Genesis 9-11

January 6th, 2013

Genesis 9-11. Aftermath

Genesis 9 deals with the aftermath of the flood. We see some beautiful things happen, but we also see some terrible things. The first is the prospect of a new start. A fresh start. Humanity has a chance to start over again. God gives the command to be fruitful and multiply. He reestablishes the fact that human beings are created in the image of God, and he reasserts humanity's dominion over the creation. He also makes a covenant with Noah and the rest of humankind.

Genesis 9:13-17 NRSV.
I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

From this, many commentators have said that the bow is a sign that God will not attack the earth the way he had done so in the flood. The idea is that God has hung up his war bow, and made a peace treaty. Some have even said that the bow being pointed towards the heavens shows that God is saying that if he breaks this covenant, may he suffer the same fate that the world suffered in the flood. Something that he does with Abraham in later chapters.

9:18-27 show a very interesting story of Noah. Noah was one of the first people to harvest wine, and actually became drunk off of it. One day, his son Ham sees him drunk and naked and tells his brothers about it. His brothers cover up their father's nakedness by walking in backwards, and covering him up. Noah, wakes up, and curses Canaan, Ham's son. Noah curses them with slavery. So what is the connection to seeing Noah naked, and Canaan being cursed to slavery. It doesn't seem like there is a correlation.

One thing to take note of is the fact that the Hebrew Bible can tend to be fairly subtle concerning sexual issues. In fact, it can be extremely subtle. Some have wondered whether or not Ham actually raped his father while he was drunk. What makes them think such a thing? Because of this line. " When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him..." Noah wakes up and sees that Ham has actually DONE something to him. And he knew it upon waking up.

To commit rape is a power crime. It is a crime that is meant to display a person's dominance. It would follow then that Noah would curse Ham's descendants with slavery if such is the case. Instead of Ham getting power over Noah, Noah takes power over Ham's descendants, and opens the door for every other nation to do the same.

But what is most significant is this. Even though God destroys the world in a flood, and he shows mercy to a man and his family, sin just keeps popping up. The sin issue has not been dealt with. And Humanity is still under a curse.

Nimrod: A Mighty Hunter Against The LORD

Chapter 10 is essentially a genealogy, but there are some interesting things worth noting. I find it very interesting that Egypt and Cush, two of Israel's enemies are descendants of Ham. There is also a very short, but exciting tidbit of a legendary man named Nimrod.

"Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty warrior. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, 'like Nimrod a mighty hunter  before the LORD.' The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, and Accad, all of them in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city."

Now, the hebrew word "before" can also mean "in opposition to." And the fact that he is connected to cities that later on carry some very deep evil doesn't help Nimrod's case. He is connected to Babel, Assyria, and specifically Nineveh. Jewish tradition states that he was the one who led the people to build the tower of Babel. Josephus writes:

"Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it were through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to reach. And that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers.

Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God; and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work: and, by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than any one could expect; but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen, that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them diverse languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon, because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before; for the Hebrews mean by the word Babel, confusion…"

Apparently, the purpose of building the Tower of Babel was to make a tower so big, the people would never have to worry about God destroying them with a flood. Good thing God needs a flood to thwart the plans of wicked men. Oh, that's right. He confused their languages.

The rest of chapter 10 is another Genealogical account. And finally, a woman is mentioned. Sarai. Sarai is the first women mentioned since Ada and Zilla, the wives of Lamech. And we know that she will play a very crucial part. How do we know this? A detail is given of this woman. "Sarai was barren; she had no child." She is married to a man named Abram. The son of Terah.