Jennifer wouldn’t be happy unless she had an interesting idea.
Ironically, a few days later, I saw an advertisement for Ancestry.com, a company that conducts genetic ethnicity tests and promises to connect you to your genealogical family tree. I had always been curious about this, but not curious enough to pay the $80 price tag. But I figured: “If Jennifer is buying, I’m flying!” She loved the suggestion and ordered it immediately.
When the kit arrived in the mail, I read the directions, spit saliva into the plastic tube, and sent it back to the company. Six weeks later, my “ethnicity estimate” and “DNA story” appeared on my Ancestry profile page and I was shocked by the results: it revealed that I’m 96% African! Come on, folks, I’m just joking!! I’m actually 54% English, 25% Scotch-Irish, 18% German, 1% French, and to my great surprise, 1% Malian, and 1% Nigerian. Since the “McConnell” name is Scotch-Irish, I thought my Celtic percentage would be higher.
After I examined my DNA story, I took advantage of the free one-month database subscription to trace my family tree. Since I am too cheap to pay the $40 monthly continuation fee, I knew I had exactly 30-days to do as much research as possible. For the next four weeks, I became addicted to genealogical research! I consistently stayed up well past midnight finding names and details about family members I didn’t even know existed.
It was thrilling to discover that, once I established my lineage to my great-grandparents, the database did, in fact, connect me to my ancestors going back hundreds of years. It was fascinating to read about my great-grandfather’s Robert McConnell and John McConnell, who fought in the Civil War and the War of 1812, respectively. It was even more interesting to trace my family line back to Alexander McConnell who died in Dumfries-shire, Scotland in 1652. And I hit the jackpot when, late one night, I was able to trace a grandmother’s lineage all the way back to Sir John Wallace who lived from 1277-1307. He was the younger brother of Sir William Wallace (Braveheart). My great-grandpa John Wallace was hanged, drawn and quartered at the Tower of London two years after his big brother William was executed the same way.
When I first learned this, I shouted out loud: “Kill the bloody English!” Then I remembered that my DNA is 54% English and only 25% Scotch-Irish. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep much that night.
A genealogy can be interesting, in a way. On the surface, it’s basically just a list of names, usually unfamiliar names. But if you look behind the names, you’ll find captivating stories—stories full of heroes and villains, innovators and idiots, triumphs and tragedies, and maybe some scandals. They also unveil mysteries for us to ponder. For the past year, I’ve been wondering about the origin of my 1% Nigerian bloodline.
A genealogy is especially interesting if you have a personal connection to it. Have you ever traced your ancestry to find your family’s origins and the movements that got you to where you are today? Who are your ancestors and how has your ethnic heritage shaped your life? When we look at our genealogies, we are reminded that our life story is part of a much bigger story—and we find the fingerprints of God’s providence all over it.
Today, I want to introduce you to some of your genealogy of which you may not have been aware. No, I can’t give you any information about your recent ancestors—for that, you’ll have ask your spouse to buy you a subscription to Ancestry.com for your birthday—but I want to introduce you to some of your ancient ancestors through the biblical genealogy in Genesis 10.
Genesis 10 is commonly titled the “Generations of Noah” or “The Table of Nations.” It traces the Noah’s descendants through his three sons after the great flood. The line of Japheth is found in verses 2-5; Ham in verses 6-20; and Shem in verses 21-31. This genealogy explains how the human race multiplied and migrated across the face of the earth. The Table of Nations does not include an exhaustive list of every single people group on the planet. Because Genesis was written to the nation of Israel as they were freed from slavery in Egypt, it focuses on those peoples known to the Hebrews. Moreover, though many nations are found in this list, they are not all described in the same detail.
The author of Genesis purposefully constructed this genealogy to include seventy names because the number seventy symbolized totality or completion. For instance, the Bible will later record seventy descendants of Jacob (Ex. 1:5), seventy elders of Israel (Ex. 24:1), and the seventy disciples that Jesus sent out (Lk. 10:1-16). This number is an attempt to show that the placing of these nations around Israel did not happen by chance, but by divine providence.
As we look at these three family lines, I will highlight some interesting details in each of them—and maybe you will learn something about your own ancestry.
