Shem & his brothers - Part II

Genesis 9:24-27
"So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said, 'Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants he shall be to his brethren.' And he said: 'Blessed be the Lord. The God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; and may Canaan be his servant.'"

Cursed be Canaan:

Note 1: Noah did not curse Ham directly. Instead, he cursed Ham's offspring, Canaan.

Note 2: At this time, Noah's sons had just been commanded to go and multiply the earth. Ham became a separate "city" apart from his brothers. Canaan was also a separate "city" apart from his father and uncles. Japheth, however, dwelt in the "city" of Shem.

Note 3: Canaan is the land the children of Israel were given as an inheritance, after Moses died. The "city" of Canaan had become so immoral they had become an abomination to God (Lev. 18) & God used the Israelites to wipe them out.

Note 4: Many of our "Sunday School" teachings began in the land of Canaan and later became the other "cities."

1. Abram and Sarai, later Abraham and Sarah, were not from Canaan but came to dwell there before our "Sunday School Story" begins with Sarah not being able to bear children. When Hagar, the maid, was given to Abram to bear children for him, they had already lived in Canaan for 10 years (Gen. 16:3).

2. As we know from the "Sunday School Story," Ishmael's mother was cast out of Canaan after Isaac was born to Sarah (Gen. 21:14). Isaac also left the land of Canaan when he was older, before the time of the Israelites (Gen. 26:2-3). Ishmael became a king to bear 12 princes (Gen. 25:16) to become 12 different "cities." Isaac was the father of Esau and Jacob, whose "cities" later became Edom (Gen. 36:1) and Israel (Gen. 35:10). It was Abraham's descendents, the Israelites, that came back later and overtook Canaan.

If Abraham wasn't from Canaan, where did he come from? Where did his descendents originate from?

Genesis 11:26
"Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nehor, and Haran."

Genesis 11:24
"Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah."

Genesis 11:22
"Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor."

Genesis 11:20
"Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug."

Genesis 11:18
"Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu."

Genesis 11:16
"Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg."

Genesis 10:21
"And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder."

Correct!

The Israelites descended down from Shem, who later overtook the land of Canaan. God's timing is not our timing. When we read about Canaan being a servant, we automatically are geared to think Canaan as one man being the servant of Shem. Instead, one nation came under servitude to another nation. Many generations passed before this took place. We serve a Big God!