GENESIS - CHAPTER 9
A
Bible Study - Commentary by Jim Melough
Copyright
2000 James Melough
9:1.
“ “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and fill the earth.”
The redeemed of all ages are
represented in Noah rest. Like
him, they have passed beyond judgment, and the rest into which they have entered
through faith will be enjoyed fully in the eternal state.
The blessing pronounced upon him as he leaves the Ark points to the state of
all the redeemed: they are blessed.
The eternal duration of that
blessing is indicated in that it embraces his sons through whom Noah’s own life
would be perpetuated. In addition to
symbolizing the eternal duration of the believer’s new life, these sons point also
to the character of that life. As sons
represent the activity rather than the passivity of the will, they would teach us
that the believer’s new life will express itself in an eternal happy activity in
the service of God.
That man’s blessing cannot
be divorced from obedience is clearly taught in that God’s blessing upon Noah and
his sons is accompanied by a command. Since
we have noticed in a previous study that Noah represents also the renewed man in the
body here on the earth, the implication of all this is not difficult to discern.
He who would be blessed must also be obedient.
The command given was, “Be
fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth.” To
those, who like Noah, stand upon the earth beyond reach of judgment, a similar
command has been given. Multiply means
to be many, and recalls the commission given by the risen Lord, “Go ye into all the
world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). Believers will be multiplied only as that Gospel is preached.
To be fruitful, however,
goes beyond mere multiplication, and includes also that fruitfulness that is
manifested in spiritual growth. “...
walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and
increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col 1:10).
“... and fill the
earth.” Earth’s burgeoning millions
are the answer to that command, but there can be little doubt that God was looking to
that day when the new earth, typified in the renewed earth upon which Noah stood,
would be filled with a race of men cleansed for ever from the corruption and death,
which Noah, as a son of Adam, could only bequeath to his posterity. God had in view the new earth filled with the sons of the last
Adam.
9:2.
“And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the
earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon
all the fish of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.”
The dominion given to Adam
is now given to Noah, and it is impossible not to see that this is only one of many
parallels between the two.
The earth over which Adam
reigned had been recovered from waters of judgment, as had that over which Noah was
now to reign for God.
Adam, too, had been blessed,
and given a command, “be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth,” and all
creatures were placed under his dominion.
The green herb was appointed
to be Adam’s food. It was also for
Noah, but in addition he was permitted to eat flesh.
There was a prohibition imposed in connection with Adam’s food: the fruit of
one tree was forbidden. There was a
prohibition also in connection with Noah’s food: flesh with the blood was
forbidden.
It was in connection with
food that Adam sinned. He ate what God
had forbidden, and the result was that he discovered that he was naked. Noah, too, misusing to excess what was intended to be part of his
food, became naked.
Two innocent substitutes
died to provide a covering for Adam and Eve. Two
innocent sons of Noah walked backward to place a covering upon his nakedness.
(The significance of this will be examined when we deal with verse 23.)
The broad general lesson of
this parallelism seems to be that man in the flesh, even though redeemed, and
represented in Noah, is no better than man in the flesh, unredeemed, and represented
in Adam. There is a difference, however.
By his disobedience Adam forfeited his dominion, though it continued until
almost the time of the flood. But all
that had been associated with Adam had been swept away in judgment, and his forfeited
sovereignty was given to Noah. Adam’s
investiture occurred before he was redeemed; Noah’s, after his redemption (typical,
in the Ark.) The redeemed man in the
flesh may be no better than the unredeemed, but God looks upon him, not as he is in
himself, but as he is in Christ. Noah’s
sovereignty was not given to another, nor will ours. In spite of all the failure that is connected with the believer
still in the flesh, he will one day reign, and that eternally, with Christ.
Since we are heirs and joint
heirs with Christ, and will one day reign with Him, the extent of His dominion will
be ours also. It is significant to note
that the extent of that sovereignty is given in the very same Scripture which
declares that Noah’s experience in the Ark is a figure of baptism, 1 Peter 3:21.
Verse 22 of that same chapter, referring to the resurrected Christ, continues,
“Who is gone into heaven ... angels and authorities and powers being made subject
to Him.”
