The QUAGMIRE Of MANKIND’s SEPARATION-I—Genesis 10:1-32 & 11:1-9
Attention:
Oystering in Savannah/Coastal salt-marsh mud will literally suck your boots off!
Such a Quagmire is a difficult place from which to be extricated.
Mankind became separated into various nations following the Flood.
Genesis details the origins of the nations following the Flood.
Genesis concisely details the separation of the nations following the Flood.
Genesis concisely details a separation of nations following the Flood.
*The separation of mankind is concisely documented/recorded.
*What defines the quagmire of mankind’s separation?
9 concerns regarding mankind’s separation.
1—The quagmire in mankind’s separation is in his...
CLIQUISH DIVERSITY(10:2; 10:6ff; 10:21ff)
Explanation: (10:2; 10:6ff; 10:21ff) Cliquishness/Family
10:1—“Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, & Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.
Moses reveals an extensive knowledge of people groups. How could he know this? Perhaps there were extant written records of these groups. But more probably, Moses was himself largely unaware until having had them disclosed to him by Divine revelation from YaHWeH.
These were 3 brothers who were producing the progeny, described separately here,(10:2-31) simultaneously. We are told that “Shem was 100 years old & begot Arphaxad 2 years after the Flood”(Gen. 11:10). *Very soon afterward(the Flood), & not as young men, did they begin having children.
Each of chapter 10’s 3 sections has 3 categories. 1)The son is listed; Japheth, Ham, Shem; 2)The descendents of the son are listed; & 3)A summary is given concerning these offspring”—:5, 20, 31—John MacArthur
Answers the ‘How?’ of 9:19.
“Genealogy”(See :32)—hdlwt to-led-dah'—1) Descendants, results, proceedings, generations, genealogies—1a) Account of men & their descendants—1a1) Genealogical list of one's descendants, 1a2) One's contemporaries, 1a3) Course of history (of creation etc), 1b) Begetting or account of heaven (metaph). Strong—(plural only) Descent, i.e. Family; (figuratively) History.
“Flood”—lwbm mab-bool'—1) Flood, deluge. 1a) Noah's flood that submerged the entire planet earth under water for about a year.
10:2ff.—The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, & Tiras.”
First of genealogical preference are the offspring of Japheth as they pertain to limited & specific paternal lineages. These may be decided as they specifically relate to the Israelites of Moses’ day after having left the land of Egypt & are about to enter the Promised Land.
Many of these peoples are recognizable throughout the Scriptures both Old & New. It is presumed that many of these names would have been recognizable to the children of Israel prior to their entering the Promised Land.
The order of these names does not appear to be by location(E-W-N-S etc.). What is important to the author(Moses) is their origin by family. Thus their wanderings are inconsequential. However, all appear to be to the North of & E or W of Palestine.
“Greeks trace themselves back, they trace their heritage back to a Chapitas, a form of Japheth. And you will read about him in the writings of Aristophanes. People in the east, in India, Persia, trace themselves back to a flood account with a man named Yapetehas their father, Yapeteh, Yapathas, Japheth. And so go west you find Japheth, go east you find Japheth.”—John MacArthur
The Japhethites appear to have “made their migration & settlement in Europe.” In whom arises “what is called the Indo-European language.”—Skip Heitzig
Japheth’s sons:
*Gomer—rmg go'-mer—Specific location Unknown; Possibly N. of Black Sea. Strong—The progenitor of the early Cimmerians & other branches of the Celtic family. “....Information from historians Heratapus, Strabo & Plutak indicate that Gomer's people settled north of the Black Sea in an area called Kinera or Crimea”(a peninsula bordered by the Black Sea(W. & S.) & Sea of Azov(E.) & Ukraine to the N.))—John MacArthur
Magog—gwgm magowg'—= "land of Gog"—The mountainous region between Cappadocia & Media & habitation of the descendants of Magog.
Madai—ydm maw-dah'-ee—=“Middle land”—Medes—E. of Assyria. Located northwest of Persia proper, south & southwest of the Caspian Sea, east of Armenia & Assyria, & west & northwest of the great salt desert of Iram. Strong—A country of central Asia.
*Javan—Nwy yaw-vawn'—= “Ionia” or “Greece.”
Greeks, Macedonians, some believe the Romans & Italians.
Tubal—lbt too-bal'— = “Thou shall be brought.”—N. of Mesopotamia. A region in east Asia Minor, perhaps nearly equal to Cappadocia.
