The Flood
We learn that the waters from all of the rain subside and God uses the wind to drive the water away and dry the land. As soon as the animals leave the ark, Noah built an altar to God and God enjoyed his sacrifice. This sacrifice shows Noah's continuous devotion and fellowship with God.
I don't know the kind of relationship people had with animals back then but the Bible makes a point to let the reader know that animals, from this point, will fear people. God gives green plants and all animals on the earth as food. I didn't know the Bible said this but it does. Anyway, the only stipulation for animal eating was to make sure the life-giving blood was removed.
God makes an important covenant with man, the animals, and basically with all life on the whole earth. No more global flooding! He gave us the rainbow as a reminder of this promise.
Noah's Sons
Noah has three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Each of these sons' offspring establishes nations that we read about in the future books of the Bible. For example, Ham is also called Canaan and his offspring are called Canaanites. When I read through the genealogy in chapter 10, I see some of these nations.
Anyway, Ham ended up being cursed by his father because he looked at him while he was drunk and naked. I'm guessing here that Ham must've broken some kind of cultural rule and this is why he was cursed by his father. Noah was the last of the old timers who lived past 900. He died at the age of 950 years.
In chapter 10, verse 20, I learn that Ham's people are divided by generations and language. Later on at the beginning of chapter 11, the Bible says that they spoke one language so I am not too sure what this means. Any ideas, please let me know.
As each generation continued, the length of life grew shorter and shorter. Then at the end of chapter eleven, we meet Abraham's father, Terah. He also had two brothers, Nahor and Haran. Haran was Lot's father.
The Tower of Babel & Abram
Chapter 11 tells the story of the Tower of Babel that was supposed to reach heaven... just in case there was another flood. God did not like this. He is recorded as saying, if they do this, then nothing they plan will be impossible. So, God introduced languages and people tried to converse in whatever language they had been given. Eventually though, they formed groups of the same language, moved away and the tower was never completed.
The story of Abram is an important one. His story is the beginning of three major religions: Judiasm, Islam and Christianity. But before we get into his story, another man's story is introduced here. Job.
That's it for today.
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