The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Genesis 9:25-27; 10:1
Basic Proposition: God had told the three sons of Noah that they would each have a specific future; their future reveals the choice that all men have. We must examine ourselves to find out which seed we belong to.
1) A Slave - The decedents of Ham were cursed to slavery. We see the placement of Ham's descendents throughout the Canaanite land that would later be taken by the Jews as the Promised Land.
a. A Picture – This is the picture of the curse of sin. It is the result of Canaan sinning against his father. Likewise we have all sinned against our heavenly Father; therefore we are condemned to slavery.
b. A Promise – Those who chose to live after this lifestyle will have their pleasures in this lifetime, but in the end they will have nothing.
2) A Success Story - The decedents of Japheth were very successful and enlarged. They spread into the lands of Asia and enlarged to a great multitude. We follow after the seed of Japheth if we seek after worldly riches and not Christ.
a. The Appearance - The successful of the world appear to have the good life and the great delight of enjoyment.
b. The Actuality - The successful, however, are only successful in this life according to worldly success.
c. The After-thought - They will lose out unless they see the true riches of heaven.
3) A Savior - The descendents of Shem would be the nation from which came the Savior of the world. Those who are willing to be humble for the sake of being a member of the family of Christ will be exalted in the end. Christ said in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
a. The Size - This is not the largest of the three seeds. Popularity is not a given when choosing to associate with the Family of God.
b. The Success – This was not the richest of the three seeds.
c. The Security - They have one thing the two other seeds do not have, the savior of the soul.
Personal Application
I need to obey Christ because my sins will affect many generations just as the sin of Ham forced his decedents into serving the decedents of Shem and Japheth. Which seed is apparent in your life? Are you belonging to the seed of Canaan, Japheth or Shem?