- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on Nov 19, 2021 21:32:41 GMT -8
This Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Genesis 9.18-10:32
Haftara- Isaiah 49:1-13
D’rash: Well, mankind hasn’t improved that much, even after being rescued from a worldwide flood:
Genesis 9:20-21 [Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard]. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.
This and subsequent events tell of our heart condition. Fortunately ch. 8 vss. 20-21 tell of the triumph of grace over our deserved fate: Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.
But we’re getting ahead.
Genesis 9:18-19 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed [from these the whole earth was populated].
Biblical names all carry meanings relevant to the narrative. שׁם Shem means “name,” which may point us to this fact early in scripture. חמ Ham means “roar,” and Ham fathered Cush, who in turn fathered Nimrod. So his line certainly “roared.” Now take יפּת Japheth:
Genesis 9:27 May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.”
In Hebrew יפּת Japheth means “expanded” or “enlarged.” God יפּת yaft, or “enlarged” יפּת Japheth (yefet).
Genesis 9:22-23 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness.
There are many opinions as to what actually happened when Ham went in and saw his fathers’ nakedness. The most basic reading is he saw his father naked and carried the tale, probably derisively to his brothers. Lashon Ha’ra remember is a sin even if the tale is true. And of course there is this:
Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
However there are other possibilities:
Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Many, always seeing the worst in Old Testament characters (and people in general) say this was the case. I do not see it that way however, as there is more than ample evidence people before Moshe knew the commandments of their God.
Leviticus 20:11 If a man lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Again, no one was put to death; so I would have to discount the theory of incest as well. However whatever Ham did it was repugnant to God:
Genesis 9:24-26 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, he said,
“Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.” He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.
Notice the curse upon Ham’s son Canaan. This is in accordance with the biblical principle of communal responsibility. As we learned in Gen 4:9 we are our brothers keeper. Also:
Deuteronomy 27:16a (ESV) “‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’
Exodus 20:5b I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
We raised Gentiles have lost sight of this principle. However the Jews are acutely aware that what one does effects the nation. We as believers are responsible not only to God, but to and for each other! Now go back to what we said at the top of this darash. Our haftara too is a reminder to us of God’s mercy and the remembrance God shows to His own, as we discussed in the last parashah:
Isaiah 49:8, 12-13 The Restoration of Israel Thus says the Lord: “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages, … Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west [from the sea] and these from the land of Syene [Sinim].” Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.
I know I’ve said it here many times, as have others, but it bears repeating; “Grace and mercy are NOT just New Testament ideas!” Had they not existed from the start it all would have ended with Adam and Chavah. God remembers those who love Him, but also those who do not:
Deuteronomy 7:9-10 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face.
So does God punish the innocent for our sins? I don’t think that is what is meant here. I think God understands the effects of generational sin. We tend to be myopic, thinking our sins only effect us. However most sin eventually comes to light, and can shame a family for generations. But even if our sins are not found out in this life, the attitudes they engender are unwittingly passed on to ur children and to future generations. Moreover, with some sins such as molestation or even just a lack of respect, children raised with these tend to victimize their own children. Not only that, but if tolerated or just overlooked these attitudes can infect an entire congregation:
1 Corinthians 5:1-2,5-13 (ESV) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. … you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church [“the church” was added by translators, thinking they were clarifying scripture] whom you are to judge? God [will judge] those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
This, like Ex 20:5 is a warning not only about the effects of generational sin, but to subsequent generations not to repeat the sins of their parents or of those having influence in our lives! if we read Ex 20:5 in context we get a better feel for what it meant:
Exodus 20:4-6 (ESV)“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands [or the thousandth generation] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Our sins will have far reaching consequences. And it is our own sins which can, and all too often will condemn our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren to the consequences of sin, and to the second death itself.
Mekorot: all scripture from the ESV unless otherwise noted; Dr. Eli of the Israel Bible Center; JPS Study TNK; my reference library; my notes; my father and others.
