The Genealogy of Shem

If you have your Bible, I would invite you to turn with me to Genesis chapter 11. Genesis chapter 11, today we conclude the most controversial section in the scriptures. Genesis 1 to 11. We hope that you have been with us through the study of the first 11 chapters because they are the most debated and most asked about of all in the Bible.

If you haven't been with us, we'd encourage you to get the tape series that you might listen to them over and over again to understand some of the debates that have arisen because of those chapters that you might know how to answer them from a biblical perspective. And it's fitting that we should end our time in the genealogies, the most favorite part of the Bible for most of us. And now we're in chapter 11 and we study more of the genealogy, the genealogy of Shem. But I want to bless your bones this morning.

I want you to understand that the genealogies provide for us so much information, so much insight that we need to grasp. But I promise today that once you leave, you will be blessed because you came and you read and you learned about the genealogy of Shem. I know most churches don't go through these things and they kind of skip over them, but at Christ Community we don't skip over anything. We cover every verse, every chapter of the Bible because we think they're all important because the Bible says that the Bible has been given to us, Scripture is inspired, and it's all profitable.

Not some of it, but all of it. And that would mean that the genealogies are just as profitable as the Sermon on the Mount. That the genealogies are just as profitable as the life of Joseph. Let's read this morning. These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was 100 years old and became the father of Arpachshin. Two years after the flood. And Shem lived 500 years after he became the father of Arpachshin. And he had other sons and daughters. And Arpachshin lived 35 years and became the father of Shelah.

And Arpachshin lived 403 years and he became the father of Shelah. And he had other sons and daughters. And Shelah lived 30 years and became the father of Aber. And Shelah lived 403 years after he became the father of Aber. And he had other sons and daughters. And Aber lived 34 years and became the father of Peleg. And Aber lived 430 years after he became the father of Peleg. And he had other sons and daughters. And Peleg lived 30 years and became the father of Reu. And Peleg lived 209 years after he became the father of Reu.

and he had other sons and daughters. And Reu lived 32 years and became the father of Sarug. And Reu lived 207 years after he became the father of Sarug and he had other sons and daughters. And Sarug lived 30 years and became the father of Nahor. And Sarug lived 200 years after he became the father of Nahor and he had other sons and daughters. And Nahor lived 29 years and became the father of Terah. And Nahor lived 119 years after he became the father of Terah and he had other sons and daughters. And Terah lived 70 years and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth in Ur of the Chaldeans. And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai. And the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. And Sarai was barren and had no children. And Terah took Abram, his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai, his daughter-in-law, his son, Abram's wife.

And they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan. And they went as far as Haran and settled there. And the days of Terah were 205 years. And Terah died in Haran. I know some of you are thinking, this is just, I mean come on, I mean so-and-so begot so-and-so, begot so-and-so, he lived so long, begot so-and-so, and he became the father of sons and daughters, and begot so-and-so, and it goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on. You can't tell me that this is profitable for my spiritual growth.

Yes, it is, because it's part of the Word of God. So, what part of it is profitable? I want to give you three principles this morning that we find in Genesis chapter 11 that help us understand the importance of this genealogy in particular. Three principles that you will leave with today that will hopefully be so profitable for you that your life will be radically changed. Number one, the genealogy of Shem teaches us three things.

The first one is this, it teaches us about, or it demonstrates to us the consequences of sin. The genealogy of Shem demonstrates to us the consequences of sin. Number two, it accentuates for us the character of God.

And number three, it punctuates for us the call of Abram, soon to be Abraham, the father of our faith.

First of all, the genealogy of Shem demonstrates to us the consequences of sin in two ways, physically and spiritually.

First of all, physically. I want you to notice that the longevity of life has ceased. You know, it's very interesting to put the genealogy side by side and begin to compare them. I'm not going to do that for you this morning. But as you compare genealogies 5, 10, 11, and go to Matthew chapter 1 and Luke chapter 3 and begin to compare them, you begin to see notes of similarity. But the thing that jumps out at me at this one is how it demonstrates to us the consequences of sin. The longevity of life has ceased.

If you go back and look at Genesis chapter 5, you realize that man lived to an average of 912 years. That's a long time. You got to exclude Enoch when you add that up because Enoch didn't die, he just was translated, and that would put everything way out of kilter. So, you have to understand that man lived to be around 912 years of age. But when you come to Genesis chapter 11, the average age now jumps all the way down to 317 years. Two-thirds of man's life has been wiped away. He's not living as long as he used to live.

Why is that? Why all of a sudden is man living a shorter time? I believe it's because of the consequences of sin. The bottom line is man is dying because of sin. I like what James says in James chapter 1, he says this in verse number 14, "'Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived it gives birth to sin, and when sin is accomplished it brings forth," what? Death. Now I know that there are many people who sin and don't die immediately as a result of their sin.

They will die. But there are a lot of people, even in our churches today, who mess around and play with sin. Understanding that the result of sin is death. And maybe it's a death-like existence. There are many Christians today who have no relationship with the Lord whatsoever. It's kind of numb. There's nothing happening. Everything is kind of dull. Everything is really boar city. And the bottom line is because they have been fooling around in sin they have a death-like existence. There's been a separation from God.

