Today Our Daily Bread Genesis 10

Genesis 10: 1 - 32
1 This is the history of the families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah. Many children were born to them after the Flood. 2 The descendants of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The descendants of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The descendants of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. F34 5 Their descendants became the seafaring peoples in various lands, each tribe with its own language.
6 The descendants of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, F35 Put, and Canaan. 7 The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8 One of Cush's descendants was Nimrod, who became a heroic warrior. 9 He was a mighty hunter in the LORD's sight. F36 His name became proverbial, and people would speak of someone as being "like Nimrod, a mighty hunter in the LORD's sight." 10 He built the foundation for his empire in the land of Babylonia, F37 with the cities of Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. 11 From there he extended his reign to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, 12 and Resen – the main city of the empire, located between Nineveh and Calah. 13 Mizraim was the ancestor of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Casluhites, and the Caphtorites, from whom the Philistines came. F38 15 Canaan's oldest son was Sidon, the ancestor of the Sidonians. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites, 16 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. 19 Eventually the territory of Canaan spread from Sidon to Gerar, near Gaza, and to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha. 20 These were the descendants of Ham, identified according to their tribes, languages, territories, and nations.
21 Sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth. F39 Shem was the ancestor of all the descendants of Eber. 22 The descendants of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. 23 The descendants of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, F40 and Shelah was the father of Eber. 25 Eber had two sons. The first was named Peleg – "division" – for during his lifetime the people of the world were divided into different language groups and dispersed. His brother's name was Joktan. 26 Joktan was the ancestor of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. 30 The descendants of Joktan lived in the area extending from Mesha toward the eastern hills of Sephar. 31 These were the descendants of Shem, identified according to their tribes, languages, territories, and nations. 32 These are the families that came from Noah's sons, listed nation by nation according to their lines of descent. The earth was populated with the people of these nations after the Flood.
FOOTNOTES:F34: As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Greek version (see also 1 Chr 1:7); most Hebrew manuscripts read Dodanim. F35: Or Egypt; also in 10:13. F36: Hebrew a mighty hunter before the LORD; also in 10:9b. F37: Hebrew Shinar. F38: Hebrew Casluhites, from whom the Philistines came, Caphtorites. Compare Jer 47:4; Amos 9:7. F39: Or Shem, whose older brother was Japheth. F40: Greek version reads Arphaxad was the father of Cainan, Cainan was the father of Shelah.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation,copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,
~ Lena's Comments ~
This was a new people, God had cleared the earth from wickedness and these "new" people were -Sea-Fare-ing people, making their living at sea. Their life was the sea, their provision was found in the sea, they lived at the sea…. should I say more?
The inherent purpose inside of man is that of a warrior. He was put here to take back what belongs to God. He needs to know that, when he fights. Man needs to realize why he fights and what it is he is fighting for. He is also a hunter, which would be one who searches out ways to get what God had and catch, and keep, and use it. Then he is made a conqueror; one who takes back land (which represents people), displaces evil forces that have kept people captive, and rule them as God would in heaven.
But this is not heaven – yet. It is earth, where God so desires to set up that same rule, man ruling under and at God’s authority, beck and call. God desires men to do these things with His purposes in mind and with Him as Supreme Guide who gives the instruction and mannerism. Doesn’t this make it a bit easy to see how man has all of this inside of his inherent being? These desires coming from God our Father, yet misunderstood and because of lack of understanding there again is perversion?
I wonder if this was another way to show that men can go for a new start for themselves. They can start with great intentions to do great, because they have a "clean slate"; then find they are men under their own rule, from their own ideas and plans, and with the works of their own hands, they find they cannot do what they were designed to do by God, alone?
See Jesus had to come save us from our own selves, our own works, our own mess. I wonder if men have to try and make a mess before they can see their need for a Savior. That maybe their failures build a desire to be ruled over by God and then work for and with God?
Do you see how all of this started out right? Fishing, Hunting & Warring were to give back to God what an enemy (satan) had stolen from God before the world was even created? God put inside of men that desire to WIN it back. The thing is, if they are not told and do not realize what the desire is for and they just run with that desire, they will – kill rather than win back, they would rather fight than take back, and they would rather conquer over, than rule. Then as they succeed they see that they do have power that goes to a certain level and their desire is stirred for more and more power to use upon their own lust and greed, when all the while that power, that strength, that wisdom, that provision, that skill was given by God to each and everyone of us from every part of the whole world, every race and tongue to work WITH GOD to defeat satan’s awful work here.
Satan’s work is where he drags people to his eternal doom and punishment WITH him. See how we are either "for God or "against" Him? If we are not working at His purpose, we are serving another, and we may think it is our own self purpose, BUT if we serve ourselves we are really serving another master, because this is the very characteristic of satan, to serve self, rather than others. Look at the perversions, they are very self centered. Ruling over to show our own power. Fighting to be right. Hunting out people to show who’s on top and who wins. Taking land so we can say how much we have in a demonstration of the hunger for more and more of ourselves.
Our Commission as Christians is all based upon the defining of one’s purpose on earth. There is Good News – you do not have to serve yourself and fail. There is another King, other than you, yourself and you (I). There is another king who wins and does not disappoint or steal, kill and destroy you and yours. It is Jesus the King of kings (that’s us) and Lord of lords (That’s us too. These are also the princes of satan sent to keep us deceived into thinking it is all about us). Choose this day who you will serve – You, yourself and yours, or God? Choose life that you and yours would LIVE.