Commentary on Genesis Part 17

B. NOAH.

1. Remarkableness of the fact that Noah refrained so long from wedlock 86.

2. He was fit to marry, but had reasons for abstaining 87.

3. What his reasons were 88.

4. His chast.i.ty is highly praised by Moses in few words 89.

5. The Jews' lies about the reasons for his chast.i.ty refuted 90-91.

* The Jews' lies as to why Shem was called the first-born 91.

* Papists without reason take offense at Moses relating so much about the birth of the children of the patriarchs 92-93.

6. Noah s.h.i.+nes like a bright star as an example of chast.i.ty among all the patriarchs 93.

7. Noah remained single, not because he despised marriage; and why he finally married 94.

8. How his sons were born one after the other 95-97.

* Why Shem was preferred to j.a.pheth 96.

* How to meet the objections to the birth of Noah's sons 97.

9. Noah an excellent example of chast.i.ty 98.

* The threefold world.

a. The first world a truly golden age and the most holy. How and why it was punished by G.o.d 99-100.

b. The second world is full of idolatry, and will be severely punished by G.o.d 100.

c. The third world is the worst, and hence can expect the hardest punishment 101.

d. The punishment of these three worlds portrayed in the colors of the rainbow 101.

e. How believing hearts act upon considering sin and the world's punishment 102.

B. NOAH.

V. 32. _And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and j.a.pheth._

86. Here again we meet with surprising brevity. As is his custom, Moses expresses in the fewest possible words the greatest and most important things, which the ignorant reader pa.s.ses by un.o.bserved. But you will say, perhaps, Of what import is it that Noah first begat sons when he was five hundred years old? Why, if Noah had no children all those 500 years, he either endured that length of time the severe trial of unfruitfulness or, as appears to me more likely, he abstained from marriage all those years, setting an example of most marvelous chast.i.ty. I do not speak here of the abominable chast.i.ty of the Papists; nor of our own. Look at the prophets and the apostles, and even at some of the other patriarchs, who doubtless were chaste and holy. But what are they in comparison with this man Noah, who, possessed of masculine vigor, managed to live a chaste life without marriage for five hundred years?

87. Now you will scarcely find one in a thousand among the men of our age who, at the age of thirty, has not known woman. Moreover, Noah, after he had lived a single life for so many centuries, at length took to himself a wife, and begat children; which latter fact carries its own proof that he was in a state appropriate for marriage prior to this, and had a definite reason for practicing continence.

88. In the first place, it is evident that such unequaled chast.i.ty must necessarily have been a peculiar gift of G.o.d. It evinced a nature almost angelic. It does not seem a thing possible in the nature of man to live 500 years without knowing a wife. In the next place these five centuries of chast.i.ty in Noah manifest some signal displeasure with the world. For what other reason are we to conclude that he abstained from marriage than because he had seen the descendants of his uncle and aunt degenerate into giants and tyrants, filling the world with violence? He thought in consequence, that he would rather have no children at all than such as those. And my belief is that he would never have taken to himself a wife at all if he had not been admonished and commanded so to do either by the patriarchs or by some angel. He who had refrained from marriage for 500 years might have refrained during all the rest of his life.

89. In this manner Moses explains in brief words exceedingly weighty facts, and, what the ignorant reader would never observe owing to the failure of chast.i.ty being mentioned in express words, he commends the chast.i.ty of Noah above that of all the other inhabitants of the primeval world, setting him up as an example of all but angelic chast.i.ty.

90. The Jews, according to their custom, play the fool, and fable that Noah for centuries denied himself a wife because he knew that G.o.d would destroy the world by the flood. If, therefore, Noah had married, like all the other patriarchs, in the earlier part of his life--that is, when he was about a hundred years old or less--he himself would have peopled the world in the s.p.a.ce of 400 years; and then G.o.d would have been compelled to destroy both the father himself and the whole of his progeny. To this fable they add the other, that Shem was called the first-born for the reason that he was the first to receive circ.u.mcision.

91. In a word, these Jews corrupt everything and twist it to suit their own carnal bent and ambition. If Noah abstained from marriage for the reason which they a.s.sign, why did not all the other patriarchs, for the same reason, abstain from marriage and fatherhood?

These comments of the rabbins are accordingly frivolous and nonsensical. Why do they not rather urge the real cause, that it was a special gift that Noah, a vigorous man, abstained from marriage for five hundred years? Throughout the course of time no instance of such continence is found.

92. The book of Genesis highly offends the Papists because it mentions so often that the fathers begat sons and daughters. They say of this book that it is a book in which little more is contained than the record that the patriarchs were men of extravagant love for their wives; and they consider it obscene that Moses should make mention of such things with such attention to detail. But, in the impurity of their hearts, they can not refrain from befouling the most exalted chast.i.ty.

