Here are the verses:
20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him,
Maybe this is an over allegorization but I am going to go for it anyway and then let you guys rebuke me. When I used to read this, I had no clue what it was about. I thought to my self big deal! Dude got a little tipsy, okay he got bonafide wasted but “we all sin and fall short of the glory of God” right? I am pretty sure there are many Christians who struggle with alcoholism or has a bit too much to drink or has a celebration at their home and has a bit too much to drink. And just in case you ask, no smoking cigarettes and drinking are not sins regardless of what many of my <clears throat> Baptist brethren tell you.
So after reading this I thought to myself man the punishment for telling your brothers “dudes, daddy got tore up” seemed to be a bit odd to me. Noah literally cursed his son. For saying “daddy got drunk and is naked”?!!! Man that seems cruel and unusual. That is like cutting off your kids arms because he took the cookie out of the cookie jar and he is only 2! But again I knew there was something going on, but I just went in the same ol’ Christian fashion which is “I don’t understand, and it isn’t a big deal”. Whew! Tell Ham and Canaan that!
But after reading something over at Smulo Space, I believe the Holy Spirit gave me an aha moment. So again this will be in usual fashion for me during the last few weeks and that is confession for you so that you don’t make the mistakes I made! Okay here we go. Ted Haggard was one of the most popular evangelical leaders in the U.S. He was James Dobson’s poster boy for evangelicalism! He had one of the biggest churches in the United States of America and was an adviser for President Bush. He stood arm in arm with Focus on the Family, and was well on his way to being on front of many Christian Magazines. He was sort of like Olsteen with a mean streak! For the most part I liked the dude’s ministry. Charismatic yet Conservative, Sort of Fundamental but yet fun! But then out of the sky BAAAAAMMMMMM! He was caught in a scandal! A huge scandal one that involved homosexuality (that he was against vocally) and adultery (didn’t I tell you he was down with FOTF) and it hit national news (listen to me carefully never covet the national spotlight and never ever let it define you, if so they will crush you like the planet Mars hitting a grape!). His stock fell faster than Enron’s, no it was more like Milli Vanilli after the “Blame it on the, blame it on it, blame it on it <record skips>” fiasco!
And guess what the community of grace! Paaaauuusssee! We are a community of grace aren’t we! If anyone is to be the most gracious for the whole world to see, shouldn’t it be us? Like, our foundation is Grace isn’t it (Ephesians 2)?! Wait, wait, “God so loved that He gave”, has anything been more gracious than that? Okay let me try this “you were dead in trespasses and sins BUT God made you alive”, oh, oh, I know, how about this one “while we were yet enemies Christ died”! I have at least 500 more but I will digress for time and space sake! Dude the only reason I am alive, you are alive, you are a Christian, you have eyesight, you can breath, you don’t have Downs, you weren’t born a crack baby, you don’t have AIDS is because of GRACE! Okay I am done with that one.
So what did the church do for Mr. Haggard! We joined in the public scorning with the media is what we did. We became “Rearview Mirror Prophets”! You know the ones who knew everything about everything but didn’t decide to express it until it already happened! Get outta of here! We joined the media in exposing him, oh yeah back the verses, exposing his nakedness!
Let me explain. It wasn’t about Noah’s nakedness, it was about Ham’s wickedness! What was his wickedness? The fact that he saw his father, vulnerable, in a shameful predicament, full of sin, he had fallen! The great Noah who God used to save humanity was now in a cave drunk and naked (after seeing that many people drown I probably would have needed a drink or two also, pregnant women, elderly, little babies, they all drowned, I probably would have tried to find some soil on the boat to plant something)! And instead of covering his father, he runs to expose his sin! To expose his shame, to make a public announcement (don’t forget they are the only ones around) about this old drunk fool! So that is why I believe he was cursed! Not because of what he did but why he did it! He didn’t go ask for help from Shem to cover his father, he wanted to show everyone the folly of his dad! A man God just used as a picture of the redemption of Jesus Christ!
