The Tower of Babel and Noah's Sons
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
We left off last week with Noah and how there were various outcomes for his 3 sons. We noted how Ham was cursed because of what he had done with his father - he didn’t take the time to clothe him whenever he was drunk. This sounds like a minor problem, but we will see tonight that it carries with is major problems for his descendants. We also saw how both Japeth and Shem are blessed by God and how Shem’s descendants will be the ones from whom the eventual Messiah would come!
MacArthur opens up chapter 10 with a question about our history/ancestors. Has anyone ever taken time to study where your family came from and various things like that? Nowadays there are applications like Ancestry that allow you to do this and they can give you a ton of information all at the tap of your finger! In the Bible people knew their ancestry really well and this mattered a great deal to them. Why do you think people in our day and age don’t care as much about this type of stuff? Is this just an American thing?
Possibly an American thing - although many younger people don’t care so much about the past as they do the future and building things for themselves. There is this idea of wanting to make a name for ourselves that we can forget helpful things in our past - from previous generations. We’re not that different from the people who tried to build this great tower!
Tonight we’re going to look at Noah’s 3 sons and their respective offspring in chapter 10 as well as the Tower of Babel in chapter 11 of our study guide. Lots of verses ahead: Here’s our breakdown
Sons of Japheth (10:2-5)
Sons of Ham (10:6-20)
Sons of Shem (10:21-32)
United People (11:1-2)
Building the Tower (11:3-4)
Stopping The Tower (11:5-7)
Scattering the People (11:8-9)
Please read Genesis 10:2-5. Looking on the map on page 98, which area did these descendants settle in?
They settled in the North and West. Thinking about Europe here. We see lots of information about these people on page 99.
Please read Genesis 10:6-20. Where did these descendants settle according to the map on page 99?
Africa/Asia region.
Looking at these descendants and reading a little about them on page 100, we recognize several of these names and we begin to realize the curse of Ham is coming true within a generation of two. His offspring don’t get along well with the people of God. Ham’s sons hate some of Shem’s sons. Does this hatred continue today?
Sadly, yes, it does! There are people groups on this list from Ham who still hate the Jews and they hate Christians too. MacArthur talks about the Gaza Strip on page 100 and we recently heard of conflict taking place there a few weeks ago as these Muslims hate the Jewish people.
Please read Genesis 10:21-32. Where did these descendants settle according to the map on page 99?
Eastern region - Middle East in general. This makes sense as Abraham will come from this group and Abraham is the eventual ancestor of Jesus Christ and will move from Mesopotamia/Ur to Canaan.
We see lots of names in chapter 10 and we see that Noah’s descendants spread out after the flood as they were supposed to! One interesting point that MacArthur brings out on page 101 is about the order of the sons. Typically, as we will discuss on Sunday out of Luke 15, the older son was the one that received the birthright/largest stake of the inheritance. Translations differ regarding Japheth, Ham, and Shem but assuming Shem is not the firstborn, do you find it significant that he is the one whom the Messiah will come through?
Are there some other examples of God choosing someone unexpected?
Jacob, not Esau. Joseph, not his older brothers. Isaac, not Ishmael. David, not Jonathan.
Why does God work this way? Why does God pick the unexpected person to accomplish His plan?
Often because God looks on the inside rather than the outside and He chooses the person who He can use rather than the person who everyone expects/who would be a natural fit.
MacArthur notes that even within the descendants of Shem there will come enemies to Israel. This highlights the reality that there are arguments and opposition from every direction. How can we better deal with opposition? Surely we can do better than the people groups in the Middle East!
Page 102/103
#4 - discussion
“In Christ, the people of God are no longer made up of just ethnic Jews.” This is good news and the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham that we will see in Genesis 12:3 to bless all the nations of the earth. We know that Christ’s Kingdom is bigger than just 1 people but extends to every nation, tribe, and tongue!
We know that God promised Eve this
15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.
We see this promise getting closer with each and every generation and we know that God will make good on His promise!
How does it make you feel to know that God always fulfills His promises?
Questions/Discussion?
Chapter 11: Tower of Babel
MacArthur starts off with a discussion about technology and asks us to consider how it has impacted us in good and bad ways.
