After some time, Noah's vineyard is ready to be harvested and he makes some wine. Why does a man who finds favor in God's sight get drunk? We are not told. It could be that the grapes fermented longer than he intended and he didn't know how harmful it would be to drink it anyway. Some things are okay to ingest while others aren't. I have tasted milk that was several days out of date and was still good and I have also tasted some that was bad after only one day past the expiration date. Anyway, Noah was in his tent and he was drunk and naked. Shem and Japheth did not enter but Ham did. Then he went outside and told his brothers what he had done. Out of respect they took a garment and walked backwards into the tent and covered him up.
Noah wakes up and is angered by what Ham had done. We are not told what the details are. I have heard several suggestions. Ham could have sodomized his father. Ham's son Canaan is the father of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. It could also be that he had sex with his mother. Leviticus 18:6-8 says- (6) None of you shall approach to any that is kin to him to uncover their nakedness: I am the Lord (7) The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. (8) The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness. Another possible explanation is that Ham was laughing and making humiliating and rude comments about what he saw.
Noah decides to curse Canaan instead of Ham. I have often wondered why. I think it is because Ham would realize how serious a sin he had committed. When we become a drug addict or an alcoholic we are okay with the consequences we alone suffer, but when they affect our children we are more likely to feel remorse.
Everything we do affects somebody, somewhere, sometime. We need to be careful of what we do. We may not see it now but what we sow can be reaped for generations. When God was bringing the Israelites out of Egypt into the promised land He told them to wipe out entire villages. Even children could not be spared. These people were the Canaanites, the Hivites, the Girgasites, and the Amorites just to name a few. In Genesis chapter 10 verses 6-20 are the generations of Ham. So, for one careless act people have suffered and are still suffering.
I have been asked to teach my Sunday School class next Sunday (I love teaching). My next article will be on Mark 7 because that is what we are studying. I think it will also be helpful to you to see not only what I use but how I put it together. I will post everyday what I have and when I am finished I will post the final result that I will be using. Until then, remember "today is a gift from God. That is why it is called the present."
Leigh
Noah wakes up and is angered by what Ham had done. We are not told what the details are. I have heard several suggestions. Ham could have sodomized his father. Ham's son Canaan is the father of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. It could also be that he had sex with his mother. Leviticus 18:6-8 says- (6) None of you shall approach to any that is kin to him to uncover their nakedness: I am the Lord (7) The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. (8) The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness. Another possible explanation is that Ham was laughing and making humiliating and rude comments about what he saw.
Noah decides to curse Canaan instead of Ham. I have often wondered why. I think it is because Ham would realize how serious a sin he had committed. When we become a drug addict or an alcoholic we are okay with the consequences we alone suffer, but when they affect our children we are more likely to feel remorse.
Everything we do affects somebody, somewhere, sometime. We need to be careful of what we do. We may not see it now but what we sow can be reaped for generations. When God was bringing the Israelites out of Egypt into the promised land He told them to wipe out entire villages. Even children could not be spared. These people were the Canaanites, the Hivites, the Girgasites, and the Amorites just to name a few. In Genesis chapter 10 verses 6-20 are the generations of Ham. So, for one careless act people have suffered and are still suffering.
I have been asked to teach my Sunday School class next Sunday (I love teaching). My next article will be on Mark 7 because that is what we are studying. I think it will also be helpful to you to see not only what I use but how I put it together. I will post everyday what I have and when I am finished I will post the final result that I will be using. Until then, remember "today is a gift from God. That is why it is called the present."
Leigh