Genesis Week 3 Answers

Genesis week 3 Answers

Chapter 9 - Chapter 12

1.      One reason God prohibited the consumption of animal blood in the Old Testament was to teach respect for the sacredness of life. Blood is viewed as a symbol of life throughout the Bible. God asks the murderer Cain, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” The shedding of blood represents the loss of life. As we will see in future studies in the New Testament, the “blood of Christ” is a common figure of speech for the “death of Christ”.

2.      God made a covenant with Noah and his descendants that God would never destroy the earth by flood again. This did not mean that God’s judgement would not be demonstrated in other ways. The sign in verse 9:13 was not really for God as He is all knowing or as a display to show that God always remembers His covenant. The sign we see is a rainbow.

3.      We know from scripture that Canaan was the son of Ham, and we also know from verse Chapter 9:22 what Ham did. However, Noah did make enquiries and by cursing Canaan he may have been present with his father Ham at the incident where Ham discovered his father, Noah, or it may have been Noah, a prophet, had seen future events and brought a curse upon Ham’s descendants as punishment. There are a number of possibilities.

4.      The list of descendants plays a role in the future events of the Bible and while we may not remember the names of the descendants, they can be used to trace back curses or blessings upon them. What we can see and learn is that the events as recorded in future books of the Bible are generationally related to either blessings or curses and that God’s judgements and covenants are eternal.

5.      The peoples involved in the building of the tower were descendants of Noah and, as a such, through the generations were still connected to each other. It would be much like many countries where 1 language is spoken. The thought that were at odds with God was the fact that man was trying to elevate his personage to that of God. Instead of destroying them God divided them by languages so that none of the different tribes understood each other and the tower work was halted.

6.      Not only did God give them separate languages but He also scattered them abroad to create separate nations. God could have pronounced more severe punishment but by changing to differing languages and scattering them abroad He made many different nations in many different areas of earth.

7.      Shem’s lineage can be traced to Jesus, and we see this in Abram in Chapter 11:27 when Abram is born and then in Chapter 12:2-3 when God blesses Abram and makes a Covenant with him. In week 4 we will see the reason, and in it you will recall this question and have it answered in God’s in God’s covenant with Abram!

8.      God spoke to Abram and made a covenant with him, promising to make him a great nation and make Abram’s name great and telling him he would be a blessing. God also promises to bless those who bless Abram and curse those who curse Abram and in Abram all families of the earth will be blessed.

9.      The land was Canaan which is the land Israel now occupies. Jerusalem has always been in the land of Canaan, so named after Ham’s son who God cursed in Chapter 9:18.

10. Abram was afraid that he would be killed if they knew he was Sarai’s husband, for she was very beautiful, and many men would desire her. Sarai was then taken into Pharoh’s house and because of this Abram was treated very well and became very wealthy with herds of sheep, oxen and asses (donkeys…male and female), camels, as well as many servants and maids.