Meshech—Kvm meh'-shek—Between E. Mediterranean Sea & Black sea(Asia Minor). Progenitor of peoples to the north of Israel—1a) descendants of Mesech often mentioned in connection with Tubal, Magog, & other northern nations including the Moschi, a people on the borders of Colchis & Armenia.
Tiras—oryt tee-raws'—= “Desire”—NW. of Greece(Italy).
*Only two of the seven sons(recorded) born to Japheth are followed as to their children(Gomer & Javan).
Gomer had at least 3 sons:
Ashkenaz—znkva ash-ken-az'—= “A man as sprinkled: Fire as scattered”—A northern people, perhaps of Bithynia.
“North of Israel & west to Eastern Europe, mainly Germany. With in Judaism there is tension between the German(Ashkenazi) & Portugese(Sephardi) Jews, because of looks & culture.(Sons of Shem who migrated to the area of the sons of Japheth). The beginning of anti-Semitism was in a Japhethite who hated the Shemites, Adolph Hitler, forced the migration back to Israel & they dwell together there now.”—Skip Heitzig
Riphath/Diphath = “Spoken.” Specific location Unknown.
Togarmah—hmrgt to-gar-maw'—=“Thou wilt break her”—Probably the area known as Armenia. Ancient Turkey, Armenia. (Ezekiel 38, 39).
Javan is the only other direct son of Japheth(besides Gomer) with specific genealogical mentionings in this genealogy. He had at least 4 sons:
Elishah—
Tarshish—vyvrt tar-sheesh'—= “Yellow jasper.”—A city of the Phoenicians in a distant(western) part of the Mediterranean Sea toward which the prophet Jonah fled in order to escape ministry to Nineveh(Jonah 1:3)—1a) Site unknown but perhaps in Cyprus or Spain. In the Bible, Tarshish is usually associated with oceanic trade.
Ezek. 27:12—““Tarshish was your[Tyre’s] merchant because of your many luxury goods. They gave you silver, iron, tin, & lead for your goods.”
Kittim & Dodanim:
“Most associate Kittim with Cyprus &” Dodanim with (R)odanim & thus “Rhodes”—John MacArthur
10:6—“The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, & Canaan.”
“Cush”—Ancient Ethiopia (Jeremiah 13:23, Isaiah 45:14) dark skinned & very tall.
“Mizraim”—Egypt
“Put”—Libya
“Canaan”—From Canaan arose the original inhabitants of the ‘promised land,’ which was pledged to Abraham in Genesis 15. Noah had cursed Canaan(9:24-27.)
10:21—“And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder.”
Shem’s progeny is given closer attention in 11:10-26 as it results in Abram’s(Abraham’s) birth, who is, in turn, granted his own progenitorial lineage.
“Eber”—rbe ay'-ber—Eber or Heber = “The region beyond”—This is where we arrive at the name “Hebrew”...The 'Eberew' people.
Abram/Abraham is considered an ‘Eber-ew’ of “Hebrew.”
Gen. 14:8 -13—“And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, & the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out & joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, & Arioch king of Ellasar--four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; & the kings of Sodom & Gomorrah fled; some fell there, & the remainder fled to the mountains. Then they took all the goods of Sodom & Gomorrah, & all their provisions, & went their way. They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, & his goods, & departed. Then one who had escaped came & told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol & brother of Aner; & they were allies with Abram.”
Gen 10:25—“To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; & his brother’s name was Joktan.”
Most scholars believe this statement regarding “Peleg’s” name resulted from the “division” which occurred at Babel(11:1-9). “Peleg’s” name does not capture or embody the separation of ‘pangea.’
“Earth”(See :1, 4)—Ura eh'-rets—1) Land, earth. Strong—from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; The earth(at large, or partitively a land).
“Divided”—glp paw-lag'—1) To divide, split. Strong—to split (literally or figuratively)To split(literally or figuratively). Used 4X.
Argumentation:
The movement of the Israelite tribe of Dan[S. of Ephraim] to the north of Israel[bordering Sidon], despite the decisive draw of their allotment by YaHWeH’s commanded thru Moses, Joshua & Eliazar(Jud. 18).
Jud. 1:34—“...the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountains, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley;”
Jud. 18:1—“In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them.”
Israel was encouraged to not combine two ‘incompatible’ things. This would “defile” the crop, clothing, standards of measurement, etc. This spoke of the unity which was to color Israel as a nation. Defilement is incompatible with trust in God. Exclusivity.
Illustration:
Univision TV network/Maintains a semblance of hispanic language & culture for visiting families in America/CLIQUISH DIVERSITY
Linda—A bad word slipped out once/She said, “Oops, that’s a ‘family word.’ We don’t use ‘family words’ in public.”/CLIQUISH DIVERSITY
Application:
?You caught up in the Quagmire of CLIQUISH DIVERSITY?
