Genesis 11:10-26 – From Shem to Abram to the church

These 18 verses describe the descendants of Shem, one of Noah’s son. And we will see that Abram came from the line of Shem. These verses reveal the plan God had to save a people, and through them to make known His great name. As He preserved Noah to continue His plan for mankind, God also preserved the line of Shem. And through one man, Abram, whose line God intended to raise a people that would witness to His great name. Like Noah, Abram was also a man of faith.  

In Genesis 5 we see the names of 10 generations from Seth to Noah, now in Genesis 10 we see the naming of ten generations from Shem to Abram.  The difference between the two alliteration of the generations is this: in Genesis 5, we see the constant refrain of the word “and he died.” But in Genesis 11, we will see the emphasis of a people moving away from death to family expansion. Also another marked difference is also that length of life had become increasingly shorter. It suggests one thing i.e. that sin reduced man’s longevity. While the life of man became shorter, this passage also anticipates a great hope. So with verse 26 we come to the conclusion of the prehistoric account of mankind, but the soon emergence of hope.

In these 18 verses, we see the ancestry of one man God marked out for His purpose. The man was Abram. We are about to see the continuing plan of God emerging in the ancestry of Abram. Interesting to note is that in the list of Shem’s descendants in Genesis 10:21-25, we find Joktan, the brother of Peleg included. Whereas in the list in Genesis 11 we find him excluded. This was probably deliberate. Why? From Joktan’s line we had the debacle of the tower of Babel. Hence nothing of his descendants was recorded. But here we are given the descendants of Peleg. And the most notable one of course is none other than Abram. The intention is clear: from Joktan and his descendants we could only see disgrace but from Abram, the son of Peleg, mankind would soon be experiencing God’s grace. Abram would soon be the main actor of God’s divine plan. Through him, a new hope beckoned from the horizon. The promise God made concerning the crushing of the head of the serpent’s seed did not diminish. Despite the flood, and the scattering of the nations because of the tower of Babel, the plan of God stood and stationed to advance further through Abram.

Hallelujah! We worship a faithful God! He is committed to follow through the plan He had originated from the beginning. Nothing could hinder His movement toward the ultimate goal even when the instrument he picked to advance His plan failed Him. He has a way to bring man into His redemptive focus by raising new instruments. With Abram, God worked to bring about faith in Him. The church of Jesus Christ is an extension of what Abram began. Today we the church is God’s redemptive agency on earth. Every believer of Christ is God’s redemptive agent enlisted to become part of His occupational force on earth. So let us be found faithful in our task.