Noah to Abraham
Introduction: After Noah and his wife emerged from the ark they had no other children together. Noah's three sons each with his own wife had no children until after they came out of the ark, so all successive generations of mankind came from Noah's three sons. There was a dramatic decline in lifespan over several of the initial generations, but it is interesting to note that Noah was still alive when Abraham was born, and Shem lived some thirty years after Abraham had died. This study is a very brief overview of only a few observations through this lengthy period.
NOTE: Scripture passages are from the American King James Version.
A — Eight People Saved in the Ark from the Great Flood
Genesis 6 “5 And 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. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
Genesis 9 “18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. 19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth covered.”
Comments: Noah represented the comfort that through mercy the LORD would preserve those who were found just in his sight as they walked with God, while those who persisted in their wicked rejection of God would be judged with finality. Noah's three sons with their wives became the ancestral starting point for three major branches of all generations that have since populated the earth. Those three sons with their wives had no children until after they came out of the ark, and therefore all subsequent offspring had no directly observed knowledge of former natural conditions in the world prior to the great flood.
B — Noah Sacrificed to the LORD After the Flood
Genesis 8 “20 And Noah built an altar to the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a sweet smell; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake… 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”
Comments: In Genesis 7, the LORD told Noah to take an extra number of “clean” beasts and fowls into the ark. After Noah made the burnt offering of the clean animals, the LORD said in his heart that he would not again curse the ground and kill everything living on it. The grace of safety in the ark received by Noah and his family provided general benefit to future generations because of the mercy of the LORD.
C — Peleg and the Tower of Babel
Genesis 11 “1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach to heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad on the face of the whole earth. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there on the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel.”
Comments: A specific line of descendants through Noah's son Shem led to Abraham. Scripture does not elaborate on the full implications of the Tower of Babel, but we know the action taken by the LORD was significant for all future generations in the world. There was no indication that those men had any intention to honor the LORD — the text states they wanted to make a name for themselves and did not want to be scattered. The LORD diverted their efforts by confusing the one language into many, and the people began to scatter and spread over the whole earth.
D — The Line from Noah to Abraham Was Preserved Until After His Birth
Comments: Based on the successive record in scripture of the men in the ancestral line from Noah down to Abraham, not one of them had died until after Abraham was born. Shem lived about 30 years after the death of Abraham. Eber died right around the time Jacob traveled to Padanaram. The sons of Jacob would comprise the twelve tribes of Israel as the LORD planned to call out a nation for his own name. The numeric record shows a dramatic decline in lifespan over several of the initial generations — from Shem at 600 years, down toward lifespans more familiar in the present era by the time of Abraham's descendants.
E — From Noah to Abraham, Obedient Faith Was the Key
Genesis 15 “5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if you be able to number them: and he said to him, So shall your seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
Hebrews 11 “7 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… and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing where he went.”
Comments: The LORD promised Abraham that through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Paul defined for us the ultimate value of that blessing: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made… And to your seed, which is Christ.” The nation of Israel became another step in the process the LORD was using to bring about in Christ the ultimate blessing promised to Abraham. Satan and man's own wandering heart cannot thwart the plans and goals the LORD has for those he has chosen to glorify his name. It is essential to diligently seek God by faith and to look ahead for the reward as heirs for the hope of that city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Reflections in Prayer
I thank you LORD, that there is no scheme or method of man or Satan that can cancel your love and mercy since you created man in your own image. You moved in the heart of certain men from Seth down to Noah, and they demonstrated their desire to serve their Creator. As the ark rose above the flood waters, you LORD preserved the continuation of only a select generation to repopulate the physically changed world. You allowed eight to survive because of the faith and obedience of Noah. Your action to confuse the language of man was another means of your grace to take man off of the course that was toward his own dependence, and away from honoring the LORD of heaven and earth. I thank you LORD, that you touched my heart to bring me to yourself through faith. What a joy it is to read and study various sections of scripture, and to marvel at the incomparable ways of a gracious, merciful, and loving God. Hallelujah, Amen.
Published 17 May 2014