93. If you would really behold the brightest examples of chast.i.ty the whole world contains, read Moses as he relates that the patriarchs did not marry until they were of advanced age. Among them Noah s.h.i.+nes forth a star of first magnitude, inasmuch as he did not marry until he had reached the five hundredth year of his life. Where will you find such eminent examples of chast.i.ty in the papacy? Although there are some among the Papists who do not actually sin with their bodies, yet how foul and filthy are their minds! And all this is judgment upon their contempt for marriage, which G.o.d himself has designed to be a remedy for the corruption of nature.

94. Another reason why Noah refrained from marriage has been mentioned. He did not condemn marriage, nor did he consider it to be a profane or impure manner of life; but he saw that the descendants of the elder patriarchs had degenerated to the level of the unG.o.dly generation of the Cainites. Such children as these he felt he could not endure; he rather waited, in the fear of G.o.d, the end of the world. When afterwards he did enter into marriage, and begat children, he no doubt did it by reason of some particular admonition and command of G.o.d.

95. Here a question naturally arises concerning the order in which Noah's sons were born. It will be worth our while to inquire into this matter, so that our computation of the years of the world may have a reliable basis. The common opinion is that Shem was the first-born of Noah, because his name is mentioned first in order. The testimony of Scripture, however, compels us to conclude that j.a.pheth was the first-born, Shem the second, and Ham the last. The truth of this is proved in the following manner: Shem begat his son Arpachshad two years after the flood, when he was 100 years old, Gen 11, 10. Hence Shem was 98 years old when the flood came, and Noah, when Shem was born, was 498 years old. But j.a.pheth was evidently born before Shem, for he was the elder brother, Gen 10, 21. It plainly follows, therefore, that only Ham, the youngest brother, was born when Noah was 500 years old.

96. The reason why Shem is mentioned before j.a.pheth is not because he was first circ.u.mcised, as the Jews, who always are hunting carnal glory, falsely claim, but because it was through him that Christ, the promised seed, was to come. For the same reason, Abraham, the youngest, is given precedence to his brothers, Haran and Nahor.

97. But you will perhaps say, How does this agree with the text which positively says, "Noah was five hundred years old; and Noah begat Shem, Ham and j.a.pheth"? Harmony is restored if you make out of the preterit a pluperfect, and read the pa.s.sage thus:--When Noah was five hundred years old he had begotten Shem, Ham, and j.a.pheth. Moses does not record the particular year in which each son was born, but merely mentions the year in which the number of sons born to Noah reached three. Thus the biblical record is reduced to harmony.

98. As conclusion to the fifth chapter Moses presents the finest and most noteworthy example of chast.i.ty. Saintly and continent throughout his career, Noah had just rounded out his fifth century when he began married life. Thus far, he had renounced matrimony, repelled by the licentiousness of the young, who were drifting into the depravity of the Cainites. Notwithstanding, at the call of G.o.d, he obediently entered upon marriage, although it was quite possible for him to remain chaste, as a celibate.

99. Such is the description given by Moses of the first, the original world, in five brief chapters. But it is readily seen that in the beginning was the real golden age of which poets have made mention, their information being doubtless the traditions and the utterances of the fathers.

100. But as the sins of men increased, G.o.d spared not the old world, but destroyed it by a flood utterly, even as he did not spare it when under the dispensation of the Law. Because of its idolatry and the impiousness of its wors.h.i.+p, he not only overturned one kingdom after another, but even his own people, the Jews, having been severely punished at his hands by various afflictions and captivities, were at length utterly destroyed by the Roman armies.

101. Our age, which is the third age of the world, although it is the age of grace, is so filled with blasphemies and abominations that it is not possible either to express them in language or to form a mental image of them. This age therefore shall not be punished by temporal punishment, but by eternal death and eternal fire, or, if I may so express it, by a flood of fire. The very rainbow even, with its colors, contains a prophetic intimation of these things. The first color is sea-green, representing the destruction of the first world by the waters of the flood, because of violence and l.u.s.t; the middle color of the bow is yellow, prefiguring the various calamities by which G.o.d avenged the idolatry and wickedness of the second age; the third and last color of the bow is fiery red, for fire shall at length consume the world, with all its iniquities and sins.

102. Wherefore, let us constantly pray that G.o.d may so rule our hearts by his fear and may so fill us with confidence in his mercy, that we are able with joy to await our deliverance and the righteous punishment of this unG.o.dly world. Amen. Amen.

CHAPTER VI.

I. THE SINS OF THE FIRST WORLD, THE CAUSE OF ITS DESTRUCTION.

* How this chapter and the preceding one are connected 1.

* It is terrible that G.o.d destroyed by a flood the first world, which was the best 2.

* Of pride and the proud.

1. How G.o.d humbles what is high and grand in the eyes of the world and has the best gifts 3-4.

* How man can meet the judgments of G.o.d 4.

2. The more gifts man has the greater his pride 5.