After Shem, Ham, Japheth, and their wives leave the ark, they begin to fulfill what God commanded by filling the earth with descendants. Chapter ten seems boring on the surface, but it really is an important account sometimes called the “Table of Nations.” We are told from where various people groups descended and where they spread upon earth.

The genealogy in this chapter shows how the whole earth is descended from Noah, a descendant of our first parents—Adam and Eve. These are our ancestors. If you could trace your family tree back far enough, Sham, Ham, or Japheth is one of your great, great, great, great, however many greats there are, grandfather. We’re not just reading a list of names but the roots of our family trees.

So, I’ll just take a moment and point out some things that may be interesting in this list. It sounds like Noah and Mrs. Noah’s three sons didn’t have children until after the flood.

As I mentioned in my sermon two weeks ago, from the vantage point of the Middle East, the descendants of Japheth spread out to the north, east, and west—southern Europe (as far as Spain), the northern parts of western Asia, and into eastern Asia. They lived in areas surrounding the Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian seas. Most of us—if not all of us—are likely descended from Japheth’s family line.

The sons of Ham settled in southwest Asia (particularly the south and west parts of the Middle East), and they also began to move into Africa.

There is a unique mention about a man named Nimrod, of whom it is said he was the first “mighty man.” The best note I have on what this might mean is that he was a powerful warrior leader. He had a tremendous impact on civilization—founding an empire basically in modern day northern Iraq. Moses says, “He was a mighty hunter before the Lord.” Given the list of cities that he captured, it might have begun with hunting parties, but it turned into human conquest. “Before the Lord” could be understood in a similar negative statement as “you shall have no other God’s before me.” He seems to have flaunted his mightiness before the Lord, and some theologians think that he was the driving force behind the Tower of Babel.

In Ham’s genealogical section, we heard names we’ve probably heard before—Egypt, the Philistines, Canaan, Sidon, Sodom, Gomorrah, and the “ites” who still lived in the land of Canaan when God led the Israelites to the promised land following their slavery in Egypt.

Lastly, comes the family line of Shem. We are told, “To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born.” Moses takes special care to say that Shem was the father of Eber. So what? The Hebrew peoples are descendants of Eber.

Most of Shem’s descendants settled in the eastern and southern parts of the Middle East, from modern day southern Iraq down into the Arabian peninsula. From all of these locations in Europe, Africa, and Asia, people began to spread around the earth.

In the list of Shem’s descendants, something is mentioned about the earth being divided. This division occurred in the days of Peleg (an ancestor of Abraham and Jesus). Peleg means divided. So, how was earth divided?

One option proposed by some is that the earth’s continents separated in the days of Peleg. Many scientists do agree that once upon a time, the earth was one fully connected land mass—the simplest piece of evidence being that South, Central, and North America fits with Europe and Africa like puzzle pieces.

However, creationist geologists I’ve read think the continents separated during the turbulent changes of the flood. They also think the ice age happened very soon after the flood due to atmospheric changes. So, icy land bridges allowed people and animals to migrate across continents. Of course, these are hypotheses and speculations.

The most likely reason for the earth’s division is what we heard in the last part of today’s Genesis reading. The Tower of Babel event probably occurred during the life of Peleg. Scripture says that at the time all people on earth were concentrated in one place. Being descended from Shem, Ham, and Japheth, they had one language and the same words. They could understand each other well, and they were a people with the same worldview and objective.

The people wanted to be like God—just like Adam and Eve. In fact, just like all human beings born in the image of Adam, we also often want to be like God, we want to be God. The height of pride and arrogance.

So, Noah’s descendants begin to build a tower high into the sky, thereby making a name for themselves, and by doing this, they think they can avoid God’s command to spread across the earth.

The tower is their best idea—their best attempt—to take God’s place. They want their name to supersede God’s name. They want a glory that only belongs to God. During the first half of today’s service, we sang, “To God on high be glory,” but the tower builders (and we in our own pride and arrogance) like to sing “To man on high be glory.” But by the end of the story, instead of the tower being named after them, the tower is named after what God did to them. 

The Lord God, creator of all, Redeemer of mankind, comes down to see what’s going on. See how humbling this is, how humble we really are!?! Here is mankind, trying to build this sky-high tower, and the Lord God is described as coming down from His exalted throne to see what His puny creatures are doing. Mankind was created in God’s image, but there’s no way we can take the place of God, and there’s no reason we should desire it.

God says about what they are doing: “This is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.” That’s a curious statement. What does it mean? God’s human creatures are united, which is good. But they’re united in pride and arrogance that rebels against God, which is bad. That pride and arrogance could grow into even greater rebellion, deeper self-worship. So, in both judgment and mercy, God acts.

The Lord God almighty, sends a flood and wipes everyone off the earth because things didn’t work out the first time around. No, of course He didn’t do that. He promised He wouldn’t do that. God didn’t do anything visible. He did something in the minds of the people themselves. A little bit of a scary thought for us sinners, but He does it for their good.

God confused their language. They couldn’t talk to each other. In frustration, they gave up building the tower. They moved to different places, dispersing people around the world just as God intended for mankind. Instead of the tower glorifying the people, it was called Babel from the Hebrew verb “to confuse,” in reference to God’s action by which he confused their language and ability to communicate well.

Yet, God also showed mercy, sparing them from being united in rebellion and self-idolatry. He continued to preserve the promised offspring—the Savior—from Noah to Shem to Peleg.

Up to this very day, the fulness of God’s mercy is shown in Jesus who forgives your sins, my sins, and the sins of the world, reuniting mankind in Himself as the head of the Body, the Church. All who believe—no matter what earthly tribe or language they come from— are joined in the same language and words. The Word of God and the Good News of forgiveness and eternal salvation in Christ Jesus. Amen.