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Patriarchs and Prophets
corruption until they passed the limits of divine forbearance. Then
they were dispossessed, and became bondmen to the descendants of
Shem and Japheth.
The prophecy of Noah was no arbitrary denunciation of wrath or
declaration of favor. It did not fix the character and destiny of his
sons. But it showed what would be the result of the course of life they
had severally chosen and the character they had developed. It was an
expression of God’s purpose toward them and their posterity in view
of their own character and conduct. As a rule, children inherit the
dispositions and tendencies of their parents, and imitate their example;
so that the sins of the parents are practiced by the children from
generation to generation. Thus the vileness and irreverence of Ham
were reproduced in his posterity, bringing a curse upon them for many
generations. “One sinner destroyeth much good.”
Ecclesiastes 9:18
.
On the other hand, how richly rewarded was Shem’s respect for his
father; and what an illustrious line of holy men appears in his posterity!
“The Lord knoweth the days of the upright,” “and his seed is blessed.”
Psalm 37:18, 26
. “Know therefore that the Lord thy God He is God,
the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that
love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations.”
Deuteronomy 7:9
.
For a time the descendants of Noah continued to dwell among the
mountains where the ark had rested. As their numbers increased, apos-
tasy soon led to division. Those who desired to forget their Creator and
to cast off the restraint of His law felt a constant annoyance from the
teaching and example of their God-fearing associates, and after a time
they decided to separate from the worshipers of God. Accordingly they
journeyed to the plain of Shinar, on the banks of the river Euphrates.
They were attracted by the beauty of the situation and the fertility of
the soil, and upon this plain they determined to make their home.
Here they decided to build a city, and in it a tower of such stu-
pendous height as should render it the wonder of the world. These
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enterprises were designed to prevent the people from scattering abroad
in colonies. God had directed men to disperse throughout the earth, to
replenish and subdue it; but these Babel builders determined to keep
their community united in one body, and to found a monarchy that
should eventually embrace the whole earth. Thus their city would
become the metropolis of a universal empire; its glory would com-