Genesis 10:1----11:9

KJV Genesis 10:1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

2 The sons of Japheth;

Gomer, ------------------Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah

and Magog, -----------Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim

5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

and Madai,

and Javan,

and Tubal,

and Meshech,

and Tiras.

KJV Genesis 10:6

And the sons of Ham;

Cush, ----------------Seba,

and Havilah,

and Sabtah,

and Raamah, Sheba, and Dedan

and Sabtecha:

Nimrod - a mighty hunter before the LORD

the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

and Mizraim, -------------Ludim,

and Anamim,

and Lehabim,

and Naphtuhim,

14 And Pathrusim,

and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,)

and Caphtorim.

and Phut,

and Canaan.-------------Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,

16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,

17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.

The children of Shem;

Elam,

and Asshur,

and Arphaxad, --------Salah

Eber

Peleg ( division ) In his days the earth was divided.

Joktan (smallness )

Almodad,

and Sheleph,

and Hazarmaveth,

and Jerah,

And Hadoram,

and Uzal, and Diklah,

And Obal,

and Abimael,

and Sheba,

And Ophir,

and Havilah,

and Jobab: their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.

and Lud,

and Aram.-------------- Uz,

and Hul,

and Gether,

and Mash.

Quite a number of the names of people listed became names of areas or cities. ( see map ) Some groups of peoples were obviously named from certain individuals.

Of the three families, Japheth and Ham are mentioned first then having dealt with them Moses then mentions Shem

The Bible, particularly the Old testament often has an Introduction that summarises what is to follow for instance in Genesis 1:1 KJV Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Then it goes back to the start to spell out in more detail how that worked out.

Genesis 10 is a sort of Introduction to what is to follow in Chapter 11.

Moses is saying:

The earth was populated by the families of the three sons of Noah, from them there was a division and spreading out of people. In Chapter 11 we see how that takes place.

Verse 5 of Chapter 10 introduces the idea of Gentiles specifically relating to the sons of Japheth.

From this map we can see where some of the families moved to and we can see that the people coming from Japheth moved North, while the children of Ham and Shem settle in the central to Southern regions.

Chapter 11will go on through the line of Shem to point us to Abram. And as we go on to other chapters we see the establishment of a people with a close relationship with God and through Abraham God will work out his special purpose of fulfilling His promise to reclaim people to himself and fulfill his promise made in Genesis 3:15.

We are introduced in Chapter 10 to Nimrod, who is a "Mighty Hunter before the Lord. Literally "to the face of Yhovah".

He is Noted by God. Nimrod's skill stands out before God. This may also indicate Pride of self within Nimrod. In other words God Notes His pride.

Obviously Nimrod is a man who takes the Initiative and leads others for he comes to have three kingdoms: Firstly Babel where all the trouble comes to a head so he was probably leader of the rebellion there seeking to take God on as it were by seeking to build up to Him. As if to stand before God's face, as if to say " Look at Me God." " See what I can do. " He is seeking to stand on the same level as God. That is what Sin is all about.

It is people thinking they know better than God or thinking they are somehow God's equal. The arrogance is incredible.

Nimrod also winds up with two other Kingdoms: Erech, and Accad,

Nimrod is from the family of Ham.

Chapter 10 also tells us ( V25 ) of a man from the family line of Shem who's name is Peleg. His name means "division" and we are told he is called "division" because in his days the people were divided throughout the earth. That is the earth was divided.

Obviously there were a lot of people around at that time but it is someone from The family of Shem who receives this name. It is through the family of Shem that the special people of God will come. Peleg's father Eber and Peleg's mother presumably believed it was important to record what God had done by naming their son "division".

An interesting aside here is Peleg's brother Joktan. His name means "smallness" yet he has the largest number of sons. He has 12 sons. Small things are often despised yet Numerically he has done very well.

In KJV 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 Paul writes: " But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

In verse 21 Shem is spoken of as:

KJV Genesis 10:21 Unto Shem also,

the father of all the children of Eber,

the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.

Eber himself only has two sons yet through Eber comes the family line that leads to Abram and the people of God and from the aspect of Noah's three sons it is from Shem that God chooses to bring his chosen people of the Old Testament.

Anyway what we have in Chapter 11 is the total population of mankind gathered in one place and presumably getting on fairly well together.