?You caught up in the Quagmire of what separates you from God?
2— The quagmire in mankind’s separation is in his...
CONFLICT/Contention(10:13-14; 10:15-19)
Explanation: (10:13-14; 10:15-19)
Some very notable peoples/tribes/nations arise Particularly from Ham(but also from others)—as they relate negatively to God’s chosen people Israel.
“Canaan”—From Canaan arose the original inhabitants of the promised land, pledged to Abraham in Genesis 15. Minimally consisting of Hivites, Hittites, Jebusites, the Amorite etc. God told the Israelites to leave Egypt, cross the Jordan, take the land as their own & exterminate the Canaanites, who were vile people. Known to sacrifice children(to Molech). Engaged in & sexual perversions contrary to the Mosaic Law(). God gave them 400 years to repent, very patient. God gave the land of the Canaanites to Israel (Genesis 15 )—Skip Heitzig/John MacArthur
:13—“Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,
“Mizraim” is Egypt. From—rwum mawtsowr'—in the sense of a limit. Siege, entrenchment. Itself being From—rwum—Something hemming in, i.e. objectively--A mound(of besiegers); abstractly--A siege: figuratively--Distress; or subjectively--A fastness.
Egypt is to Israel:
“the Iron Furnace.”(Deut. 19-20)
Deut. 4:19-20—““And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, & when you see the sun, the moon, & the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them & serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage. But the LORD has taken you & brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day.”
It is the land of their captivity(Gen. 15:13-14).
Gen. 15:13-14—“Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, & will serve them, & they will afflict them four hundred years. “And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.”
The seat of their taskmasters(Ex. 1:8-14; Ex. 5:4-19).
Ex. 1:8-14—“Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more & mightier than we; “come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, & it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies & fight against us, & so go up out of the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom & Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied & grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage--in mortar, in brick, & in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.”
The governors of the forced infanticide of Israel’s children(Ex. 1:15-22).
Ex. 1:15-22—“Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah & the name of the other Puah; & he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, & see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” But the midwives feared God, & did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives & said to them, “Why have you done this thing, & saved the male children alive?” And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively & give birth before the midwives come to them.” Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, & the people multiplied & grew very mighty. And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them. So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, & every daughter you shall save alive.””
:14—“Pathrusim, & Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines & Caphtorim).”
:15—“Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, & Heth;”
“Sidon”—From whom arises the widely recognized harbor & pagan city-state of Sidon(present-day south of Beirut, Lebanon).
Sidon is usually paired with Tyre to the south.
Judges 10:11-14—“So the LORD said to the children of Israel, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians & from the Amorites & from the people of Ammon & from the Philistines? “Also the Sidonians & Amalekites & Maonites oppressed you; & you cried out to Me, & I delivered you from their hand. Yet you have forsaken Me & served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. Go & cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.””
Elijah ministered to a widow from Zarephath “which belongs to Sidon”(1Kgs. 17:8ff).
By Solomon’s day:
1Kgs. 5:6-7—“Now therefore, command that they cut down cedars for me from Lebanon; & my servants will be with your[King Hiram of Sidon] servants, & I will pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say. For you know there is none among us who has skill to cut timber[cedar & cypress] like the Sidonians. So it was, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly & said, Blessed be the LORD this day, for He has given David a wise son over this great people!”
1Kgs. 11:1, 5—“But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, & Hittites--”.....“For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, & after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.”
1Kgs. 16:30-31—“Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; & he went & served Baal & worshiped him.”
Jesus would minister to Sidon.
Mat. 11:21-22—““Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre & Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth & ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre & Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.”
Both Tyre & Sidon were obviously considered pagan.
Mat. 15:21-28—“Then Jesus went out from there & departed to the region of Tyre & Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region & cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came & urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered & said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came & worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered & said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread & throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered & said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”
:15—“Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, & Heth;”
“Heth”
Gen. 23:2-20—“So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba(that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, & Abraham came to mourn for Sarah & to weep for her. Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, & spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, “I am a foreigner & a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, “Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.” Then Abraham stood up & bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, & meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me, “that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you.” Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; & Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying, “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field & the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!” Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land; & he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me & I will bury my dead there.” And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, “My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you & me? So bury your dead.” And Abraham listened to Ephron; & Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants. So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field & the cave which was in it, & all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. So the field & the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.”
