GENESIS: The Sons of Shem lead to Abram, to whom the Lord said, "and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed!”

The sons of Shem..., their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations. (Genesis 10:22-31)

In the previous lesson, the scriptures went into great detail about the descendants of Noah's sons, Japheth and Ham.  Their descendants would become the Gentile nations, specifically Babylonians, Assyrians, Ninevites, Philistines, all the different "ites" and Canaanites, etc.

Now the scripture will go into detail about Shem's descendants, from whom the Seed of the woman, Christ Jesus would come.  This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood. After he begot Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. (Genesis 11:10-11) 

Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Salah. After he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. Salah lived thirty years, and begot Eber. After he begot Eber, Salah lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg. After he begot Peleg, Eber lived four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu. After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters. Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug. After he begot Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor. After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah. After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters. (Genesis 11:12-25) 

If we notice, the scripture doesn't go into detail about all the sons of each person like the previous scriptures did about Japheth and Ham's descendants. The only important people to mention now are the ones who are directly linked to the genealogy of Christ Jesus' earthly parents.  And the most important are Terah's children.

Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren; she had no child. (Genesis 11:26-30)

Abram and Nahor married their cousins.  As we studied in a previous lesson, incest was necessary during that time to repopulate the land.  They didn't have the health issues back then that later came from inbreeding.  Once the earth was populated enough, God would later command, "None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord." (Leviticus 18:6)

And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran. (Genesis 11:31-32) 

Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. (Genesis 12:1-4)

Why did God choose Abram? Because He did, "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done,..." (Isaiah 46:9-10) God knew what kind of man Abram would become, For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3)

Now going forward, the scriptures will clearly lead us to the Promise, by Whom all the families of the earth shall be blessed.  But before we continue the study of the family of Abram, we have to go study about a man named Job. With all the ways that Satan used and would use the Gentile nations, starting at the tower of Babel, Job will help us understand why God allows certain things to happen, and how it will strengthen us to go forward in faith despite our circumstances, just as he commanded Abram to do.