Title: “Red and Yellow Black and White…”
Text: Genesis 8-10
Theme: God’s Love and Grace for the World
Introduction:
Genesis 8-10; two key events take place in these chapters. One – God gives us the rainbow to symbolize his covenant with Noah to never again destroy the world with Water. The second is the repopulating of the world and the future Global outreach of the Gospel available to all man regardless of race or nationality. Both major events are two key examples of God’s love and Grace. You are listening to Preach the Word with Dean Carmichael, Jr.
Who? Mankind:
Up to this point we saw two major lines populate the earth;
- Cain’s Line (Seed of the Serpent)
- Started out with false religion of rejecting God’s way of Salvation by believing we can work our way to God (Cain)
- After living a life of wandering he (Cain) knew his wife and built a city
- Through Cain’s line we see an advancement in agriculture, science, technology and entertainment but stayed separate from God due to sin not being dealt with.
- Seth’s Line through Adam (Seed of Christ)
- Genesis 4:25,26 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.
- Man’s rebellion and destruction:
- Genesis 6:2 2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
- Genesis 6:5 5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
What? The Noahic Covenant:
- Genesis 9:9-17
- Covenant = a promise/agreement (also called a testament). Noahic Covenant = God promised to never again destroy the earth with water or a flood and gives us His rainbow as a sign of the promise.
When? Before 2,500 BC
Why? To re-populate the Earth
How? Noah’s Son’s
How Much:
- Ham (Genesis 9:20-27; 10:6-20) - Hot/Dark, Burnt/Black, Noah’s Youngest Son
- Descendants inhabit Egypt/Africa
- Canaan- Phoenicians, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, hvites, etc.
Cush- Africans (Ethiopians, Egyptians, Lybian’s,etc.) - Nimrod- a great hunter, a hunter of men's souls. He was the founder of the great cities in the land of Shimar. Founder of Babel, tower of babylon. Tried to become a great ruler.
- Ham’s Son Canaan was cursed (Not Ham and his generations)
Genesis 9:20-25 20And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. 24And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
- It is important to note: the curse is still on the earth. We still have a fallen Nature. The flood did not rid the earth from the cruse. Yes, Noah found Grace in the eyes of God. But notice, it is because of one Word, FAITH.
- By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Hebrews 11:7
- Yes, this is a new world, but the old sin is still there. Noah became drunk and was uncovered in his tent. Ham saw his fathers nakedness but Shem and Japheth covered him. Notice “cursed be Canaan” God did not curse Ham, the curse was placed upon his son, Canaan. There is a false statement going around that God cursed the black man. This has nothing to do with the color of a man’s skin. Ham is not cursed. Think of this, through Ham, two great nations would be born (Egyptian and Babylonian) To say that black man is cursed from these scriptures is a misinterpretation. Noah sinned, he got drunk and was exposed to his son, Ham. Because of this Canaan (Ham’s son) would be cursed because of how his father handled his grandfathers sin. Not exactly sure what he did but we know God was not pleased with it. God pronounced a curse upon Canaan (the race of Ham’s son) and if you read the OT and look at history the canaanites have disappeared.
- Japheth - (increase, expansion) Noah’s Middle Son
- His Descendants go North/West and populate the European content
- Magog- Scythians, slavs, russians, bulgarians, poles, slovaks, croations
- Medes-Indians, Iranic races
- Madai- Medes, Persians, Afgans, kurds
- Javan- greeks, romans, romance nationalities (french,spanish, prtuguese, italians, etc.)
- Tiras- Thracians, Teutons, Germans ( from that east germanic and european races- scandinavians,angles, saxons, jutes, anglo saxon race, the english people)
Majority of America descended from these lines.
“Most, if not all, of the notable world powers have sprung from Japheth, including the Assyrian, Medo-Persian, Greek, Roman, British, and American.” – Cloud
The nations that take control after the fall of Babylon come from the line of Japheth and have been in control ever since.
- Shem – (Renown)
- Genesis 9:26 26And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
- Shem was a distinguished man. We read later that the men at Babel “sought to make themselves a name”
- Descendants form the nation Israel
- The genealogy of Jesus Christ passes through Shem
Noah’s three sons would re-populate the earth. This is a very brief summary. There are a lot of ways we can go about this but we are going to focus on the Gospel. To summarize populations, Ham (Africa) Japheth (Europe) Ham (Asia).
Three Divisions of Mankind: Jew; Gentile; Church
The Scriptures speak of three classes of people on the earth, the Jews, the Gentile, and the Church. The Church is made up of both Jew and Gentile. Outside of the Church all who are not Jews are Gentiles. Up to the call of Abraham all the people of the earth were Gentiles. Abraham was the first Hebrew. His grandson Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel (Gen 32:24-29), had twelve sons. They became the heads of twelve tribes, known as the "Twelve Tribes of Israel." After the death of King Solomon these "Tribes" were divided. Ten of them became known as Israel, and two (Judah and Benjamin) as Judah. In B.C. 721 Israel was carried captive to Assyria, and in B. C, 606 Judah was carried captive to Babylon.”
- Larkin, Clarence. The Jews, The Gentiles And The Church (Clarence Larkin Collection Book 9) . Kindle Edition.
Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Boils down to two types of people – Saved and Lost (so many different ethnic groups, races, nations, religions)
Theme of this study – Salvation is not man going to God. Salvation is not man walking with God. Salvation is God coming to man.
It is God’s desire, that fallen man, regardless of where they were populated (nation, race) if they are Jew or Gentile, come to Repentance (change of Mind) and put Faith in Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 3:9 9The LORD is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
(Old Testament)
- Shem (Asia) – Abraham came from this line, the God of the Hebrews, they had the scriptures (Monotheistic, Messianic Hope – Jonah example with pagan sailors) Syrian army (Shem) exposed to Elisha
- Genesis 14 with Abraham’s influence on the surrounding kings (when he rescued Lot and met Melchizedek was already the Priest of the most High God.)
- Ham (Africa) Joseph went to Egypt, Daniel captive in Babylon
- Japheth (Europe) Jonah went to Ninevah (Captial of Assyria)
(New Testament)
- Ethiopian Eunuch (Line of Ham)
Acts 8:29-31 King James Version (KJV) 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?
Peter and Cornielus (line of Japheth)
- Apostle Paul (line of Shem)
“Whosever” in the Bible.
We must come to the Scriptural truth that Salvation is God searching for man (the world) and is available to all and upon all that believe.
Galatians 4:4-5 King James Version (KJV) 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Outline:
There were many things going on in the world that prepared the way for Jesus to come; (3 groups)
- Political Contribution of the Romans - People full of idolatry, mystery religions, and emperor worship were used by God to carry out His Will.
- Developed Unity - environment that was receptive to the Gospel (political unity)
- Free Movement about the Mediterranean World would have been hard without Caesar (28 B.C. – A.D. 14) Ancient world was in small jealous units, cities, states or tribes hindered travel. Roman Empire Extension- Peace about the Mediterranean made it easier to spread the Gospel.
- Excellent System of Roads (Roman forum throughout entire empire) Paul used these roads
- The Roman Army – Rome wanted to educate outside unsophisticated provincials because of decline of Roman citizens. So, they would send soldiers out to educate them to take their ideas out to the ancient world. Some soldiers became converts of Christianity so when they went out to all these places, they spread the Gospel.
- Roman Conquest – led to a loss of belief in gods because their gods failed to give them victory. People were unsatisfied with religion.
- Romans and their social and political organization
Rome was known for it’s law and order. Romans prepared the world (unknowingly) but in God’s providence.
- Emphasis of law and order brought peace in the days Mary gave birth to Christ.
- System of Roads made it easy for travelers to come in and out of the Empire (Jonah)
- Degeneration in moral character and religion.
Mark – Presents Jesus as a worker, as the servant of God to the Heathen Romans and their decline of morals. “The Gospel of Action”
- Intellectual Contribution of the Greeks - Romans were the political conquerors of the Greeks, but the Greeks conquered culturally. Rome built roads, bridges, and fine buildings. However, under Greek influence the Roman Empire gave way to intelligent culture.
- Universal Gospel was in need of a universal language (English is the universal language in modern, Latin in medieval, Greek in Ancient. (How the Gospel was spread- what language was the N.T written in?)
- Greek philosophy destroyed older religions. However, it didn’t satisfy so they either became skeptics or turned to the mysterious Roman religions. The Teachings of Socrates and Plato taught this present world is a shadow of a world to come. It never led them to God but the Greeks also taught that they were concerned of man’s eternal future due to right and wrong. By the time Christ came there was a void in the hearts of men and they wanted more than just human reasoning. Christianity introduced a peace that passed all understanding through the forgiveness of sins in saving faith in Christ Jesus.
- Greeks and their Language
One language and One World! – Ambition of Alexander the Great
Greek was the language of the World at that time. The N.T. was written in Greek.
The Hebrew Old Testament was translated to Greek in 250-150 B.C.
Luke – Presents Jesus Christ as the Son of Man to the intellectual Greeks. Jesus is presented as the ideal human being because the Greek’s were looking for the perfect man.
- The Religious Contribution of the Jews- unlike the Greeks, the Jews did not use human reasoning, but assumed God’s existence through His revealing Himself to Abraham and other great leaders of the race. They were a small nation, but they occupied Palestine, the land bridge that linked Asia, Africa, and Europe. Their central location and captivity by Assyria, Babylonia, and Rome spread their religious ideas throughout the Mediterranean world.
- Monotheism – Only one God (contradicted false religions)
- Messianic Hope – the hope of a coming Messiah
- Ethical System – High standard of the Ten Commandments
- Jewish Scriptures- Provided the Old Testament
- Philosophy of History – History had meaning(opposed any view that made history a meaningless cycle of evolution) Sovereign God who created all would triumph over sinful man.
- The Synagogue – The synagogue was the Preaching house of early Christianity. They enforced absence at the temple at Jerusalem during the Babylonian captivity and it gave rise to the synagogue. They would meet together outside of the temple and read scriptures.
- Hebrews and their Religion
They had the scriptures. When Christ was born the message was already known. The Messiah wo would one day come was not a new concept.
The Gospel of Matthew – Presents Jesus as the Messiah to the Hebrews and their Religion.
A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.
