The Pattern of Judgments (A Cycle Beginning with New Creation and Ending with Judgment) - Part VII
The Beginning of Major Cycle II!
Introduction
As stated in Part I, Genesis 1-3 contains a group of sixteen themes/events1 which combine to form a particular pattern that is repeated numerous times throughout the Bible. I call this the Pattern of Judgments. The Genesis 1-3 thematic pattern starts with Adonai (the Lord) initiating some form of new creation, and ends with Him meting out judgment upon those who have transgressed His commandments in some egregious manner. The first example of this cycle can be seen in Genesis 1-7, where Adonai initiated the cycle with the creation of the heavens and earth (Genesis 1:1-2), and then the cycle was brought to an end with the judgment of Noah’s flood (Genesis 7). Thus, Genesis 1-7 is what I term a major cycle of this Pattern of Judgments. Chapter 8 then starts a new major cycle with a “new creation” of the earth out of the chaotic waters of Noah’s flood.
In addition to the major cycles, there are also minor cycles. They are minor cycles because they only contain a few of the sixteen themes presented in Genesis 1-3, as opposed to a major cycle which will contain many of them. Despite this, minor cycles have clearly defined beginnings and endings. Genesis 1-7 is Major Cycle #1, and can be divided thematically as follows:
Genesis 1-3—The sixteen foundational themes for the Pattern of Judgments
Minor Cycle #1—Genesis 4:1-24
Minor Cycle #2—Genesis 4:25-5:32
Minor Cycle #3—Genesis 6:1-7:24.
As you can see, Genesis 1-3 establishes the full array of themes found in the Pattern of Judgments, and then Genesis 4-7 contains three minor cycles. The key to 1) understanding how the pattern repeats itself, and 2) how to perceive this pattern when/as it occurs, is to always thematically connect the events in the Biblical narratives back to the sixteen foundational themes established in Genesis 1-3.
The previous articles focused on Major Cycle #1 and its minor cycles. In the next few articles we will focus on elucidating Major Cycle #2. Major Cycle #2 is outlined below:
Major Cycle # 2—Genesis 8:1–19:29
Minor Cycle #1—Genesis 8:1–9:29
Minor Cycle #2—Genesis 10:1–11:26
Minor Cycle #3—Genesis 11:27–19:29
Minor Cycle #1—Genesis 8:1-9:29
In our study of Major Cycle #2, let’s start by looking at the themes that comprise its first minor cycle, Minor Cycle #1.
Genesis 1:1-25—New Creation of the Universe
The first proof that we are in a new Major Cycle beginning with a new creation (similar to Genesis 1:1-25) is the parallelism of Genesis 1:2–3:19 and Genesis 7:18–9:2 that we talked about in Part VI! We saw undeniable evidence that the waters of Noah’s flood were equivalent to the state of the earth immediately after Adonai created it (Genesis 1:1-2). The earth was described as tohu v’ bohu, formless and empty. I related how elsewhere these words denote a state of chaos, devastation, destruction and ruination, etc. Beginning in Genesis 1:3, Adonai began to shape the earth and fill it with life. So likewise, our parallelism teaches us that after the waters of the flood, Adonai began to fill the “new” earth with life as Noah, his family and the animals emerged from the ark to populate the earth, subdue it and fill it. The animals that emerged from the ark are thematically connected to the first animals Adonai created back in Genesis 1. It should be very obvious that Adonai is establishing a re-creation, a re-enactment of the original creation story.
Genesis 1:26-28—Man, God’s Image-Bearer, Commissioned to Exercise Dominion Over Creation
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.2
Genesis 1:26-28 relates how Adonai commissioned Adam to be his viceroy on earth, ruling, reigning and exercising dominion over the newly created heavens and earth. Adam was given authority and commanded to subdue the earth and to rule over the animals and creation. This passage also recounts the fact that man was created in Adonai’s image. These themes also reappear for us in the story of Noah’s flood.
So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand (Genesis 9:1-2). Also Genesis 9:6—“Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.”
Noah, as a second Adam, was also granted authority over the earth, and the animals of the earth were given into his hand to rule over. Genesis 9:6 reiterates that fact that man was created in the image of God. Thus, as we can see, themes present in the original creation account have reappeared in the first major prophetic fulfillment of creation.
Genesis 3:17-19—Curse on the Land
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
After Adam’s sin, Adonai cursed the ground for his sake, promising that it would perpetually bring forth thorns and thistles and be a source of aggravation and toil for mankind. This theme is also alluded to in Genesis 8:21a, Noah’s re-creation account:
And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake.”
