Genesis 10-11
Yesterday we read in Genesis 9:25 that Noah cursed the descendants of Ham (the Canaanites). Did you recall some terrible places that God destroys later in Genesis in the list of Ham's descendants (Genesis 10:6-19)? Places like Sodom and Gomorrah (10:19)? I know that passages such as this with long lists of genealogies can be a bit boring; however, it is important to read through to aquatint ourselves with Bible locations and families.
The story about the Tower of Babel is common enough that we know the jist of the story. This is a good place to practice looking at the details of the story. Why would God be concerned with the people building a Tower to Heaven? Perhaps it is the pride that is involved: "Come let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches for the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves" (11:4). Perhaps God is concerned that they will forget God in their power? How often do we observe people who when in tough times they turn to God; but, when times are going well, they forget God and go about their own power?
We again come to list of "begets" or the genealogies. Genealogies are important also for keeping a timeline in the Bible. When ancient writings contain genealogies, dates are able to be determined using those genealogies. In this instance, we can learn that Abraham (Abram) who is the central figure of faith in the Old Testament (the Father of the Hebrew People) is born just 9 generations following the Flood. Remember Shem is one of Noah's sons. We can even add the number of years if we follow the genealogy. Approximately 292 years after the Flood, Abram was born!
This Psalm is probably written shortly after King David's problems with Absalom and his army of 10,000 that were spoken about in Psalm 3. Have you ever faced times that were frustrating or when you were just angry? Of course, we all have. In the midst of those frustrating times, it is not our first nature to pray to God and ask Him to take away your distress. Just like a hot-headed teenager who punches a wall, we would like nothing more than to relieve our distress ourselves. But David offers us a much better approach in Psalm 4:1--"Take away my distress...hear my prayer." That's a better way! Give it to God. In addition to this, heed the warning of Psalm 4:4: "Don't sin by letting anger gain control over you. Think about it overnight and remain silent" (NLT). This will take some great discipline; however, it will be the true ticket to allowing God to take away your distress. Not to mention, it may allow you to see how insignificant your anger really was at the time!
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