How does Genesis 10:31 connect to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20? Genesis 10:31—God’s Nations on the Map “These are the sons of Shem according to their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.” (Genesis 10:31) Matthew 28:19-20—God’s Nations in the Mission “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them … teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Four-Fold Echo: Clans, Languages, Lands, Nations • Genesis lists humanity by the very categories Jesus later targets. • Matthew’s “all nations” (Greek ethnē) answers Genesis’ ethnically diverse table. • God’s Word shows a seamless plan: the peoples He scattered are the peoples He now gathers. From Scattering to Gathering • After the flood, families spread (Genesis 10; 11:9). • At Pentecost, those languages hear one gospel (Acts 2:5-11). • Revelation closes the arc: “every tribe and language and people and nation” worships the Lamb (Revelation 5:9; 7:9). Why the Connection Matters • Assurance: the genealogies are not dry lists; they are God’s promise that no culture is overlooked. • Authority: the same God who numbered the nations commissions us to reach them. • Urgency: every clan, tongue, land, and nation named in Genesis still belongs on our disciple-making radar. Living It Out • Pray and act with a global lens—support missions that target unreached languages. • Celebrate ethnic diversity in the local church as a foretaste of Revelation’s worship scene. • Share the gospel confidently, knowing it was designed for every people group from Genesis onward. |
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