Death is basically just separation. Physical death is separation of the body from the soul. Spiritual death is separation from the individual with God. And eternal death is the second death, and that's separation for eternity from God.

But there are many Christians today who have experienced a death-like existence because of the sin in their lives they're unwilling to confess, unwilling to deal with. Genesis chapter 11 tells us that when man continues to sin death is the result. It's not too long after this, in Genesis chapter 11, as you move further into Genesis, that man's life begins to decrease rapidly to what the Bible talks about three scores and ten, at the average age of around 70. Some live beyond that. Some die before that.

But the average life is around 70 years of existence. Not much in comparison to 912 years of existence. But Genesis 11 does teach us and demonstrate to us the consequences of sin, not only physically but spiritually. Not only has longevity of life ceased, but idolatry in individuals continues. Idolatry in the individuals continues. Folks, this is so important. I mean, I read this and I tell you my bones were blessed. My brain was blessed. Why? Because you see, if you've been with us on our study of the book of Genesis, the word Hebrew means to cross over.

What did they cross over? They crossed over the great river, the river Euphrates. Ur the Chaldees was a pagan city. Terah was the father of Abraham. He was an idolater. Many believe that Abraham was an idolater before God summoned him. God called him to be a father of a great nation. That's probably correct. But here was Terah and the fathers who were idolaters. Now if you have been with us in our study of the book of Revelation you will see the whole picture here. Why? Because at the great river, the Euphrates, what is bound there?

Four angels, right? For those of you who were with us this past Wednesday night. There are four angels bound at the great river, the Euphrates. The Euphrates of course comes out of the Garden of Eden in Genesis chapter 3, we know about that. But the great river the Euphrates is the key river in the Old Testament. There are four angels bound there. It's the origination of the first sin, first lie, first murder, first grave.

Why did God bind four angels there? If you were with us on Wednesday night I believe it's because of that original sin. They are bound there. Isn't it interesting that when they were on the other side of the Euphrates they were idolaters. But when God called them and they crossed over that Euphrates River they became the Hebrew people out of idolatry to follow the one true living God. The symbolism is so clear. Why? Because at once they were enslaved to Satan and his demon forces until God called them into his kingdom to be slaves of a new master.

Is that not true for our life as well as Christians? We are enslaved to Satan before God calls us out of that idolatrous life into a life that worships the one true God. And God would call Abram out of that life to be a father of a great nation not because of who Abram was, not because he did anything because he was raised by a father committed to idolatry. Terah was that way. But God did a mighty work and therefore we see what God did as we look back through the history of the nation of Israel. And so we see again the consequences of sin, don't we?

The consequences of sin being passed from one generation to another generation to another generation. And if I could just be so bold as to say, men, men listen, don't be an idolater. Don't value anything more than the one true God. Don't fear anything more than the one true God. Don't serve anything or anyone more than the one true God. Make sure your heart is consumed with the one God, the true God, the triune God, the living God, serving only Him, giving your life to Him that you might produce an offspring that is committed to God as well and wants to serve God because they see it in your life.

More about that here in just a moment. But that's the first thing I see in Genesis chapter 11. It demonstrates to us the consequences of sin. Oh, it's devastating. I know some of you today are probably fooling around in something you shouldn't be fooling around in. I know that. You know, I wasn't born last night. You know, my head's not in the sand. I know some of you are doing things you shouldn't be doing. I want to let you know, don't do it. The consequences of sin upon you and your family are devastating today.

Today, repent of your sin. Get right with God and He'll pick you up. He'll move you on to maturity. Don't sit in that sin any longer. Don't fool around in it anymore. Say, today it's over. Today, I'm going to serve the one true God, my God. The second thing I want you to see in Genesis chapter 11 about the genealogy of Shem, not only does it demonstrate to us the consequences of sin, but it accentuates for us the character of God.

Whenever you read your Bible, you've got to ask just one question, what does this verse, what does this word, or what does this passage teach me about God? If you ask and answer that question, your Bible study will be revolutionized. So, when we come to Genesis chapter 11, we say, okay, what does this passage teach me about God? Not necessarily what does it teach me about these men, although that's important. What does it teach me about God? And two things I want you to see. Number one, His sovereignty.

And number two, His superiority, or His supremacy. Okay? Two things you see in Genesis chapter 11 about the character of God. Now, how do I see the sovereignty of God here? Let me give you just a couple of things.

One is this, when you read the genealogies, you've got to ask yourself the question, is this a strict chronology? Is this the order in which everything happened this way? That's a good question. You'll find that when you read Genesis chapter 11, it is not a strict chronology. You see, when the Bible says, so-and-so begot so-and-so, and so-and-so begot so-and-so, and so-and-so begot so-and-so, it doesn't mean that that person is their son.

It could be their grandson. It could be their great-grandson. It could be their great-great-grandson. It doesn't have to be their immediate offspring. What are you saying, Pastor? I'm saying this, that God chose these men, chose these men before they were ever born to be in the Messianic line. He didn't choose them because of what they were, because they were idolaters. They were on the other side of the river, the great river of the Euphrates, in Ur of the Chaldees, and in that center, in that way they were idolatrous worshipers.

