Dark Days, but God's grace still shines

The unity of Humanity displayed through a common source (Gen 9:18-19)

Explanation: Only 8 people came off the Ark, and only 6 of them produced children. The new world was entirely populated through one of these three brothers. Every human alive today is a descendant of Noah through one of the three sons. There may be differences in ethnicity, but there is only 1 race: the human race.

Application: There are no biblical grounds for prejudice against another ethnic group!

Importance of staying focused even when the pressure is in the past (Genesis 9:20-21)

Explanation: Following his career as a boat-builder and keeper of the animals, Noah begins to raise crops. The text informs the reader that Noah became a vineyard keeper and grew grapes. In the course of time Noah harvested his crops and made wine. So far so good. The problem arises in v. 21 where the reader is informed that Noah got drunk and in his drunken stupor, he uncovered himself.

Argument: This passage is one that many wish would not have been included. It puts the spotlight on the sin and shame of one of the great heroes of the faith.

Noah is listed in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11:7)

Noah is listed as one of three great men of faith in the OT by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 14:14)

The LORD’s Commendation to Noah: “for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation.” (Gen 7:1)

NOTE: Inclusion of such accounts demonstrates the trustworthiness of Scripture. Without God as the source and inspiration, humans would not include the downfall of great leaders.

We ask the question: How could this happen? How could a great man such a Noah fall to this type of sin? Sadly, it is possible and it does happen.

Noah was blameless, but not perfect. He was a righteous man because of his trust in the LORD, but he was a saint in a fallen world who stumbled. The flood was effective in achieving God’s judgment on sinful rebels, but the flood waters did NOT cleanse the remnant from having a sin nature. (that was not God’s purpose at that time)

Noah’s sin of drunkenness gives us life lessons that we desperately need to heed:

“Past godliness doesn’t guarantee future godliness. You don’t build up an immunity toward sin. Neither age nor maturity provide protection against temptation. We must walk in dependence upon the Lord daily” - (quote from Steven Cole) [see 1 Cor 10:12]

It is possible to maintain integrity under pressure, but to fall when the conflict eases. In the midst of perversity and rampant wickedness, Noah was a pillar of virtue. He trusted God and stood alone. In the new world, however, Noah eased up and relaxed his vigilance. (precept austin)

Proverbs 4:23 KJV 1900

Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.

Keep your focus on Jesus, not others. This is a crucial truth for believers. Other humans, even great spiritual leaders, will disappoint. God will not. Even pastors can fall into sin and disappoint those who look up to them.

It is possible to finish well. When the sins of Christian leaders are exposed, many are left disturbed and confused. Some may wonder, can anyone be trusted? As mentioned, our focus is to be on Jesus, not men. But with that being said, it is important to note that the majority of the men of God finish well. Given human nature and our insatiable interest in human tragedy, the news focus is on those who fall, not on those who finish well.

Illustrate: What makes the news? The information that there were 45,000 incident free commercial flights in the US or the one crash in which 47 people died? Which of those stories will be the lead on the 6:00pm news?

Application: Yes, it is the unfortunate reality that some prominent leaders can commit actions that tarnish their reputations and lead to a smearing of the witness of Christ in the community.

Remember to whom you belong and whom you represent. We are ambassadors and we have the responsibility of showcasing His glory (cf Psalm 69:6)

Trust in the One who is preserving you for HIs glory (Jude 24-25)

Our response to the downfall of others is indicative of our nature and character (Genesis 9:22-23)

Explanation: Interestingly, the focus on this text is not the actual sin of Noah. That is not to say that Scriptures condones the sin of his drunkenness. It does not. The consistent message of the Bible is that becoming drunk is sinful (Eph 5:18; Prov 20:1; Isaiah 28:7), and an admonition is given to leaders not to be involved with drinking (Prov 31:4-5)

The focus of this passage, however, is on the after effects of Noah’s sin. Most specifically, how his sons responded to this disgraceful fall of their father. The text presents the basic actions of the brothers without a lot of details, but it is possible to discover the reactions of the sons, especially when looking at Noah’s pronouncements upon the future generations that would come forth from the individual son’s lines.

The text informs us that Ham went into his father’s tent and discovered that his father was drunk and naked. Ham did nothing to cover Noah’s shame; instead he went outside and immediately informed his brothers.

Sad how human nature hasn’t changed much in over 4,000 years. Some people, even professing Christians, waste no time in sharing bad news. They seem almost gleeful in telling another about the misfortunes of another. And, it also seems that these types don’t let things like truth or accuracy get in the way of a good story.

This seems to be the sin of Ham. He disrespected his father in that he did nothing to help and instead spent hist time disrespecting his father.

Proverbs 24:17 KJV 1900

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

Notice that Noah’s other two sons had great respect for their father, even though he had fallen into sin. They took pains to cover their father and restore his dignity.

1 Peter 4:8 ESV

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Yes, there are sins that need to be dealt with publically. It is wrong to pretend something hasn’t happened by “sweeping it under the wrong.” But, the heart should seek to minimize the damage and to go out of the way to not add to the smearing of the witness of Christ in the community.

God’s Plan of Redemption will prevail in spite of the sin of man (Gen (9:24-27)

Explanation: The consequences of the actions of the brothers leads to blessings and cursings. Noah discovers what has been done (or not done) and makes some declarations about the futures of his son’s descendants. The cursing goes to the line of Ham, specifically to his son Canaan while the blessing goes to Shem and Japheth. The text does not give a reason for the cursing, but it prophetically came to pass in that many of Canaan’s descendents were groups that fought (and lost) against Israel (Shem’s descendants). The Canaanites and others did become servants to the Semites.

The take away for us is to realize that actions and attitudes bring on negative consequences from the Almighty - not skin color. There is no “curse of Ham” as it relates to skin color. Though prejudice against blacks has been attempted to be justified by referring to this passage, there is absolutely no shred of biblical support for racism based on skin color.

Noah evidently recognized a pattern of rebellion and disrespect in Ham’s life and also saw it in Canaan. Remember, Ham had four sons, but only Canaan is named. The son can follow in the sin of the father, and Noah prophetically saw that Canaan’s descendants would take the ungodly path of going their own way. They descended into great wickedness and God eventually judged them through the Semite (Israel) invasion of the Promised Land.

It is also very important to look at the blessings on Shem and Japheth, especially as it relates to the line of Japheth dwelling (abiding) in the tents of Shem. The descendants of Shem become the Israelites and carry the line of the Messiah. Shem is the source of the term “semitic race” and it is also why prejudices against Jews is referred to as anti-semitism.

The descendants of Japheth are the Gentiles (Europeans, Russians, etc). During the dispersal they wind up outside of the covenant nation and are without hope in the world. The Messiah brings a widening of the scope of the Gospel and the good news now goes to the nations. The sons of Japheth are indeed abiding in the tents of Shem through faith in the finished work of Christ.