This week’s class will focus on Genesis chapter nine. We will take a deeper look at the aftermath of the “Flood” and God’s promised passed on through Noah. We will also look at what the Bible teaches, versus secular science, in relation to the evidence for the origin of humans. In this class we will focus on what the Bible teaches, and then discuss how we see that play out in our world, and in humans, still today.

Defending our faith and developing a Biblical worldview based on our understanding of God’s Word takes time and practice, and must be part of a lifetime commitment we make to the LORD. It should form our purpose and identity in everyday life as we grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, modeling Him to our family, friends and neighbors. As Christians, it is more important than ever to know what we believe, and why we believe it, and then apply that to who we are on a consistent basis, and this can only be done if we know Jesus and what His Word teaches.

All class sessions include a time for prayer and reflection, a presentation, and a Bible study section. You will find the presentation overview and Bible study questions below, with basic answers for your review and, or to use as a leader’s guide.

Watch this week’s presentation here:

Presentation

Foundations Bible Study, Session Ten: Genesis Chapter Nine – The Aftermath of the Flood, and God’s Promise

Review and Reflection

At your table groups, do the following:

1. Prayer cards: Take a minute and write your name on the index card provided, and add any special prayer request you might have. Exchange cards at the end of the class.
2. Review from last week’s class: What are some important things to remember about the actual flood and its aftermath; is there modern-day evidence to support that account?
3. Focus verse: Genesis 3:15 – How can you share the Gospel using this verse and connecting it to Jesus’ fulfillment of it in the New Testament?

FOCUS VERSE

Genesis 3:15 Promise
(begins the Scarlet Thread)

“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall ^[d]bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.” (NASB)

From Genesis through Revelation, the Bible is all about Jesus!

SHARING THE GOSPEL:

THE SEED IS HE

– HE IS THE SEED!

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

“And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.””  Genesis 3:15

“So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.”  John 8:28

“From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.”  John 13:19

Bible Study

Each week, we are encouraging you to take some dedicated time and spend it in God’s Word. Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Chapter Reading for Step #3: Context – What does it say?

Chapter Nine

• 9:1-6
• 9:7-17
• 9:18-28

Discuss (summarize) the chapter

Genesis Chapter Nine – Step #4 Interpretation Questions

What does it mean?

Chapter 9

1. What did God say to Noah as He blessed them? What are some things that are different as compared to before the flood?
2. What Covenant did God establish after the flood? What was its sign and whom did He specifically establish it with?
3. Who were the sons of Noah (9:18-19)? What did Noah’s Sons do when their father got drunk (9:20-23)? Discuss: Why do you think Ham’s behavior was unacceptable?
4. Going Deeper: What was the curse Noah gave, who was it upon (look closely), and how did Noah bless his other two sons? Research: How does the curse and blessings play out prophetically later in the Old Testament?

1.  What did God say to Noah as He blessed them? What are some things that are different as compared to before the flood?

“And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.”  Genesis 9:1-2

• God said “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” He also said, “the fear and terror of you (humans) will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.”
• We can observe the “fear of humans” in other living things everyday – for example, squirrels and rabbits run away from us, not toward us in nature; insects, birds and fish do the same. The exception happens in an attack on humans by an animal, not because of the prowess, but because of their fear, and in some cases, protection of their young or habitat.

“Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”  Genesis 9:3-4

• God said, after the flood, “every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”
• It is at this time in history that God allows the eating of meat. Prior to the flood, all living things were vegetarian. 
• The restriction of not eating something alive, or with its blood still in it, this is important for several reasons: 1) The blood is where the life is, as we know today from genetics the DNA that codes for individual features and traits is based there; 2) The blood of Jesus’ sacrifice is all important as it is the atoning mechanism for salvation and the subsequent resurrection from death to life; 3) Satan, the great deceiver, is worshipped by Satanists who use the consuming of blood as a part of their rituals which is in complete defiance and contrast of God’s command.

“Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.”  Genesis 9:5-6

• God said, “I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.”
• Prior to the flood evil was dominating humans, including the inclination for murdering growing in man (see Genesis 5:23-24). The penalty for murder will be further defined in the “Mosaic Law” God will give later on to Moses and the Nation of Israel, much of which we use in our legal systems today.
• Note: The importance lies in the fact that humans were made in the image of God, and murder is the elimination of that image. God wanted His image to be fruitful and multiply, but instead it was Satan’s evil image that had multiplied before the flood (and is again today).

