QT 8/12/2025 Gen 10:1–20, Leaving a godly legacy

Genesis 10:1–20 (ESV) —

1 These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

2 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations.

6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and 12 Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. 13 Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.

15 Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, 16 and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites dispersed. 19 And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

 

NOTE: This genealogy is horizontal and basically describes what happened to the three sons. Ultimately, 70 nations would precede from these three families. The number 70 is also the number of Abraham's descendants who went to Egypt. They represent a new beginning, and a microcosm of society where God rules. Except, God was seldom followed by the Israelites. They failed in their mission for God. Jesus had 70 disciples, and they too represent a microcosm of society based upon Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, and the filling of the Holy Spirit. There has been some success in this new entity, which we call the church. There are less than 200 dialects that do not have a bible in their own language. The gospel is rapidly reaching the point of having gone out to the ends of the earth.

 

Not much is made of Japeth's sons. They probably formed the nations on the northern coast of Europe, possible reaching east into Asia.

 

The sons of Ham move into Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Africa. Canaan's descendants mostly settled in Palestine. The list is long because most of Israelites history involves the nations descended from Ham.

 

What do we learn? Well, Ham continues to play a negative role. It is, as if, Cain's line jumped over to Ham. There are reasons (sexual immorality, idolatry, child sacrifice) God destroys the nations of Caanan (one of Ham's son) and gives the land to one of Shem's descendants. Nimrod, one of Ham's descendants, is referred to as a mighty hunter, but the Hebrew for mighty could easily be translated as tyrant. One commentator argues that he hunted man. It is not a pretty picture. In the bible, it references the sin of one generation passing onto others. It is always possible to change that path, it is not pre-directed, but parents do make a difference. What legacy am I leading for my own children?

 

PONDER:

1. What is the legacy I am leading for my own children, a man of God, or a man who is indifferent to God?
2. How do I go about changing my legacy if I am heading in the wrong direction?

 

PRAYER: Father, this time in the word every morning is changing me. As your Holy Spirit uses the word to illuminate needs in my life. I may only have a few decades left, but that is a lot of time to establish my legacy for good.