Genesis Through Joshua- Genesis: Judgement/Deliverance and the New Order
In this lecture we’re going to be looking at the last portions of the primeval history.
Life in Egypt was opposite to life in Eden.
The fallen world is paralleled to Egypt. The Garden of Eden is parallel with Canaan.
The Overview
1) The Basic Content
6-9:17 The Flood as judgement
9:18-11:9
2) Competing Viewpoints
Moses is dealing with different viewpoints
The Israelites saw their deliverance as trouble not restoration.
The judgement and deliverance of the flood 6:9-9:17
1) Typical concerns:
Where is the ark?
What about the stability of seasons (end of chapter 8)?
Was the flood global or local?
We will answer the last question.
2) Reasons to believe in a universal flood:
i) 2 Peter 3:5-15
Peter divides time into 3 separate ages
Creation of the earth (pre-flood) v5-6
Present heavens and earth (post-flood) v7
New Heaven and Earth at the 2nd coming v13
Peter saw the food as parallel to the 2nd coming of Christ.
Is the 2nd coming of Christ local or global? It is a global judgement therefore the flood of Noah is universal.
ii) The waters described
The waters come from above and from below. This language is used at creation. Creation was global (!) as is the flood.
iii) The flood of Noah is universal in that it destroys all of humanity.
God repeats the cultural mandate (Gen 1:28-31) suggesting a complete re-establishment of the culture.
3) Literary Structure of the Flood
Begins: Corruption of the world- Noah enters the ark
Ends: The new world – Noah exits the ark
Gen 8:1 = ‘God remembers Noah’ is the middle of the story.
We see symmetry in the story.
4) The Original Meaning of the Flood and the Ark Story
God’s flooding signified His anger.
God’s bow in the sky signified peace.
After the ark the world is set into an arena of peace. We have a restoration and re-order. ‘Rainbow’ means bow like an Indian’s bow and arrow. God has arrows like as in Psalm 18. God is shooting arrows from the bow in judgement during the flood.
After the flood God leaves His bow in the sky promising never to judge in the same way again. The bow is pointing away from us. By this God shows us He is declaring peace (Gen 8:21-22).
God re-iterates the cultural mandate in Genesis 9.
One of the first things that caused the destruction of humanity was Cain’s murder of Abel. God immediately establishes a new ethical order to Noah (Gen 9:5). No longer will murderers be protected by God, they should be punished.
Noah is the deliverer from judgement of the flood.
Moses is the deliverer from judgement of Egypt.
Israel is delivered through the red sea and the Egyptians are punished by the red sea.
In the same way Noah and his family was saved by water and the rest were punished by it.
Noah means ‘rest’. It is a rest from corruption.
Moses calls Canaan a similar name to Noah. He is saying that Canaan is a place of rest.
Moses is saying: I am like Noah bringing you out of judgement into restored rest and new order
The New Order: Genesis 9:18-11:9
1) Basic Content
i) Genesis 9 and 10
Ham, Shem and Japheth
Ham looks on Noah’s nakedness. (Could be a homosexual act).
9:24 Noah curses Canaan (the son of Ham). This is a curse on the Canaanites.
Shem is blessed. The Canaanites are to be slaves to the Shemites (9v26).
Japeth is blessed. The Japhethites will conquer the Canaanites by living with them (9v27).
The future of Noah’s sons was a story that gave justification for the Israelites to take over Canaan.
From the time of Noah the act of Ham set up the Holy war of Israel towards the Canaanites.
ii) Genesis 11: The Tower of Babel
The people plan to build a tower to reach heaven. God mocks them for such an idea and scatters them.
Duet 1:26 ‘up to the sky’ is the same expression as reaching to Heaven.
Duet 9:1 ‘walls up to the sky/heaven’
Moses is saying: ‘there has been a city that tried to reach heaven. This city [referring to Duet 1:26/9:1] seems invincible because its walls were so high. God didn’t have trouble with the tower of Babel. He destroyed that tower and will help us.’
Babel means ‘gate of God’. Hebrew word ‘confuse’ sounds like ‘Babel’. With this understanding Gen 11:9 makes sense.
The Judgement Delivers a New Order
The concept of Holy War is part of the restoration process.
