How will the Lord build a kingdom that reaches to the heavens?

Declining Generations and the Man of Promise

(Genesis 11:10-26, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, September 14, 2014)

[10] These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. [11] And Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

This passage and the next take us from the cataclysmic event of the flood to the story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs of the Jewish people, the people group through whom the Lord gave a Messiah to the world. Genesis 11 includes a list of names beginning with Shem, the son of Noah, and ending with Abram and his brothers, the sons of Terah. We get the word “Semitic” from the name Shem. The word antisemitism means hatred of Jewish people, but while the Semites include the Jews, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, there are many other people groups included in the group that is rightly called Semitic. Interestingly, Arabs also have Semitic roots. God is still doing something today that relates to Shem et al.

[12] When Arpachshad had lived 35 years, he fathered Shelah. [13] And Arpachshad lived after he fathered Shelah 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
[14] When Shelah had lived 30 years, he fathered Eber. [15] And Shelah lived after he fathered Eber 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
[16] When Eber had lived 34 years, he fathered Peleg. [17] And Eber lived after he fathered Peleg 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
[18] When Peleg had lived 30 years, he fathered Reu. [19] And Peleg lived after he fathered Reu 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
[20] When Reu had lived 32 years, he fathered Serug. [21] And Reu lived after he fathered Serug 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
[22] When Serug had lived 30 years, he fathered Nahor. [23] And Serug lived after he fathered Nahor 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
[24] When Nahor had lived 29 years, he fathered Terah. [25] And Nahor lived after he fathered Terah 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
[26] When Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Though the list we have here may seem like meaningless words to us, these names represent real people who lived lives and had many sons and daughters. A man might seek to make a name for himself through the building of a kingdom that he could see during his days on the earth. The Lord is building his kingdom through many generations that lead to just the right moment, just the right place, and just the right person in a story that He has known well from before the foundation of the earth.

Though we might look at the list recorded here and say that these people of old lived good long lives, the fact that we should note in this passage is that life expectancy was going down. The Lord had announced before the flood that the outer limit of a long life would be 120 years. He did not bring that about immediately, but it did eventually happen. At the end of Genesis, Joseph the son of Jacob died at the age of 110.

Put the Word to Work: Life expectancy was declining after the flood, but the promise of God was moving forward. The value of life is not measured by age, but by the purpose of God.

Memory Verse from the Songs of Ascents—Psalm 122:8 – For my brothers and companions' sake I will say, “Peace be within you!”

Gospel Reading—Matthew 13:53-58 – Jesus rejected at Nazareth