The universal extent of
Noah’s sovereignty, while immediate, certainly points to a fuller and more complete
fulfillment in the eternal state, not only for him, but for all, who like him, have
been redeemed. It points also to
Israel’s supremacy in the Millennium.
9:3.
“Every moving thing that liveth shall be food for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.”
Noah, the redeemed man, in
addition to eating herbs, is also now to eat flesh.
This is the symbolic announcement of the fact that the redeemed man needs food
for his soul as well as for his body,
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4). But the flesh, which represents man’s spiritual food, is
available only through death: an animal had to die to provide it.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Lamb Who willingly died that man might have
“flesh” to eat, “The bread that I will give is my flesh ... my flesh is food
... he that eateth of this bread shall live forever” (Jn 6:51-58).
The whole of John chapter 6 should be studied for a detailed exposition of
this truth.
9:4.
“But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not
eat.”
It should be noted that not
only was this food to result from death, but those who were to eat it must also have
come out of death. Noah had died
symbolically in the Ark and stood symbolically on resurrection ground.
The believer has died vicariously in Christ, and with Him stands also
vicariously on resurrection ground. Christ
is the food necessary to sustain that new life.
The prohibition against
eating flesh with the blood teaches the truth that Christ had to die before He could
become the food to nourish the new life of faith.
Eating flesh with the blood is the symbolic equivalent of having a mere
intellectual knowledge of Christ. He who
would feed on Christ must first believe that Christ died to redeem men’s souls, His
death being the redemption price, as it is written, “Ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold ... but with the precious blood of Christ, as
of a lamb without blemish, and without spot” (1 Pe 1:l8,19).
Before Noah could eat its
flesh the animal’s blood (life) must be poured out.
It was Noah who slew the animal, and the truth being taught is that salvation
is a personal thing. Until the sinner
sees Christ’s death as making atonement for his sin personally, he cannot
feed upon that “flesh” which is the “living bread” presented in the written
Word.
The passover lamb
demonstrates this same truth. First its
blood must be applied to the door posts to secure the life of the first-born;
then it was roasted and became the food to sustain the redeemed life.
9:5.
“And surely your blood of your lives will I require: at the hand of every
beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother
will I require the life of man.”
This verse declares the high
value which God sets upon human life. His
power to give life carries with it the exclusive right to take back that life.
Man, having no power to give life, has no right to take it; and the man who
will assume this power must give account to God.
The presumption that would take life without having the power to give it is
rebuked by the reminder that men are brothers, no one being superior to another. The One Who alone can give life, and Who alone has the right to
take it, is infinitely higher than man. Knowing
that man would be disobedient both in regard to taking life wrongfully, and in
judicially taking the life of the man-slayer, God has appointed the wild
animals as His agents. Rebel man who
fears neither his fellowman nor God, must, however, fear the brute creation, even
though he rules over it, for he knows that the beast, given the opportunity, will
slay him.
9:6.
“Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the
image of God made He man.”
For the first time God
invests man with the right to take life judicially, and that investiture is linked to
man’s being in the image of God. The
distinction between image and likeness is that image refers to man’s position
governmentally as the God-appointed head over all other creatures, whereas
likeness refers to man’s nature as a creature of intelligence, emotion and will.
It is significant that this
investment is related to man’s being in the divine image, and that no antediluvian,
not even Adam, received that authority.
We have considered already
that Adam represents the natural man, but Noah represents the new man.
In Adam the divine image was broken, but in Noah it is restored, for he stood
typically on the resurrection side of judgment and death.
And the evidence of the restoration of the divine image in the new man is that
he has been invested with the highest judicial authority.
Man’s determination to
commute the death penalty to a lesser punishment is an expression of the natural
man’s rebellion against God, by which he would make himself more merciful than God.
The pretext upon which God’s ordination is set aside is that this is the age
of grace. The death penalty was ordained
long before the law was given, and has never been abrogated.
The argument that the death
penalty is cruel and unmerciful, is puerile, and simply advertises ignorance of the
nature of divine mercy. The God who
requires the blood of the natural life at the hand of him who sheds it is the One Who
thus displays Himself as a God of justice. But
that same God displays Himself as a God of mercy in that He has provided eternal
salvation for the soul of even the murderer who will trust Christ as his Savior.
