GENESIS 9:18-29

INTRODUCTION

This section of Scripture makes for sad reading. How we wish Moses had ended it with the account of God’s covenant. Though sin had been judged, it had not been eradicated. Noah and his sons, though spared by God’s grace, were nonetheless sinners by nature.

A common failing among us when writing or reading biographies is to pick out what suits us and ignore the rest. Anything which is embarrassing or which spoils the picture, we tend to leave out. The Bible, on the other hand, always presents the truth about a matter because it is God’s word. It does not, therefore, hide the faults and imperfections of even the most righteous of its characters, Noah included.

This section of Scripture shows us that the best of those who put their trust in God have fallen hearts that are deceitfully wicked above all things and are vulnerable to the deceitfulness of sin.

Four striking similarities between Adam and Noah.

·        Like Adam at the beginning, Noah was in a new world.

·        They were both tillers of the ground.

·        Both took fruit that did them no good.

·        Nakedness and shame are associated with their actions and the sin of both affected their descendants.

Three differences between Adam & Noah.

·        Unlike Adam, Noah was not in an original state of innocence before he sinned. Noah was also suffering the effects of Adam’s sin.

·        Adam sinned in a perfect environment, whereas Noah sinned in a world which, although cleansed by the Flood, was still under the original curse.

·        The sin of Adam affected the whole human race; on the other hand, Noah’s sin permanently affected only one part of the family.

THE SONS OF NOAH

9:18-19 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth.

We are introduced again to Noah’s three sons “who went out of the ark”: “Shem” (meaning honor or authority), “Ham” (meaning hot or warm), and “Japheth” (meaning enlargement).

The phrase from them came the people who were scattered over the earth tells us that from these three sons of Noah and fallen sons of Adam, began the process of repopulating the earth. Everyone in this present fallen world can trace their linage back to one of these three sons of Noah.

THE SINS OF NOAH AND HIS SON HAM

9:20-23 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father's nakedness.

Noah was a man of the soil (a farmer who tilled or worked the ground). Among many things Noah grew for food were vineyards. No blame is attached to Noah planting a vineyard or using the grapes to produce wine.

Later on under the Mosaic law, the purchasing of wine for festive occasions was quite acceptable.

Deuteronomy 14:26 use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.

At the same time, this passage is the first of many in the Bible to speak about the dangers of alcohol. If this was the first occasion for Noah to make and taste wine, it may be that he was not aware of what too much of it would do to him. The fact is that he overindulged himself and became drunk. The Bible is clear that drunkenness is sin.

Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

Romans 13:13  Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in wild parties and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor homosexuals nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Associated with drunkenness is Noah’s sin of immodesty and indiscretion.

Nakedness is something beautiful and normal in a marriage relationship between a man and a woman. But outside the marriage relationship, nakedness leads to sexual misconduct of all kinds. It was for this reason that God instigated the use of clothing to properly cover the shame we feel because of man’s fall into sin and to restrain sexual misconduct.

Noah’s drunken condition and nakedness led his son Ham into the sin of dishonoring his father.

Even though Noah had brought dishonor upon himself, Shem and Japheth treated him with honor and respect. They did not gloat over their father’s sin, nor add to his shame by their own behavior, as did their brother Ham.

NOAH’S PROPHECY

9:24-27 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, "Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers." He also said, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God enlarge the territory of Japheth; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave.“

Because of what his youngest son Ham had done, Noah prophesied a curse on Ham’s son Canaan. A greater punishment for a father is to punish one of his sons in his place. And to show that the fulfillment of this curse was certain, it was repeated three times:

As the curse was not aimed directly at Ham but to his son Canaan, so the blessing is not directed to Shem but to “the Lord, the God of Shem”. Noah is associating God in a very special way with Shem. Shem is blessed by having the God of creation and redemption as his God. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord (Psalm 144:5).

There is no greater blessing and privilege than to know the Lord God in a personal and intimate relationship. Thus Noah’s prophecy ultimately points to the spiritual blessings of the gospel enjoyed by sinners throughout the world as they come to faith in Christ and enter an everlasting relationship with the God of the universe.

CONCLUSION

9:28-29 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. Altogether, Noah lived 950 years, and then he died.

Noah walked with God, and God graciously saved him from His watery judgment on all mankind. Thus it could be written, “Noah lived after the flood.” And though he was spared judgment and had come into a new world, it was not a world absent from the curse of Adam’s sin. Sin had not been eliminated and the original curse still hung over humanity.

What are we to learn from what happen to Noah? As Christians we need to live soberly, under the control of the Holy Spirit lest we become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

1 Peter 1:13-16 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”