DWDP - Gen 10:1-5 The Table of Nations

Genesis 10 is one of those chapters people skim and then forget, but it might be one of the most important “world history” pages in the Bible. We slow down and treat the Table of Nations like what it is: a family tree that explains how the post-Flood world becomes seventy nations, each with their own lands and languages. Along the way, we talk about why this record is so unusual in ancient literature, including a striking quote from renowned Near East archaeologist William F. Albright, who wasn’t writing as a believer yet still called the Table of Nations unmatched in its kind. 

We also explore why Shem would preserve such a careful genealogical record, tying it to Noah’s prophecy and the promise of the coming Seed. Then we sample Japheth’s line to show how names in Genesis connect to recognizable people-groups and regions known to antiquity, from the Black Sea area to Persia, and how “according to his language” points us straight toward the dispersion at Babel. If you’ve ever searched “Genesis 10 Table of Nations”, “Babel languages”, “biblical genealogy”, or “origin of nations in the Bible”, this conversation gives you a clear path through the text without turning it into a dry lecture. 

Finally, we lift our eyes from ancient names to the present moment: God rules the kings of the earth, human pride still builds towers, and Psalm 2 speaks with unsettling clarity to the modern world. If this helped you see Scripture, history, and the nations with fresh eyes, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review. What connection in Genesis 10 surprised you most?

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus is more than enough for the ills that plague our culture and our country. Hosted by author and physician, Dr. Robert Jackson.