To make that salvation
possible the Son of God had to pour out His life’s blood at Calvary.
Between the establishment of
his guilt and the execution of the penalty, the murderer has time to accept God’s
salvation and save his soul. The very
fact that the moment of execution is known to him is incentive to accept God’s
salvation. The commutation of that
sentence to a period of imprisonment removes that incentive.
In addition, failure to exact the divinely appointed penalty robs the
victim’s family of justice, while at the same time condemning the family of the
murderer to what is often a sharing of his punishment: while he languishes in prison,
they languish at home with sorrow protracted far beyond that which would have
followed his execution. The sorrow that
results from death is healed by time, but the sorrow resulting from imprisonment has
no chance to heal. Man is never more
merciful than God.
9:7.
“And you, be ye
fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.”
This second command to be
fruitful and multiply, coming as it does after man is invested with judicial
authority, may perhaps be related more specifically to the believers of the
millennial age, when men will live in subjection to God’s laws.
The similar command in verse 1 may have specific reference to this present age
of grace.
9:8.
“And God spoke unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,”
A new section is introduced
here in which God outlines the terms of a new covenant which is now to govern man’s
relationship with his Creator.
One very noticeable
difference between this covenant and the one made with Adam in Genesis 2:16,17 is
that in this one there is neither condition nor threat.
In the covenant with Adam there was a condition to be fulfilled, and the
penalty was, “thou shalt surely die.”
The differences between the
two covenants will be the more easily understood when we remember that Adam
represents the natural man; and Noah, the new. The
penalty pronounced, and in fact, incurred, is perfectly appropriate to man in his
natural state. But the perfection of
man’s state as a new creature in Christ is evidenced by the superiority of the
Noahic covenant. The only condition
needed for blessing is that man shall have had the experience of being in Christ as
Noah had been in the Ark. The man who
stands spiritually on resurrection ground, as Noah, emerged from the Ark, stood
typologically, is unconditionally blessed with every blessing.
9:9.
“And I, behold, I establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you:”
The God, Who in Isaiah 45:22
said, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and
there is none else,” is the same God Who now declares, “And I, behold, I
establish My covenant....”
Having destroyed those who
had refused His provided refuge, the Ark, God now prepares to bless those who had
obeyed and entered into it.
It is obvious that this
covenant relates to earth and earthly blessing, and is therefore imperfect; but there
are in it elements which extend beyond time, and are clearly meant to point to the
infinitely better blessings of the new covenant sealed with the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
“With your seed after
you,” points to the duration of the covenant; it will be extended to generations
beyond Noah. But those generations will
end one day. The superiority of the new
covenant of which this one is but a type, is that it is eternal.
9:10.
“And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the
cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the Ark, to
every beast of the earth.”
This confirms the earthly
nature of the covenant, but even here glimpses of something better may be discerned. This covenant embraces animal as well as man, but since everything
that emerged from the Ark was, in a sense, redeemed, we may perhaps be justified in
taking the human as representative of the renewed man as now being a spiritual
creature; and the animal as representative of the renewed man as a creature who is
also still flesh. (As man was to govern
the animal creation, so is the man who is now spirit also to govern his body.)
The blessings guaranteed to
the animal creation, and to endure while the earth endures, would remind us that
under the terms of the new covenant the redeemed man will be blessed, not only in
soul and spirit, but also in body, for these bodies of clay will be, “fashioned
like unto His glorious body” (Php 3:21).
9:11.
“And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut
off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to
destroy the earth.”
Having regard to the fact
that the earth is going to be destroyed by fire, “The heavens shall pass away with
a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the
works that are therein shall be burned with fire” (2 Pe 3:10), it may be asked why
there is no reference to such a coming judgment in the annunciation of this Noahic
covenant.
The omissions of Scripture
speak just as clearly as its pronouncements, and the present instance is an example
of that truth. This covenant was for
those, who having been redeemed from the judgment of the flood, stood as
representative of those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ.
That being so, God can rightfully omit any reference to another judgment,
since, for the redeemed, there is no more judgment.
