Shem, ham, Japheth

1. Tonight’s lesson begins with the latter portion of Gen. 9.

2. By this time Noah had built the ark, entered into the ark and the flood was past.

3. Most will remember that Noah had three sons: Shem, ham, Japheth.

4. From these three sons came a new world (mankind as we now know it).

5. Tonight we want to trace out some of the history involved with Noah’s three sons.

6. We will start with a summary passage, Gen. 9:18 – READ.

IF WE LISTENED TO MUCH OF WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE RECENT ELECTION, YOU PROBABLY HEARD PEOPLE CLASSIFIED IN VARIOUS WAYS:

a) Democrat, Republication, and Independent were three classifications people used.

b) Our society also has other ways to categorize people.

c) Sometimes we identify people by skin color. Perhaps we use other features like hair & eye color.

d) It is possible to identify people by the language they use.

e) These are some of the most common ways to identify people, but they are not the only way.

2) Over the years effort has gone into identifying people by tracing things back to Noah’s three sons.

3) The spread of people in Gen. 9 has been researched to a pretty good degree.

4) Today people often talk about the various “races.”

5) In Bible terminology, there is no racial division among people; there is only one race.

6) This single race is the “human race.” From the human race came three distinct families.

a) In Gen. 10 we see how these three families took three different directions.

b) Shem was the man through whom “Semitic” people came.

c) His line created what we know as the Arabs as well as the Hebrew race.

d) Some of the Assyrians and Babylonians can also be traced back to him.

e) If we want to know Jesus family history way back when, it was the line of Shem.

f) Shem’s line has been classified as the “religious line.”

g) It was through Him that Christianity came, Judaism came, and the Islamic faith came.

h) Not every system of faith from his line was religiously right, but it was a very religious bloodline.

7) Ham was another son and a diverse group of people came through him.

8) Afro-Asiatic races can be linked with him.

9) Black and dark skinned people like Latinos and Indians are from his line.

10) The Chinese are believed to have come from him as well as the Samoans.

11) Egyptians and the Aztecs are part of his history.

12) Builders and tradesmen are typically associated with the line of Ham.

13) The third son was Japheth; Indo-Europeans are usually attributed to him.

14) From his line came the Irish, Germans, Greeks, Romans, French, Italians, and Spaniards.

15) Also, those from central Asia such as the Persians, Kurds, Afghans, Pakaistani, and Northern Indians.

16) It is through Japheth that we find an emphasis on the intellectual, philosophical and scientific disciplines.

17) Three sons and in some respects three different directions.

18) It has been said that all three lines contributed something necessary to mankind.

a) Through Shem’s family, we have people who put an emphasis on man’s spirit.

b) With Ham we see stress on the things man needs for his body and physical existence.

c) Through Japheth the stress is on man’s intellect.

WHEN WE HAVE THE BASIC BACKGROUND OF THESE THREE SONS WE ARE IN A POSITION RELATE IT TO AT LEAST THREE ITEMS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

a) First, all three sons can be associated with one of the gospels (Matthew, Mark or Luke).

b) Whether God intended this or not, we cannot say.

c) Each of Noah’s sons seems to have a direct correlation with a specific gospel.

d) We know the first gospel as Matthew, and this relates very well to the Shem.

e) Moments ago I said Shem’s line was the “religious” line.

f) Matthew’s gospel was written for the Jews.

g) We recall how the first chapter opens—there are many names (a genealogy).

h) Matthew started out with Jewish ancestry and history.

i) A lot of the things in his account show a Jewish audience is in mind.

j) He often quotes the Old Testament.

k) When he refers to Jewish practices he does not have to explain them.

l) Shem’s line would have readily adapted to this type of information.

2) The second gospel (Mark) fits in very well with Ham.

3) Ham’s lineage was a very practical family line (in many way servants of others).

4) Mark’s gospel portrays the Lord as a servant.

5) Rather than put stress on pedigree with a genealogy, the concentration is on service.

a) Ham’s family tree had people who were builders and tradesmen.

b) Through his line have come people who helped form great civilizations.

c) Much of the modern world can be related to Ham’s descendents (i.e. technology).

6) The third son was Japheth, and Luke fits the profile of his family.

7) Luke would have appealed to Greeks, people from the line of Japheth.

8) Three sons and three special gospels. John’s gospel is said to be tailored for all.