You know what though? Ham does not have the living God indwelling him in the person of the Holy Spirit. The third person in the living Trinity taking up residence in his life! The problem with that is that we do! But just like Ham, we expose the shame, the embarrassment, we make a public announcement of others failures! The problem is I can’t understand for the life of me why! Why do we do that. Why are we so quick to run and tell others about the brother caught in sin, instead of doing what Paul commands the Galatians in chapter 6 of the epistle with the same name:
6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
You see we as believers have an opportunity to be Shems and Japheths in the Christian Community. It is a proven fact that many will fall, many will engage in gross sins, but when that arises what should we do? We should be a place of refuge and safety. We should cover our brothers and sisters short comings! Why? Because this is the nature of Christ. “Blessed is the man, who’s sin is not counted against him”. But not only that we love to have our sins covered. We love for Jesus to not expose us, for Him to give us an opportunity to get it right! It is evident by the fact we don’t confess all of our faults.
I close with this. The Church should look like Shem and Japheht, when the opportunity arose for them to feel good about themselves and laugh at their fathers nakedness, like their brother (who just so happened to be extended grace by allowing to escape the wrath of God) they did not. They were like God who covered Adam and Eve’s nakedness (remember Paul says “be imitators of God”). They were the Old Testament example of a grace and covering sin! Yes many Christians are in the spotlight, many of them are weak and immature. Some of them become Christians after living publicly lewd lifestyles and yes many of them are on TBN and Daystar! But they are our brothers and sisters, when the opportunity arises let us be like Shem and Japheth and let us rebuke all who have the wicked intentions of Ham!
I appreciate this post. It is very good. Thanks.
Thanks Brian!
Lionel,
How I would like to spend much time talking with you! God has given you a great gift.
Our dear brother,Dave Black got there first in mentioning Gal.6:1, which has been an important verse of Scripture for me. If only we would understand how God’s great grace in a person MUST trigger the actions of that verse.
I’ve got to tell you: Your turn of phrase often has me chuckling as well as scratching my head for a few moments.
I love it!!
Thanks again for a great article!
Bro. Lionel,
You should have seen the faces in bible study this past several weeks. We have been discussing this very topic. Here’s how it went. We started with “Repentance”, which led to a discussion on “Prayer” the next week, which led to a discussion on “Forgiveness” the next week, which led to a two-week discussion on the “One Another”’s of the New Testament. And Galatians 6 was a highlight. There is such an opportunity for grace and intimacy with one another in the living out of this text. Wow!
No it wasn’t an over allegorization.
Aussie J,
You would have to cover my nakedness friend. LOL! Thank you so much for your kind words. LOL @ the chuckling phrase one of my friends told me “you have a huge imaginiation” I guess I didn’t grow up to fast! :O)
BLD,
I don’t think we ever truely grow without this type of community. Jesus comes to make us whole but the Christian Community seems to do a very good job at helping people stay sick. I am often guilty but I am praying for radical change my man!
lionel,
i thank God for using you to write this post. (i also visited smulo’s blog as well). i was convicted to the point of tears because i am so guilty of the sin of ham. i’ve often pointed an accusatory finger at those who have fallen while all the while forgetting that God’s grace covered me and sometimes for the very same offense!
i’ve often been like the one in matt. 18 who forgot that my HUGE debt was forgiven and was willing to strangle someone else for a lesser debt. i’ve been a major hypocrite. i’ve repented and am also praying for radical change.
Brother you nailed it.
There is so much Christian myth, supposition and garbage written about that biblical account that many times the true lesson is missed.
We do not need to speculate about or super sensationalize what we think Ham did with or to his father.
The text is plain and simple Ham exposed his father’s weakness and sin instead of covering up his father’s sin.
…love covers a multitude of sins…
I have been slowly reading through and meditating the gospels and have taken to playing a little game called: You might be a Pharisee if…kind of like the Jeff Foxworthy you might be a redneck if theme and then applying it to my life.
Most recently this caught my eye:
The scribes and the Pharisees watching Jesus closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him. Luke 6:7
It goes something like this:
If you go to church in order to carefully observe people so that you can find a reason to accuse them, you might be a Pharisee.
Hutch,
Let me have it! We can add it to the remix brother! LOL!!!!
Mav,
I am growing with you sister! I ain’t got it because I laughed at Haggard a few years back. Shame on me! But I am glad that many of his congregants stood by him. Yes he should have been removed and counsled but maybe he should be restored look at David and Peter!