At the Bema the fire will try the believer’s works, but not the believer
himself, “Every man’s work ... shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try
every man’s work.... If any man’s work abide ... he shall receive a reward.
If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself
shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Co 3:13-15).
All the terms of this
covenant - its omissions as well as its statements - will be better
understood if it is remembered that it was for those who represent the redeemed of
all ages. It foreshadows the better
covenant sealed to the redeemed by the blood of Christ.
9:12.
“And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and
you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations.”
It is stressed that it is
God alone Who makes the covenant. Man
and animal have no part but to receive and enjoy its blessings.
It is emphasized also that it is for those who have life, “every living
creature.” Only those who have life in Christ will enjoy the blessings of the new
covenant.
“... for perpetual
generations” points the eye of faith beyond time.
The blessings of the new covenant are not simply for perpetual generations,
they are for eternity.
9:13.
“I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant
between me and the earth.”
This covenant, like the
greater one it typified, had a token or sign by which man would be reminded of the
blessings he enjoyed under it. The
rainbow was the appointed token or sign, and its appropriateness is the more apparent
when it is remembered that apparently the earth was not watered by rain until after
the flood, “the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth ... but there
went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground” (Ge
2:5,6).
Having witnessed the
terrible judgment and destruction brought by the first rain he had ever seen, man
might well fear the appearance of even a cloud.
God would allay his fears by causing the rainbow to appear in the cloud,
reminding him of the divine promise, “Neither shall all flesh be cut off any more
by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the
earth.”
That it is an earthly
covenant is evidenced by the words, “... a covenant between me and the earth.”
Like all the types and shadows of the OT, it lacked the perfection of that great
covenant to which it pointed. It was
bounded by time and confined to earth, but the covenant sealed at Calvary embraces
eternity.
9:14.
“And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the
bow shall be seen in the cloud.”
Against the background of
what were now ordained to be the ordinary phenomena of nature: clouds and rain, God
would display the token of His promise that they would never again be used for the
destruction of the earth. The dark cloud
of divine wrath against sin is lustered with the brilliance of a better covenant.
Those who trust Christ as Savior have the assurance that they have passed from
death to eternal life, and will never be brought into judgment.
9:15.
“And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every
living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy
all flesh.”
Important as it is that man
should remember, it is infinitely more important that God should remember, and His
gracious concern for His creature is revealed in the bow.
He Himself has no need of a token. Unlike
man, God will not forget, nor will He ever forfeit His promise.
The vagrant mind of man, however, has long since forgotten, and he looks upon
the bow today simply as one of nature’s wonders, while he relegates the record of
the flood to the realm of mythology. But
the bow, still appearing in the cloud, tells the man of faith that there was a flood,
and reminds him that as those antediluvians who refused to enter the safety of the
Ark, perished, so will men who refuse to take refuge in Christ, perish under a far
more terrible judgment.
That knowledge, so far from
begetting complacency in the heart of the believer, should impel a more energetic
proclamation of the Gospel.
The emphasis continues to be
upon the fact that it is, “My (God’s) covenant.”
Man enjoys its benefits, but God is its Administrator.
9:16.
“And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may
remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh
that is upon the earth.”
As has been noticed already,
the Noahic covenant was earthly, but its spiritual implications embrace eternity, and
for that reason God refers to it as the “everlasting” covenant. That part of it which relates to earth, is everlasting in the
sense that it will last as long as the earth shall last.
(The word everlasting as found in Scripture, should be construed according to
its context.)
9:17.
“And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have
established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.”
The frequency with which God
refers to the token, indicates the importance He attached to it.
If he attached such importance to the token which was related to the death of
creation, how much greater, then, must be the importance He attaches to the tokens
which are related to the death of the Creator, His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ?
In the very appointment of bread and wine as the tokens of the new and better
covenant, God has chosen that which constitutes man’s food and drink.
What he must eat and drink daily in order to live, is intended to teach man
the importance of what is portrayed in broken bread and out-poured wine.
It was the Lord Himself Who said, “This is my body which is given for
you.... this cup is the new testament (covenant) in my blood, which is shed for
you” (Lk 22:19,20).