They were committed to other gods. God didn't choose them and say, man, you guys are so committed to me, I'm going to make you a part of my family. That's not what He did. And God doesn't choose the firstborn son either, because a lot of these men aren't the firstborn son. Shem wasn't the firstborn son. Japheth was the older son, not Shem. And of course, people say, wait a minute, you mean to tell me that God chose these people and didn't choose other people? Yep, that's right. You mean to tell me that there are people that are elected to salvation and there are some that are not elected to salvation?

Yep, that's right. And people say, I don't believe that. And I want to let you know something, it doesn't make you different to what you believe. It's what the Bible teaches. Jacob I have loved, Esau I have hated. Say, wait a minute. How can that be? How can God be just? That's a good question because verse 14 says, what shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be. For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.

So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. Listen folks, it does not depend on you. Folks, if it depended upon you, you'd never be saved. You would never be born again. It's all about God. And I know that there are people in this church that have a real problem with sovereign election. I don't have a problem with it. Why? Because I realize that there is nothing in me that caused God to save me. If there was that would give me a point of arrogance, of pride, that look at me God, look what I did, and now you can bless me.

That's not the way God blesses people. God blesses them because of His grace. He chooses them because of His mercy, because of His sovereign plan, because of His own purpose. God had a purpose. He chose these fathers in Genesis chapter 11 to be in the messianic line way before the foundation of the world. That's the way He operates. That's the way He is. God is just, but God is also merciful. Could you imagine if God was all just and no mercy? What would happen? We'd all go to hell. We'd all go to hell for the wages of sinners' death.

But because God is merciful, because God is compassionate, because God is long-suffering as well as just, He knew the right plan. That was to send His Son to die and atone for the sins of man. And God knew exactly what He was doing. You see what sovereignty does is cause me to fall down on my knees before God and thank Him for what He did, that He chose me. Not because of who I am, but because of His wonderful mercy and grace. You show me a person who doesn't believe in divine election, and I'll show you a person who is at the high point in arrogance, because they think they're pretty good, that God would save them.

But you show me a person who believes in divine election, that there is nothing good in them, and I'll show you a person who out of humility falls before God, praises Him and says, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do for Thee? I will serve you God. I will do what you've called me to do, because you are my God. You are my King, and I will praise your glorious name. I will love you and serve you forever, because within me dwells no good thing. And therefore, God, I beg you to continue to be merciful to me, a sinner.

God is so good. God is in complete control. God is on the throne. Leave here today knowing God is in control of my life. God is on the throne. I need to fall down before Him, sing praises to His name, joyfully worship His name, because of who He is. He caused me to be one of His children by His sovereign election. Praise be to God. That's where we need to be. Genesis chapter 11 tells us about the sovereignty of God. It tells us about the supremacy of God. He is the Supreme One. Why are these fathers listed?

Why are these here? It's because they are the ones in the Messianic line. But they are here. Why? He was one. We've got, turn quickly. Come on, come on, come on. See you guys are going to make me late again today because you are turning so slow. See I'm just like Adam and Eve, man I'm going to blame my sin on everybody else. He was one. Verse number 1, God after He spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways in these last days has spoken to us in His Son whom He appointed heir of all things through Him, or through whom also He made the world.

The question is who are the fathers? The fathers are not just Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The fathers are Shem, Terah, Noah. Over 5,000 times in the Old Testament the prophets would come and they would say, Thus saith the Lord. You see God would manifest Himself to who? The men in Genesis chapter 11. They would see God. God would speak to these men because they were the men in the Messianic line. And the Bible says that God in these last days has spoken to us through His Son Jesus Christ.

Let me ask you a question. What's the name of the last book of the Bible? Wrong. It's the revelation of Jesus Christ. It's the unveiling of the Holy One, the Lamb of God, the Messiah. It's more than just the unveiling. It's the revealing, the unveiling of Jesus Christ our Lord. When did God stop speaking to man? When Jesus Christ Himself was put on display on this earth. That's when God stopped speaking to man verbally. Now He speaks to him through His Word. And on the pages of these books are the pages of the Messiah, because Genesis chapter 11 is about the Messiah.

He comes through the line of the name. Shem's name means the name. All these men are in the line of the name. The name that one day every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. On every page of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ the Messiah. It's all about Him. He is the supreme being. He is the one that we worship, honor, and adore. The Bible is about Jesus Christ our Lord. He's the God of the universe. And therefore we should bow before Him and serve Him.

Have you done that? Are you a child of the living God? Can you sit there today knowing for certain that God has predetermined your salvation? That you know for certain that He has elected you, that He has loved you, that in His sovereignty He has blessed you. He has graced you with His mercy. And therefore it causes you to praise His glorious name. Genesis chapter 11, it demonstrates the consequences of sin, accentuates the character of God, and thirdly it punctuates the call of Abraham.

But we're out of time, so I'll have to pick that up next week. Let's pray.