September 6th, 2026
Scripture – “This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood. The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek and Tiras. The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah. The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites and the Rodanites. (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.)”
Genesis 10:1-5 NIV
Observation – God lists the descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.
Application – Most people skip over these chapters because they don’t know the vast majority of the people listed so they feel chapters like this don’t “have anything for them”. If our names were listed, or we could trace our lineage back to one of these people Genesis Chapter 10 would be of great interest to us. Names are important. My dad told me, when I was young, that the sweetest sound to someone’s ears is the sound of their name. People sit through boring uncomfortable three hour graduations to hear the name of their relative. If someone mispronounces your name you might feel slightly offended. Names are important to others, they are important to God and they should be important to us. A very simple way you can make someone feel special is to remember their name and use it when you see them. “Ben, it is nice to see you”, is very different than, “Nice to see you.”
Prayer – God, there are 8 billion people on this planet that you love, that are unique and that have names. Help us to take the time to remember their names and pray for them by name. Amen.
What are you doing? Do it better 