Japheth’s Descendants (2-5)
Japheth was the oldest of Noah’s sons and his descendants spread north into the regions around the Black Sea and Caspian Sea and west toward the Mediterranean Sea. His descendants were known for intellectual advances science and philosophy.
More specifically, Japheth’s son Gomer was the father of ancient the ancient Germanic tribes, Crimeans, Cumbrians, and Celts—which encompasses modern-day Germany, England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and parts of Turkey and Russia. Magog was the father of the ancient Scythian people who settled modern-day Georgia. Madai was the father of the ancient Medes who settled in modern-day India. Javan was the father of the ancient Greeks and Ionians who settled modern-day Greece and its beautiful islands. Tubal and his people settled in the cold tundra of Siberia. Meshech founded the city of Moscow. Tiras was the father of the ancient Thracians who settled modern-day Bulgaria.
Grab your map and compass and let me press a little deeper into the geography of Japhet’s line. Gomer’s son Askenaz settled Saxony and Scandinavia. Riphath settled in ancient Carpathia which comprises modern-day Poland, Hungry and Romania. Togarmah settled in Armenia. Javan’s son Elishah settled in Greece. Tarshish settled in Spain. Kittim settled the island of Cyprus. And Dodanim settled the little island of Rhodes.
The author concludes Japheth’s descendants in verse 5 by saying, “From these the coastland people spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations.” They were known as the “coastland people” because they settled around the great seas to the north and west. Japheth’s descendants settled Europe, Russia, and parts of India.
If your family is of European or Russian descent, it is fairly safe to say that Japheth is your long lost great-grandpa! If you happen to have English blood like me, say “Hello” to your great-grandpa Gomer! (I bet you never guessed that you had a grandpa named Gomer!)
Regardless of which nation you come from, we are all sons and daughters of Noah, and therefore, descendants of Adam and Eve! We are all members of the human race!
Ham’s Descendants (6-20)
Ham was Noah’s youngest son and his descendants became great artisans and builders. Ham’s son Cush became the father of the ancient Ethiopians, who lived in modern-day Sudan. Cush’s son Seba stayed in the same area. Cush’s other descendants, apart from Nimrod, all settled on the Arabian Peninsula in modern-day Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman.
The author of Genesis pays special attention to Cush’s son Nimrod, who was “the first on earth to be a mighty man” and “a mighty hunter before the Lord.” Nimrod’s physical strength and prowess as a hunter led to him becoming a mighty warrior. Not only did he build his own empire in the land of Shinar (Mesopotamia), in modern-day Iraq, but he also built some of the most prominent cities in the ancient world, including Babylon (Babel) and Nineveh, the capital cities of the Babylonian and Assyrian empires. The name “Nimrod” literally means, “We shall rebel.” Ancient Jewish sources identify Nimrod as the leader of the people who build the Tower of Babel and tried to make a name for themselves apart from God.
Ham’s son Egypt became the father of the Egyptians and most of Egypt’s sons stayed in that region. His son, Casluhim, became the father of the Philistines, who would become one of Israel’s chief enemies. Ham’s son Put settled west of Egypt in modern-day Libya.
Ham’s youngest son Canaan, the one who received the curse from his grandfather Noah, became the father many peoples who settled the land of Canaan, which includes modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. The Canaanites were Israel’s archenemies throughout the Old Testament. Of particular interest, Canaan’s descendants, the Sinites, migrated east into China and Japan. Consequently, Ham’s descendants settled Africa, Arabia, and Asia.
If you happen to be of African, Arab, or Asian descent, allow me to introduce you to your great-grandpa Ham! (If you though it was strange to have a great-grandfather named Gomer, how about having a great-grandpa named Ham?) But regardless of which nation you came from, we are all sons and daughters of Noah, and therefore, descendants of Adam and Eve! We are all members of the human race!
