Gênesis 9
Leon Morris · Citado em PreceptAustin
Gênesis 9
Morris - Question: "Should capital punishment be abolished?" (BORROW The Bible has the answer : practical Biblical discussions of 100 frequent questions) Answer: Some duties are thrust upon society, not because they are pleasant, but because they are necessary. Capital punishment is such a duty. It is difficult to imagine anyone enjoying capital punishment; yet that does not mean that it is any less necessary or right. The Christian's final authority in all matters of faith and practice is not public opinion, but the Bible, God's Holy Word. Moses governed Israel with a set of God-given laws, the most familiar of which are the Ten Commandments. Certain laws, such as dietary, civil and ceremonial prescriptions were meant for the Hebrew nation during a particular part of its history. Among these civil laws, the death penalty was required for a number of offenses, including—in addition to murder—adultery (Leviticus 20:10), rape (Deuteronomy 22:25-26), kidnapping (Exodus 21:16), cursing one's parents (Exodus 21:17), witchcraft (Exodus 22:18), teaching false doctrines (Deuteronomy 13:1-10), Sabbath violations (Exodus 35:2), and several others. The Bible, however, shows that capital punishment for murder is of a different order than that prescribed under the civil law that governed Old Testament Israel. Following the worldwide Flood, God gave a covenant to Noah, graciously promising never again to send His judgment as a mammoth flood. This same covenant reconstituted human government and established safeguards against the prevailing human violence which precipitated God's judgment. Central to these safeguards was the death penalty: "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man" (Genesis 9:6). Prior to the Flood, men who lived by depraved consciences made themselves odious before the thrice-holy God. "Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. Then God said to Noah, 'The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth'" (Genesis 6:11-13). No mere coincidence, then, prompted God to institute the death penalty as a restraint on violence. Murder was differentiated in Scripture from different degrees of manslaughter, and to murder was relegated the most severe penalty. God's commandment required the death penalty because "in the image of God He made man" (Genesis 9:6). A murderer not only took the life of his victim, he also assaulted the divine majesty. Taking animal or vegetable life is in no way comparable to taking human life, for though all creation is His handiwork, only man was created in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27). Nothing else in God's creation was vitalized by God's own breath (Genesis 2:7). No matter how sinful man has deformed God's image, he still bears some likeness of his Creator (James 3:9; 1 Corinthians 11:7). The death penalty was imposed as a measure of protection for organized society, but purely social considerations fail to give sufficient warrant for the severe punishment. Therefore, God showed the preciousness of human life to be its reflection of His image, and violence against human life constituted rebellion of inestimable magnitude. The argument that capital punishment only adds a second murder to the first reveals an unfortunate lack of discernment between the violent acts of depraved man and the holy justice of the righteous God. Human government is commissioned to be "a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil" (Romans 13:4). The fact that ignorance and injustice exist in a judicial system is no excuse for abandoning God's commandment. The death penalty is drastic, but it need not be rash. Extreme care should be taken to ascertain true guilt or innocence. No one was subjected to more injustice than Jesus Christ in His trial and crucifixion. Indicted on false charges, tried by frenzied bigots, sentenced by a cowardly judge, executed in unspeakable cruelty—what a perfect opportunity to strike out against the whole practice of capital punishment! Yet, God the Son remained quiet. Miscarriages of justice do not warrant abandoning the pursuit of justice. And justice, by God's standards, includes punitive as well as rehabilitative measures. God requires that the death penalty be applied to murderers (Genesis 9:5). Changes in cultural mood or in legislation do not alter God's abiding Word. Though the death penalty may at first seem to be "cruel and unusual punishment," the Christian should remember that the God of all mercy entrusted it to human government to prevent a far more destructive and corrupting violence Related Resource: Why wasn’t Cain’s punishment death (Genesis 4:14)? | GotQuestions.org Genesis 9:7 "As for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it." Ge 9:1,19 1:28 8:17 Genesis 9 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Genesis 1:28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” REPETITION OF CHARGE TO PROPAGATE As for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate (sharats) the earth abundantly and multiply in it - It is interesting that God has been giving warnings about taking another man's life and now gives 4 commands to produce life. This command is critical to obey as there are at the time of its writing only 8 human beings left on the entire planet! That's a profound thought! Populate in the Septuagint is pleroo (fill to the brim so to speak). THOUGHT- Have you ever realized that you and I are offspring of Noah, through one of his three sons? Thus we are "brethren." Do we treat each other like "brethren?" Just wondering! Paul Apple - Repetition is such an important technique in these early chapters of Genesis; here we have the closing refrain of the chiastic structure.
