Last week I talked about the
prophecy Noah made over his three sons. You will remember that I
said that he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham and said that he will
become the lowest of servants to the descendants of Shem and
Japheth. And this did indeed happen. I don't think I even need to
tell you, but the Canaanites settled in Canaan and lived there for
several years, until their wickedness had become so awful that it
was time for the Lord to punish them. And you all know the story of
how the Israelites invaded Canaan after their exodus from Egypt.
They eliminated most of the Canaanites and used those that were
left as their slaves.
Also in later years the Canaanites
were dominated by the Greeks and later totally demolished by the
Romans in the Punic wars. So that prophecy was fulfilled.
And what did Noah say about his
other two sons?
Genesis 9:26 "Then Noah said: May
Shem be blessed by the Lord my God; and may Canaan be his
servant."
And Shem was indeed blessed.
Amongst other nations, the Jews were descendants of Shem. And this
blessing on them was repeated to Abraham in Genesis 12. They were
God's special nation and they were His Witness to the world that He
is a loving God. They were and are indeed until today a very
blessed nation.
And what did Noah say about
Japheth?
Genesis 9:27 "May God enlarge the
territory of Japheth, and may he share the prosperity of Shem; and
let Canaan be his servant."
Did this happen? Yes it did. The
descendants of Japheth settled for the most part in Europe and Asia
Minor. And God did indeed help them to enlarge their territory. The
Europeans were largely the ones who ventured out and discovered new
continents and new lands. Today the descendants of Japheth are
evident in every continent.
Plus Japheth today shares in the
blessing of Shem. Why? Because when the Jews rejected Jesus, God
rose up a new witness for Him on this earth and it was the Church.
The Church at the start was predominantly Jewish, but as time
passed on more and more Gentiles started to fill the church and
today the Church is predominantly non-Jewish believers. And
predominantly descendants of Japheth. God therefore allowed
Japheth's descendant into a covenant with Him and allowed them to
share the blessings He intended to bestow on the Jewish nation.
Of course today the members of the
church consist of every nation and tribe, but it is just
interesting to see how this prophecy of Noah largely came to pass.
I think it will make a very interesting study to look at all the
nations of the world through God's perspective. We tend to look at
our world around us and we don't understand certain things, but
maybe once in a while we should look at the bigger picture, not
just concerning Noah's prophecy, but how God sees the world. He is
working with a plan and it will all come to pass and one day when
we are with Him we will understand everything and marvel in His
goodness. He is so good and He works for the good of every
believer. We need to trust in Him.
Thank you Father that You are
working with a plan in this world. Thank you that we can trust in
You. We will never understand everything here, but one day we will
and we will marvel at Your everlasting goodness. In Jesus' Name.
Amen