Devotions with Pastor Jared Ritchey

Genesis 10 is an account referred to as the Table of Nations. It shows how the nations of the world all grew out of and descended from Noah’s sons Shem, Japheth, and Ham following the flood. It reads similarly to other Old Testament genealogies but focuses on large groups of people instead of individuals.

Here’s the thing that struck me as interesting as I was reviewing this passage last week. In the Old Testament, Israel had five people groups that were their major enemies: Egypt, the Canaanite Clans, the Philistines, Babylon, and Syria. According to the Table of Nations, four of these five (all except Syria) directly descended from Ham, one of Noah’s sons, whose descendants were cursed by Noah.

This got me thinking: how many major issues have started small? When there’s a crisis, does it immediately start as a crisis? No, usually we can trace that crisis back to either one small event or a series of small events that then snowball into large issues. This is true on both a global and personal level, just like one family causing issue after issue for the nation of Israel. However, in the Biblical narrative, God was able to use all of the conflicts Israel had with their enemies to guide them and shape them into the people that would be the family of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Always remember, God can turn any crisis into an opportunity if we are only faithful to allow him to mature us through it.

Pastor Jared