The Table of Nations

1. The Table of Nations • and God’s Ultimate Universal

2. A universal is something that applies to every case. That means that when we read the Bible it is important for us to understand the ultimate universal that is guiding the Bible. In other words, when we read the Bible we need to always have God’s ultimate objective and method in mind.

3. The ultimate universal that we find in the Bible is the rule of God or the establishment of God’s Kingdom upon the earth.

4. The ultimate universal of God establishing his rule and kingdom upon the earth is also found in the New Testament. • Matthew 6:9-15 “This, then, is how you should pray: • “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. • 9 所以，你们祷告要这样说： • 我们在天上的父：愿人都尊你的名为圣。愿你的国降临；愿你的旨意行在地上，如同行在天上。我们日用的饮食，今日赐给我们。免我们的债，如同我们免了人的债。不叫我们遇见试探；救我们脱离凶恶。因为国度、权柄、荣耀，全是你的，直到永远。阿们！「你们饶恕人的过犯，你们的天父也必饶恕你们的过犯；15 你们不饶恕人的过犯，你们的天父也必不饶恕你们的过犯.

5. We have established God’s ultimate universal but what is mankind’s purpose? • Genesis 2:15 says “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” • Genesis 2:15 “耶和华神将那人安置在伊甸园, 使他修理，看守。” • Mankind’s purpose is to serve and obey God’s rule. • The Westminster Catechism teaches that mankind’s main purpose it to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

6. God’s rule is established in Genesis 2:16-17 “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’”

7. The tree Adam and Eve are not allowed to eat from is called “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Good and evil are opposites and they represent totality and it indicates a moral decisions, i.e., the moral decision of choosing between good and evil. Many times mankind makes up his own mind and chooses his way instead of God’s way. • We can see this in the Humanist Manifesto (人文宣言) which states away with the heavenly law, we will decide on our own what is right and what is wrong.

8. We can also find a sub-universal that God uses to accomplish his ultimate universal. The sub-universal is in the middle of judgement, God provides salvation. • Salvation in the middle of God’s judgement, is the main method God uses to accomplish his ultimate universal, i.e., God judges mankind for their sin but instead of destroying mankind, God provides a way of salvation so he can accomplish his ultimate universal of establishing his rule and kingdom on the earth.

9. Why does God use this sub-universal, i.e., salvation in the middle of judgement? • Due to the fact that God has given mankind free will (i.e., the ability to choose good or evil) and since God cannot coexist with evil (and mankind is evil) it seems like God has 2 choices. • Destroy mankind - If God destroys mankind for their rebellion, God cannot fulfill his ultimate universal to establish his rule and kingdom upon the earth so God promised mankind he would not destroy them. • Sanctify (i.e., make good or holy) Mankind - God’s second choice is to make mankind good.

10. God’s ultimate universal of establishing his rule and kingdom on the earth is accomplished by the sub-universal or method of bringing salvation in the middle of his judgement. • Genesis chapters 2-3 • Step 1 - (Man’s rebellion) Adam revolts against God by choosing to eat from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” • Step 2 (God’s judgement) - The result is the immediate spiritual death and the eventual physical death of Adam. • Step 3 (God’s salvation) - To cover the sin that separated Adam from God, God sacrificed an animal.

11. God’s method of accomplishing his ultimate universal of establishing his rule and kingdom on the earth is bringing salvation in the middle of his judgement. • Genesis chapter 4 • Step 1 - (Man’s rebellion) - Cain murdered his brother Abel • Step 2 (God’s judgement) - Cain is commanded to leave the Garden of Eden • Step 3 (God’s salvation) - God’s mark preserves Cain’s life

12. God’s method of accomplishing his ultimate universal of establishing his rule and kingdom on the earth is bringing salvation in the middle of his judgement. • Genesis chapters 6 - 9 • Step 1 - (Man’s rebellion) - Man has corrupted the earth. God said that “that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart (man) was only evil all the time.” • Step 2 (God’s judgement) - God would destroy all flesh in the flood. • Step 3 (God’s salvation) - God preserves one family

13. God’s method of accomplishing his ultimate universal of establishing his rule and kingdom on the earth is bringing salvation in the middle of his judgement. • Genesis chapters 10-11 • Step 1 - (Man’s rebellion) - Man disobeys God’s command to spread over the earth and tries to establish their own city apart from God (Ron will cover this next week). • Step 2 (God’s judgement) - God confuses man’s language which eventually leads to nations and warfare between nations • Step 3 (God’s salvation) - A new nation would be born through one of Noah’s descendants that would help accomplish God’s ultimate universal.