Great post! Thanks for mentioning mine.
truth is, i had never heard of ted haggard until he was in the media spotlight. actually, i never heard of a lot of these preachers until they were exposed for their folly in the media. but that’s not the point. i was still quick to judge harshly others that i DID KNOW when they were overtaken in a fault or easily besetted by a particular sin (nevermind that i may have been guilty of committing the same sin or not).
i really hate that i did that and i pray i never become that hypocrite again.
hutch & lionel,
i still would like to know why ham’s son was cursed along with his father. i never understood that part of noah’s pronouncement in verses 25-27. thanks
Mrs. Mav,
If I may chime in,
Since Ham had already been blessed by God in Genesis 9:1, along with Noah and his other sons, and God’s blessing could not be reversed by Noah (remember what Isaac told Esau about not being able to reverse his blessing upon Jacob), then instead Noah was “forced” to curse Ham’s son. He was able to do this because it was before God declared that he would not visit the sins of the father upon the son.
If I may allegorize (or whatever it is I am about to do), Christ came to take away even this curse. Christ said that the “greatest” of all would be the servant.
Mrs Mav-
Here are some thoughts on how we might understand that portion of scripture.
The names of Noah’s sons are always listed in the same order in the Bible. However Japheth was actually the oldest, Shem the middle son, and Ham the youngest.
Genesis 9 records an incident in Noah’s life which provoked a major family crisis. We are not told how long after the Flood the incident of Noah’s drunkenness occurred. It must have been many years or more likely many decades after the Flood, so at the very least Noah’s grandchildren had been born and were probably present, probably as young adults.
The infrastructure of the great civilization which existed before the Flood was all gone, farming and animal husbandry supported the family of Noah as they grew in number. They lived at first only in tents. Permanent buildings and cities came later.
The youngest son Ham happened into his father’s tent when Noah was drunk, asleep, and naked. Some commentators have suggested Ham committed some sexual misdeed, but this is not likely. His sin was more likely that he boasted to his brothers about seeing their father naked–thus dishonoring Noah greatly. Shocked and alarmed, Japheth and Shem took a robe and walked backwards into the tent, covering their father, but not allowing themselves to see him naked.
Upon waking, Noah is made aware of Ham’s behavior and he evidently makes it an occasion for a family conference. As the family Patriarch, Noah makes cryptic prophetic remarks about his sons and their futures as he sees it unfolding. Later on Jacob for instance would do a similar thing.
Noah says nothing about Ham, but rather he picks out one of Ham’s sons, Canaan, evidently the youngest: “The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.”
So, why would Noah curse Canaan instead of is father Ham who was the one who actually dishonored Noah by broadcasting his sin and weakness?
Does the text indicate that Noah was actually cursing his grandson as an act of retribution for Ham’s actions?
This causes us to ask some questions:
1. Can an individual then of now chose to curse somebody and have that come to pass.
2. Would that be honoring to God and would God honor that curse if it originated with Noah?
I believe scripture clearly answers these questions for us and the answer is an emphatic No.
We have the ability to look at these verses in light of history and to see how history played out in the lives of the descendants of Noah. These verses are probably best understood as a prophecy that God gave to Noah concerning his family and history.
The curse on Canaan should not be seen as a capricious and rash retribution against his father Ham by Noah, but as a just punishment by God for the actions that the descendants of Canaan will historically engage in.
Keep in mind that when it comes to the individuals mentioned in the bible, their complete history, individual sins, experiences and conversations are not recorded-what is recorded is everything that God saw fit for us to know in order for Him to progressively reveal Himself to us.
So what is recorded in Genesis 9 far exceeds just addressing the issue of Noah’s sin being revealed by Ham.
History of course confirms that Canaan’s offspring were indeed a grossly immoral lot.
This prophetic word may serve as a guide for the human race as well as for a solemn warning for all times to come.
BTW, I will interrupt the flow of my answer to state this: Much serious misunderstanding has grown out of a refusal to take this word at its actual face value, especially the word “Canaan.” Ham is not cursed, no matter how freely pro-slavery men may have employed this text. Canaan is the fourth son of Ham (10:6) and so may roughly be said to represent one fourth of the Hamitic offspring. He alone is under consideration here. The rest of the Hamitic offspring apparently, does not come under consideration because as it is not cursed.
Now the descendants of Canaan, according to 10:15-20, are the peoples that afterward dwelt in Phoenicia and in the so-called land of Canaan, Palestine. That they became races accursed in their moral impurity is apparent from passages such as 15:16; 19:5; Lev. 18 and 20; Deut. 12:31. In Abraham’s day the measure of their iniquity was already almost full. By the time of the entrance of Israel into Canaan under Joshua the Canaanites, collectively also called the Amorites, were ripe for divine judgment through Israel, His scourge. Sodom left its name for the unnatural vice its inhabitants practiced. The Phoenicians and the colony of Carthage surprised the Romans by the depth of their depravity.