Gênesis 9
Morris adds that "Descendants of Ham included the Egyptians and Sumerians, who founded the first two great empires of antiquity, as well as other great nations such as the Phoenicians, Hittites, and Canaanites. The modern African tribes and the Mongol tribes (including today the Chinese and Japanese), as well as the American Indians and the South Sea Islanders, are probably dominantly Hamitic in origin. Among the many ways in which the Hamites have been the great “servants” of mankind are the following: (1) They were the original explorers and settlers of practically all parts of the world, following the dispersion at Babel. (2) They were the first cultivators of most of the basic food staples of the world, such as potatoes, corn, beans, cereals, and others, as well as the first ones to domesticate most animals. (3) They developed most of the basic types of structural forms and building tools and materials. (4) They were the first to develop most of the usual fabrics for clothing and the various sewing and weaving devices. (5) They discovered and invented a wide variety of medicines and surgical practices and instruments. (6) They invented most of the concepts of basic practical mathematics, as well as surveying and navigation. (7) The machinery of commerce and trade—money, banks, postal systems, and so forth—was developed by them. (8) They developed paper, ink, block printing, movable type, and other accouterments of writing and communication. If one traces back far enough, he will find that practically every other basic device or system needed for man’s physical sustenance or convenience originated with one of the Hamitic peoples.1 Truly they have been the “servants” of mankind in a most amazing way. (The Genesis Record - page 240 - Borrow) R Kent Hughes Why did the curse fall on Canaan? First, because Noah likely detected in Canaan the evil traits he had seen in his father. Canaan was a bad apple who did not fall far from the tree. He was already walking in his father’s footsteps. Second, this curse was a prophetic oracle. Delitzsch writes: Noah, through the Spirit and power of that God with whom he walked, discerned in the moral nature of his sons, and the different tendencies which they already displayed, the germinal commencement of the future course of their posterity, and uttered words of blessing and of curse, which were prophetic of the history of the tribes that descended from them." Such curses had no power in themselves, unless the Lord fulfilled them. God would bring this curse about only if it was his desire to do so—which it was. Third, Canaan was the father of the Canaanites, the depraved nemesis of Israel. Therefore the curse fell on Israel’s future enemies. The Canaanites were a sensually depraved people. Everything the pagan Canaanites did was an extrapolation of Ham’s lurid sensuality. From the moment Abram entered the land, the Canaanites were there spreading corruption (cf. Genesis 13, 15, 18, 19, 38). Leviticus 18 describes the degenerate practices of the Canaanites with a litany of euphemisms so as not to offend the reader, employing “nakedness” twenty-four times (cf. vv. 7–23, RSV and NASB). (BORROW Genesis - Beginning and Blessing, page 152) Jack Arnold - This curse was pronounced on Canaan, the youngest son of Ham, and his progeny, not On Ham himself (Gen. 10:15-19). Canaan would be placed under the greatest possible servitude and would be a slave to Shem and Japheth. This is a prophetic curse and has its fulfillment in history. 1. Did God Curse Canaan? It was Ham who sinned and not Canaan. Why then does God curse Canaan? There is no easy solution to this problem but there are several suggestions. First, perhaps Canaan was involved in this sexual perversion with Ham even though it is not recorded. Second, some have thought that God cursed the youngest son of Ham because Ham was the youngest son of Noah, but this makes God arbitrarily putting a curse on Canaan without Canaan being involved. Third, and perhaps the more satisfactory explanation is that the licentious ways of Ham were also obvious traits in his son Canaan, Noah knew that Ham’s tolerance of perversion, his delight in it, was also in seed form in Canaan. Thus, guided by divine wisdom he unerringly curses Canaan. NOTE: The saying, “Like father, like son,” becomes apparent in Ham and Canaan. Sexual perversion in this case was definitely related with parental influence and perhaps there is a genetic connection. 