14. Step 1 - Man’s rebellion • Step 2 - God’s judgment • Step 3 - God’s salvation • I’ve gave 4 examples of God using this sub-universal method (i.e., God providing salvation in the middle of his judgement) but this method occurs over and over and over again in the Old Testament.

15. This method of (1) man rebelling, (2) God judging man and then (3) God providing salvation for man stops in the New Testament. Why? • In the New Testament, the Bible teaches that all of mankind was in (1) rebellion against God but the judgement for mankind’s rebellion has already been accomplished. When Jesus received (2) God’s judgment for mankind he also (3) provided salvation for all of mankind. • All mankind has to do to receive God’s salvation is to believe and accept God’s salvation.

16. Our Situation • A rapist (强奸犯) • A murderer (是杀人犯) • A child molester (儿童性骚扰者)

17. I wanted to explain God’s ultimate universal of God establishing his rule and kingdom on the earth and God’s sub-universal which is providing salvation in the middle of his judgement so that when we look at the Table of Nations or when we look at any part of the Bible we can understand what God is ultimately trying to accomplish because I don’t think we really can understand the Bible very well without this information.

18. The Table of Nations • Genesis chapter 10 takes a break in the mostly narrative (story) form that Genesis is written in. Genesis chapter 10 is mostly a genealogy (家谱）with only a little narrative. • The story of Noah’s sons being reported by genealogy rather than narrative is not uncommon in Genesis. The same method was used to report Cain and Seth’s (Adam and Eve’s children) families.

19. The Table of Nations showed which nations shared in the curse of God and which nations shared in the blessing of God. The table shows how the people spread out and filled the earth with people. The table also shows how people scatter out and form their own cultural and languages which leads to wars and conflicts. • The Bible Knowledge Commentary

20. “Dr. William F. Albright, who was known as the world’s leading authority on the archaeology of the Near East, said concerning the Table of Nations in Genesis 10: ‘It stands absolutely alone in ancient literature, without a remote parallel, even among the Greeks, where we find the closest approach to a distribution of peoples in genealogical framework… The Table of Nations remains an astonishingly accurate document.’” (Genesis Record, pg 245)

21. The Table of Nations appears to represent all the known tribes on the earth. Seventy descendants of Noah’s sons are listed into a purposely arranged pattern (the above table only shows the first two generations listed in the Table of Nations.

22. The number seventy represents completeness or totality in the Bible. For example, the earth was created in seven days. The fact that seventy descendants of Noah are listed in the Table of Nations represents all the nations of the world during Noah’s time. • The number seventy is alluded to by Jesus when he sent out seventy disciples to evangelize which was representing the evangelization of the entire world.

23. The Table of Nations • How does the Table of Nations fit into God’s ultimate universal of establishing his rule and kingdom on the earth and his sub-universal of bringing salvation to mankind? • The author of Genesis chapter 10 has created “ancient records to show how the covenant ‘blessing’ with Noah (Genesis 9:1) was protected and to show how God was going to care for mankind (Genesis 9:17) so he could eventually establish his rule and kingdom on the earth.

24. The purpose of the Table of Nations is not primarily to establish ancestry ( 家族）but “instead it shows political, geographical, and ethnic affiliations among tribes for various reasons, most notable being holy war.” • The Bible Knowledge Commentary • Every name listed and the format of the Table of Nations all have significance to God’s ultimate universal of establishing his rule and kingdom on earth and to his sub-universal of providing salvation in the middle of judgement.

25. Genesis 10:1 Now these are the records of the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah; and sons were born to them after the flood. • (1)Shem, (2)Ham and (3)Japheth are listed in importance here in regards to which family plays the larger role in God’s ultimate universal of establishing his rule and kingdom upon the earth and of his sub-universal of providing salvation in the middle of judgement. Shem’s family is most important, Ham’s family is second and Japheth’s family is least important.

26. 1. The Sons of Japheth (10:2–5). Japheth’s descendants are listed first. Seven sons and seven grandsons of Japheth are named. At the time of Abraham these peoples were located in Asia Minor and Europe. The oriental peoples are also Japhethic, but they are omitted because of their distance from the stage upon which the drama of redemption unfolded. • Old Testament Survey Series • Japheth is listed first here because his family is least important in the history of God’s ultimate universal of establishing his rule and kingdom upon the earth. The normal pattern in Genesis is to write about the least important group first when listing details about the group.

