Genesis - Chapters 5-11

Julie Callio provides an overview of the Bible, specifically focusing on chapters 5-11 of Genesis. She highlights the importance of understanding the concept of generations and how it applies to Adam and his descendants. She emphasizes that despite the fall, humanity is still made in God's image. Julie also discusses the genealogy of Adam and the significance of certain breaks in the pattern, such as the mention of Enoch and Noah. She mentions the wickedness of mankind and God's decision to destroy everything except Noah, who found grace in God's eyes. Julie explains the story of Noah and the ark, the covenant God made with him, and the symbolism of the rainbow. She also touches on the story of Noah's sons, particularly the incident involving Ham and Noah's nakedness. Julie concludes by discussing the descendants of Noah's sons and the story of the Tower of Babel. I am Julie Callio, your host, and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to tune in with me today. If by chance you want to contact me, you can do that at vab.bc.pc at gmail.com. Today we are starting more of an overview of the Bible going through chapters 5-11, but the beginning of Genesis has so many firsts that apply to our lives today, we needed to start slow to cover the important points. As a reminder, an overview is not the Bible, so I hope that you are also reading through the Bible with me this year. I am excited to see what new insights we will gain. Chapter 5 verse 1 starts with the generations of Adam, and that is the same word as in chapter 2 verse 4, which reads, These are the generations of the heavens and the earth, when they were created in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. The definition for generations is descent, family, history, birth, or generations. Chapter 5 verses 1-3 read, This is the book of generations of Adam, in the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him, male and female created he them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth. What I like about this reiteration of Genesis chapter 1 verses 26 and 27 is that this is after the fall, and yet it does not negate the fact that humanity is made in God's image. The interesting phrase is when it speaks of Seth who bore the image and likeness of his father Adam. As Paul said in the New Testament book of Romans chapter 5 verse 12, Wherefore as by one man's sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. All humanity is created in the image of God, but we also carry the image of our earthly father and as Romans 3 verse 23 says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Then in Genesis 5 we have Adam's genealogy. One thing that is interesting is there is not a reference to Cain. In reading genealogies in the Bible there usually is a pattern. In this instance we have a name, how long they lived before having a child, the name of the child, how long they lived after the child, and they begat sons and daughters, then the total of his days, and then he died. One thing God promised Adam and Eve was when they ate of the tree of knowledge in good and evil they would die, and this genealogy is pointing out that almost everyone died. Where there is a pattern like that, what is important is when that pattern breaks. In verses 21 through 24 we see one of those breaks with Enoch. There is a little sentence about how Enoch lived in verse 22, And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years and begat sons and daughters. And then verse 24 says, And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. It seems that God spared Enoch a bodily death. Verse 29 is also a break in the pattern. And he, Lamech, called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed. Genesis chapter 3, Adam and his wife sinned. Chapter 4, Cain killed his brother Abel and was not repentant. His descendants bragged about being a murderer. And then we had hope that Seth was born to Adam. Through his line we have hope in two other men, Enoch and Noah, that it is possible to be pleasing to the Lord. But then in chapter 6 we see that evil still rules over mankind. I still have not gotten a good understanding of who the sons of God are and the daughters of men, but in Job the writer used the same phrase, The sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, Job chapter 1 verse 6 and chapter 2 verse 1. For me not knowing brings me joy, because it reminds me that there are many things I do not understand about God. This also makes me think that I need to focus on what I do know the passage is telling me. And it is clear in chapter 6 verses 1 through 8, God saw the wickedness of man, that every thought was continually evil and it made God's heart grieve. God wanted to destroy his creation, humans, beasts, creeping things, birds of the air, everything. But then in verse 8, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. There was one person. In verse 9, These are the records of Noah, Noah was a just man and perfect in his time, and Noah walked with God. Both Enoch and Noah walked with God. The rest of chapter 6, God tells Noah to build an ark. In verse 18, God told Noah, But with you I will establish my covenant, and you shall come into the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. God also spared the animals, male and female, of flesh, fowls, cattle, and creeping things. Verse 22 says, Thus did Noah, according to all that God commanded him, so did he. Verse 5 of chapter 7, And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him. When the ark was full, verse 16 tells us that the Lord shut them in the ark. And verse 17 says, And the flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters increased and bear up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. Chapter 8 begins, And God remembered Noah and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. Derek Kidner said, When the Old Testament says God remembered, it combines the idea of faithful love and timely intervention. Abraham Kuruvilla's commentary on Genesis compared Genesis 8 to the seven days of creation. In verses 1b and 2 we have the wind, earth, waters, and deeps are mentioned, like the first day of creation. This word for wind can also be defined as breath or spirit, and in Genesis 1 it was the spirit of God that hovered upon the face of the waters. This word was also used when God parted the Red Sea as the children of Israel escaped Egypt in Exodus chapter 14 verse 21. Verse 2b the sky is mentioned as in day 2 of creation. In verses 3 through 5 and 7 and 14 the waters dried up and appear as in the third day. There is no need to mention the luminaries in the heavens in the recreation which was day 4. Then verses 7 and 8 discuss birds like on the fifth day. Verse 17 mentions creatures, animals, things that move along the ground as in day 6. And then in verse 4 the ark rested as in the seventh day of rest. Then in chapter 9 verse 1, And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. We also see in verse 9, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you, and a token of that covenant is the rainbow. The Lord said in verses 14 through 16, And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud, and I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the water shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh, and the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. Just like in Genesis, it did not take long for shame to enter the picture in this fresh start of the world. In Genesis chapter 9 verses 18 through 29 we learn that Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. Noah planted a vineyard, drank the wine, got drunk and was naked inside his tent. Ham saw his father's nakedness and reported it to his brothers. Shem and Japheth took a garment and walking backwards into their father's tent covered his nakedness. Here we see a partaking of fruit, nakedness, shame and covering that shame. It sounds like Noah is from the seed of Adam too. Also like Genesis 3 we see cursing, blessing and grace. Chapter 10 tells of the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth, which came after the flood. It starts with the line of Japheth where the Gentiles such as the Medes and the Greeks come from. Verse 5 says, By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands, everyone after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. We now see the first nations are born. And with verse 6 we have the descendants of Ham. In verse 8 we learn of a mighty hunter Nimrod. And in verse 10a it reads, And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel. It is through Ham's line that the Ninevites, Jebusites, Amorites, Gergesites, Canaanites and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were established. Verse 20 reads, These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries and in their nations. Then we have the descendants of Shem. It is from the name Shem where we get the word Semitic. So it is through his line that Abraham and the Jewish nation is born. Then verse 31 reads, These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. Chapter 10 ends with verse 32, These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations. And by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood. Then in chapter 11 we have the story of the Tower of Babel in Shinar which we find in chapter 10 verse 10 are people from Noah's son Ham. In this story the people chose to settle there instead of filling the earth which was God's directive. Verse 2, And secondly, they were building the tower to make a name for themselves instead of for God. Verse 4, The Lord came down and confused their language and scattered them upon the face of all the earth. Then verse 10a reads, These are the generations of Shem. Again see in verse 27, Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran begat Lot. We learn that Lot's father Haran died. We also learn an interesting fact. Abram took a wife named Sarai and verse 30 says, But Sarai was barren, she had no children. If you remember after the promise of the seed of Eve in Genesis chapter 3 verse 15 it became a big deal for women to have children. Verse 31 ends with Terah and his family going together out from Ur of the Chaldeans to enter the land of Canaan. This ends the section of primeval history. Chapter 12 starts with the first patriarch of the nation of Israel, Abram, who becomes Abraham. Now in the New Testament in Hebrews chapter 11, the hall of faith, the writer starts, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. In his list he includes Abel's better sacrifice and he comments, And through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. Then he mentioned Enoch, who did not see death because he was pleasing to God. Then the writer said, And without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. Then he gives the perfect example of God's salvation with Noah, who became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. In the midst of all the people and their selfish and sinful ways, there were a few people who had faith in God and walked with him. So let me ask you, how is your faith? Do you walk with God or away from him? If you hear his voice today, please don't harden your heart, instead let's be women who hear and obey like Noah.