Gen. 27:41—28:1—“So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, & Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent & called Jacob her younger son, & said to him, “Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you. “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran. And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away, until your brother’s anger turns away from you, & he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send & bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?” And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”.....28:1—Then Isaac called Jacob & blessed him, & charged him, & said to him: “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
:16—“the Jebusite, the Amorite, & the Girgashite;
Jebusites:
1Chron. 11:4-5—“And David & all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. Then the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not come in here!” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).” They were considered mountain dwellers.
Amorites:
Gen. 15:13-16—“Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, & will serve them, & they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.””
:17—“the Hivite, the Arkite, & the Sinite;
:18—“the Arvadite, the Zemarite, & the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed.
:19—“And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, & Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.”
This Canaanite “border” encompasses the majority of the Land Promised to Abraham.
Gen. 15:18-21—“On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates-- the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, & the Jebusites.””
Therein many of the people groups(tribal groups), generally considered as Canaanites, are named.
Argumentation:
Nations forever battle against each other:
2Chron. 15:2-6—“And he[a prophet Azariah] went out to meet Asa[king of Judah], & said to him: “Hear me, Asa, & all Judah & Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, & without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, & sought Him, He was found by them. And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. So nation was destroyed by nation, & city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity.”
Even Israel has been against Israel:
Isa. 9:21—“Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, & Ephraim Manasseh; Together they shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.”
For God’s Judgment—Nations have risen against Israel:
Amos 6:13-14—“You who rejoice over Lo Debar, Who say, “Have we not taken Karnaim for ourselves By our own strength?” “But, behold, I will raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel,” Says the LORD God of hosts; “And they will afflict you from the entrance of Hamath To the Valley of the Arabah.””
Today, Does Israel have enemies?...Of course! Iran, Palestinians, Muslims of every stripe.
In the End time:
Mat. 24:4-8—“And Jesus answered & said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ & will deceive many. And you will hear of wars & rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, & kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, & earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
In fact it the Last Days are technically referred to as “The Tribulation”(‘Pressure’), the “Great Tribulation”(Mat. 24:21) & the “time of Jacob’s Trouble”(Jer. 7:30).
Nations against God & His people:
Ps. 2:1-12—“Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD & against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, & I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’” Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.”
**True peace among the nations comes thru Christ Jesus alone! Familial geographical, national, & linguistic differences meld into unity in Jesus’ name!
Rev. 7:9-17—“After these things I looked, & behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, & tongues, standing before the throne & before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, & crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, & to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne & the elders & the four living creatures, & fell on their faces before the throne & worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Blessing & glory & wisdom, Thanksgiving & honor & power & might, Be to our God forever & ever. Amen.” Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, & where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, & washed their robes & made them white in the blood of the Lamb. “Therefore they are before the throne of God, & serve Him day & night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them & lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.””
Illustration:
Wayne Sauder was ‘the neighborhood bully’(in my estimation)/Always at odds with the younger kids(including me)/Possibly he was ~3-4 yrs. older than most other kids/We were unsure as to why & never tried to figure it out/Possibly, his family moved here from yankee Pennsylvania to redneck Rowan County...from a rigorous religious tradition to much less tradition...he was not allowed to wear shorts in summer, but everybody else did.../CONFLICT/Contention imminent!
Application:
?You caught up in the Quagmire of CONFLICT/Contention?
?You caught up in the Quagmire of what separates you from God?
3— The quagmire in mankind’s separation is in his...
KINGDOM CONSTRUCTION(10:8-12)
Explanation: (10:8-12)
:8—“Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth.”
A son of Ham named Cush “begot” a man by the name of “Nimrod.”
:9—“He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.” ”
“Nimrod” became a well-known(notorious?) force to be reckoned with upon the earth. It appears that Nimrod’s actions should be looked at in a negative sense in that he did what he did in defiance of YaHWeH.
Some believe that he was a “mighty hunter” of men. In fact, the words “before the LORD” may actually mean ‘against the LORD.’ as if to say, ‘I'm doing this before God as an act of worship,’ or more probably, in this context, ‘against the Lord,’ or ‘in defiance of the Lord.’—Skip Heitzig
“Nimrod”—drmn nim-rode'— = "Rebellion" or “The valiant.” Used 4X.
:10—“And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, & Calneh, in the land of Shinar.”
This is the first mention in Scripture of a “kingdom.” So Nimrod is the “first” to establish a recognizable “kingdom.”
“Kingdoms” speak of sovereignty & dominion. This is more than a mere collection of residences in the same area...This would involve a government centered around one person’s design...namely Nimrod’s.