Shem’s Descendants (21-31)
Shem was Noah’s second sons and the one who received his father’s special blessing. His descendants were known for developing the great religious: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Most of Shem’s descendants settled in the land of Canaan and the regions to the west in modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The author of Genesis focuses attention of the line that flows through Arpachshad and Shelah and Eber down to Peleg and his brother Joktan, who became the father of many Arabic peoples. As we will learn in Genesis 11, Peleg’s descendants flowed down to Terah and his son Abram, whom God called to be the father of Israel. God revealed himself to the Israelites is a special way and called them to be a light to the Gentiles—all non-Jewish peoples. God established his covenant with Abraham and the Israelites to bless all the nations of the earth by sending the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Therefore, if you happen to be of Jewish or Arabic descent, allow me to introduce you to your great-grandpa Shem. But once again, regardless of which nation you come from, we are all sons and daughters of Noah, and therefore descendants of Adam and Eve! We are all members of the human race!
Now that we have a better sense of the diversity of Noah’s descendants, I hope we see that the whole human race is really one gigantic connected family. Every single one of us, regardless of race, ethnicity, language, or culture, we are all related to each other because we are all children of Noah, and therefore, children of Adam. This fact reinforces one of the most foundational doctrines of the Christian faith—that all human beings are created in the image of God and have worth, value, dignity, and must be treated with respect, compassion, and love!
Unfortunately, over the centuries, the Table of Nations in Genesis 10 has been used to justify racism, slavery, and even genocide. When people talk about one race being superior or inferior to another, they completely miss the point of this passage. The notion of a pure race is absolutely ridiculous! Remember, my DNA is mostly English and Scotch/Irish, but I am also 2% African. I am primarily a descendant of Japheth; but I also got a little Ham in me! And I bet you do too!
Whether our ancestry is Jewish or German—whether we have blue eyes or brown eyes—whether our skin is black, brown, or white—whether our we speak English, Cantonese, or Swahili—whether we are a Christian, Hindu, or Muslim—we are all descendants of Noah! And since we are all related to one another, we have no right to assert that on race or nation or people group is better than another! This is why all forms of racism are wrong! This is why derogatory ethnic slurs like calling Covid-19 “the Chinese virus” are wrong! Patriotism that celebrates our national heritage is fine and good, but nationalism that denigrates other nations is always wrong! As Christians, if we pray, “God bless America,” we must also pray, “God bless Canada and Colombia and Kenya and Kuwait and Cambodia!” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son…
If anything, the Covid-19 pandemic has reminded us that we are all part of the global community that God has woven together. And as members of one human race—as members of one human family—we should love each other and pray for one another! As the Coronavirus spreads all over the world, yes, we should be praying for our family and friends here in Franklin County, Vermont; but we should also be praying for our brothers and sisters in Italy, Spain, China, and Iran, who have already lost so much life.
After the flood, Noah’s descendants expanded into diverse peoples, tribes, nations, languages, lands, cities, religions, and cultures all over the earth. The human race is beautiful in its diversity! In the video devotional I sent you earlier this week, author and artist Mokoto Fujimura quoted his good friend Mark Labberton who said, “God is not colorblind; he is obsessed with color!”
When it comes to art, I love colors! But I love flavors even more! Allow me to conclude this sermon on the “Table of Nations” with a celebratory litany of ethnic culinary art. Now I like an American cheeseburger as much as anyone, but let us also praise God for: Italian Lasagna, Mexican Enchiladas, Indian Tiki Marsala (Chicken Curry), Greek Baklava, French Bordeaux, Chinese Dumplings and Egg Rolls, Lebanese Falafel and Lamb Kabobs, Polish Perogies, and the Irish who’ve given us the gifts of mashed potatoes and Guinness Stout!
Praise God for the vast diversity of colors, flavors, aromas, sounds, and textures he has given to us! Praise God for the diversity of peoples, nations, and cultures on the earth. And praise God for the family ties that we all share together!
Jesus Loves the Little Children
Jesus calls the children dear, “Come to me and never fear,
For I love the little children of the world;
I will take you by the hand, Lead you to the better land,
For I love the little children of the world.”
Jesus loves the little children, All the children of the world,
Red, brown, yellow, black, and white, All are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
Jesus is the Shepherd true, And He’ll always stand by you,
For He loves the little children of the world;
He’s a Savior great and strong, And He’ll shield you from the wrong,
For He loves the little children of the world. (Chorus)
Words: Clare H. Woolston
Music: George F. Root