The Sons of Shem
A Devotional Series from Genesis
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7/31 Reading Portions: Judges 14; Acts 18; Jeremiah 27; Mark 13
Genesis 10:22
The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
SONS
Shem had five sons listed in the verse above. Of these five sons, only the sons and the sons of Arpachshad are mentioned. This does not mean that Elam, Asshur, or Lud did not have progeny. More than likely, they were; however, their sons, and their lineage after them, provided no real significance for the exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ, nor do those details provide any benefit to the gospel message and instruction for the faithful Old and New Testament believers in Messiah. Yet these five sons of Shem are recorded in holy writ, so they are worth a moment or two of consideration and meditation. Since Arpachshad and Aaram are mentioned latter with their sons, we will today concentrate on the three sons whose genealogies had not been listed: Elam, Asshur, and Lud.
The descendants of Elam are considered to have settled east of Mesopotamia, beyond the Tigris River. The descendants of Asshur are considered to have settled in northern Mesopotamia, in what would later become the Assyrian Empire. The descendants of Lud are considered to have settled in Lydia of Asia Minor.
Chedorlaomer would become king of Elam and then lead a confederation with three other kings to conquer five kings in Canaan (Gen 14:1-16); whereas Abram the Hebrew would defeat Chedorlaomer and his confederation to save his nephew Lot and liberate the five kings of Canaan. The Assyrian Empire (Asshur) would take the Northern Kingdom of Israel captive in 722 BC (2 Ki 15:29). And Lydia (Lud) was the region that contained seven cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
By these three sons we have simple gospel messages. First, in Elam we see his descendant, wicked Chedorlaomer being defeated by a faithful man, Abram. Second, in Asshur we see the consequences for sin is God’s judgment; and upon earth until Christ returns, that judgment often comes through the vehicle of sinful men. Finally, in Lud we see the Lord Jesus sending messages to each church in the cities mentioned above, through His messenger, and that messenger in turn, speaks to John (Rev 1:1; 2:1-3:22). By these three sons, we have three wonderful gospel messages: (1) trust Christ; (2) fear Christ; and (3) hear Christ. Hallelujah! What a Savior!