Genesis 1:29-31—Man’s Diet
And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Genesis 1:29-31 describes how Adonai defined food for Adam and Eve. He gave them specific instructions on what was proper to eat and what was improper. In fact, it is not difficult to see how this first commandment concerning food is similar to a type of kosher food requirement. The laws Adonai would later give to Israel specified that which was proper to eat and what was not proper to eat. Amazingly, once Adonai re-created the earth after the deluge, one of the first things he commanded Noah pertained to laws concerning what was proper to eat, just as He had with Adam.
Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood (Genesis 9:3-4).
Genesis 9:3-4 fits the same pattern of creation as does our Genesis 1-3 account! So, once again, we are seeing that the foundational themes presented in Genesis 1-3 are coming full circle and repeating themselves in a periodic manner.
Genesis 2:1-3—The Sign of the Sabbath
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
After the original creation of the earth Adonai provided man with a sign, the sign of the Sabbath! If we only consider the text of Genesis 2:1-3 alone, it may not seem that the Sabbath is a sign. However, we simply need to thematically connect the Sabbath of Genesis 2:1-3 to its stated purpose with reference to Israel in Exodus 31:12-17:
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ”
This theme of the covenant sign is echoed in Genesis 9:8-17, when Adonai provided the rainbow as a sign of the covenant between Him and His creation:
Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. 11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15 and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
Genesis 3:1-7—Fall into Sin
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
One of the most profound themes I’d like to present in Minor Cycle #1 is that concerning the fall into sin by Adam and Noah. Adam and Eve were granted authority and dominion directly from Adonai and were commanded to rule and reign over the newly created earth. However, they fell into sin. This aspect of the pattern of redemption and its fulfillment through Noah is most fascinating. For we read of a similar fall into sin by Noah! You see, it is only when we compare these two stories thematically, looking for similar words, phrases, themes, situations, events and circumstances, that we can see and appreciate the fact that Adonai desires for us to see Noah as a new Adam. Please note the following thematic connections which clearly establish Noah as a new Adam in the post-diluvian world:
According to Genesis 2:7-8, Adonai planted a garden and placed Adam there to tend it. Furthermore, this passage states that Adonai formed the man “from the dust of the ground.”
This is thematically connected to Genesis 9: 20, where we are informed that “Noah, the man of the earth, planted a vineyard.”3 (Artscroll Chumash)
According to Genesis 3:6, Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which led to their downfall.
So likewise, Noah drank of the fruit of his garden and became drunk.
Genesis 3:7 states that Adam and Chavah’s (Eve) eyes were opened and they realized they were naked.
This is thematically connected to Genesis 9:24, where it states that Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him.
Both stories involve nakedness of the protagonists.
In the aftermath of their rebellion, Adonai clothed Adam and Chavah with skins (Genesis 3:21).
According to Genesis 9:23 (But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.), Shem and Japheth covered their father’s nakedness.
Finally, after some investigation, Adonai cursed the serpent and the ground (Genesis 3:14, 17-19).
In similar fashion, a curse was pronounced against Canaan, Ham’s son, after the sins of Noah and his son (Genesis 9:25-27).
After comparing and contrasting these two stories, it should be quite obvious that they are thematically equivalent. Furthermore, it is even more obvious that it’s Adonai’s intent that we should make such connections! Lastly, I believe quite unequivocally that Adonai’s purpose for connecting these two stories is to teach us that Noah is now the man He has chosen to move forward with the plan of redemption.
Genesis 3:17-19—Curse on the Land
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
This brings us to our final theme for Minor Cycle #1, that concerning the curse on the land. A curse was placed on the land in the aftermath of Adam’s sin. This theme resurfaces in the account of Noah’s flood as follows:
And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake (Genesis 8:21a).
Minor Cycle #1 is primarily concerned with introducing us to Noah as the new Adam. It does this by giving us a thematic replay of the original creation of a new heavens and new earth out of waters of chaos, within the context of the re-creation of the world out of the waters of chaos of Noah’s flood. As you can clearly see, Noah has now replaced Adam as Adonai’s regent on earth, and he has been commissioned to rule and reign over the creation. Thus, a new creation has emerged from the chaotic waters of Noah’s flood conforming to the Pattern of Judgments modeled for us in Genesis 1-3.
Minor Cycle #2—Genesis 10:1—11:26
At this point, we shall begin the second minor cycle of Major Cycle #2.