Noah’s prophecy contains an outline sketch of history, focused in a general way on the descendants of Noah’s three sons. As such it has three parts: 1) a curse on Canaan, the son of Ham, and blessings upon 2) Shem and 3) Japheth.
The curse on Canaan is the most difficult to understand because, as we suggested in an earlier question, it is hard to see why he should be cursed rather than his father, who actually did the wrong. But we note the following. First, it is a biblical principle during the times of the patriarchs and under the Old Covenant (whether liked by us or not) that the sins of the fathers are visited on the children even to the third and fourth generations (Exod. 20:5). Second, the punishment, though inflicted on Canaan, was appropriate to Ham since he reaped exactly as he had sown. He sinned as a son and was punished in his son. Third, the assigning of the punishment to Canaan may have been (as is so often the case in God’s judgments) a function of the mercy of God, who could have cursed Ham and all his descendants but instead restricted the punishment to only this fourth part, Canaan being only one of Ham’s four sons. Whatever the reasoning may be, the judgment is nevertheless pronounced: “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers” (v. 25).
BTW: I will divert from the answer again to note this: This curse was pronounced on the ancient peoples of the Near East, most of whom were later conquered by the Jews under Joshua. But notice this: they were not the black ethnic group. Prejudiced minds used this text to justify their enslaving of Africa’s black populations, but this is without any biblical basis and is a proof rather of the expositors’ sin. Not until the middle of the nineteenth century, when the slave trade was at its height, did anyone ever imagine that Ham was the father of the black races or that there was a curse on them. The curse was on the Canaanites.
The second part of Noah’s oracle is a blessing on Shem or, as Noah actually puts it, on Shem’s God. “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem” (v. 26). This is a great blessing because it is a new step in the Old Testament’s unfolding messianic prophecies. The first messianic prophecy was in Genesis 3:15, in which a Deliverer was promised who should crush the serpent’s head. It is evident as the story of Genesis unfolds that he will appear in the godly line of Seth rather than the ungodly line of Cain. Now, in a prophecy made following the Flood, the line of descent is narrowed to the Semitic peoples, who descended from Shem and whose story is particularly unfolded in the remainder of Genesis. In time the promise is narrowed still further to the house of David and to his descendants: Joseph (in the line of David’s son Solomon) and Mary (in the line of David’s son Nathan). The prophecy of blessing in Genesis is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Finally, there is a prophecy Japheth and his family. Two things said of Japheth: first, God will extend territory (the name Japheth means “enlarge” so this is a play on words), second, he will live in the tents of Shem (v. 27). This latter promise is to be taken spiritually, meaning, not that the descendants of Japheth shall take Shem’s territory, but that they enter into his spiritual blessing through association with the Semitic peoples God. Later revelation regarding Abraham and his descendants tell us that all people will be blessed through Abraham ultimately through the Messiah who would extend salvation to all the ethnic groups on the face of the earth.
At least that how I see it.
I failed to mention the conclusion or fulfillment of this prophecy: During the conquest of Cannan or the Promised Land, the sons of Shem/Israel defeated Cannan and the small number that were not killed literally became the servants of or slaves of Shem/Israel.
I like the point Lawrence D. made as well, I never considered that connection.
thanks brethren for all of your input.
[...] John 8:1-11, so I won’t copy them into here. I wrote a post a few months back called “Why The Church Has More Ham’s than Shem’s and Jephat’s“. I want to revisit this using John [...]
lets be real ? esau is responsiable for making changes to the scriptures (tanekah) jesus (yahoshua) is not the prophersy concerning the messiah , read isaiah 7:14 it speaks concerning a child being born to a young women, the child will be born during the time of king ahaz presents, also the child belongs to isaiah !!!
my brother and sisters never ever believe in the people who oppress you and enslave you and was used by thr most high to continue to punish us because of our violations of Yahwehs laws ,statues,commandments and judgements. because of this we don’t know who we are !read the scriptures it tells you who the true ysraylites are.according to Yah we will lose our History,Culture,,Idenity and Heritage. deut.28:15-68 tells it all, this only fits one group of people ( the so-called blackman)
peace to the mighty one of ysrayl——-Yahweh