01 06. BIBLICAL EPIC for Week of February 7 PSALM (#1) OT-History OT-WRIT NT GOSPEL Psa 6 Gen 10-11 Job 11-12 Matt 10-11 rown Ps 6: Be merciful to me, O LORD! My bones are troubled. My soul is in anguish. I flood my bed with tears. Depart from me, you evildoers! The LORD has heard my cry. • 6:1-10. A Psalm of David. This is an individual lament, revealing for us David’s inner life more than any previous psalm. His suffering is not just physical, but also psychological and emotional. David is not crying out as an innocent sufferer, but as one conscious of his sins. Thus, this psalm is especially suited to one whose hard circumstances have led him to see his sins and to repent of them. For this reason Psalm 6 is often classified as one of the seven “Penitential Psalms.” In the end, because of God’s unfailing covenant love, David has confidence that the Lord has heard his cry and will take his trouble and inflict it upon his enemies (compare v. 3 with v. 10). nsurrection Gen 10: Japheth's line lived in the coastlands; Ham's included Nimrod and the Canaanites; Shem's lived in the East and included Eber. These formed the nations. • 10:1-32. The Table of Nations. The section (the fourth of eleven sections marked by “these are the generations….) outlines developments after the flood, focusing on how humanity becomes divided into different nations. A total of seventy names are listed, which explain how the descendants of Noah’s three sons populate different regions of the earth. The Babel incident in the next chapter will explain how these nations came to have distinct languages. • Japheth. Japheth’s descendants are associated with the coastal regions and islands of the Mediterranean Sea (largely to the north and northwest of Israel). • Ham. Ham’s descendants are associated with lands largely to the east and south of Israel. Among them figure many of Israel’s enemies, such as the Egyptians, Babylonians, Philistines, and various Canaanite groups. The “mighty man” Nimrod is linked with both Babylon (Babel) and Assyria (Nineveh), kingdoms that would later prove destructive to Judah and Israel, respectively. The description of Nimrod is probably to be taken as ironic and negatively. He appears to be the antithesis of what God wants, using power to build cities and kingdoms that stand in opposition to God’s Kingdom and city. • Shem. There are two types of geologies in Genesis: (1) A “branch” genealogy as found here in which more than one descendant is given for each generation: (2) A “linear” genealogy as found in Genesis 5 and 11, in which only one person is listed for each generation. Here in chapter 10, tension is mounting as to which line God will choose to fulfill His promises. Shem’s great-grandson Eber is given special attention (v. 21), being mentioned even before Shem’s own sons are named (v. 22). The word “Hebrew” is often understood to be derived from Eber’s name. By way of underlining his importance, readers are informed that he called one of his sons Peleg (which may be taken to mean “division”), for in his days the earth was divided (10:25). This is probably an allusion to the Tower of Babel incident, which is described in the next chapter (11:1–9). Also listed among the descendants of Shem is Uz, the homeland of Job. Gen 11: People began building a tower to make their name great, but the LORD put an end to it and confused their language. Shem's line included Abram who married Sarai. • 11:1-9. The Tower of Babel. The episode at Babel is significantly more important than its length suggests. It presents a unified humanity using all its resources to establish a city that is the antithesis of what God intended when He created the world. God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and spread over all the earth. After the Flood, God reiterated this instruction that humanity was to spread out and fill the earth (Gen 9:1). Instead of obeying this command, humanity gathered together in one place and plotted further rebellion against God. Once again, in their quest to be god, they decide to build a tower for themselves to make their own “name” (literally shem) great. They want to build their own kingdom for self-glory instead of God’s Kingdom for His glory. Instead of spreading themselves out (so that the image of God fills the earth), they build themselves up (to render themselves their own god). In this way, the tower is a symbol of human autonomy. In fact, as a city, Babel/Babylon will symbolize humanity’s ambition to dethrone God and make the earth their own (see Revelation 17–18). With great irony, the narrator points out that it was necessary for the LORD to come down in order to see the city and the tower (v. 5). And once again, sin leads to judgment. Acknowledging the danger of a unified, self-glorifying humanity (v. 6), God intervenes by confusing their language so that they cannot understand one another. Even in this, we see God’s mercy in judgment. Not only does confusing languages slow down the corruption of mankind in their conspiracy together, it also leads to the dispersing of people throughout the world and the establishment of different nations. It is one of these nations that God will use to bring salvation to the whole world. o Jesus is the final answer to Babel. When He is lifted up, He will draw all people to Himself. He will establish a unity by His Spirit that those at Babel desire, but is not gained by grasping, but by receiving. At Pentecost, we see the judgment of Babel being rolled back as everyone hears Peter in their own language. Afterwards, they are dispersed, not in judgment, but to proclaim the Gospel. Through the power of the Gospel, the curse is being undone; God’s judgment is being reversed. Unlike Babel, Jesus is building a greater structure to the glory of God, made of living stones, a united community in the church, with whom He will reign as King over all the earth. • 11:10-26. Shem’s Descendants. This short section constitutes the fifth of eleven such divisions in Genesis. Resembling the list of Adam’s descendants in 5:3–31, the present linear genealogy traces Noah’s line through Shem (and through Eber, who is distinguished as the oldest man born after the Flood) down to Terah, the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. This genealogy is the antidote to the confusion at Babel, as it prepares us for how God will respond to fulfill His promises. Babel wanted to make themselves a “name” by grasping after it (like Adam’s grasping in the garden), but God had already given a name, Shem (literally “name”), and He will later promise to make Abraham’s “name” great (12:2). Abraham does not gain a name by grasping after it, but in receiving it by faith. As we will see, Abraham serves as the resolution to all the nations, the one through whom all the nations will be blessed. This linear genealogy resolves the tension of chapter 10, as it becomes evident that Shem's descendants represent the "chosen" line (not Japheth or Ham), for from his line will come Abraham, the Israelites, and ultimately Jesus. • 11:27-32. Terah’s Descendants. The sixth main section of Genesis (11:27 through 25:11) focuses on the immediate family of Terah, with special attention given to Abram because the unique family line of Genesis is continued through him. Various details pertinent to understanding the subsequent narrative are given: the death of Lot’s father, Haran (v. 28); the relocation of the family from southern to northern Mesopotamia (v. 31); and the inability of Abram’s wife to have children (v. 30). This last detail will provide much of the tension in this section as we wonder how God will continue the promised line as it faces apparent extinction. lessing Job 11: Zophar said, "Should your babble go unanswered? God exacts less than your guilt deserves! Reach out to him and you will find hope." • 11:1-20. The First Speech of Zophar: You Deserve Worse. Like Bildad, Zophar responds with a sharp challenge to what he sees as empty words and presumption in Job (11:2–12). He believes such is Job’s guilt that he has actually gotten less than He deserve in his sufferings. He then calls Job to prayer and repentance, promising that God will transform Job’s circumstances if he will simply step back from his pride (vv. 13–20). In verse 7, he accusingly asks Job whether he is able to discover the depth and extent of God’s work, and yet it is Zophar who presumes that God’s purposes in Job’s suffering are transparent enough to rebuke Job and call him to repent. Job 12: Job said, "Who does not know all these things? All creation knows that wisdom and power belong to God. He brings darkness into light. He destroys nations." • 12:1-25. Job Replies to Zophar (Part 1): The Lord Has Done This. In the longest response of the dialogues with the three friends, Job shows his growing frustration with their claims to wisdom (even though he agrees with them about God’s supreme power).