Day 5: Noach/Genesis 9:18-10:32

There were three bloodlines that flowed from Noach, namely Shem/name, Ham/hot, and Yepheth/opened.

With these three, only two characteristics seemed to emerge. A blessed and dominant one and a subservient side. From this time forward, there was to be a distinction between those who possessed the seed from which Messiah would come and those who wanted that blessing for themselves but would be embittered to the point of hatred and alienation—bent on annihilation if they could not have it.

Through these respective names, it is readily seen that Shem would hold a future hope in that his own name foreshadows the importance of the eventually revealed Name of YHVH and to whom that Name would belong. Yepheth, also, would openly support that Name, as well as dwell within the blessings of that Name. Some of Yepheth’s descendants would certainly take that Name for themselves, as they would constantly be rubbing elbows with Shem while living under his tents. Ham, however, would be the servant of both lineages. With Yepheth’s dwelling among the blessings promised to Shem, his descendants would be more apt to share in the commonwealth blessing of the Seed which was yet to come.

Since Ham’s line, primarily through Canaan, would be hostile toward Elohim’s chosen people, his path would be cursed, inheriting the wickedness of the earth and the paganism that would continually corrupt man, beast, and land. Once again, his bloodline would bring about cataclysmic dealings by the Creator, as his earthly seed would be reminiscent of the days of Noach and spawning the days of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Shem is where the Semitic tribes and nations gain their identity. Most commonly known is the Hebrew race emerging from Shem’s great-grandson named Eber. Eber literally means “crossing over” to the region beyond (and crossing back over to the Promised Land). From Eber’s point-of-view, his father, Shelah, had crossed over the Euphrates into what would be called Babylonia and Persia. Elohim would call that family branch from Shem back across the Euphrates, thus, calling them Ibray, which would be known throughout history as Hebrew.

Seemingly, the scene of Noach’s three sons appropriately describes a modern viewpoint of people around the world. Some of Shem’s descendants would become the torchbearers of Elohim, being called out from the nations to serve Him. Those that surrounded themselves with Shem’s seed and dwelt in Shem’s tents/covering, would be familiar with a Semitic lifestyle. It would be up to those of Yepheth to submit and embrace that lifestyle or reject it. If chosen, Yepheth’s sons would be sojourners with Shem’s sons. While Shem’s sons would accept Yepheth’s descendants, the responsibility of crossing over to Shem’s convictions and to be counted as Shem’s seed would be up to Yepheth’s children. Only they could make that choice for themselves. Meanwhile, Canaan would be dispossessed of the land in which they dwelt and Ham’s seed would disdain the Semitic ways to the end of the age. Walking in the curse of Noach would embattle them against his brothers until repentance was made and submission to Elohim’s will was established in his (Ham’s) descendant’s individual lives.

Many who profess to be Israel are not; so many are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Others parade as Israel in name only, but have since removed themselves through rejection, rebellion, or secularization and bastardization of YHVH’s teachings. Not all Jews are Israel, and much of Israel may not be Jewish. Remember, Elohim did not just call Judah (from where the term “Jew”/Yehudah originated) as a lone tribe. Rather, He called the whole nation of Israel. More specifically, He called to Himself an Iray/Hebrew nation; thus, He established Covenant with Abraham and passed it along through Isaac for identifying His people.

The church, i.e. kahal/ekklesia, as a whole, has grasped hold of partial truth and rejected much at the same time. Clinging to the Seed of Righteousness is wonderful, but many, by and large, have rejected and rebelled against the very Truth that the Seed represents. Those that cling to the promised Seed, and love and obey YHVH and His Torah, who are being led by the Ruach, are truly being blessed by the Promised Seed of Abraham (they have Salvation/Yeshua). They are living within the Messiah and are adopted, grafted in, and/or inherited children of Shem’s bloodline.

The institutional church occupies masses who dabble in Truth, but reject Torah as antiquated or “done away with.” They are likened to Yepheth. They sojourn with Israel but do not fully embrace all that their counterparts possess—fulfillment in a whole-hearted, mind, spirit relationship with YHVH. While modern-day Shem is to accept those double-minded people and shelter them, modern Yepheth must still choose to accept all of YHVH and repent from stubbornness and sin.

Then we have the modern-day equivalent of Ham still lurking: touting threats, espousing hatred, and completely rejecting, even renouncing the Truth. Whether from secular humanism, church perversions, atheists, or other religions including Islam, Hindu, and many others, Truth has been mixed, if not thrown out, with earthly rites and rituals, which Israel is commanded never to do. Their minds will need a complete reboot (as only YHVH can) if they are to have any hope of crossing over.

Even Shem’s descendants do not have a free ride. Believers of YHVH do have to choose right from wrong and choose Elohim and His Covenants over all that is from the earth. As an example, Yoseph would be cast into the nation of Mizraim/Egypt and marry a descendant of Ham while in exile from his family. Later, when Yacove was about to die, he adopted Yoseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own. This points to us, as we are the true church/kahal, those that have crossed back over to receive Yeshua as the Promised Land.

We have been or can be grafted into the Tree of Life. It is obvious that hating Israel or persecuting Covenant Keepers is not going to earn points with YHVH; yet, neither is merely dwelling in the tents of the righteous going to win merit. Being a mixed multitude is not the same as being Israel. The choice is laid out before us. We can align ourselves against Yah’s anointed, being jealous of what they have or what they do. We could be “at ease in Zion,” dwelling close to those who are called and chosen. Or, ultimately, we can choose to serve YHVH and dwell in YHVH’s tent. Nonetheless, it is clear that Noach’s sons’ influence has reached far into the future and has foreshadowed the lives, decisions, and reality of who we are in Messiah.

Dwell upon Psalm 16:5-6, “YHVH is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.”