Noah, Covenant of Preservation: Themes from Genesis (16)
Listen here. (I’m told the part where I get lost in my notes is entertaining.)
Scripture relevant to the Noachic covenant: Genesis 6.17-22; 8.20-22; 9.1-7; 9.8-17.
A brief look at Noah’s descendants: Important because of their relevance to the promised seed. Background passage: Gen. 9.18ff.
Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said:
“Cursed be Canaan;
A servant of servants
He shall be to his brethren.”And he said:
“Blessed be the LORD,
The God of Shem,
And may Canaan be his servant.
May God enlarge Japheth,
And may he dwell in the tents of Shem;
And may Canaan be his servant.”
There is speculation about just what Ham’s sin was, including claims of sexual relations with Noah’s wife (who may have been his step-mother). I do not think that argument is groundless, but that it is of lesser importance to the story of redemption. Whatever the offense, the more important matter is Noah’s identifying for us the line through which the Seed will descendant from him.
Noah blesses “the LORD, the God of Shem” asks that God enlarge Japheth and also that “he” dwell in the tents of Shem. The question often asked is exactly who is to be dwelling in the tents of Shem. The subject of the passage appears to be God: Noah wants God to be blessed and for him to enlarge Japheth; so, it would appear that God — who is blessed and to enlarge Japheth — is to dwell in the tents of Shem. We could see this in God’s later promise in the Mosaic covenant to “tabernacle” with his people.
In fact, however, the best reason for believing it is Japheth who is to dwell in the tents of Shem is the names for God that Noah employs. He refers to “the God of Shem” by his covenant name, YHWH. But with reference to God enlarging Japheth, he uses the name Elohim. If it were to be God dwelling in the tents of Shem, then we would expect a change back to YHWH. So that Noah would say, “Blessed be YHWH, the God of Shem. May Elohim enlarge Japheth and may YHWH dwell in the tents of Shem.
Whatever the case may be, what is clear is that in blessing Shem as he does, Noah has identified from which of his three sons the seed will descend. So beginning with Noah we can trace the seed through Shem, Arphaxad, Selah, Eber (father of the Hebrews), Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, to Abraham, the father of Isaac, the father of Jacob, later called Israel.
Briefly the line of Ham: Cush, Mizraim (Egyptians), Put, Canaan. We will look at the rest next week, along with descendants of Japheth.
Canaan’s descendant, important to the history of the children of Abraham: Sidon, Heth (Hittites); Jebusties, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Akites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, Hamathites.