NOT ONLY DO THREE SONS LINE UP QUITE WELL WITH THE NUMBER OF GOSPELS GOD GAVE TO THE WORLD, WE SEE THREE LINES OF PEOPLE AT THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS.

a) Earlier it was noted how the line of Shem was the “religious line.”

b) Through his family came religious faiths such as Judaism.

c) Was the line of Shem somehow involved with the crucifixion of Christ?

d) Do we find Jews associated with the death of Jesus?

e) We do. Jews were speaking in Mt. 27:25.

f) They said, “His blood be upon us and our children.”

g) At the time these people did not fully understand what they were saying.

h) If we trace the lineage back, we are led to the conclusion that they were descendents of Shem.

i) We can affirm that people from one of the three family lines had a part in Jesus’ death.

j) A supplemental reference would be Jn. 11:49-53.

k) Jews “took counsel” on how to kill Jesus.

l) This line was unquestionably involved with the Lord’s death.

2) What about the other two families?

3) Let’s turn our attention to Ham.

4) In Lk. 23:26 we read about a man who is described as “Simon of Cryene.”

5) This man did not volunteer on his own; he was “compelled” to help with the Lord’s cross.

6) His part in Jesus’ death was different from that the Jews, but He did have a part in the process.

7) This man would have been from the line (family) of Ham.

8) With 2 of the family lines given in Gen. 10 tied in with the death of Jesus, what about the third?

9) Our final son is Japheth. From his line came the Romans.

10) Were the Romans somehow associated with the Lord’s death? Yes.

11) They would have been the executioners.

12) We have a gospel that fits in amazingly well with each of Noah’s three sons.

13) We have all three lines somehow connected with the Lord’s death on the cross.

14) What we might look for next is what happened after Jesus’ death.

15) Jesus said the gospel was to be taken into the entire world.

16) He gave what we call the “great commission.”

a) Was the gospel taken to all three lines introduced to us in the book of Genesis?

b) Did the descendents of Noah’s three sons receive the saving truth of God’s word? Let’s see.

c) On the Day of Pentecost some preaching was being done.

d) Acts 2:5 says there were “Jews” in the city of “Jerusalem.”

e) Acts 2:22 Peter said, “Ye men of Israel.” To whom was the apostle speaking?

f) This was the “religious line” (Shem’s descendents).

g) The race we read about early in the book of Genesis finally had the gospel preached to them.

h) There is also a New Testament book that is especially suited for Shem’s descendents.

i) The man we know as “Paul the apostle” would have been from Shem’s line.

17) This is one line; what about the other two?

18) In Acts 8 we read about a man who is described as being from a certain place--Ethiopa.

19) That is the area tied in with Ham. Ham’s family were the builders and tradesmen.

20) We can see some of that with the ancient pyramids.

21) Two out of the three sons have their lines mentioned in the book of Acts.

22) Luke specifically records how these descendents received the gospel.

23) What about Japheth’s descendents?

24) We have some of his family in Acts 10—Cornelius.

25) The present world can trace its history back to one of three sons.

26) The earth that now exists came through three boys.

27) As we look at these three lines we find they were all involved with the death of Jesus.

a) We do not bear any guilt from our ancestors. Sin is not inherited.

b) We do know that our ancestors sinned.

c) Whatever line we are from, our forefathers were guilty of breaking God’s laws.

d) Each of us has followed the same path they took; we have also sinned.

28) By showing us that all three lines were saved in the first century, God tells us something.

29) He wants all three lines to be saved. He started a special process about 2,000 years ago.

a) Salvation is not just for the line of Shem (the “religious” line).

b) Sometimes people think Christianity is “just for those who are spiritually minded.”

c) Christianity is for these people but it is not limited to them.

30) The line of Ham (dark skinned people) shows us that skin color does not matter.

31) God sent a special preacher to one of Ham’s descendents.

32) Whether our skin is light, brown, or dark, the book of Acts shows that all are welcome.

33) The people who are “builders” and “tradesmen” need to be part of the church.

34) Then we come to that third line; the intellectual, philosophical and scientific mindset.

35) God says descendents of this third line also need the gospel.

36) In tracing these three families we also see some great lessons about God.

a) God is able to have a plan that is very involved and drawn out over a long period of time.

b) In spite of a long period of time and many details, His plan succeeded in every way.

c) We see in the three sons God’s wisdom and power.

d) God allowed three sons to take very different directions.

e) By the first century all were united by both and the cure for it.

f) God is truly a great God and He put together a plan to literally save the world.

g) Have we obeyed it?