2. How Was This Curse Fulfilled in History? According to Genesis 10:15-19, the Canaanites settled in the area which is now Palestine. These Canaanite tribes were all conquered when Israel entered the land, bringing fulfillment of the curse. In that sense, Canaan finally became the servant of Shem as predicted in Ge 9:26. Furthermore, the Phoenicians, who were descendants of Canaan through Sidon, were ultimately overcome by the Japhetic Greeks and Romans. This curse was temporary and fulfilled thousands of years ago. NOTE. Archeological discoveries have definitely shown that the Canaanite religions were debauched and corrupt. Their idolatry was a worship of the gods El and Baal; they practiced human sacrifice and all their religion was centered around sexual perversion, which had its origin with Ham and Canaan. 3. Why Was the Case of Canaan’s Curse Recorded? At the time God gave this revelation to Moses, the children of Israel were wandering in the desert preparing someday to go into the Promised Land, which at that time was the land of the Canaanites. What an encouragement this must have been to the Israelites to know that Canaan’s descendants would be their slaves, 4. Is the Curse Related to the Negro Race? Absolutely not! This curse fell on Canaan, not Ham. Three of Ham’s other sons were absolutely free of the curse and none of their offspring settled in Africa. The Canaanites settled in what is now the area of Palestine. Archeology has shown that 94% of the Hamites were white and 6% black. NOTE: People who think that the Hamites are to be slaves are filled with race hatred and are guilty of very poor exegesis of Scripture. Allen Ross - Excerpt from the Introduction of Ross' article "The Curse of Canaan" (Click here for entire article) The bizarre little story in Genesis 9:18–27 about Noah’s drunkenness and exposure along with the resultant cursing of Canaan has perplexed students of Genesis for some time. Why does Noah, the spiritual giant of the Flood, appear in such a bad light? What exactly did Ham do to Noah? Who is Canaan and why should he be cursed for something he did not do? Although problems like these preoccupy much of the study of this passage, their solutions are tied to the more basic question of the purpose of the account in the theological argument of Genesis. Genesis, the book of beginnings, is primarily concerned with tracing the development of God’s program of blessing. The blessing is pronounced on God’s creation, but sin (with its subsequent curse) brought deterioration and decay. After the Flood there is a new beginning with a renewal of the decrees of blessing, but once again corruption and rebellion leave the human race alienated and scattered across the face of the earth. Against this backdrop God began His program of blessing again, promising blessing to those obedient in faith and cursing to those who rebel. The rest of the book explains how this blessing developed: God’s chosen people would become a great nation and inherit the land of Canaan. So throughout Genesis the motifs of blessing and cursing occur again and again in connection with those who are chosen and those who are not. An important foundation for these motifs is found in the oracle of Noah. Ham’s impropriety toward the nakedness of his father prompted an oracle with far-reaching implications. Canaan was cursed; but Shem, the ancestor of Israel, and Japheth were blessed. It seems almost incredible that a relatively minor event would have such major repercussions. But consistently in the narratives of Genesis, one finds that the fate of both men and nations is determined by occurrences that seem trivial and commonplace. The main characters of these stories acted on natural impulse in their own interests, but the narrator is concerned with the greater significance of their actions. Thus it becomes evident that out of the virtues and vices of Noah’s sons come the virtues and vices of the families of the world. (NOTE 1 - Lange, A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Genesis p. 336.) The purpose of this section in Genesis, then, is to portray the characteristics of the three branches of the human race in relation to blessing and cursing. In pronouncing the oracle, Noah discerned the traits of his sons and, in a moment of insight, determined that the attributes of their descendants were embodied in their personalities. (NOTE 2: Arthur C. Custance attempts to classify the characteristics of the major races in connection with this oracle Noah’s Three Sons [borrow] p. 43). It seems to this writer that much of the discussion goes beyond the evidence.) Because these sons were primogenitors of the families of the earth, the narrator is more interested in the greater meaning of the