Chapter II: The Prophecy

Thus far we have not gone beyond the _historical_ truth of the Pentateuch; but now let us turn to the _prophecy_,—that most remarkable prophecy of Noah, in which he foreshadowed the future destiny of the great families. Let us consider the three prophecies in the order in which they stand.

(1.) Canaan. There is something inexpressibly awful in the words respecting Canaan, and they are full of instruction respecting sin. They show what an awful thing sin is in the sight of God, and how superficial is man’s estimate of its guilt; for here is a whole race laid under a solemn curse in consequence of the sin of its head. As Adam brought a curse on the world, so Ham brought one on Canaan. The curse inflicted in that case was bondage, and the prophecy was that Canaan should be a servant of servants to both his brethren: _i.e._ to both Shem and Japheth. And now look at the fulfilment.

Take first a period about 1,000 years after the prophecy was given, when the Canaanites were still in the promised land, and Israel, the descendants of Shem, came up from Egypt. The conflict then was between Shem and Canaan, and what was the result? The greater part of the Canaanites were destroyed, and those that remained were reduced to abject slavery. The prediction was fulfilled, and Canaan became the slave of Shem.

But some may say that all that was a long time ago, and only matter of ancient history.

Let us then turn to our own times, and consider facts that are within our own observation. How is it that our own West Indian islands are peopled with negroes? Is it not because we English made slaves of the Africans, or, in other words, because Japheth made a slave of Canaan? How is it that there is a negro population amounting to 4,000,000 in the United States? Is it not for the name reason, that Japheth made a slave of Canaan? How is it that up to the year 1807, when the slave trade was abolished, the West Coast of Africa was made the hunting-ground for all the leading nations of Europe? What was it but the simple fulfilment of this prophecy, in which it was foretold that Japheth should make a slave of Canaan?

And now turn to the Eastern coast of Africa, and the present negotiations now going on in Egypt. One of the great difficulties of these negotiations arises from the horrors of the East African slave trade. There is an extensive trade in slaves being carried on at this very time all along the East Coast of Africa. There are gangs of miserable victims being driven at this very hour to the principal slave markets. And who are the great offenders in that most nefarious and wicked traffic? The Arabs, some still living in Arabia, and some settled in Egypt at the time of the great Arab invasion of the country. And who are the Arabs, and to which race do they belong? I believe it is agreed by all parties that they are Semitic, or from Shem. So that the result is that poor Canaan has been enslaved by both his brethren—on the west by Japheth, and on the east by Shem; and however deeply we deplore the woes of Africa, and however earnestly we should arise as one man to urge our rulers to use their powers to put down the accursed trade, we must look on the fact of its existence with reverent wonder, and learn from those miserable slave gangs a most solemn lesson as to the abiding truth of the prophecies of God.

(2.) But now let us turn to Shem, where we have a brighter prospect; for on the mention of his name the prophet exclaims, “Blessed be the LORD God of Shem,” or rather, “Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem.” Now here we have not merely an act of praise, but a prophecy; for there is a clear prediction that Jehovah should be the God of Shem. Canaan and Japheth might worship devils and false gods, and bow down before man-made idols; but the God of Shem should be Jehovah Himself, and Shem should be distinguished by the fact that Jehovah should be his God. And is not this precisely what has happened? Up to the time of our blessed Saviour what nation was there in the world that worshipped Jehovah except the seed of Abraham? It was the sacred calling of that family to stand out alone as witnesses before an apostate world to the great principle—“Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” It was Shem, and Shem alone, that worshipped the one self-existent, omnipotent, omnipresent, and everlasting Jehovah.

The great prophecy, therefore, was most literally fulfilled in fact. But if we understand the name “Jehovah” as applied to the promised seed of the woman, the Saviour who was to come, the fulfilment is still more remarkable; for it was in the line of Shem that the Coming One appeared. No trouble is taken in the Scriptures to record the genealogies of either Ham or Japheth, and they terminate with two generations. But the sacred line of Shem is carefully preserved. We have every link given, from Adam to Abraham, and after that from Abraham to the Lord Jesus; so that if we thus understand the title Jehovah, the prophecy would mean, Blessed be the Coming One, the Lord Jesus, the Christ, the God of Shem; and we should see in it the prophecy that the coming deliverer, the deliverer promised to Eve, should arise out of the family of Shem, so that in him and his seed should all nations of the world be blessed. I need not stop to point out how exactly this prophecy was fulfilled in the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ about 2,300 years after it was spoken by Noah.

(3.) But now for Japheth.

The meaning of the name is generally considered to be “enlargement,” and the prophecy is that he should be enlarged. The meaning of this must be, that he should be gifted with what may be termed a spreading power. His great characteristic is to be expansion, or, the enlargement of his borders. Now think for one moment of Europe and Europeans. Think of Europe as the home of the sons of Japheth according to the Scriptures, or of the Aryans according to the men of science. And may we not appeal to any one who will take the trouble to look around the world at this present day, and ask whether this power of spreading is not one of the most peculiar and exceptional features of the European family? Ham and Shem are not spreading anywhere; but Japheth everywhere. Why, look at this little island of our own—one of the very least of the “isles of the Gentiles”—and see how its people have spread. Not only has it peopled the vast continent of America, but it possesses at this present time such a colonial empire that the sun never sets on the dominions of our Queen. Most truly and most remarkably in our own case has God enlarged Japheth, and so made England a “witness to the truth” of the prophecy which He gave through Noah no less than 4,000 years ago.