First, how has technology helped you as an individual and the world as a whole?
Cellphones help us keep in contact with loved ones. Computers help us do work faster than we could otherwise. Healthcare has improved significantly due to advances in technology and we are able to treat people/diseases that we used to not be able to. We were able to use technology to communicate during COVID and we were able to offer online church services during those uncertain months and that is a way that we are still able to minister to people in our community and beyond now! We are also able to travel much faster than in previous generations - even if you don’t like certain aspects of travel, you have to admit that it beats walking for entire days to arrive at your destination.Technology has done many wonderful things!
How has technology impacted you and our world in a negative way?
Lots of distractions and an increase in frustrations. Many more temptations than in previous years. We don’t communicate in person as well with people as previous generations because of a dependance on technology. Social media has led to an increase in depression, jealousy, and other serious problems.
I love technology and I’m sure we all do to an extent, but as we will see in Genesis 11, technology can lead to a bad place if we fail to place our trust in the Lord and rely on His power.
Just as we’ve been studying in our Sunday night series about false fruits, mankind loves control and people have been trying to “play God” for thousands and thousands of years. Technology is one way in which we can place our trust in something other than God and, even though there are many positives to it, we have to be mindful of that temptation if nothing else.
Please read Genesis 11:1-2. What is significant about the end of verse 2? Are the people fulfilling God’s command?
They are settling in this region. This appears to at least possibly go against God’s command to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
MacArthur stresses the importance of the “one language and speech” in verse 1. Do you think this would have made things easier or harder to do what they were about to do?
Easier! Everyone would’ve been on the same page. You wouldn’t have had cultural distinctions about words and everyone would have understood the orders.
The Hebrew reads in verse 2 that the people came towards the east rather than from the East. Mount Ararat is believed to be where Noah and his family landed on the Ark and it’s in modern day Turkey. Therefore, to get from there to Mesopotamia (Babylon area) they would’ve gone to the east rather than to the west.
Please read Genesis 11:3-4. Why do the people choose to build this tower? What is their motivation?
They want to make a name for themselves!
MacArthur brings out a good point on page 109 that again mankind wants to be his own god rather than obeying the one true God. They go about this with selfish ambitions and goals as they want to make a name for themselves in verse 4.
How can we guard against having selfish intentions when we do things?
Do everything for God as Paul says
17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
If we did everything for God, we wouldn’t do them first and foremost to become famous and out of our own selfishness.
Not only do they long to build a tower in the skies, they want to build a massive city. Contrary to what some of you might be thinking tonight, there is nothing wrong or sinful with living in the city today, but specifically for God’s purposes, He wanted mankind to fill the whole earth and rule over it. Yet, mankind desired to be together and the built what scholars believe to be ancient Babylon.
Why do you think these people wanted to build a city?
Because there was safety in numbers and this was a more familiar land. Maybe there was protection/water - Mesopotamia. Fear of unknown?
Why would they want to build a tower?
Ancient world believed that their respective gods were in the skies/clouds. The Greeks had Mount Olympus where their gods resided and it was in the clouds. If you could get to their level, you would be an equal to god. This is back to Satan in the garden - getting equal with God. How do people try to play the role of God today? Surely it’s not by building a tall tower. Now how do we do this?
Technology/science/medicine?
We love/desire control.
Please read Genesis 11:5-7. What does Moses mean when he says that the Lord, “came down?” Did God not know what was going on?
No. He did! He comes down to extend grace - as MacArthur notes on page 110. He clearly knows what is going on - just as He knew when Adam/Eve sinned.
Our world talks a lot about unity being a good thing. Here we see that these people had the same language and the same task, but we see that it’s not a good result. Why is this the case?
The unity was not in God / what God says is good. It was in sin/depravity.
God’s judgment is often veiled mercy! He always lavishes His grace on us.
Please read Genesis 11:8-9. Why does the Lord scatter them?
To get them to fulfill what He commanded. To go forth, multiply, and fill the earth.
Questions on pages 112/113
God is always working to offer grace!
We ultimately see this in Jesus Christ coming to earth and dying for sinners on the cross