GENISIS 9: REPOPULATING THE EARTH

God's Covenant With Noah

So now Noah and his family are back on dry land and ready to start a new life.  God blesses them and tells them to "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth..."  A change is now made in what they are given to eat.  He now tells them that "Everything that lives and moves will be food for you.  Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."  So I guess at this point is where we begin eating meat?  He also tells them that they can not eat meat (animals) that are still alive and that an accounting will be required for life that is taken.  And that "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed".  So I guess He wants to make it clear that while we can eat animals he wants us to not go crazy and become like cannibals.  I think He is also trying to tell us to show respect for the life we take when we eat meat.

Then God establishes a covenant with Noah and his family and all living creatures on the earth saying that He will never again destroy the world by flood.  And the sign, or reminder of this covenant is the rainbow that will appears when it rains.

The Sons of Noah

The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth and from them came all the future people.

Noah, a man of the soil, then planted a vineyard and when he drank some of it's wine, he became drunk and was naked and passed out in his tent.  His son Ham saw his father and told his two brothers.  The two brothers, Shem and Japheth went in and covered their father up by walking backwards so they wouldn't see their dad naked.  When Noah woke up and discovered that Ham had not shown the same respect for his as his brothers he cursed him and his sons.  Ham's son was Canaan.  He told Ham that Canaan would become slaves to his brothers Shem and Japheth.  This curse is later fulfilled when the Israelites, led by Moses into the wilderness, enter the promised land and drive the Canaanites out.

JAPHETH

• Noah's third son
• One of the three sons who were on the Ark and so one of the three that all future generations came from.
• One of the two brothers that covered their father when he was naked
• Descendants were called the Japhethites
• Descendants settled for the most part in Europe and Asia Minor
• Descendants are the Greeks, Thracians, Scythians

HAM

• Noah's Second son.
• One of the three sons who were on the Ark and so one of the three that all future generations came from.
• Father of Canaan
• Descendants were called the Canaanites
• The son who disrespected his father, Noah when he found him passed out naked in his tent
• Cursed to become a 'slave' to his two other brothers because of this and this curse was fulfilled when the Israelites entered the promised land and drove the Canaanites out.
• His descendants settled in Canaan, Egypt, and the rest of Africa.
• Descendants are:  Canaanites, Egyptians, Philistines, Hittites, Amorites (All the bad guys)

SHEM

• Noah's oldest son.
• One of the three sons who were on the Ark and so one of the three that all future generations came from.
• One of the two brothers that covered their father when he was naked
• Descendants were called the Semites.
• Abraham, David, and Jesus descended from Shem
• Lived from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
• His descendants were the Hebrews, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Persians and Syrians