Noah
Noah was a descendant of Seth, the third son of Adam. Seth was placed in the position of Abel based on Abel's faith and offering, which God had accepted. From Adam to Noah, ten generations (1600 years) elapsed.
The ten generations and the 1600 Biblical years carry much spiritual significance.
[Dr. Kim's note: Since we shall use both the Old and New Testaments, we shall follow the chronology recorded in them. Some of the chronologies in Genesis may have been symbolic and not historical.
Revelations are often given in symbolic ways, and the chronology from Adam to Abraham may also have been symbolic. However, we will follow it, as well as the chronology after Abraham, as written in the Old Testament.]
What do these ten generations and 1600 years signify?
The number ten signifies the return to the one. Sixteen is a multiple of the number four, symbolizing the base of four positions, whose establishment is the primary goal of restoration.
Thus, both ten generations and 1600 years signify a full cycle of separation from Satan, which was required as a condition of indemnity.
After this cycle had elapsed, a condition was made, and God could renew the work of restoring what was lost in Adam's family. For this, God chose Noah, who demonstrated his faithful dedication by building an ark for 120 biblical years.
Noah fully obeyed God by carrying out this exceedingly difficult task in a corrupt and faithless age. (Gen. 6:5-22) By constructing the ark, Noah successfully established the Foundation of Faith.
Young Oon Kim
Noah's Ark
The ark was the symbol of the new cosmos, and its three decks represented the three stages of creation. Within the ark, Noah was in the position of both God and Adam. His family represented mankind, and the animals represented the creation.
On this basis, Noah was placed in Adam's position and thus became the father of mankind. To bring a flood judgment to the adulterous age of Noah, God sent torrential rains which lasted 40 days. (Gen. 7)
Forty here is derived from the four positions Noah was to restore and the cycle of ten generations between Adam and Noah. 2
The primary goal of creation was to establish the base of four positions, consisting of God, Adam, Eve, and their children. To restore the four positions, the number 40 has been used in the time intervals of separation from Satan.
Some examples of such periods are: the 40-day flood; the 1600 years from Adam to Noah; the 400 years from Noah to Abraham; the 400 years of slavery in Egypt; Moses' 40 years in an Egyptian palace; Moses' 40 years in Midian and his 40 years in the wilderness; the 40-day fast on Mt. Sinai; the 40 days of spying on Canaan; the 400 years of Judges; the 40-year reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon; Elijah's 40-day fast; Jesus' 40-day fast; 4,000 years from Adam to Jesus; 40 generations from Abraham to Jesus; etc. After the rain, Noah sent forth a raven, which flew about until the waters were dried up from the earth. (Gen. 8:6-13)
The raven represented Satan, who was seeking a chance to invade Noah's family as he had invaded Adam's family. Then Noah sent forth a dove every seven days for three weeks.
The third time, the dove did not return, and Noah knew that the water had subsided. The three flights of the dove represented the three stages of restoration.
Young Oon Kim
Ham's Failure
Noah and his family left the ark and began a new life. The eight members of Noah's family represented the eight people in Adam's core family — Adam and Eve and their three sons and their wives. Thus, the number eight signifies a new start.
Noah's Foundation of Faith was fully manifested in the work of his ark. It was now up to his two oldest sons, Shem and Ham, to establish the Foundation of Substance from the positions of Cain and Abel.
First, however, the second son, Ham, had to inherit Noah's foundation and position as central figure. Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard. One day, he became drunk and fell asleep naked in his tent.
Ham saw the nakedness of Noah and felt shame. Ham told his brothers, Shem and Japheth, who then took a garment and walked backward to cover their father's nakedness. (Gen. 9:20-25)
When Noah awoke and learned what Ham had done, he cursed Ham's son, Canaan, to be a slave to his brothers. The fact that this Satanic sense of shame appeared in Noah's family, specifically in Ham, is of much significance.
When Adam and Eve were innocent, they felt no shame at their nakedness. Such a feeling of shame is not the natural feeling of an innocent man, but a result of the Fall.
When Ham felt shame and conveyed it to his brothers, Satan could claim him. Through Ham's act, Satan invaded Noah's family.
Noah was faithful to God, and Ham should have had complete trust in his father.
Ham's deep reverence and love for Noah should have left no room in his mind for shame. God saw nothing wrong in Noah's nakedness.
From God's point of view, Noah's innocently sleeping naked after partaking of the fruit of the vine was the opposite of Adam's shamefully hiding his nakedness after partaking of the "forbidden fruit." God wanted Ham to see Noah as God did and to inherit Noah's heart of innocence.
For this reason, Ham was shown Noah's nakedness. By uniting with God's perspective, Ham could have become one with God in heart, and thus one with Noah, inheriting Noah's Foundation of Faith.
In this way, Abel's position would be restored in Ham, and he could have moved on to establish the Foundation of Substance with his elder brother Shem.
Ham's feeling of shame showed that he was still related to Satan. He also spread this feeling to his brothers, acting not as God's mediator for them, but as Satan's unwitting agent. Satan thus took over Noah's family.
Because of the failure of Ham, the following conditions were claimed by Satan and lost to God: the 40-day flood judgment; the ten generations from Adam to Noah; Noah's great faith; and lastly, Ham himself, whom God had favored because of his important role as the second son. Until these four conditions were met, God could not start His work again.
Young Oon Kim