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Genesis 11:1-32
Haftara- Isaiah 28:1-16
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
Parashah- Genesis 9.18-10:32
Haftara- Isaiah 49:1-13
D’rash: Well, mankind hasn’t improved that much, even after being rescued from a worldwide flood:
Genesis 9:20-21 [Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard]. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.
This and subsequent events tell of our heart condition. Fortunately ch. 8 vss. 20-21 tell of the triumph of grace over our deserved fate: Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.
But we’re getting ahead.
Genesis 9:18-19 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed [from these the whole earth was populated].
Biblical names all carry meanings relevant to the narrative. שׁם Shem means “name,” which may point us to this fact early in scripture. חמ Ham means “roar,” and Ham fathered Cush, who in turn fathered Nimrod. So his line certainly “roared.” Now take יפּת Japheth:
Genesis 9:27 May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.”
In Hebrew יפּת Japheth means “expanded” or “enlarged.” God יפּת yaft, or “enlarged” יפּת Japheth (yefet).
Genesis 9:22-23 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness.
There are many opinions as to what actually happened when Ham went in and saw his fathers’ nakedness. The most basic reading is he saw his father naked and carried the tale, probably derisively to his brothers. Lashon Ha’ra remember is a sin even if the tale is true. And of course there is this:
Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
However there are other possibilities:
Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Many, always seeing the worst in Old Testament characters (and people in general) say this was the case. I do not see it that way however, as there is more than ample evidence people before Moshe knew the commandments of their God.
Leviticus 20:11 If a man lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Again, no one was put to death; so I would have to discount the theory of incest as well. However whatever Ham did it was repugnant to God:
Genesis 9:24-26 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, he said,
“Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.” He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.
Notice the curse upon Ham’s son Canaan. This is in accordance with the biblical principle of communal responsibility. As we learned in Gen 4:9 we are our brothers keeper. Also:
Deuteronomy 27:16a (ESV) “‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’
Exodus 20:5b I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
We raised Gentiles have lost sight of this principle. However the Jews are acutely aware that what one does effects the nation. We as believers are responsible not only to God, but to and for each other! Now go back to what we said at the top of this darash. Our haftara too is a reminder to us of God’s mercy and the remembrance God shows to His own, as we discussed in the last parashah:
Isaiah 49:8, 12-13 The Restoration of Israel Thus says the Lord: “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages, … Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west [from the sea] and these from the land of Syene [Sinim].” Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.
I know I’ve said it here many times, as have others, but it bears repeating; “Grace and mercy are NOT just New Testament ideas!” Had they not existed from the start it all would have ended with Adam and Chavah. God remembers those who love Him, but also those who do not:
Deuteronomy 7:9-10 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face.
So does God punish the innocent for our sins? I don’t think that is what is meant here. I think God understands the effects of generational sin. We tend to be myopic, thinking our sins only effect us. However most sin eventually comes to light, and can shame a family for generations. But even if our sins are not found out in this life, the attitudes they engender are unwittingly passed on to ur children and to future generations. Moreover, with some sins such as molestation or even just a lack of respect, children raised with these tend to victimize their own children. Not only that, but if tolerated or just overlooked these attitudes can infect an entire congregation:
1 Corinthians 5:1-2,5-13 (ESV) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. … you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church [“the church” was added by translators, thinking they were clarifying scripture] whom you are to judge? God [will judge] those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
This, like Ex 20:5 is a warning not only about the effects of generational sin, but to subsequent generations not to repeat the sins of their parents or of those having influence in our lives! if we read Ex 20:5 in context we get a better feel for what it meant:
Exodus 20:4-6 (ESV)“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands [or the thousandth generation] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Our sins will have far reaching consequences. And it is our own sins which can, and all too often will condemn our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren to the consequences of sin, and to the second death itself.
Mekorot: all scripture from the ESV unless otherwise noted; Dr. Eli of the Israel Bible Center; JPS Study TNK; my reference library; my notes; my father and others.
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Genesis 11:1-32
Haftara- Isaiah 28:1-16
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
