Saving Sodom

Gen 9:27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

Since the time of Adam and Eve in the garden, spiritual influences have governed the long term development of humanity; the customs of family and clan, then walled city-states and finally nations. All of these influences over history are spiritual work in the heart of man. The result of spiritual influences that are not of God has developed a world of chaos and sin. Generally speaking, since the fall man does not seek the influence of God, and cannot hear Him.

Adam could hear God, who was a spirit, and he talked with God daily. How long this lasted no one knows. One thing is certain, Adam and Eve could no longer hear God’s voice after they collectively listened to the influence of another spirit and fell in sin. From that day forward, man has struggled with influences in life that are not seen nor are heard with the ear.

As time went on, God executed His plan to bring man back to Him; to be able to hear Him once again as the strong influence in life.

The flood removed the exceedingly bad outcome of self-governed behavior in humanity. This was because only a select group of people understood the rudimentary principle of worship. It was four generations before man began to call on the name of the Lord after the fall to sin. Noah was one who could hear God and built the vehicle of salvation of a small group of people.

Noah’s three sons started us all over again. The scripture we read here is a promise given to Japheth that is fulfilled by Shem and that encompasses all the rest of human history. This promise is culminated in the savior of all men, Jesus Christ. Yes, tonight we see that God intended to bring man back to him, and God started with Noah’s boys.

Noah was guided by the influence of God and Noah could understand how to live so that God was pleased with him. What we need to seek is a way to hear God and to live so that we please Him.

The promise given in this passage is revealed by examining the idiom of Hebrew culture, the tent. To enlarge the tent meant to increase the number of people living in the tent. You were going to have some kids. To live in the tents of Shem is another idiom that means that Japheth will develop a culture that mimics or is influenced by Shem. Japhethites will develop a society that is similar in structure to that of Shem in terms of law, ethic and morals. Japheth will be blessed by the culture of Shem.

The one group in this equation that did not dwell in the tents of Shem was the Canaanites who developed the really evil serving societies of the planet. Throughout history these people have been on the bottom of the success ladder because they were cursed. That means that society did not receive the blessings of God. This is how Canaan was a servant. They were not blessed with good influences. They did not dwell in the tent of Shem.

We know that the Bible tells us that Shem produced the Hebrews, the bringers of God’s law to mankind. We also know that the non-Jews (Gentiles) are descended from Japheth and Canaan. So there is a representation that bears examining. What is the difference between Gentiles that are Japheth descended as opposed to Canaanites? The answer is the blessing. This is the only thing that separates them as a society.
America is an example of the Japheth model that is heavily influenced by the Hebrews. Our society recognized God and the morals of that Hebrew society. There was no large scale destruction of society as a result of lawlessness and sin. But Sodom was a society that was Canaanite and was the model of cursed societies everywhere.

The alarming news is that now America is going the way of Sodom. This society has promoted promiscuity, especially among the young, and has created a legal system that has started ignoring the ethic and law that the Hebrew society brought to us. Family integrity is dissolving away in the loose lifestyle of strange flesh. Now we have widespread disease and crime. Rampant immorality has produced an escalating death toll due to disease and drug abuse. Alcoholism has become the escape valve that leads to destroyed lives and families.

How did this society become more like Sodom? Why will society lose the blessing?
We left the tents of Shem.