December 4, 2024

Passage Read: Genesis 9-12
Meditation Verses: 9:26-27

Thought

Not only is this a curse to reveal the future condemnation of Canaan, but also a foretelling of the future of all peoples. Japheth is the oldest and should be most prominent according to normal custom, but Noah is exalting Shem above Japheth by saying Japheth will live in the tents of Shem. Shem will be the highest and Japheth will have a place in his dwellings. That foretells God's promise to Abraham, that all peoples would be blessed through him. It foretells the promise that Israel will be the highest of nations and will rule over all peoples, and all peoples will dwell in their territory.

Application

Did God inspire Noah to speak of His plans for all mankind, or did God shape His plans according to Noah's blessing? That's an interesting question. But I think the answer has to be that God made these plans before the foundation of the earth, since He had already decided whom He would choose. God is amazing, revealing His thoughts to men ages before He brings them about. Through the later prophets, He often says to go back and see what He told the ancients, that He announced things long before. Here is an example of His revelation of the whole of His plan for all mankind. God is not only all-knowing, but all-guiding. Everything works out according to His will, even the things in my insignificant life.