Genesis 3:15—Enmity of the Seed
Genesis 10 is a genealogical account of the sons of Noah. Genesis 10:1-5 pertains to Japheth’s descendants who primarily became the nations of the Gentiles. Genesis 10:6-20 chronicles the descendants of Ham who primarily populated the areas of Canaan and the African nations. Lastly, Shem’s progeny settled on either side of the mighty Euphrates River and in the Arabian Peninsula. The Bible will now begin to focus primarily on the descendants of Ham and Shem. This should not surprise us, because we’ve already seen that one of the major purposes of the early accounts of Scripture is to teach us about the ongoing struggle between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. This subplot will pick up here in Genesis 10.
In previous articles, we traced the seed of the serpent from Cain to the evil generation of the flood. Noah was the sole representative of the seed of the woman, in contrast to the generation of the flood who represented the seed of the serpent. Unfortunately, Ham chose to go the way of the serpent, and as a result, his seed in particular took on the likeness of the serpent. How do we know that Ham’s seed in particular was singled out to be the primary representation of the seed of the serpent? This is easy if we simply follow Ham’s descendants and discover who they were in relation to the future nation of Israel. This is important because Israel, as Adonai’s chosen people, in a very real sense is the woman of Genesis 3:15. This is quite easy to see if we put on our thematic thinking caps and revisit the story of creation with respect to Adam and Eve. Just as we saw numerous, obvious and convincing connections between Adam and Noah, establishing that Adam = Noah in some sense, there exists a plethora of connections between Adam and Eve and the nation of Israel, begging us to realize that the story of Adam and Eve in the garden is a prophetic shadow of the entire history of the nation of Israel! Please consider the following thematic connections between the narratives concerning Adam and Eve (Genesis 1-3) and the nation of Israel (Leviticus 26):
Adam and Eve were given and placed in a special land (the Garden of Eden). The nation of Israel was given and placed in a special land, the land of Canaan, which was later called the land of Israel.
Consider Leviticus 26:4 where we are told that Adonai would give Israel rain in its season, and that the land would yield its produce, and the trees of the field would yield their fruit. This hearkens back to Genesis 1:9-13, where it states that the first living things, plants, would grow from the earth/land, and that the trees of the field would yield their fruit.
According to Leviticus 26:6-9, Adonai promised Israel that if they would obey His commandments they would enjoy unprecedented peace in the land of Israel. This is thematically connected to the peace experienced by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
In Leviticus 26:9, Adonai promised Israel they would be fruitful and multiply. This was the very command He gave to Adam and Eve.
Adonai promised in Leviticus 26:12 to walk among Israel and be their God. Genesis 3:8 describes how Adonai walked in the midst of the garden in the presence of Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve were especially created to be Adonai’s special people in a special land. This is also true of Israel, as they were the first and only nation created by Adonai for Himself.
According to Deuteronomy 30:15, Adonai gave Israel the Torah to obey, setting before them the choice of life or death, blessing or cursing. Similarly, He gave Adam and Eve a commandment to obey, through which they would either experience blessing or cursing, life or death.
The first commandment given to man pertained to what was fit to eat and not fit to eat. As noted above, this was a kosher requirement for food consumption. This kosher requirement for food consumption was also an integral part of the Torah of Moses (Leviticus 11), where once again, Adonai gave His special people instructions on what was fit and proper to eat.
Leviticus 26 firmly establishes that Israel’s ultimate punishment for disobedience to Torah would be her banishment and exile from the land of Canaan, the special land that He established just for them. This echoes the ultimate punishment for Adam and Eve for their disobedience when they were banished and exiled from the Garden of Eden.
Lastly, after Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, we read of how Adonai stationed cherubim with a flaming sword to prevent their re-entry into the garden. In similar fashion, Adonai stated that along with their exile into distant lands He would ensure that the sword would come after them during the days of their punishment!
It seems therefore that the nation of Israel has been inextricably linked to Adam and Eve, and I would suggest, specifically Eve. Just as Eve was the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20) and the woman who would bring forth seed to destroy the seed of the serpent, so likewise, the nation of Israel would carry forth the commission to bring forth the “seed of the woman” prophesied of in Genesis 3:15.
Knowing that Israel is the woman who would bring forth the “seed of the woman,” should we not expect, based on Genesis 3:15, that hasatan would ensure that his seed, the seed of the serpent, would focus their attention on destroying the woman and her seed? This is exactly the case at hand. Hasatan’s goal is to use his seed to destroy the woman, Israel, and the seed of the woman (all those who obey the commandments of God and have the testimony of Yeshua [Jesus]). This fact is stated explicitly for us in Revelation 12:17:
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (KJV)
Therefore, I suggest that the seed of the serpent can be traced through those who have traditionally been Israel’s most ardent antagonists. With that as a filter, let’s demonstrate how Ham’s seed represents the seed of the serpent.
Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim) (Genesis 10:13-14).
The first descendant I want to consider from Ham’s seed is Mizraim (the Hebrew word for Egypt). The Egyptians are descendants of Ham. The word Mizraim is the original Hebrew word given for the nation we know as Egypt. All throughout the Exodus narrative, the word Egypt is translated from the Hebrew word Mizraim. Three times in the book of Psalms, Egypt is referred to as the land of Ham (Psalm 105:23, 27 and 106:22). When we consider Israel’s relationship with Egypt, we should immediately realize that Egypt was the first country to persecute and enslave Israel. Secondly, notice that Ham also gave rise to the Casluhim from whom came the Philistines! As you are probably aware, the Philistines were Israel’s arch-enemy for many, many years. Therefore I’m suggesting that Egypt (Mizraim) and the Philistines (Casluhim), descendants of Ham, represent the ongoing development of the seed of the serpent.
Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; 16 the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 17 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 18 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha (Genesis 10:15-19).
The next grouping of Ham’s descendants I want to consider are the sons of Canaan. Canaan’s descendants went on to become the seven nations of Canaan. Again, the Canaanites were Israel’s main antagonists throughout her long history in the land of Israel. They were the primary nations that resisted Israel’s establishment in the land and later on they were a constant thorn in Israel’s flesh. Therefore I’m suggesting that the Canaanites, descendants of Ham, also represent the ongoing development of the seed of the serpent.
Lastly, let’s consider Cush, the father of Nimrod.
The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.” 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city). 13 Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim). 20 These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations (Genesis 10:6-14 and 20).
There were two principal nations that were responsible for the destruction of Israel after her brightest days under the reign of king Solomon. Unfortunately, soon after king Solomon’s death, the nation of Israel divided into two warring kingdoms—the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom of Israel slipped into apostasy first, and as punishment Adonai sent the Assyrians to destroy her in 721 B.C.E. The Assyrians utterly destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel and deported many of the survivors to distant lands within their kingdom. Later in 586 B.C.E., Adonai used the Babylonians to destroy the southern kingdom of Judah because of her unfaithfulness to Adonai. Judah was taken captive to the land of Babylon for a seventy-year exile. Thus, the entire nation of Israel was destroyed in two separate military campaigns by two different nations, the Assyrians and the Babylonians. These two nations were connected to Cush, the son of Ham. Cush begot a son named Nimrod who ruled the kingdom of Babel. Later, we’re told that he also built Nineveh. Although Nimrod’s rule and reign was significantly before the time of Israel’s occupation of the land, the point is this: the two countries responsible for Israel’s destruction had roots that went all the way back to Nimrod, son of Cush, son of Ham.
As should be plain to see, the nations that became the main antagonists against Israel throughout her long and troubled history were nations descended from and/or influenced by the sons of Ham! It is those nations descended from Ham that primarily represent the ongoing development of the seed of the serpent.
Along with the development of the seed of the serpent, we can also see the development of the seed of the woman through the descendants of Shem. This is recorded for us in Genesis 10:21-31 and Genesis 11:10-26. Thus, Noah’s two sons, Ham and Shem, give rise to descendants that split along the lines of the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman, respectively. As you can see, the idea that there are two seeds in the earth is a major subject of the first eleven chapters of Genesis! It is one of the primary lessons Adonai is trying to teach us. This idea of two seeds is carried throughout the Bible all the way to the book of Revelation! Earlier I quoted Revelation 12:17, which specifically talks about the seed of the woman. The idea of the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman is so important that the book of Revelation, the last book in the Bible which describes the events that will usher in the return of the Messiah, still focuses on the idea of the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent!
The Bible begins the development of these two seeds along physical and genealogical lines, however, that is not the ultimate point Adonai is making. He’s not trying to teach us that the seed of the serpent and the woman are determined by bloodline! However, He is using bloodline to teach us an important spiritual lesson. The lesson is that there are only two seeds in the world, those who belong to Adonai and those who belong to the devil. This is so eloquently hinted at in Revelation 12:17—And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Genesis 3:1-7—Fall into Sin
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
We have seen in other cycles how the sin of Adam and Eve was repeated in various forms. In this cycle we will concentrate on how the generation of the Tower of Babel sinned before Adonai. Just as Adam and Eve sinned, so did Cain, the generation of the flood and now the generation of the Tower of Babel. It seems that whenever Adonai initiates a new creation cycle, there is some sin that will be committed that will ultimately bring upon the guilty a cycle of judgment. This is the case at hand.
Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake
them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:1-4).
Here, we read of how the generation of the Tower of Babel committed an act of rebellion against Adonai. Mankind was told to fill up the earth and to subdue it. In an act of defiance, the generation of the Tower of Babel decided to disregard that command and built a tower reaching into the heavens.
Genesis 3:8-13—Adonai Investigating Sin
8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” 12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” 13 And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
When Adam and Eve committed their act of rebellion against Adonai, we read of how He appears on the scene and investigates what had happened. This is now playing out in the story of the generation of the Tower of Babel, as Adonai is coming to investigate the rebellion of this generation.
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them” (Genesis 11:5-6).
Genesis 3:22-24—Judgment/Exile
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Adam and Eve’s sin was swiftly followed by their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. They were exiled and sent away. This same theme can be seen in the punishment of the generation of the Tower of Babel, in that they, too, were exiled from their present location and dispersed to different lands all over the earth. Like Adam and Eve, they were exiled and sent away from a land that was familiar to them.
Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth) (Genesis 11:7-9).
With the completion of this judgment, what should we expect to happen next? What happened after the judgment of the flood? A new creation! Therefore, I suggest we are about to see a new creation followed by a restarting of the Pattern of Judgments. Let’s see if that happens.
Reappearance of the Number Seventy
Please read through the genealogical account of Shem’s descendants found in Genesis 11:10-26. Do you notice any pattern to the genealogical accounts? Specifically, look at a recurring theme (number) associated with the number of years that pass before a father begets a son. Do you see a pattern? Yes! It seems that a period of approximately thirty years passes with each father before he gives rise to a son to carry on the name. Beginning with Arphaxad, we read of 35, 30, 34, 30, 32, 30 and 29 years occurring before a son is born to his father. I find that somewhat amazing. It’s as if the time period of approximately 30 years is important. What does it mean? I don’t know! : ) But this is what I do know. When we study thematically, taking note of themes and patterns, we become more sensitive to changes or disruptions in those patterns. With that said, note how we have been accustomed to there being an approximately thirty-year period before a son is born to a father. With that pattern in mind, now read Genesis 11:26!
Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Boom! The pattern has been shattered. And, because we’re studying thematically, it’s like a neon light shouting out to us, “Hey, there’s something big going on here!” It is at this point we read about the timeframe of seventy years before Terah had his sons, Abram, Nahor and Haran. Hopefully you will remember what we learned about the number 7, 70, 700, etc.? The number seven is the number of a completion of a cycle. When we see it, it could mean we’ve come to the end of one cycle and are about to start a new cycle of some sort. I posit to you that we have come to the end of a cycle of new creation and judgment, and we are about to start a new cycle beginning with a new creation. These two thematic events: 1) the appearance of the number seventy at this point, and 2) the end of a cycle of divine judgment, are hints that we are about to enter another cycle of new creation. In the next article we will examine this further.
Here is a list of the 16 themes:
Genesis 1:1-25 – New Creation of the Universe
Genesis 1:26-28 – Man, God’s Image-Bearer, Commissioned to Exercise Dominion Over Creation
Genesis 1:29-31 – Man’s Diet
Genesis 2:1-3 – The Sign of the Sabbath
Genesis 2:4-9 – Man’s Work in His Ancestral Plot of Land
Genesis 2:10-14 – Natural Riches of the Creation
Genesis 2:15-17 – The Choice Between Life and Death
Genesis 2:18-25 – A Virginal Bride for the Man
Genesis 3:1-7 – Fall into Sin
Genesis 3:8-13 – Adonai Investigating Sin
Genesis 3:14 – The Curse on the Serpent
Genesis 3:15 – Enmity of the Seed
Genesis 3:16 – Pain in Childbirth
Genesis 3:17-19 – Curse on the Land
Genesis 3:20-21 – Acts of Redemption
Genesis 3:22-24 – Judgment
Unless otherwise noted, all quotations are from the New King James Bible.
Scherman, Rabbi Nosson and Zlotowitz, Rabbi Meir, editors. The Chumash. ArtScroll Series/Stone Edition (Hebrew/English translation), Mesorah Publications, 1993, p. 43.