Genesis 9 & 10
He said: "Canaan is cursed. He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers."
Genesis 9:25
Required Reading
Devotional
“Come oooooon Ham!!!” Geez. Get it together. Are you eating popcorn and enjoying the show like I am? Every now and then I want to scream at my Bible as if I’m screaming at the TV. It didn’t take long before mankind started sinning and God started giving out curses. This reminds me of Adam, Eve, and the serpent. Just like toddlers rebelling and parents having to put them in timeout. Ham got a long timeout. Generations of timeouts.
If you aren’t sure what I’m referring to, let me fill you in. Yesterday, we discussed how our gracious Father, God, had compassion and safely brought Noah, his family, and some animals through the flooding of the earth. They are now on dry land. Noah, being a farmer and excellent vigneron, fixed himself too many glasses of wine. He gets drunk and passes out with no clothes on. His son, Ham, sees him and says or does something that was less than honorable. When Ham tells his brothers Shem and Japheth, they respectfully cover up their father with a blanket and do not go along with Ham’s dishonorable conduct. We don’t have all of the details of what Ham says or does, but it was so disgraceful in God’s eyes that Noah awakes and pronounces a curse. Interestingly enough, Noah doesn’t reprimand Ham, possibly because God spoke a blessing over Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Instead, he also cursed Canaan, Ham’s son, and descendants.
I hope you didn’t skim past the brief genealogies of chapter 10. Here we see the power of Noah’s words, the gravity of Ham’s sin, and how far reaching the repercussions are. First, notice that Canaan, Noah’s grandson, is the father of the people known as the Canaanites. God will continuously refer to the inhabitants of Canaan as evil people who do detestable things. We will soon see Abraham living in the land of Canaan. This is the promised land that Abraham, Moses and the Isrealites are promised by God and will conquer with the leadership of Joshua. Even after receiving the promised land, the Israelites fought for years against other descendants of Canaan called the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, and more. These are just a few tribes that are continuously named throughout the old testament when God refers to pagan nations who are far from God’s will (Exodus 34 & Judges 3). Did I mention the land of Canaan also included Sodom and Gomorrah? If you haven’t heard of these cities, just wait until we get into the story of Abraham (Genesis 19).
Ham also fathered a man named Nimrod who was a powerful man who reigned. His first kingdom was Babylon which is a people who also did not follow the Lord, conquered the Isrealites (Judah), and sent them into exile. Nimrod also went to Assyria and built Nineveh. Anyone recall hearing Nineveh in the story of Jonah? It was the city of ruthless warriors who often threatened and fought against the Isrealites. Assyria was the nation who conquered and exiled the first group of Isrealites.
I’m sure Ham and Canaan had no clue that their descendants and sins would become so numerous. These descendants were the epitome of evil in the Bible. Moreso, Noah, such an upright man, probably would have been grieved to know the future of his grandchildren. How could so much evil come from such a righteous man like Noah? Noah didn’t do everything perfectly. We see that from his wine escapades. However, Noah did live a life of obedience to the Lord and a desire to be righteous. This lifestyle was demonstrated in front of his family for centuries and it saved their lives. However, Ham still had a choice. He had to choose faithfulness to God. He had to choose obedience to God’s words. He had to choose to be repentant, humble and submissive to God’s will. No matter how righteous Noah was, Noah’s righteousness could only save his family so much. His sons had to choose for themselves to honor God.
This shows us that our actions DO affect those around us. Noah’s righteousness saved his family from a global massacre. Ham’s disobedience led to a generational curse. However, it should also free us from feeling like we are solely responsible for the outcome of our children. They will make their own choices and decisions. Yet, we pray that they will be obedient, kind people.
Lastly consider this: God is the perfect father with the most rebellious children. Likewise, Noah, a righteous man, also had rebellious children. So if our children misbehave, well, they are behaving like humanity.
If you aren’t sure what I’m referring to, let me fill you in. Yesterday, we discussed how our gracious Father, God, had compassion and safely brought Noah, his family, and some animals through the flooding of the earth. They are now on dry land. Noah, being a farmer and excellent vigneron, fixed himself too many glasses of wine. He gets drunk and passes out with no clothes on. His son, Ham, sees him and says or does something that was less than honorable. When Ham tells his brothers Shem and Japheth, they respectfully cover up their father with a blanket and do not go along with Ham’s dishonorable conduct. We don’t have all of the details of what Ham says or does, but it was so disgraceful in God’s eyes that Noah awakes and pronounces a curse. Interestingly enough, Noah doesn’t reprimand Ham, possibly because God spoke a blessing over Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Instead, he also cursed Canaan, Ham’s son, and descendants.
I hope you didn’t skim past the brief genealogies of chapter 10. Here we see the power of Noah’s words, the gravity of Ham’s sin, and how far reaching the repercussions are. First, notice that Canaan, Noah’s grandson, is the father of the people known as the Canaanites. God will continuously refer to the inhabitants of Canaan as evil people who do detestable things. We will soon see Abraham living in the land of Canaan. This is the promised land that Abraham, Moses and the Isrealites are promised by God and will conquer with the leadership of Joshua. Even after receiving the promised land, the Israelites fought for years against other descendants of Canaan called the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, and more. These are just a few tribes that are continuously named throughout the old testament when God refers to pagan nations who are far from God’s will (Exodus 34 & Judges 3). Did I mention the land of Canaan also included Sodom and Gomorrah? If you haven’t heard of these cities, just wait until we get into the story of Abraham (Genesis 19).
Ham also fathered a man named Nimrod who was a powerful man who reigned. His first kingdom was Babylon which is a people who also did not follow the Lord, conquered the Isrealites (Judah), and sent them into exile. Nimrod also went to Assyria and built Nineveh. Anyone recall hearing Nineveh in the story of Jonah? It was the city of ruthless warriors who often threatened and fought against the Isrealites. Assyria was the nation who conquered and exiled the first group of Isrealites.
I’m sure Ham and Canaan had no clue that their descendants and sins would become so numerous. These descendants were the epitome of evil in the Bible. Moreso, Noah, such an upright man, probably would have been grieved to know the future of his grandchildren. How could so much evil come from such a righteous man like Noah? Noah didn’t do everything perfectly. We see that from his wine escapades. However, Noah did live a life of obedience to the Lord and a desire to be righteous. This lifestyle was demonstrated in front of his family for centuries and it saved their lives. However, Ham still had a choice. He had to choose faithfulness to God. He had to choose obedience to God’s words. He had to choose to be repentant, humble and submissive to God’s will. No matter how righteous Noah was, Noah’s righteousness could only save his family so much. His sons had to choose for themselves to honor God.
This shows us that our actions DO affect those around us. Noah’s righteousness saved his family from a global massacre. Ham’s disobedience led to a generational curse. However, it should also free us from feeling like we are solely responsible for the outcome of our children. They will make their own choices and decisions. Yet, we pray that they will be obedient, kind people.
Lastly consider this: God is the perfect father with the most rebellious children. Likewise, Noah, a righteous man, also had rebellious children. So if our children misbehave, well, they are behaving like humanity.
Reflection Questions
- What is something you’ve done that was against God’s will? Were you remorseful? Have you repented (asked for forgiveness and no longer do the same sinful things)?
- What is something you’ve said or done that has affected your family or others close to you?
- Is there a habit or behavior that you would consider changing for the sake of your family?
- Do you feel guilty for the choices that someone else has made by their own will? Pray to God about how you feel. Ask Him how He would like you to navigate your feelings.
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