Post 18 "Rainbow and 3 Sons"

Note: I woke up at 4am wondering how to break down Chapters 9 and 10 of Genesis to make it as simple as possible. It would be easy to get information overload here. I hope what I have done helps for from here the peoples of all the earth can be traced.

Noah becomes a husbandman after leaving the ark, makes some wine and gets drunk. His shame is seen by his son Ham. It seems to be an affirmation of verse 21 of the previous chapter, part of which reads "...man's heart is evil from his youth..."

The chapters set the world stage as far as the status of the various descendants of the sons of Noah. Such as the descendant of Ham - Nimrod who is noted as the conqueror and founder of Babylon. It challenges the Bible student as you try to trace the peoples of earth down through history. Chapter 10 gives more details. We should note that Shem's descendants carried the line of Christ from an earthly point-of-view and for prophecy sake that Magog is modern Russia and descends from Japeth.

Chapter 9 verse 13 tells of the rainbow which is the symbol representing the promise of God not to destroy the people of the earth with water again. The summary of the chapter is as follows:
First verse 13 "I do set my bow in the cloud and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth."
v1 - Be fruitful and multiply
v2- man to dominate the other creatures
v3- Food - what to eat
v4-5 - A caution
v6- Murder forbidden and penalty
v8-17 Rainbow covenant
v20 - Shame of Noah
v24-27 Prophecy for Noah's son's descendants

These notes are taken from a couple of resources and condensed here:

Ham - an inferior and servile posterity. He is the one who say Noah naked. Descendants: 1)Cush, Cushites of Chaldea, Nimrod (founded Babylon), Arabia, Ethopia 2)Mizraim - Hebrew for Egypt. 3)Phut - African people 4) Canaan - those who inhabited Canaan when the Isralites arrived.

Shem - all divine revelations come through the Semitic men. Christ descends (after the flesh) from Shem. Descendants: Jews, Arameans, Persians, Arabian, Assyrians

Japeth- the enlarged race, government, science, art. Magog (modern Russia) predominately descended from him. Reference Genesis 10: 2-7. By these the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands.
(research CI Scofield and Schaff comprehensive Bible Helps)

As you can see from this brief summary, the population is divided into three basic destinies, occupations, characters or whatever label one wishes to use. It is a very broad prophecy which helps us in studies to follow. For example, when the Bible later talks of the battles at the end of time we can see the descendants of the brothers involved. When Israel comes to the promised land of Canaan the prophecy is further filled. It helps to understand later events if one trys to remember the basic character the various peoples will have. Soon in our studies the languages will be confounded and the people disburse to the far reaches of the land.

In trying to understand the Bible, it is important to have a foundation built of the events of Genesis. We must remember the promises God makes for He does and will fulfill them. The stage is being set for the nation Israel to come on the scene. Part of that setting is that people are scattered, even into the promise land. The wondering nation will later come into contact with many of these peoples.