Scripture to Read: Genesis 10:8-20
While Genesis 10 is pretty straightforward, it will be profitable to point out a couple of things from the text that we might miss if we are not careful. First, we need to know that God has always had genealogies written with special care and detailed specifics. For example, when we look back at Genesis 10:1, God’s Word says, These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now, what we see is that throughout Genesis chapter 6-9, anytime Noah’s sons are mentioned, the three sons are almost always penned in this order: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. BUT, when God has Moses list the genealogies of each son, in Genesis 10, God makes sure that the order changes. So God has Japheth mentioned first, then Ham is second, and Shem is mentioned last. This will be further discussed when we reach Genesis 11, but for now, we know that God changed the order here in Genesis 10. Another thing to not miss is that Ham’s lineage gets more attention than Japheth’s or Shem’s. God also has Moses be sure and draw out various aspects about Ham’s descendants, such as Nimrod. It’s interesting to note here that more is written about Nimrod than the entire lineage of Japheth! So, since God had Moses mention more detail on Nimrod, we need to make sure we do not just skim over Nimrod’s life. God has things He wants us to learn from genealogies. Even when genealogies may not seem that important to us, God always has treasures He wants us to unpack.
Challenge & Application
1. What did you learn today about genealogies and unpacking hidden treasures from our Lord within them?
2. How are you taking time to study God’s Word and learn from Him each day?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!