Walk 4 – Read Genesis chapters 10 and 11. The Theme is: The repopulation of the world and further preparation in the narrative of redemption.
The Descendants
This account takes us from the flood to Abram. While the main story is about the re-population of the entire planet; the details are more specifically about the events in the areas that are to be important in the life of Abram. Of course, the theme of the Canaanites is carried through in Genesis 10: 15 - 19 as the inhabitants of the future Promised Land are enumerated. It is enticing to focus on specific details of the story while forgetting that the over-arching theme is the redemption narrative.
Some calculated the date of the flood from creation:
“Using the Bible, well-documented historical events, and some math, we find that the Flood began approximately 4,359 years ago in the year 1656 AM [years from creation] or 2348 BC. Some may look for an exact date (i.e., month and day), but we are not given that sort of precision in Scripture.”[1]
“If we add up the figures mentioned between Shem’s 100th year (Gen. 11:10) and Abraham (Gen. 11:26) we get 350 years. Since 9 names are mentioned it is 350 years ± 9 (9 margins of error of up to 1 year each). Genesis 11:10 tells us that Shem was 100 years old, 2 years after the Flood had finished. When was Noah’s Flood? 1,981 years to AD 1 plus 967 years to the founding of Solomon’s Temple plus 480 years to the end of the Exodus plus 430 years to the promise to Abraham plus 75 years to Abraham’s birth plus 350 years to Shem’s 100th birthday plus 2 years to the Flood. The Biblical data places the Flood at 2304 BC ± 11 years.”[2]
Note that in the middle of the above calculations of Dr. Osgood there are only 352 years between the flood and the birth of Abraham. These calculations are based on the belief that Abram’s father was 130 when Abram was born by subtracting Terah’s age at death (205) from the date Abram left Haran (75). This is debatable because 11: 26 states Terah was 70 when Abram, Nahor, and Haran were born. My conclusion is that Abram was called while in Ur of the Chaldeans and persuaded his father to go with him even though he had been told to “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12: 1)
I do not believe I am in any way disparaging of Abram’s walk of faith if I claim that he partially obeyed. Partial obedience is following; but at a distance. We shall see that partial obedience leads to negative consequences in Abram’s life.