The first recognition of Nimrod’s penchant for “kingdom”-building was a “kingdom” named “Babel.” The attitude, flaws, & relationship to YaHWeH of Nimrod’s first “kingdom,” are fleshed out in Gen. 11:1-9. Babel is anything but godly! In fact, it is so un-godly that YaHWeH took appropriate action against it!
“The land of Shinar”—The Mesopotamian river valley between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers—major cities was Babylon(Babel)(Near current Baghdad(center of Iraq)).
Micah 5:6—“They shall waste with the sword the land of Assyria, And the land of Nimrod at its entrances; Thus He shall deliver us from the Assyrian, When he comes into our land And when he treads within our borders.”
Dan. 1:1-2 “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem & besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; & he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.”
Antichrist will headquarter a kingdom known symbolically as “Babylon,” “Babylon the Great,” “The great harlot,” & “The mother of harlots & of the abominations of the earth.”(Rev. 17:1-6)
:11—“From that land he went to Assyria & built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah,”
:12—“& Resen between Nineveh & Calah(that is the principal city).” ”
“Assyria”(The land of Asshur(:22—Shem))—Seems to denote a geographical area, at this time, rather than a nation as such—(current Syria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, etc.)
*Nimrod is directly associated with establishing no less than 9 “kingdoms”!
“Mighty”—rbg ghib-bor'—Adj.—1) Strong, mighty; N. m.—2) Strong man, brave man, mighty man. Strong—Powerful; by implication,--Warrior, tyrant.
“Hunter”—dyu tsah'-yid—1) Hunting, game—1a) Hunting, 1b) Game hunted; 2) Provision, food—2a) Provision, food, food-supply. Strong—The chase; also Game(thus taken); generally--Lunch (especially for a journey). Used 19X.
“Kingdom”—hklmm mam-law-kaw'—1) Kingdom, dominion, reign, sovereignty—1a) Kingdom, realm, 1b) Sovereignty, dominion, 1c) Reign. Strong—Dominion, i.e. abstractly--The estate(rule) or concretely--The country (realm).
Argumentation:
Mic. 5:2-7—““But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” Therefore He shall give them up, Until the time that she[Israel] who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand & feed His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth; And this One shall be peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land, And when he treads in our palaces, Then we will raise against him Seven shepherds & eight princely men. They shall waste with the sword the land of Assyria, And the land of Nimrod at its entrances; Thus He shall deliver us from the Assyrian, When he comes into our land And when he treads within our borders. Then the remnant of Jacob Shall be in the midst of many peoples, Like dew from the LORD, Like showers on the grass, That tarry for no man Nor wait for the sons of men.”
*Mat. 6:25-34—““Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food & the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; & yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, & tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness, & all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Mat. 12:24-28—“Now when the Pharisees heard it[Jesus’ casting out demons] they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” But Jesus knew their thoughts, & said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, & every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
Illustration:
Cuba’s Fulgencio Batista/“Rose to power as part of the 1933 "Revolt of the Sergeants" that overthrew the authoritarian rule of Gerardo Machado”/served as the elected President of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 & as Dictator from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution(Fidel Castro)/Batista “negotiated lucrative relationships with the American Mafia, who controlled the drug, gambling, & prostitution businesses in Havana, & with large multinational American corporations that had invested considerable amounts of money in Cuba”/Mobster ‘Lucky Luciano’ even ran “a number of casinos in Cuba with the sanction of Batista,” after his US parole/1963, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed... “it is as though Batista was the incarnation of a number of sins on the part of the United States.”/Batista built & maintained his ‘Kingdom’ upon heavy-handed mercenary avarice/KINGDOM CONSTRUCTION—Wikipedia
Utopian dreams usually reek havoc upon the many while placating the few.
The purpose of the Universal Church of God in Christ, is to declare the Good news giving glory to God’s Kingdom!
We must Love, Reach & Nurture others for Christ!
We are citizens of His Kingdom.
It is internally Constructed further every time someone is saved.
That’s godly KINGDOM CONSTRUCTION!
Application:
?You caught up in the Quagmire of KINGDOM CONSTRUCTION?
?You caught up in the Quagmire of what separates you from God?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Oystering in Savannah salt-marsh mud.
A Quagmire is a difficult place from which to be extricated.
Action:
The quagmire in mankind’s separation is in his...
1. CLIQUISH DIVERSITY(10:2; 10:6ff; 10:21ff) Family
2. CONFLICT(10:13-14; 10:15-19) Contention
3. KINGDOM CONSTRUCTION(10:8-12)
Presented 09/09/2012am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