29. 2. The Sons of Ham (10:6–20). The Hamites are treated in the second place so that the list might conclude with the Shemites. Four sons and twenty-six other descendants of Ham are named. Hamitic peoples occupied Africa, Canaan and Arabia. • Old Testament Survey Series • Ham’s family is listed second because his family plays a large part in future wars with the Israelites.

32. Canaan • Ham was the son that disrespected his father Noah, while Noah was drunk and unclothed but instead of Noah cursing Ham, Noah cursed Ham’s son Canaan. • We can see that Canaan was critical to the author of Genesis by the amount of descendants listed. Canaan is the eventual land that God promises to the Israelites. Many of the names listed as descendants of Canaan become major enemies of Israel.

34. Nimrod • A narrative of Nimrod is included in the Genesis chapter 10 genealogy. Genesis 10:8-12 “Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calahand Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.”

35. The name Nimrod seems to be connected with the verb “to rebel” and tradition connects Nimrod with a harsh and total power. He was considered a mighty hunter which was a trait found in the Assyrian kings but it means a great hunter of men. The cities that Nimrod established became major enemies of the Israelite people. • The Bible Knowledge Commentary

36. 3. The Sons of Shem (10:21–31). Five sons and twenty-one descendants of Shem are listed in the Table. These peoples settled in Mesopotamia and Arabia. Six generations of Shemites are mentioned. • Old Testament Survey Series • Shem’s family is listed last because his family play’s the most important role in God’s ultimate universal of establishing his kingdom and rule on the earthand the sub-universal of providing salvation in the middle of judgement. Jesus is a descendant of Shem.

39. As I stated earlier, the normal pattern in Genesis is to write about the least important group first when listing details about the group. In the geneology of Shem’s family, Shem has two great, great grandsons listed in one of his family lines. One is Joktan and the other is Pelag. The writer goes into great detail about Joktan’s descendants here because they are least important.

41. Pelag’s descendats are ignored because they are more important and will be introduced in Genesis 11. Many of Pelag’s descendants (Abraham and eventually Jesus) play a very important role in the ultimate universal of God establishing his rule and kingdom upon the earth and the sub-universal of providing salvation in the middle of judgement.

43. Genesis 10:32 “These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.” • This is a final summary of the table that has already been presented and an introduction to Genesis chapter 11 which explains how the “nations spread out over the earth after the flood.”

44. The main question that I have is “If all of mankind came from one family then why do different people groups look so different today?” • There are a few reasons why different physical characteristics exists between different people groups today but in reality people all over the world are almost genetically exactly the same.

45. All peoples can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. This shows that the biological differences between the “races” are not very great. In fact, the DNA differences are trivial. The DNA of any two people in the world would typically differ by just 0.2 percent and only .012 percent of those differences are related to race differences.

46. More answers for why different physical characteristics exists between different people groups today can be found at www.christiananswers.net/q-aig/race-skincolor.htmland there are a few examples below.

47. The first reason is genetics.

48. When the small family groups spread out it would have been unlikely that they would have the same skin color as the original, larger group. One of the smaller family groups might have carried more genes that produce darker skin (an example is MA MA MB MB from the chart). If they would have remained in one large group the genes that produce darker skin would have averaged out with the genes that produce lighter genes within the larger community. The same thing would have happened with all their physical characteristics. Since the smaller family groups separated each group would have formed distinct physical features. • If you took a small group of Chinese people out of this society and they only married within that same small group for thousands of years the dominant genes would continually be passed down and the group would look different from the larger group they left. If they are left in the larger group then the genes average out and their appearance does not change.

49. A second reason people look so differently today is because the environment can affect the physical features of a people group. • Dark skinned people need more vitamin D to be healthy so if they lived in an area with little sunlight they would be less healthy and have less children which would eventually lead to fewer and fewer dark skinned people until the entire group was eliminated. • In an area with a lot of sunlight white skinned people could have developed more skin cancer which would have also led to fewer and fewer white skinned people in that area until the entire group was eliminated. This is why the physical characteristics of a people group tend to match their environment. For example, Nordic people with pale white skin and people with dark skin near the equator.

50. There are a few exceptions to the environment determining physical features. The Eskimo people live where there is not much sun and they have brown skin. That is because they all have a genetic makeup (MAMAmBmB) that cannot produce lighter skin. • This is one of many problems with the theory of Darwinism. If Darwinistic Evolution occurred, through natural selection, the Eskimo people would have the ability to create new information (genes) but they cannot. Mankind can only adapt with the information they already have.