Not only on the first day of
the week when the Lord’s supper is to be eaten, but every time man eats and drinks,
God would have him remember Calvary. There,
waves and billows far more terrible than those literal waters that engulfed the
antediluvian earth, swept over God’s Son when He willingly took man’s guilty
place and submitted Himself to death that man might live.
9:18.
“And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the Ark, were Shem, and Ham, and
Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.”
A new section begins with
this eighteenth verse. Having focused
attention upon the token of the covenant, God would now have us look at the lives of
those who are its beneficiaries.
Those who emerged from the
Ark represent believers: they stood symbolically on resurrection ground.
This truth is emphasized in that attention is directed to Noah’s sons rather
than to Noah himself. There were three
of them, and three, of course, is the number of resurrection.
Another characteristic of resurrection portrayed in these three sons is that
Noah’s life would be perpetuated through them.
They were, however, the sons
of Noah rest; and springing themselves from one whose name means rest, point
to the truth that those who have eternal life have it on the basis of a rest
resulting from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and His finished work.
We have noticed that sons
and daughters speak respectively of activity and passivity of the will.
The mention of sons therefore, would teach us that another characteristic of
the new life is that it is to be marked by activity in God’s service.
There were eight persons
altogether who survived the flood, and eight, being the number of a new beginning,
declares that the redeemed have a new beginning as new creatures in Christ.
Since it is generally
accepted that the whole human race is descended from these three sons of Noah, and we
have already considered this, it is unnecessary to elaborate further upon it here.
As to the significance of
these three names, Shem means a name. Ham
has been generally taken to mean tumult: he raged, but according to J.B.
Jackson’s Dictionary of Proper Names of the Old and New Testament this
meaning applies only in Ge 14:5 where it is used as the name of a place. In all other instances the correct meaning is hot:
father-in-law. Japheth means let
him spread out.
In regard to the races
descended from these three sons of Noah, the opinions of the majority of competent
Bible scholars are very succinctly given in the foot notes to the Scofield Reference
Bible. We shall, therefore, quote them.
“A prophetic declaration
is made that descendants of Canaan, one of Ham’s sons, will be servants to their
brethren ... Shem will have a peculiar relation to the Lord.
All divine revelation is through Semitic men, and Christ, after the flesh,
descends from Shem. A prophetic
declaration is made that from Japheth will descend the enlarged races.
Government, science and art, speaking broadly, are and have been Japhetic, so
that history is the indisputable record of the exact fulfillment of these
declarations.”
We might add that in regard
to the race descended from Shem a name, it is from it that He has come forth,
“Whose name is above every other name.... Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God,
the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”
The explanatory phrase,
“and Ham is the father of Canaan” takes on a special significance when we
remember that Ham means not only hot, but also father-in-law.
The term father-in-law carries with it the thought of parental
authority connected with law, and would, perhaps, indicate that Ham should be viewed
as a type of the law itself, which without the love of a natural father, nevertheless
rules over man with all the authority that is normally vested in a father.
Authority, without love, is the hallmark of the law.
His son, Canaan, means a
trafficker, which is indeed the only child the law can beget.
The child of law is a spiritual “trafficker” who seeks to trade
law-keeping for eternal life, and he is as much an abomination to God as was
his literal counterpart.
9:19.
“These are the three sons of Noah, and of them was the whole earth
overspread.”
The overspreading of the
whole earth by the descendants of these three sons points again to the character of
the new life: it is abundant.
An obvious practical lesson
for those who have this more abundant life in Christ is that we should be equally
fruitful in populating the earth with a spiritual posterity - men and women led
to Christ.
9:20.
“And Noah began to be a husbandman; and he planted a vineyard.”
As it was with Adam so was
it also with Noah: both became tillers of the soil, and we may learn from this that
the redeemed man, while he is on the earth, is in this respect no different from
others: all men in the body are under the same sentence, “In the sweat of thy face
shalt thou eat bread....”
The whole context of this
section, however, is overshadowed by potential for evil, and that being the case, the
lesson may be that the redeemed man is never free from the danger of becoming
involved with earthly things to the neglect of spiritual.
In this context, then, Noah’s becoming a farmer rather than a shepherd, may
point to the believer’s turning to the things of the world to a greater extent than
is necessary.
