The various nations that came from Japheth, Ham and Shem are listed. Japheth was possibly the oldest of Noah’s sons, though in some ways the least important. It is a common feature in the Old Testament that the younger brother ended up being the most important.
Ham gave rise to various kingdoms, several of them becoming enemies of Israel. Shem gave rise to a large number of peoples. In all this the command to multiply and fill the earth was being fulfilled.
The picture given is that all the nations were descended from Noah. Later God will promise to Abraham that all nations will be blessed through him. Jesus came to save all peoples and Revelation speaks of multitudes from every nation, tribe and tongue. The ultimate purpose of God is that all peoples should be saved.
No comments:
Post a Comment