Lesson 3: The Third Dispensation

There is one law that governs all law, the law of our Creator, the law of justice and nations

The Age of Human Government

The Age of Human Government covers that time period from God's covenant with Noah to the call of Abraham. God's covenant with Noah after the Flood established human government. Government was given the right to enforce such laws as capital punishment for premeditated murder. It was also during this dispensation that God changed the dietary laws of man, allowing him to kill and eat animals, but the ingestion the animal's blood was forbidden.

Please open your Bible to Genesis Chapter 8. This dispensation is covered by Genesis 8:20-11:32.

Well, our travels have covered a good distance. We are still in the Book of Genesis, but in a new dispensation. This dispensation opened when God made a covenant with Noah, but God also made the covenant with all of mankind. We are still under that covenant. Yes, we have always had localized floods since Adam, but God's covenant has stood firm, for there has never since then been a repeat of a cataclysmic world wide flood. When God makes a promise, we can count on it.

Adam and his family are no doubt glad to be on dry land. They have set up housekeeping and God now gives Adam some of the principles for this new dispensastion. The doctrine of capital punishment was instituted for premeditated murder - "Whosoever sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." This was set down by God and it has never been recended.

"In keeping with the theme of human government, God gives Noah the first few commands. God tells Noah about a rule we call the death penalty in Genesis 9:6. Remember that when Cain killed Abel, God dealt directly with Cain and did not kill him. There was no death penalty and no human government established to enfore law. But, now God is telling Noah and is establishing His covenant with Noah (Genesis 9:5-10). The human government of this dispensation is different than the governments we have today. This government was all under a single government unit, under a single language (Genesis 11:1). It' not the same as the many city, state, and county governments we have today."

It was during this time, that man banded together and formed the first cities. They also decided to build a tower. This tower will be dealt with in detail in the next section, but briefly, the tower they envisioned was to reach heaven. (Genesis 11:4). Man, today, has come up with several interesting theories why the construction of a tower such as this "angered" God. Whatever their reason for building the tower, they were in direct disobedience to what God had told them to do. The name of that tower you will recognize. It is the Tower of Babel.

Well, before the Tower of Babel, something very disturbing happened in Adam's family. You see, when Adam and his family left the Ark, they were still human, and wherever humankind is, there will be sin. Satan never takes a holiday. But, he did have a "field day" with Adam's three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, although it was Ham who was the "bad guy." Since these three sons were to be responsible for a repopulated earth, wouldn't one think they should be above reproach?

Now, Adam was a husbandman, one who keeped a vineyard. He was a grape grower. It seems clear from Genesis 9:19-21, that Adam enjoyed a good flask, or two, of wine. On this particular occasion, Adam had too many flasks, and became drunk. Drunkenness is a sin. Can't get around that. Adam passed out! Now at an inappropriate time, Ham entered his father's tent and observed him to be naked. Ham went to his two brothers and reported this. So Shem and Japheth entered the tent with a blanket over their shoulders, all the while walking backwards, so as not to lay eyes upon Adam. They dropped the blanket over him and walked out, never once turning to look upon him.

Man's responsibility, and test, during the third dispensation was to obey God through the use of his conscience, restraint by the Holy Spirit, and human government.

The judgment? Confusion of language and scattering of the people.

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