Since wine is the Biblical
symbol of joy (spiritual or earthly), the lesson of his planting a vineyard may be
that in addition to becoming over-involved in the world’s business, the
believer may also turn again to the world’s pleasures.
9:21.
“And he drank of the wine, and became drunk; and he was uncovered within his
tent.”
In Eph 5:18 Paul cautions
his readers, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the
Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
It is significant that the Apostle places in opposition spiritual joy,
expressed in singing to the Lord, and that joy which has its source in wine consumed
to excess. Experience teaches that as
pleasure in earthly things increases, spiritual joy decreases.
There was nothing wrong with
Noah’s drinking wine: the evil lay in his drinking to excess and becoming drunk.
The obvious warning is that when the believer turns aside from the things of
God for “just a little” of worldly pleasure it almost invariably happens that he
keeps returning for more and eventually becomes spiritually what Noah became
physically, “drunk”. He loses his
capacity to make a proper evaluation between things earthly and things spiritual, and
the end result is that he becomes “uncovered.”
But clothing, we have learned, is symbolic of righteousness, either the
“filthy rags” of our own self-righteousness, or the spotless
righteousness of Christ. Adam, when he
sinned, was uncovered. He had lost his
righteousness, and now Noah is found in the same condition.
The believer who turns to the world’s joys, becoming through them,
insensible to spiritual things, soon becomes “uncovered” - he loses his
righteousness.
9:22.
“And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told
his two brethren outside.”
By continuing to view Ham as
a type of the law, we can easily read the significance of his seeing Noah’s
nakedness. The law can only look upon man’s unright-eous (uncovered)
state, but can do nothing to remedy that state.
To understand the spiritual
lesson of Ham’s telling his two brethren, it is necessary to note that the order of
the list of Noah’s sons is not the order of their seniority.
The list is always given as Shem, Ham and Japheth, yet we read in verse 24
that Ham was the younger; and in chapter 10:21, that Japheth was
the elder.
God’s lists are never
capriciously arranged, and this one is no exception to that rule.
In the order given, Shem is first, and Japheth last, so that when Ham told his
two brethren, he was literally telling the first and the last.
This is the symbolic declaration of what is written in Gal 3:24, “The law is
our school master to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by
faith.” Christ, and He alone,
can say, “I am Alpha and Omega, the
first and the last” (Re 1:11).
9:23.
“And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders,
and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were
backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.”
It was Christ Who took the
garment of His own righteousness and brought it to where we lay “uncovered.”
The fact that this was done
by two of Noah’s sons, would point to the truth that He Who came to fulfill the
type, combined in Himself two natures: He was perfect God even while He walked the
earth as the perfect Man. Since two is
the number of witness or testimony, these two sons would point to Him Who was the
perfect Witness, not only to man’s ruin, but to God’s love.
Their taking the garment and
laying it upon their shoulders, reminds us that before the Lord Jesus Christ could
cover us with the garment of His own righteousness, He must first take upon His
shoulders the filthy rags of our sinful self-righteousness, and go to Calvary
to bear the judgment due to us, as it is written, “Surely He hath borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows ... and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa
53: 4,6).
Another spiritual truth is
conveyed in the twofold reference to their walking backward.
Christ, “was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our
justification” (Ro 4:25). He must be
raised from the dead before we could be justified or “covered” with the garment
of His righteousness. But resurrection
is simply a returning or going “backward” from death. Shem and Japheth had both been in the deluge, though preserved in
the Ark. They had been symbolically in
death, but their exodus from the Ark is typical of resurrection.
Their going backward therefore, is the typical annunciation of the truth that
we are covered with the righteousness of the One Who, “was delivered for our
offenses, and was raised again for our justification.”
“... and they saw not
their father’s nakedness.” The Lord Jesus Christ declared, “And if any man hear
my words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I came, not to judge the world but to
save the world” (Jn 12:47). The law
could only look upon man’s sinful “uncovered” state, but could not cover it.
Christ came, not to judge, “look upon”, but to save, “cover”.
The word atonement, in fact, means to cover.
To preserve the accuracy of
the type, however, we must recognize that the foregoing is a secondary application of
a type which relates primarily to a man already redeemed.