2.  What Covenant did God establish after the flood? What was its sign and whom did He specifically establish it with?

“Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.  It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.””  Genesis 9:8-17

• God established a Covenant (promise) “with Noah, his descendants and every living creature.” The Covenant stated that “all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
• The sign of the Covenant was a rainbow. God said, “I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.” God also said that He would look upon it and remember this promise, and it is between God and the whole earth (not just humans). 
• This is important as the effects of the global flood can still be evidenced today. The curse of the flood affected not only all living things, but the earth itself. So, when we look at places like the Grand Canyon, we see not only the beauty of God’s creation, but also the destructive remnant of God’s curse through a worldwide, catastrophic flood.

3.  Who were the sons of Noah (9:18-19)? What did Noah’s Sons do when their father got drunk (9:20-23)? Discuss: Why do you think Ham’s behavior was unacceptable?

“Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan.  These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.”  Genesis 9:18-19

• The sons of Noah were Shem, Ham and Japheth (the Bible does not specifically tell us the order of their births, many think it was in this order, but some conclude that Ham was the youngest because of 9:24). When we look at chapter 10, we find that these three boys are the fathers of the nations that would arise and develop in several different areas after the “Flood” and the events at the “Tower of Babel.”
• We know that Japheth line eventually settles in Europe and Asia Minor; Ham’s line settles in the African continent and parts of the Middle East; and Shem’s in the Middle East.

“Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.”  Genesis 9:20-23

• Ham apparently “looked” at his father while he laid naked in his tent, and then told his brothers.
• In contrast, Noah’s other two sons respectfully covered their father’s nakedness by walking backward and covering him with a blanket.
• Ham’s behavior in this matter is thought to have been extremely disrespectful, and some scholars think that Ham was attempting to make his father look bad by reporting what he saw so that he could take over the headship of the clan.

4.  Going Deeper: What was the curse Noah gave, who was it upon (look closely), and how did Noah bless his other two sons? Research: How does the curse and blessings play out prophetically later in the Old Testament?

“When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. So he said, “cursed be Canaan; servant of servants he shall be to his brothers.” He also said, “blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. “May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.” Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

Genesis 9:24-29

• Noah cursed Ham’s son Canaan by saying “A servant of servants he shall be to his brothers.” This will play out later in Israel’s history (Shem’s descendants) when the Canaanites are judged by God and many become servants/slaves to Israel.
• Noah said to Shem, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.”
• Noah said to Japheth, “May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.”
• Note: This was not a curse on Ham’s entire line as some would say, only the Canaanites, and for a specific reason, thus debunking any thought that Ham’s descendants were meant to be slaves.

DISCUSS

• Step #5 Application for chapter 9: How do I use what I learned? Based on the context and interpretation of chapter 8, we can now discuss how to apply what we have read to our lives and the culture we live in today, including our witness to others.
• The Shelf: Do you have any questions from your shelf?

(Have a place in your notebook or journal to write down questions that arise. This will help avoid rabbit trails or distractions, and you can return to them later on).

Video Recommendation: Genesis Impact

HOMEWORK

Hermeneutics Step 3: Context – What does it say?

Read Genesis Chapter 10 through 11:9

Hermeneutics Step 4: Interpretation – What does it mean?

To go deeper, answer the following questions…

1. In chapter 10 we find the generations of Noah’s sons: Japheth, Ham and Shem. Are there any familiar names in any of their descendants, if so, what do you know about them?
2. What do we know about where each of these people groups settled (Japheth, Ham and Shem), and are any of these places familiar to you (if so, why)?
3. Whose line will lead to Jesus and how do we know? (Reference Luke 3 genealogy list)
4. Chapter 11 goes back into chapter 10 and tells the story of what happened after the flood. What did the people gather to do in the “Plain of Shinar,” and why (11:1-4)?
5. What did the people build (what was this structure and what do we know about it)?
6. What was God’s response to what the people were doing in the “Plain of Shinar”, and why (11:5-8)? Cross-reference by reading Luke 1:46-55 (from Mary’s song to God), focus on verse 51 in this Luke passage to help with the question of both why they did it, and why God responded the way He did.
7. What was the city called and why (11:9)? Do you know anything about a place called Babylon later on in the Old Testament, and where its modern-day location is?
8. Going Deeper: What Biblical significance is there to the meaning of the word “Babylon,” especially as it is used in the book of Revelation?

Write down some application notes when you finish, to complete the hermeneutical method step 5.

Jot down any questions you have for the shelf…

Please continue to join us each week for Foundations Bible Study – the book of Genesis!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!  Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15