Genesis 9 opens with God’s blessing and God’s covenant.
But the first words out of Noah’s mouth is a curse upon his grandson, and a pronouncement of slavery over an entire people.
This is the difference between God and man.
Tag: blessing
Authority to Rule Rightly
Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.
Immediately after God blesses Noah and his sons in Genesis 9, we are given this strange and dark change: the animals of the world will view humanity with FEAR and DREAD.
In the Midrash, the rabbis note the change from Genesis 1, where humanity was blessed, told to be fruitful & increase and fill the earth, but were specifically given the authority/dominion over the animals. To RULE over them.
This authority to RULE appears to have been lost.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Genesis 1:28 (NIV)
This word “rule” (רָדָה, “radah”) is used a few more times in the Scriptures, but it isn’t shown to be restored or given back to humanity until Numbers 24, in the oddest way. It’s from Balaam, when he tries to CURSE Israel, and God turns the curse into a blessing:
“I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls of all the people of Sheth.
Edom will be conquered;
Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,
but Israel will grow strong.
A ruler will come out of Jacob
and destroy the survivors of the city.”
Numbers 24:17-19 (NIV)
The Christian sees Jesus in this, whereas some Jews point to King David or future Messiah.
In the Messiah interpretation, it points to a future when God’s own hand empowers a star to rise from Jacob’s bloodline with the scepter of authority. To rule RIGHTLY.
This Ruler will not rule creation with FEAR and DREAD the way humanity will wield it, as expressed in Genesis 9. The Ruler will rule creation the way God intended in Genesis 1.
Of course, someone will note that the Balaam prophecy looks a lot like “FEAR” and “DREAD” for the enemies of God’s people.
Yes. But the “enemies of God’s people” are spiritual things, not nations or tribes or people. This is a parable.
Neither Cain nor Abel
We always call it the story of “Cain & Abel,” but this ignores a critical part of the story.
Eve assumes God will use Cain – she says as much when she first speaks. And we, seeing Abel’s sacrifice, assume God will use the younger son to fulfill the blessing of “be fruitful and multiply.” But our assumptions are dashed by murder. Cain leaves the scene, and Abel dies. What will God do to solve this problem?
Perhaps the right name of the story should be “Not Cain, not Abel, but through Seth.”
Seth’s name means “appointed.” As in, selected by God to be used for a specific purpose. God’s purpose.
This is the nature of things.
Leave Your Mother and Father
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24 (NASB)
One of the times a bible character actually does “leave his mother and father to be joined to his wife,” per the note in Genesis 2, is with the story of Jacob… where he fled home to avoid his brother’s wrath, and then ended up marrying two women – Leah and Rachel.
But the first time we see it followed, it’s here with Cain. It makes me wonder if this is a blessing or a curse.
Then Cain left the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and Cain built a city, and named the city Enoch, after the name of his son.
Genesis 4:16-17 (NASB)
Generations
Genesis is full of genealogies.
5:1, 6:9, 10:1, 10:32, 11:10, 11:27, 25:12, 25:19, etc, etc. SO MANY!
They appear linked to blessings. It shows the blessed ones receiving blessings: their offspring.
This is the book of the generations of Adam. On the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.
Genesis 5:1 (NASB)These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
Genesis 6:9 (NASB)Now these are the records of the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and sons were born to them after the flood.
Genesis 10:1 (NASB)
But the FIRST time this word “generations” (tôlḏôṯ) is used, it’s in an odd place, used in an odd way. It doesn’t appear to describe a blessed people at all.
It’s here, in Genesis 2:
[a] This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.
Genesis 2:4 (NASB)
The footnote for [a] says: “Literally: These are the generations”
It’s a “genealogy of the heavens and the earth.”
In the same way the blessing of a generation show the blessed (the parent) and the blessings (the children), perhaps we humans are meant to be a blessing to the heavens and earth God created.
Be Fruitful and Multiply
Some Christians get really weird about “be fruitful and multiply” as though it’s a great sin to be childless. But the text says that God BLESSED THEM and THEN told them to be fruitful (Genesis 1:28). As in, being fruitful is the blessing.
Anyhow, God told the fish the same thing (Genesis 1:22).
Birds are a Problem
In Genesis 1, “be fruitful” is said twice: once to the fish, and once to the humans.
“Increase” is said three times. Still the fish and humans, but with this word, the birds are included. They can multiply, but not be “fruitful.”
Birds are problem in the text.
Why? I don’t know. It is a mystery.