Noah’s redemption occurred (typo-logically) when he entered the Ark, so that
his drunkenness portrays the sin of a believer rather than an unbeliever.
In this context, then, it is instruct-ive to note that bloodshed was involved
in the provision of a covering for Adam, who represents the natural man; but
bloodshed was not involved in the provision of Noah’s covering.
The truth being taught is that the sinner, cleansed once for all by the blood
of Christ at conversion, has had full atonement made for all his sin.
Thereafter, his sins are the sins of one for whom atonement has been made, and
whose sins are all covered by the righteousness of a resurrected Christ whose atoning
work requires no repetition.
9:24.
“And Noah awoke
from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.”
It is not until he has been
awakened and covered that man learns the true character of the law. It can only
reveal his sin, but it cannot provide a remedy.
9:25.
“And he said, Cursed be Canaan (a trafficker); a servant of servants shall
he be unto his brethren.
The curse does not fall upon
Ham, for he represents the law which cannot be cursed because, “... the law is
holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Ro 7:l2).
But it does fall, as it must always, upon “the trafficker,” Canaan, for he
represents the natural man who seeks to be justified by the law, “For as many as
are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, Cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law,
to do them” (Gal 3:10).
“Trafficker” is just
another name for trader, and the natural man is a spiritual Canaanite who expects to
trade his imperfect law-keeping for the right to enter heaven.
Man cannot “traffic” with God. Eternal
life is a GIFT which can’t be bought. There
is only one way to heaven, and that way is Jesus Christ, He Himself declaring, “I
am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jn
14:6).
The assignment of Canaan to
the place of a servant includes also Ham, for the life of the son is but the
perpetuation of the life of the father. The
law’s proper place is that of a servant, as it is written,
“Wherefore, then serveth the law?” The
law has done its work when, as a teacher, it brings us to Christ (Gal 3:19).
Genesis chapter sixteen also
declares that the rightful place of the law is that of a servant.
Galatians 4:19-31 teaches that Hagar is a type of the law, and in
Genesis 16 we read that when she had fled from her mistress, Sarai (who represents
grace,) the angel of the Lord commanded her, “Return to thy mistress and submit
thyself under her hands” (Ge 16:9).
It is clear that this
servitude is to be to his brethren, which implies that the law is as much servant to
the saint as to the sinner, and raises the question as to how that service is
rendered.
While the believer is not
under law as a means of obtaining salvation, the law remains the expression of
God’s holiness, and as such reveals to saint and sinner alike what that holiness
requires from man. To the sinner it
reveals his unholy state and his need of a Savior.
To the believer it reveals the imperfection of his life, even as a redeemed
man, and turns him, too, to God in worship for the sacrifice that covers his sins,
not only when he was a sinner, but now also when he is a saint.
9:26.
“And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his
servant.”
The gracious act of Shem and
Japheth evokes the thanksgiving of the one whose nakedness they have covered.
This praise called forth by the provision of a mere physical covering which
cost nothing, would teach us that since it cost the Son of God His life to cover us
with the garment of salvation, there is no praise we could ever offer that would
adequately measure the extent of our indebtedness.
Our inadequacy was grasped by the one who wrote,
“Love so amazing, so divine, demands my heart, my life, my all.”
Nor is it just a casual
repetition of an earlier statement when there is linked with Noah’s blessing, the
words, “and Canaan shall be his servant.” Worship
consists of more than words, as Samuel taught the disobedient Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22,
“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of
rams.” The nature of worship is
disclosed in the words of the converted Paul as he knelt on the Damascus Road and
cried out, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?”
It was that same Apostle who exhorted the believers in Rome, “I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service (spiritual worship).”
It is not just chance that
links Canaan’s service with Noah’s worship.
That which springs from law - service, is in its proper place when
yielding service to Him Who is the First and the Last.
Canaan, as a son, was under the dominion of Ham, just as the natural
man is under the dominion of the law. But
when grace takes the man out from under the law’s jurisdiction as a way to eternal
life, and sets him in a new relationship as a son of God by adoption, the compelled
obedience to law is transmuted into a willingly yielded service to the Lord Jesus
Christ.
