Shem was the father of all the sons of Eber. (Genesis 10:21)
What are our dreams for our children (and grandchildren)? Star athletes? Tops in their field? Most popular YouTuber? High paying, well respected, famous job? In Genesis 10 we see a “listing” of Noah’s descendants in what’s known as the “Table of Nations.” We could go through and piece together which countries and peoples are represented in Genesis 10, but what’s stands out to me is the description of Ham vs Shem.
More paragraphs and more detail appear to be dedicated to Ham than to Japeth or Shem. Much attention is paid to the powerful and mighty Nimrod…who was the first conqueror, first king, who established the first nation (Assyria) on earth. Noteworthy, right? In contrast, the author records “Shem was the father of all the sons of Eber” without any special attention. At first glance, it could appear that Ham’s legacy was best. But notice that Ham’s line includes Babylon (conquered Israel and took them into captivity), Nineveh (wicked city), Philistines, Jebusites, Amorites, and Girgashites (enemies of Israel), Sodom, and Gomorrah. Not to mention Ham’s son, Canaan, was cursed in Genesis 9! Eber fathers a priestly line and is where we get the word “Hebrew” as the name of the language (likely inherited thru Eberʻs family after the Tower of Babel) and name of the Hebrew people. Shem, through Eber, leads to Abraham and ultimately to Joseph and a carpenter known as Jesus.
Do we seek glory and fame as the ʻbest resultsʻ for our offspring? God can certainly bless those who call on Him, but we should place greater value on their spiritual condition and the content of their character than earthly riches or fame.