Genesis
Lesson 15 w/AnswersGenesis 9:1 - 10:32
In this lesson, we will look at Genesis Chapters 9 and 10, which describe the events that followed immediately after the great flood. We will find that God saved Noah, his wife, and Noah’s three sons and their wives for a specific purpose. Unfortunately, we will also see that, along with these eight humans and the animals that God had saved, one other thing remained on the earth following the flood — the desire to sin.
Imagine what it must have been like, enclosed in a floating ark for a year and knowing that you were the only surviving humans in the entire world. Then, imagine what it must have been like during those first few days outside of the ark, as Noah and his family grew accustomed to their new environment, saw their first rainbow, and pondered the new life before them.
Read Genesis Chapters 9 and 10, and consider the following:
- What did God command Noah and his three sons to do after the flood? (see Gen. 9:1)
- ANSWER: Multiply, and fill the earth.
- What was now different about the relationship between man and animals? (see Gen. 9:2-3)
- ANSWER 1: The "fear of man" was now within the animals.
- ANSWER 2: Man was to eat meat, but not with the blood in it.
- What did God specifically command Noah and his family in Genesis 9:7?
- ANSWER: He commanded Noah to populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it. God intended that man should fill the earth. This is the second time that this command is given within the first seven verses of Chapter 9. Later, we will discover that Noah and his family were NOT spreading out over the earth, so God found a way to cause them to do as He had commanded.
- What did God "covenant" with Noah, and how did God seal that covenant? (see Gen. 9:8-17)
- ANSWER 1: God covenanted, or promised, that never again would all flesh be killed, or "cut off", through the use of a flood.
- ANSWER 2: God set his bow in the sky as a reminder of that covenant; we call it a rainbow. Nothing like it had ever been seen on the earth before.
- Who is the father of the Canaanites? (see Gen. 9:18)
- ANSWER: Ham.
- Who was the youngest of Noah’s three sons? (see Gen. 9:24 and Gen. 10:6)
- ANSWER: Ham.
- How long after the flood waters receded was it when Noah got drunk? (see Gen. 9:19-20)?
- ANSWER: The Bible does not specifically say, but we know that it was many years later after flood. We know this because the text speaks about Noah becoming a farmer and planting a vineyard. It takes many years to accomplish all of this, plus the time to harvest, make, and then ferment the wine.
- In addition to Ham being the father of the Canaanites, he was also the father of Cush; and Cush was the father of Nimrod. Why is this significant? (see Gen. 10:8-20)
- ANSWER 1: Ham’s descendants are identified so that the people of Israel would know which of Noah’s descendants would share in the blessing, and which would share in the curses. Ham’s descendents would all share in the curses.
- ANSWER 2: Nimrod was the founder of the first world powers in both Babylon and Assyria. All of the "centers" that he established subsequently became enemies of Israel.
We see from our study that while Noah found grace in the eyes of God, and God saved his entire family. Also preserved within the ark was the desire on the part of man to sin. We also saw the story of Ham, i.e., the creation or begging of the line of Israel’s enemies. We observed as well the story of Shem, whose descendants led to Abraham and the birth of God’s chosen people.
We also found from this lesson that God is purposeful in His planning and in His judgments; and that, while all chaos may appear to be happening around us, if we have trusted completely in Him, He will protect us and watch over us. No one has ever failed to find peace when they seek that peace through Christ with God.
Thanks for studying with us.
In Christ,
Wes
[2010]