They travel together until they reach the land of Shinar. Presumably they like the place and decide they want to settle in that place and really be something as a united group of people. Much the same as churches today combine on a lowest common denominator basis, so they can get along together but ignore what God has to say.

Obviously however there is a conscience problem. They want to establish a link with Heaven. They suppose they can reach Heaven by means of a great high tower but:

For some reason they are frightened of being divided and separated from one another.

KJV Genesis 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

The reason for this we are not told but it would seem that they think that by sticking together and building the city and the tower right up to heaven they will be able to avoid this.

We note how they stirred one another up to the task. Wicked people will stir one another up and urge one another on to wicked deeds and seek together to fly in the face of God's ways.

Christians should stir one another up, but unlike these people we should stir one another up to walk in agreement with God.

KJV Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

KJV Psalm 122:1 *A Song of degrees of David.* I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

KJV Isaiah 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

KJV Isaiah 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

These people raise this tower to make a name for themselves. As there are no other people on earth the only person they might hope to make a name before, is God himself so it seems to me that they are saying. We can reach heaven by our own efforts. We can show God what we can do, we can stand on His plane as equals. This is the nature of sin. Man thinking he can be like God. ( knowing good and evil, as Satan suggested to Eve.)

Men look for something they can do to reach Heaven, they are sure they are as good as anybody else and doing things their way will get them there in the end.

Without God however we can do nothing. Not even believe. Unless God in his grace brings us to life we remain dead in our trespasses and sins.

KJV Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

These people at Babel set out with every intent to thwart God's intentions. That really put the effort in. They slave away, making bricks, gathering slime ( possibly bitumen) and build day after day. Slowly they are working their way up. All that effort. But God simply comes down. No trouble to God. No effort required. Instead of the people getting to God, God gets to them. He says "Let us go down". I see the coming down as God trying or examining them and finding them wanting.

The Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, agree together as to what to do and do it. No mucking around, people who had been freely communicating with each other can no longer. Just imagine it. You speak to someone and they reply with words you have never heard and though yesterday they knew what you were saying and today they don't. It must have been incredibly frustrating for them.

Perhaps some here have had the experience of trying to communicate with someone who does not know their language, or of trying to communicate with a deaf person without knowing sign language. Even simple communication becomes hard work, so just imagine how hopeless it would be trying to make things happen on a major engineering project.

Cut the lines of communication and absolute kaos. The very thing they had feared and made every effort to avoid happened.

A lesson that you don't mess with God.

It is God's word that will stand.

It would seem by the way places were named after family members or families that within families there may well have been a common language, they just couldn't communicate with other families. We don't know however and it could well be that there may have initially been an even greater confusion of language which settled out as families stuck together. Those details are not given so we cannot be definite about how it worked out.

What we do know is in God's word:

KJV Deuteronomy 32:8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.

KJV Acts 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

It is interesting to note the scattering of Languages here and the use of languages at Pentecost to begin God's church.

Interesting too that some people believe that the year Jesus died and Rose again was the year of Jubilee when in Israel debts were cleared, lands, goods, and freedoms were returned. In heaven the language barrier will be gone as we praise God together with one voice .

The gospel has brought a wonderful freedom, but many feel more comfortable in bondage. Many will continue to fight against God as these people did at Babel but:

As Isaiah says of those who would stand against the armies of God:

KJV Isaiah 8:9 Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.

10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.

So often I hear Christian people worrying about what the government might do, or what the new age movement might bring about, or some aim of a one world government. What a waste of time. God is sovereign. What he allows he allows but for a time to teach a lesson, but the lesson that so many refuse to learn is that what God will not permit, will not take place, and what he allows is only for a season.

As Paul says in

KJV 1 Corinthians 5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?

God will judge those who are outside the church. Our place is to judge those who are within the church. And the place to start is within our own hearts.

There is a Judgement day coming when Christ will come down, and when he will judge between the quick and the dead.

If only Christians would spend more time speaking of how wonderful God is and reiterating to people what God teaches in His word.

We serve a risen saviour. Not even death could defeat Him. We serve the Almighty God, creator and Lord of the Universe, before whom none shall stand.

We are on the victory side and are required to live as children of the King of Kings not quivering scare mongers who stand in the way of the people of God and therefore oppose God himself.

May God bless you richly as you listen to Him and Cooperate with Him.