But there still remains that last clause, “He shall dwell in the tents of Shem,” and, as we ought never to speak too dogmatically respecting the prophetic Word, I am free to admit that it is not perfectly clear in what sense it should be understood.

It may refer to the spreading of the Europeans into all the nations of the world, and so dwelling in the tents of Shem; and if there were nothing more than our own settlements in foreign lands, there would be the most complete fulfilment of the prophecy.

But surely there is more. And especially there is one remarkable fulfilment, which I cannot help thinking must have been intended in the prophecy. Now let us remember that the Lord and His coming is the centre, or turning-point, of the whole prophetic Word. Let us not forget how we found that the prophecy respecting Shem appeared distinctly to foretell His advent. Now when the predicted time came, and the promised Jehovah appeared, why did He not take His place on the throne of David, and why did He not reign in the tents of Shem? The Holy Land had all been given to Abraham, and belonged to the family of Shem; but when the Lord, the God of Shem, came, there was neither throne nor kingdom for Him, and He had not even where to lay His head. How could this be? And what had become of the royal throne? The answer is most remarkable. The Romans were on it, or, in prophetic words, Japheth was dwelling in the tents of Shem. The Romans were sons of Japheth, and by them the Lord, the God of Shem, was supplanted on His throne.

But, though that was a clear, literal, and most remarkable fulfilment of the prophecy, I cannot help thinking that in these words the Spirit of God referred to something higher. When St. James was speaking of the call of the Gentiles at what has been termed the council of Jerusalem, as recorded, Acts xv. 15, he quoted the words, “I will build again the tabernacle of David.” The conversion of the Gentiles was compared, therefore, to their admission into the tabernacle of David. And so the safety of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is compared by David himself to the shelter of God’s tabernacle, as, _e.g._, in Psalm xxvii. 5, where we read, “In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me.” Now, bearing in mind the great fact that Jehovah is the God of Shem, and that the predicted Redeemer came from Shem, may we not believe that the tent, or the tabernacle of Shem, was the prophetic figure of the safety provided in the promised Son of God? The word Shem means “name,” and there may be something in the passage not unlike those other words, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” Now if the passage were so understood, it would lead to the conclusion that Japheth would shelter himself under the Jehovah of Shem, and so dwell, as it were, in his tent, or under his tabernacle. It would lead us to expect a salvation through the Jehovah of Shem, bestowed on Japheth in such a way that Japheth should become possessor of Shem’s inheritance.

Now if that view of the prophecy commend itself to your judgment, remember that Noah spoke more than 4,000 years ago, and then look at the present position of the world. In what quarters of the globe do we find at this present time the most general recognition of the God of Shem? Which of the continents are most prominent in the honour paid to His name? Certainly neither Africa nor Asia; neither Ham nor even Shem itself. Beyond all controversy the two great Christian continents that are dwelling under Jehovah of Shem are the two peopled by Japheth; viz., Europe and America. Explain it as we may, the facts are most remarkable. The Lord Jesus Christ came from Shem, and, according to the language of scientific men, was Semitic, whereas by far the great majority of those who believe in His Name are from Japheth, or, according to men of science, Aryans. Shem has rejected its own Saviour; but Japheth has received Him, so that, under our own eyes, and at this present time, Japheth is dwelling in the tents of Shem. I know well how grievous a perversion of truth there is throughout Europe, and I do not for one moment maintain that the worship is pure; but still the name of Jehovah, the God of Shem, as manifested in the Lord Jesus Christ, is avowedly honoured, and we sons of Japheth are at this present moment abiding in His tent.

Now how are we to explain all this? How are we to explain the agreement between the conclusions of modern science and the historical fact of the threefold division which occurred more than 4,000 years ago? How again are we to account for the fulfilment of the prophetic Word? How do we explain the fact that, in exact accord with the prophecy, Canaan is the servant of servants; that it was from Shem that the Lord appeared; that Japheth is at this day remarkable for enlargement; and that we ourselves at this very moment are assembled to worship in the house of the God of Shem? It is impossible to believe that the book of Genesis was written to suit the conclusions of modern science; for these conclusions were utterly unknown at the time of its composition. It is impossible to believe that it is the result of design in our scientific men, for such an idea would indeed dishonour science. It is equally impossible to believe that the agreement was the result of chance or accident; for there are far too many points, both in the history and prophecy, to render such accidental coincidence possible. It is like a complicated lock which can only be opened by the key that was made to fit it. No; there is only one solution of the problem. As for the history, science agrees with it, and therefore confirms its truth; and as for the prophecy, it could have had its origin in no human calculation of the future; for how should Noah make any calculation respecting the state of this nineteenth century? But all is plain if we believe it to be inspired. He who inspired the prophecy, He saw the end from the beginning. He knew all, and by the lips of Noah he foretold what he foreknew; and thus we are brought to the conclusion, so plainly stated by St. Peter—“The prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

THE JEWS.