Genesis 10 And Why It Matters

Why Shem Kept The Record

Japheth’s Line And Modern Nations

Babel’s Languages And The Gentiles

God Rules Nations And Psalm 2

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Papa, can you tell me a story? Do you really want me to tell you a story? Well, you go get your brother and your sisters, and I will tell you a story. Welcome to Devotions with Dr. Papa. Gather around, grab your Bibles, and let's look into the written word which reveals to us the living word, who is our Lord Jesus Christ. Today we're now at Genesis chapter ten, which is known as the Table of the Nations. Genesis chapter ten is an amazingly accurate and comprehensive historical document that informs us on the beginning of the origin of seventy primeval nations. There's no other comparable catalog of ancient nations available from any other source. The author is Shem, the son of Noah. Let me read to you a quote from Let me get this correct. Hang on. This is a quote from William F. Albright, who is universally acknowledged as one of the world's leading authorities on archaeology of the Near East, although he himself is not a Christian believer in the infallibility of Scripture. But here's what he said concerning the table of the nations. It stands absolutely alone in ancient literature without a remote parallel even among the Greeks, where we find the closest approach to a distribution of peoples in genealogical framework. The table of nations remains an astonishingly accurate document. And that's a quote from an archaeologist who's not a believer, not a Christian, and not someone who believes in the infallibility of Scripture. And yet he acknowledges how astonishingly accurate and complete the table of nations actually is. This table is a is actually a family tree. It's a genealogy of the three sons written by Shem that records the grandson and great grandsons of Noah to the fifth generation of Shem's offspring and where they actually lived and the nations they created. There's no document discovered by archaeologists in antiquity that is as comprehensive or as accurate as Shem's genealogical record, probably kept as long as Shem remained alive and could keep in touch with his descendants. So here's the question Why would Shem keep the family tree? You will recall from last week's lesson that Noah's prophecy, the well that in Noah's prophecy, Shem was identified as the one through whom the promised seed of the woman would come. Therefore it makes sense that Shem would be the most concerned with recording the genealogical record. More than that, he lived five hundred and two years after the flood, which would give him a front row seat to all the events in chapter ten and eleven. He records Ham and Japheth's offsprings to the third generation, indicating that he lost touch with them due to the confusion of languages after the dispersion at Babel. His own generation is recorded to the sixth generation after Babel. It is quite easy to identify the names of Noah's offspring with nations known to antiquity, especially with the help of archaeology. Thus the table of nations in generations Genesis chapter ten provides an important link between recorded history and the time known as prehistory, which is virtually unknown except for this family tree recorded by Noah's son named Shem. As I mentioned, there are seventy descendants of Noah that spawned seventy nations. Now I'm not going to go through each of these seventy descendants and the nations that they spawned, or your head will explode and you will never listen to my podcast again. But I will pick out a few to illustrate the value to historians of the table of the nations. Now let's start with chapter ten and go through verses one through five that lists the seven sons of the oldest brother, Japheth. Now let's start with Gomer, chapter ten and verse one. Let me read that verse to you, and we'll start there. Now these are the records of the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah. And sons were born to them after the flood. The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Medai and Javan and Tubul and Mesek and Tiras. The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Rephath and Togama, and I'll stop there and let me just talk about the sons of the oldest brother Japheth. Let's talk about Gomer first. Gomer is identified by ancient writers like Herodotus and Plutarch with the district of Samaria C I M E R I A Samaria, which is today's Crimea, north of the Black Sea. Some of the descendants moved west and formed Germany. The Sun Ashkenaz the Jews historically identified Ashkenaz with Germany, and to this very day, German Jews are called, you guessed it, Ashkenazi. The Sun Togerma. The Armenian people claim to be derived from the grandson of Noah named Togerma. Both Turkey and Turkestan also may have an ex an etymological connection with Togerma. Magog literally means the place of Gog, and it refers to the country of Georgia. Josephus the historian claims that Gog was the ancestor of ancient Scythians who originally inhabited the Black Sea area. Magog is associated with Meshach and Tubal, two other sons of Japheth in Old Testament prophecy. If you look at Ezekiel thirty eight verse two, you'll see the reference to both Mesek and Tubal. Meshek resembles Moscovi, the former name of Russia, and Moscow. Tubal is known in the Assyrian archaeological monuments as the Tiberani and has been preserved in the modern Russian city of Tobosk. In Ezekiel thirty eight two, they are associated with the Rosh or OSH, from which we get the modern name of Russia. So Magog, Mesek, and Tubal are the progenitors of the modern Russian people. And then Madai, Madai, excuse me, according to ancient history history, authorities became the ancestor of the Medes who settled in Persia, which is now called Iran. Now look at verse five. From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, and to their nations. Did you catch that? Everyone after his tongue, as the King James Bible says, or according to his language, as the New American Standard Bible says. All of this indicates that Shem wrote this after the dispersion at Babel. Interestingly, here is the first place that the descendants of Japheth are called Gentiles. Did you see that in verse five? In the King James Bible, in verse five, they're called Gentiles. And it's the first time in the scripture that the descendants of Japheth are called Gentiles. From Shem's description, it is obvious except for one branch, which are the Medes that went to Persia, all of Jap's progeny went west to Europe, which later became the center for development of philosophy and science, as Noah's prop as Noah prophesied when he said that Japheth would be an open minded man. You remember that from last week's lesson, that Japheth's descendants, the Japheth himself would be an open minded man, as would be his descendants. In all of chapter ten, the table of the nations, remember that our God is the king of the nations. He is the ruler of the kings of all the earth, and he sits upon the throne of the heavens and the earth with heaven as his throne and earth as his footstool. He is the true king. He is the ruler over the affairs of men and nations. Now let me read to you Psalms chapter one. It's a very interesting psalm. And when you read through the table of the nations, it's imperative that you keep Psalms chapter one in mind. And in fact, when you look at the affairs of men and nations in the modern era, it's imperative that you keep Psalms chapter one in mind. Now let me read Psalms one to you. Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us tear their feathers apart, and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord scoffs at them, then he will speak to them in his anger, and terrify them in his fury, saying, But as for me, I have installed my king upon Zion, my holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord. He said to me, You are my son. Today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall shatter them like earthenware. Now therefore, O kings, show discernment. Take warning, O judges of the earth, worship the Lord with reverence, and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son that he not become angry and you perish in the way, for his wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in him? That is Psalms chapter one. God sent the confusion of languages at Babel to compel the nations to obey, to fill the earth rather than congregate in one place building a pagan temple to celebrate their own independence and pride. God laughs at man's feeble efforts to control his own destiny. The prideful kings of the earth today would do well to read Psalms one every day of their life, and do homage to the Son, that he not become angry, and they would not perish in the way. For his wrath may soon be kindled. Contrary wise, how blessed are all who take refuge in him? You're listening to devotions with Dr. Papa. If you like what you hear, I pray that you would follow, like, share, or even download, tell your friends and neighbors. We'll be back next week when we will talk about the sons of Ham. We will talk about Nimrod, who was mighty in the earth, and we will understand exactly what that scripture means. I hope you'll be back with us again next week as we pursue more information about the table of the nations. Remember that Jesus loves you, your doctor loves you, and I pray that until next week the Lord will bless you real good.