After saving the world, Noah himself takes a fall. Again God steps into a godless world – this time, in a much more subdued manner.
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Snapshot
- Objectives
- Standards falling
- Irony of Noah
- Irony of Noah
- Folly of Ham/ Canaan
- Tyranny of Nimrod
- Folly of Ham/ Canaan
- Tyranny of Nimrod
- Babel growing
- God controlling
- Discussion – Self exaltation in our lives
In this journey...
We understand the danger of:
- Self righteous over-confidence
- Self exaltation
- Not aligning with God’s purpose
Standards Falling-Irony of Noah
Read Gen 9:18-29
- When the world around is drinking, Noah is sober
- When all around are sober, Noah drinks.
1 Cor 10:12
“Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
Standards Falling-Folly of Ham/ Canaan
Gen 9:24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, v.25 he. said, “Cursed be Canaan;
a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
The first family to walk the earth after the flood starts breaking up. We don’t know exactly what atrocious deed Canaan does. Apparently Ham does not discipline him either. Eventually:
- Canaan is cursed, Shem and Japheth are blessed. Ham gets neither
- Canaan emerges a strong nation and faces eventual oblivion.
Standards Falling-Tyranny of Nimrod
Read Gen 10:6-10
As the world grows, evil spreads its tentacles. Nimrod was a tyrant, who pillaged and plundered whole cities, taking them over. He was big and powerful. In the bible he is described as:
- “a powerful rebel before the Lord” [1]
- “powerful in hunting, in sin, before the Lord”[2]
- “a mighty hunter, because he was all his days taking provinces by force, and spoiling others of their substance” [3]
Standards Falling-Tyranny of Nimrod – Cont’d…
Read Gen 10:6-10
A powerful hunter “before the Lord“ does not mean on behalf of the Lord. it means, openly and publicly, and without fear of God, and in a bold and impudent manner. In Genesis 6:11 the phrase is “against the Lord” – [4]
Babel Growing
Read Gen 11:4-9
Powerful people in the world tried to defy God by building a tall tower reaching the heavens. God confounded them by making them suddenly speak different languages and not understand each other. The initiative came to a sudden halt.
The Greek form of Babylon means “Gate of the god”.
The Hebrew name for the tower ‘Babel’ means to confuse or confound.
God Controlling
God is in control. He:
- Breaks the objective of powerful men
- Disperses them – a mild response to a strong offence.
- Is also in control of the micro events in our lives.
Some Important Locations in the Old Testament
Discussion - Self Exaltation in our Lives
- What could have been the cause of Noah’s falling? What do we learn?
- Gen 11:4 highlights “Let us make a name for ourselves” – the most alluring temptation of all. Their self exaltation takes the place of God glorification. In what forms does this temptation lure us today?
- How do we overcome it?
- How do we handle the “Nimrod” type superpowers threatening us?
References
1.Targum of Jonathan
2.Targum of Jerusalem
3.Jewish writer
4.Septuagint