Genesis 9:18. The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Adam had three sons. Do you remember their names? (Cain, Abel, and Seth). Noah also had three sons – Shem, Ham, Japheth. You probably remember that Cain did something terrible and was cursed. Well in Genesis 9 there is a story about how Ham did something bad, and he too was cursed. After the flood, Noah became a farmer and he grew grapes. From the grapes he made wine. And with the wine he got drunk. But rather than help his father, Ham decided to make fun of him. Shem, on the other hand, helped his dad. It’s a bit of a strange story, but it tells us some things about Shem.
Shem is like Seth. On Day 29, we talked about how Seth and his descendants worshiped God. Well that will also be true of Shem. When Noah wakes up from being drunk and realizes how Shem helped him, he says this about Shem:
Genesis 9:26. [Noah] also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem…
After cursing Ham’s son, Canaan (it’s a long story), Noah offers a blessing to the Lord, the God of Shem. The “Lord” here is the word Yahweh, the personal name of God. Yahweh is Shem’s God. Noah’s blessing shows us that Shem had a personal relationship with God. Shem trusted the Lord.
Then in Chapter 10 of Genesis it lists the descendants of Shem, and it says this:
Genesis 10:21. To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber (or the Hebrews).
Shem is the son of Noah that seems to have continued in worshiping God. And Shem’s descendants, the Hebrews will also worship God. Eventually, Shem’s line will lead to a man named Abraham. You’ve probably heard of him. Abraham had great faith. Abraham trusted God. He left his him and travelled hundreds of miles to a new land that God would show him. He trusted God when God said that he would have a son even though he and his wife, Sarah, were getting really old. And then Abraham trusted God even when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac like a lamb. In the end, God would replace Isaac with an actual ram, but Abraham showed that he understood his own sin and need for a substitute sacrifice.
Like Seth from Adam, Shem from Noah continues the godly line that will continue to worship and trust God. The God of Shem will become the God of Abraham. And the “son” of Abraham is Jesus the Christ.
Luke 3:34-38. [Jesus]…34the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Jesus the son of Abraham, the son of Shem.
In the New Testament it says that everyone who has faith in Jesus is a son of Abraham. When we trust in Jesus, we are what the Bible calls the spiritual children of Abraham (and Shem). Like Shem, Yahweh is our God and we are his people. No matter what family we are from, what color we are, what nationality or race we are, we are by faith in Christ the true children of Abraham. Now, Jesus is our God and we are his people. We are his family on Earth. And God wants his family to keep growing as we tell others about Jesus.
Questions: Shem’s descendants led all the way to Jesus. How does this show that God is loving and kind, even after the flood? You are in God’s family. How does this help you to know that God loves you no matter what?
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