Genesis 10

I find chapter 10 of Genesis to be boring. As a child reading the King James translation we called sections like this the begat’s. A college professor once said, “All scripture is equally inspired, but not all scripture is equally inspiring”. This chapter recounts the genealogy of the sons of Noah. If you go farther back than my great grandfather I find genealogy uninteresting.

On Christmas Eve we had a reunion of my great grandfather’s descendants. There were about 50 of us there. They are good people. There was not a horse thief in the bunch, unless my sister has been up to something I don’t know about. I think the influence of my great grandfather down through the years has had an impact on his family. Grandpa Barker lived to be 96. When he became too old to safely drive he would walk down a ¼ mile lane to attend Jollity Community Methodist Church every Sunday. The bible teaches that our lives and our examples make a difference down through generations. Grandpa passed when I was in my early twenties, but his influence still lives in my life today.

Chapter 10 is not so much about the Godly influence of Noah’s sons and their descendants. If you study the list of the different clans and nations made up of the descendants of Noah you find many of Israel’s enemies. Israel would conquer some and would be conquered by others. Chapter 10 does not change that historical fact; however it does serve a very important purpose. It serves to remind Israel of a vital truth. Their enemies both as victor and as defeated are sons of God. Israel and their enemies are both direct descendants of Noah.