oracle with respect to tribes and nations in his day than with the children of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (NOTE 3: The second oracle in Genesis based on the character traits of sons comes at the end of the patriarchal material -Gen. 49) Shem, the ancestor of the Shemites to whom the Hebrews belonged, acted in good taste and was blessed with the possession of the knowledge of the true God, Yahweh. Japheth, the ancestor of the far-flung northern tribes which include the Hellenic peoples, (NOTE 4: David Neiman, “The Date and Circumstances of the Cursing of Canaan,” in Biblical Motifs [borrow], ed. Alexander Altmann, p. 125.) also acted properly and thus shared in the blessing of Shem and was promised geographical expansion. In contrast, Ham, represented most clearly to Israel by the Egyptians and Canaanites, acted wrongly in violating sexual customs regarded as sacred and as a result had one line of his descendants cursed with subjugation. (NOTE 5: Umberto Cassuto, From Noah to Abraham [borrow], p. 149. So the oracle of Noah, far from being concerned simply with the fortunes of the immediate family, actually pertains to vast movements of ancient peoples. (NOTE 6: Robert Brow, “The Curse of Ham—Capsule of Ancient History,” Christianity Today, October 26, 1973, p. 10.) Portraying their tendencies as originating in individual ancestors, the book of beginnings anticipates the expected destinies of these tribes and nations. Vos fittingly notes that it occurred at a time when no event could fail to influence history. (NOTE 7: Gerhardus Vos, Old and New Testament Biblical Theology - borrow). QUESTION - Why did Noah curse Canaan instead of Ham? WATCH THE VIDEO ANSWER - The unbiblical idea that Noah cursed Ham, and thereby all of Ham’s descendants, was used to justify the African slave trade, and is still used by some today to justify racism, prejudice, and discrimination against people of color. Let it be clearly said. Noah did not curse Ham. Noah did not curse all of Ham’s descendants. (ED: SEE UTLEY'S ARTICLE RACISM) Rather, Noah only cursed Canaan, one of Ham’s sons, and through Canaan, all of Canaan’s descendants. Why and to what end? Please continue reading. What is abundantly clear, however, is that this account in Genesis 9 regarding Noah, Ham, and Canaan does not, in any way, support slavery or racism in any form. After the flood, “God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth’” (Genesis 9:1). The men and their wives, under God’s blessing, began to do just that. Sometime later, Scripture relates an unhappy episode in Noah’s life involving Noah and his three sons. In the fallout of that incident, Noah’s grandson Canaan is said to be “cursed” (Genesis 9:25). It all started when Noah planted a vineyard and used the grapes to make wine. He drank the wine, became drunk, and shamefully lay naked in his tent (Genesis 9:20–21). Noah’s youngest son Ham, identified as “the father of Canaan” in verse 22, saw his father’s condition and the fact that Noah was naked in his tent. Rather than keep the matter quiet or attempt to help his father, Ham told his two brothers the salacious news (Genesis 9:22). Ham’s response to his father’s sin shows somewhat of Ham’s character and disrespect for his father. Shem and Japheth acted more nobly. They “took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked” (Genesis 9:23). Later, Noah sobered up. He made some inquiries and “found out what his youngest son had done to him” (Genesis 9:24). This wording suggests that Ham did more than just see Noah’s nakedness. He did something, but just what is unknown. It’s useless to speculate. In any case, upon hearing the facts, Noah said something surprising: “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers” (Genesis 9:25). He also praised the Lord at that time and pronounced a patriarchal, prophetic blessing on Shem and Japheth (verses 26–27). Twice more in that blessing, Noah declared that Canaan would be a slave to Shem and Japheth. Of note is the fact that Noah did not curse Ham. The curse is pronounced on Canaan, Ham’s son, but nowhere does Noah directly curse Ham. It is significant, though, that the other two of Noah’s sons receive a blessing, but Ham does not. That omission resulted in the patriarchal blessing passing Ham by. This was no doubt intentional, given Ham’s behavior. So, why did Noah curse Canaan when it was clearly Ham who acted inappropriately? Several theories have been put forward: • There is an ellipsis in the text. When Genesis 9 speaks of Canaan, it is really “the father of Canaan” that is meant—the words