October 28, Genesis 11
When Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran. - Genesis 11:26
You've probably heard the expression, "It's always darkest just before the dawn." I don't know if that's literally true as night edges toward the new day, but it has often turned out to be so in major events that changed the course of human history. Societies and nations seem to fall into low moral and spiritual places before God sends a revival or brings them down to ruin. It happens in individual lives too, doesn't it?
Genesis 11 is a record of deepening darkness as the second decline of the human race progressed to a level where God intervened and changed the course of history. I’m thankful that the other big idea introduced here is the first glimmer of light—an early development in God's plan to deal with the biggest problem of the human family, the problem of sin.
The second decline and crash of the fallen race parallels the first one. Both began with an episode of individual sin that spread through their families and generations. Both ended with God's direct intervention of judgment -- first with the flood, later with what happened in the plain of Shinar at the tower of Babel.
In the first case, Eve and then Adam disobeyed God when they listened to Satan's lie about the fruit of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Their disobedience introduced sin in the world. The sin flourished in their son Cain as his jealousy, hatred and willful disobedience led him to murder his brother. The death God had warned Adam and Eve about became a sad reality that has been with us ever since.
To continue our brief review, remember how Cain's descendants grew worse and worse. They eventually intermarried with the more righteous Sethites, corrupting them in the process. God saw that there was no hope for the race and decided to destroy the human family. He showed grace to Noah and his family, saving them from the flood by means of the ark.
After the flood, Noah and his family were the nucleus for the rebirth of the human race. But the shameful account of Noah’s drunkenness and the lewd behavior of his grandson Canaan toward his intoxicated grandfather showed the race was already headed back down. After a few generations, the people gathered on the plain of Shinar planning to build a tower to heaven. God stopped their plan by confusing their languages and scattering the people across the world.
The last part of Genesis 11 traces the development of Shem’s family, down through Eber (whose name apparently led to the word Hebrew) and on to a man named Terah, who had a son named Abram. As you may already know, this Abram’s name will be changed and he will become the patriarchal head of a nation of people through whom the promised Messiah would come.
As the first major section of Genesis ends and the second one is about to begin, there is a glimmer of light and hope shining into the hopeless dark night of sinful disobedience to God. What has seemed hopeless so far is about to get an infusion of hope and direction from God that will culminate in God’s ultimate design, to redeem and restore fallen humans to himself by his own gracious and mysterious plan to do so in Christ.
That dawn of the real new day for the poor lost human family is still a couple of thousand years away as this chapter comes to an end. But just ahead, there’s something of a bright spot in the dark human tragedy that’s directly related to that distant but surely coming day of light and righteousness that Christ will bring.
Copyright © 2021 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—October 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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