When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. (Genesis 11:10 ESV)
Fear Not… Then Mind your Boundaries
In one of Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry movies, Harry profoundly utters, “A man’s gotta know his limitations.” And Shem knew it, too.
The world after the flood was an intimidating place. All the old landmasses had changed. All the old civilization had sunk. All the old ways were condemned, erased, and forgotten. Shem, and his family, all had to start over. And two years after the flood, Shem named a son Arpachshad, which means, “boundaries.”
The flood was the result of mankind ignoring God’s boundaries, particularly the worship and moral kind. As Shem began to take part in the new world, perhaps he named his son in a way that would remind everyone of the importance of accepting God’s limits.
Shem’s line eventually led to the Messiah. A few hiccoughs along the way might have caused his descendants, and those around them, to grow concerned about the state of things.
We could also have those concerns today.
But Arpachshad reminds us of the blueprint for society. God’s instructions, God’s stated desires, God’s expectations are all necessary limitations.
Not only is it ‘safer’ inside of God’s boundaries, it is the best place to be.
Fear not, then mind your boundaries.