The church should recognise deliverance in Christ produces a good holy war in the soul. Our fighting of these battles evidences the restoration waiting for us in Heaven.
Life in Egypt was opposite to life in Eden.
The fallen world is paralleled to Egypt. The Garden of Eden is parallel with Canaan.
The Overview
1) The Basic Content
6-9:17 The Flood as judgement
9:18-11:9
2) Competing Viewpoints
Moses is dealing with different viewpoints
The Israelites saw their deliverance as trouble not restoration.
The judgement and deliverance of the flood 6:9-9:17
1) Typical concerns:
Where is the ark?
What about the stability of seasons (end of chapter 8)?
Was the flood global or local?
We will answer the last question.
2) Reasons to believe in a universal flood:
i) 2 Peter 3:5-15
Peter divides time into 3 separate ages
Creation of the earth (pre-flood) v5-6
Present heavens and earth (post-flood) v7
New Heaven and Earth at the 2nd coming v13
Peter saw the food as parallel to the 2nd coming of Christ.
Is the 2nd coming of Christ local or global? It is a global judgement therefore the flood of Noah is universal.
ii) The waters described
The waters come from above and from below. This language is used at creation. Creation was global (!) as is the flood.
iii) The flood of Noah is universal in that it destroys all of humanity.
God repeats the cultural mandate (Gen 1:28-31) suggesting a complete re-establishment of the culture.
3) Literary Structure of the Flood
Begins: Corruption of the world- Noah enters the ark
Ends: The new world – Noah exits the ark
Gen 8:1 = ‘God remembers Noah’ is the middle of the story.
We see symmetry in the story.
4) The Original Meaning of the Flood and the Ark Story
God’s flooding signified His anger.
God’s bow in the sky signified peace.
After the ark the world is set into an arena of peace. We have a restoration and re-order. ‘Rainbow’ means bow like an Indian’s bow and arrow. God has arrows like as in Psalm 18. God is shooting arrows from the bow in judgement during the flood.
After the flood God leaves His bow in the sky promising never to judge in the same way again. The bow is pointing away from us. By this God shows us He is declaring peace (Gen 8:21-22).
God re-iterates the cultural mandate in Genesis 9.
One of the first things that caused the destruction of humanity was Cain’s murder of Abel. God immediately establishes a new ethical order to Noah (Gen 9:5). No longer will murderers be protected by God, they should be punished.
Noah is the deliverer from judgement of the flood.
Moses is the deliverer from judgement of Egypt.
Israel is delivered through the red sea and the Egyptians are punished by the red sea.
In the same way Noah and his family was saved by water and the rest were punished by it.
Noah means ‘rest’. It is a rest from corruption.
Moses calls Canaan a similar name to Noah. He is saying that Canaan is a place of rest.
Moses is saying: I am like Noah bringing you out of judgement into restored rest and new order
The New Order: Genesis 9:18-11:9
1) Basic Content
i) Genesis 9 and 10
Ham, Shem and Japheth
Ham looks on Noah’s nakedness. (Could be a homosexual act).
9:24 Noah curses Canaan (the son of Ham). This is a curse on the Canaanites.
Shem is blessed. The Canaanites are to be slaves to the Shemites (9v26).
Japeth is blessed. The Japhethites will conquer the Canaanites by living with them (9v27).
The future of Noah’s sons was a story that gave justification for the Israelites to take over Canaan.
From the time of Noah the act of Ham set up the Holy war of Israel towards the Canaanites.
ii) Genesis 11: The Tower of Babel
The people plan to build a tower to reach heaven. God mocks them for such an idea and scatters them.
Duet 1:26 ‘up to the sky’ is the same expression as reaching to Heaven.
Duet 9:1 ‘walls up to the sky/heaven’
Moses is saying: ‘there has been a city that tried to reach heaven. This city [referring to Duet 1:26/9:1] seems invincible because its walls were so high. God didn’t have trouble with the tower of Babel. He destroyed that tower and will help us.’
Babel means ‘gate of God’. Hebrew word ‘confuse’ sounds like ‘Babel’. With this understanding Gen 11:9 makes sense.
The Judgement Delivers a New Order
The concept of Holy War is part of the restoration process.
The church should recognise deliverance in Christ produces a good holy war in the soul. Our fighting of these battles evidences the restoration waiting for us in Heaven.
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