9:27.
“God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents
of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.”
Japheth is a type of Christ,
not only through his place in the list of Noah’s sons, but also in the meaning of
his name let him spread out. This
points to Christ as the “corn of wheat,”
Who “fell into the ground” and died that He might not dwell alone, but that in
resurrection He might bring forth much fruit. We
are that “fruit” for we are among the children God has given Him (Heb 2:13); we
are among the “many sons” He is bringing unto glory (Heb 2,10).
In Japheth let him spread
out, God bids us see the One of Whom Japheth is but a type.
The extent of His “spreading out” will be seen in the Millennium when He
rules the earth, and every knee bows to acknowledge His Lordship.
“... and he shall dwell in
the tents of Shem.” Since Shem is the first in the list of Noah’s sons, he
represents Christ as “the First,” but Japheth, last on the list, represents Him
as the One Who is also “the Last.” This
statement, then, read literally, would be, “the Last shall dwell in the tents of
the First.” It is the symbolic
annunciation of the truth that when time is ended and the redemption of creation is
complete, the One to Whom all the glory is due, will dwell in that eternal glory from
which He came forth to accomplish redemption’s work.
But it will be as “Japheth” that He dwells in that glory.
When He dwelt in the eternal glory in the past it was as “the First,” but
He was alone. When He dwells in that
same eternal glory in the future it will be as “Japheth”, the One Who has
“spread out,” for He will not be alone. His
redeemed will dwell with Him in “the tents” which are His as the First, Shem, but
which are His also as the Last, Japheth.
“... and Canaan shall be
his servant.” Those who once trafficked in the law, yielding obedience reluctantly
that they might have something to trade for eternal life, will, in their new
relationship as sons of the First and the Last, serve Him willingly out of love, and
forever.
9:28.
“And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.”
As we have noticed already,
these years represent that part of a man’s life after he becomes a believer, and in
that context the number 350 has instruction for every believer.
The factors are 2 X 52 X 7. The
two, which is the number of testimony or
witness, would teach us that as believers we are to be witnesses for God on the
earth. Five is the number of
responsibility, and would teach us that as redeemed men we have a
responsibility to live in a manner becoming our redeemed state.
Its being raised to the second power would teach us that that responsibility
is two-fold: it is man-ward as well as God-ward.
And seven, the number of perfection or completeness, assures us that in spite
of all the failure connected with us as still in the body, God sees us in all the
perfection of His Son.
9:29.
“And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.”
As in all the genealogies
studied, as soon as we add on that part which represents man’s unsaved life, death
comes in. The corruption of death
infects everything that is related to Adam, and these natural bodies are Adamic.
They must die. But association with the last Adam carries with it the assurance
that beyond death is the resurrection of life in which we shall have bodies of glory,
“fashioned like unto His glorious body.”
These nine hundred and fifty
years which make up the whole of Noah’s life on earth, have also their lesson for
us.
In attempting to factorize
it we have 2 X 52 and a remainder of 19.
As discussed in an earlier study, the rule then seems to be to remove 1, the
number of God, which leaves 18, whose factors are 2 X 32. This gives a clearly marked dividing point.
The factors of the first part, which represents the unsaved part of man’s
life, are 2, the number of witness, and 5, the number of responsibility, raised to
the second power, indicating that the responsibility is two-fold,
man-ward and God-ward. The unsaved part of man’s life is witness to his failure to meet
his responsibility. But then God,
represented by the separated “one”, is brought in, and man has a new beginning
marked by the 18. Its factors being 2 X
32, would teach us that his new life is the witness to his new state: he
is now on resurrection ground, immediately as to his spirit, and, at the Lord’s
return, as to his body also.
There is one final
instruction in this part of Noah’s history, and it is a sad one.
Nothing, apparently, that occurred in those three hundred and fifty years was
worth recording. It is significant that
this period begins with the statement that he became a farmer, indicative,
spiritually, of occupation with earthly things; and of his drinking wine, indicative,
spiritually, of joy in earthly things rather than spiritual.
There is the danger that the
Bema will reveal similar worthlessness in regard to our lives - and for the
same reason.
[Genesis
10]