the father of being understood. This theory relies on an insupportable assumption about the text. • Canaan and Ham were both involved in the sin against Noah. This means that Canaan was present when Ham observed Noah’s nakedness. This theory adds to Scripture, however; the text never mentions Canaan’s whereabouts, but it does specify that it was Ham, Noah’s youngest son, who “had done [something] to him” (Genesis 9:24). • Ham had been blessed by God (Genesis 9:1), and Noah refused to curse someone whom the Lord had blessed. In the same way, the prophet Balaam could not curse the Israelites. God had told Balaam, “You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed” (Numbers 22:12; cf. Numbers 23:20). So, Noah pronounces a curse on some of Ham’s descendants. Ham’s sin against his father brought a punishment through his son. Not all of Ham’s descendants were cursed; only those through Canaan. It’s possible that Canaan was chosen to bear the imprecation because he was already showing evidence that he shared his father’s character. • The “curse” on Canaan is more of a prophecy. Noah learned of Ham’s sin and gave him the bad news that one line of his posterity would suffer. As a prophet of God, Noah foresaw that the Canaanites, in their wickedness, would deserve their fate (see Leviticus 18 for a list of future Canaanite sins). Ham’s punishment was to lack a fatherly blessing and to know that he was the ancestor of a doomed people group. In Genesis 10, the descendants of Canaan are listed. They include the Sidonians, the Hittites, the Jebusites, the Amorites, and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 10:15–19). Noah’s curse/prophecy came true during the time of Joshua. The Canaanites, descendants of Ham, were conquered by the Israelites, descendants of Shem. True to God’s Word, some of the Canaanites became slaves (Joshua 9:27; 17:12–13). The inclusion of this sordid incident in the life of Noah is interesting. Out of all that Noah did after the flood, why is this episode the only one recorded? The answer lies in the events surrounding the writing of Genesis. Moses, the author of Genesis, was leading the Israelites toward the land of Canaan to take possession of it. The story of how Canaan came to be cursed was one justification of the conquest. God had pronounced doom upon these people long ago, and it was time for that prophecy to be fulfilled. GotQuestions.org Related Resource: Who were the Canaanites? | GotQuestions.org Genesis 9:26 He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. Blessed - De 33:26 Ps 144:15 Ro 9:5 the Lord - Ge 10:10-26 Gen 12:1-3 Lu 3:23-36 Shem - Heb 11:16 his servant - or, servant to them, Ge 27:37,40 Genesis 9 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Genesis 12:1-3+ Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Galatians 3:29+ And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. Colossians 3:11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. THE SHEMITES ASSOCIATED ESPECIALLY WITH GOD He also said, "Blessed (barak) be the LORD (Jehovah), The God (Elohim) of Shem - Noah clearly associates Shem with Jehovah and says He is the God of Shem, the implication being that Shem had an intimate, personal relationship with the LORD. While Noah blessed God in this passage, in effect the words he spoke to Shem were not just empty words but words which conveyed prophetic meaning and would be fulfilled in the life of Shem's line. In that sense one might look on them as a blessing. Of course ultimately from the line of Shem would come the ultimate blessing, the Messiah. Jack Arnold - The Shemites, whether Jews or Arabs, are very religious people. It is interesting to note that the three great religions of the world are from the Semitic family: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Derek Kidner points out that "Of the three oracles, only that on Shem uses God’s personal name Yahweh (the Lord); the significance of the fact begins to emerge at Genesis 12:1, and will dominate the Old Testament (cf. Dt. 4:35). Since Shem means ‘Name’, there may well be a play on words here; cf. on Ge 9:27. The traditional text, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem (RV, cf. AV), suggests that Shem is himself already in covenant with Yahweh and that his blessing is wholly found in his Lord. RSV (Blessed by the Lord my God be Shem) could be right in revocalizing the same consonants to make Shem the direct recipient of the blessing; but this simpler, less pregnant construction is unsupported by the ancient versions." (BORROW Genesis: an introduction and commentary - Page 104)