Most of us have studied the lesson of Noah and the Flood. I have been reading through Genesis in my personal study time and was intrigued by something I never thought on before. In Genesis 9:18-27, there is the history of Noah’s sons following the flood. Noah had planted a vineyard and became drunk from the wine. He was “uncovered in his tent,” and Ham discovers his father’s drunken and naked state. Ham’s reaction is to go tell his brothers. When Shem and Japheth hear about their father’s situation, they go and cover him up. As a result of this occurrence, Ham’s descendents are cursed while Shem’s and Japheth’s sons are blessed. There are a few thoughts I took away from this text.
First of all, Ham is cursed for talking about his father’s sin. This may have been as simple as gossip, or perhaps even contained elements of making fun. We are not told; however, we do know that this was disrespectful to his father. We know from Ephesians 6:1-3 that obedience and honor toward our parental authorities are important to the Lord: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ (cf. Deut. 5:16) which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’ Perhaps an even more serious thought is that talking about someone’s sin to another could cause you to become cursed, or condemned, in God’s eyes. Sister Paula Harrington recently had a very good blog on the sin of gossip and its detriment: http://www.abiblecommentary.com/christianwoman/be-a-chain-breaker/
Consider also Romans 1:28-32 – “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” I know that’s a bit long for a little blog article, but just look at that list.
We like to think that talking about someone isn’t as bad as things like murder, but often in the Bible we see what we consider “mild sins” among the same list, the same condemnation as the “greater sins” (see also Revelation 21:8). We know from James 2:8-11 that if you “stumble in one point, [you] are guilty of all;” we are transgressors whatever our sin, and the condemnation of sin is the same for all: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a).
Ham’s son, Canaan, because of Ham’s gossip and disrespect to his father, is cursed. “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren” (Genesis 9:25).
The other side of this situation is also very interesting. When Shem and Japheth hear about their father’s drunken state, they cover him. Note the manner in which they cover him, as well: “But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness” (Genesis 9:23). This brought to mind three passages of Scripture:
(1)Proverbs 11:13 – “A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.”
(2)I Peter 4:8 – “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins’ (cf.[3]Proverbs 10:12).
In these three passages, love covers sins. I see this in a literal sense in the passage with Shem and Japheth. Shem and Japheth love their father, so they do not bear tales (or go around talking) about his sin. They go about covering him, literally, with a blanket. If we love someone, we will seek to “restore such a one” to the faith (Galatians 6:1 – “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted”). How amazing is the detail in Genesis 9, that when Shem and Japheth cover their father, they go backwards so they do not see him. In this way, they are considering themselves while taking care of their father. In loving and respecting their father, they are each blessed. Genesis 9:26-27 – “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; and may Canaan be his servant.”
In the case of Noah, he was literally naked, but the sin we cover today is more often (I hope) internal sin. We address cases of modesty in telling young people to cover up when they are showing too much skin. We should approach spiritual sin the same way. Repent! Cover up! Put your Christ back on—your sin is showing. Our job as that “faithful spirit” is to help our brethren do this. I hope you found this as interesting as I did! Let us seek to keep our spiritual modesty through continual repentance and care for one another.
-Tricia Reno