Genesis 10

Another genealogy...

Last week’s post: Genesis 9

Genesis 10 gives us another one of those lists of names God is so fond of recording. (See my thoughts on Genesis 5). Though it wasn’t my main takeaway from Genesis 10, it is worth noting that this chapter is where we see the first mention of Eber, the root of Hebrew. It means “to cross over” or “to pass through” and is a rather interesting root and word to study throughout the Bible if you’re ever interested. It’s packed with symbolism.

As for my takeaway from Genesis 10 this week…

We see a whole lot of cursed in the sons of Ham in verses 6-20. In fact, those in his lineage created problems for the descendants of Shem and the nation of Israel throughout history: Egypt. Babel. Canaan. Nineveh. In the midst of this list of names, one sticks out, because he was apparently worthy of expounding upon: Nimrod.

⁸ Cush was the father^[c] of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. ⁹ He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” (NIV)

Let’s step outside of the Bible for a second, because Nimrod is mentioned outside of the Bible as well. Josephus writes about Nimrod and his role in the Tower of Babel. Quoting the book of the antiquities of the Jews by Josephus: “Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it was through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers!”

Josephus paints a picture of post-flood Nimrod glaring at God and almost daring him: Bring it on. You can’t drown us! We’re too strong for you. As you would imagine, this attitude doesn’t end well. I’m sure we’ll talk more about ol’ Nimrod later. Back to my main takeaway this week…

Let’s talk about sins that have a ripple effect through the generations of a family. I recently listened to a Matt Chandler sermon where he stated the following: “You are, for the generation behind you, ground zero. I am earnestly asking God that the stuff that has plagued Chandler men for 200 years goes in the ground with me.”

That statement, for me, was a powerful reminder of the gift Jesus affords us. It’s the gift of the death of generational sin through the acceptance of his sacrifice. All that sin bundled up in the guys of Genesis 10—all that sin that created generational spiritual and physical warfare—it is conquered on a cross. Jesus gives us the gift of the redemption and a pivot point for the lineage of the Old Testament bloodlines. If you’ve read the Old Testament, you’ll recall that the book of Kings (stories of the lineage of those mentioned in Genesis 10) sounds like a broken record at points:

…and he did evil in the eyes of the Lord as his father had done.

…and he did evil in the eyes of the Lord as his father had done.

…and he did evil in the eyes of the Lord as his father had done.

Perhaps you or someone you know finds yourself scratching a similar broken record.

…and he became addicted to alcohol as his father had done.

…and he treated his wife harshly as his father had done.

…and he scammed people in business as his father had done.

…and he became addicted to money as his father had done.

…and he became addicted to pornography as his father had done.

…and he constantly battled depression as his father had done.

…and he became addicted to fame as his father had done.

I hope you’ll find that Jesus is not only a pivot point for generations of Old Testament depravity but also for generations of your own bloodline’s sins and shortcomings.

No longer should we add another repeat to our record of the phrase “and he did evil in the eyes of the Lord as his father had done”.

For us, it can pivot now…and the sins of he and his father were buried in the grave because Jesus said, “Done.”

Today is a reminder that Jesus came to put an end to familial cycles of poverty, lust, addiction, etc. Imagine a world where your ancestors look back at a family lineage of sadness and see you as the turning point for the better. “Be the change you want to see in the world,” is an enormously famous Mother Theresa quote. Today, I want to encourage you to be the change you want to see in your family…in your kids…in your grandkids.

This week’s AI rap summary:

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™