THE HISTORY OF THE LAW: GENESIS 9:18-28

In our passage this morning we see one of the most controversial verses in Scripture. In fact, this passage was used by proponents of slavery that the enslavement of the African people was biblically justified because of this curse on Canaan.

There is also many debates about the specific sin of Ham. Some think Ham is guilty of some sexual sin, others that he mocked his father, and still others are simply unsure. Perhaps you are one of those who are unsure of what is going on in this passage.

There are several important aspects found in this little account of only 11 verses which have profound implications for us even today.

We will summarize this portion as The History of the Law. Now, at the outset, I must confess as I am sure you already know that the word law does not appear in this passage at all, not even in the Hebrews. But simply because the word itself does not appear does not mean the concept is absent. The word Trinity is never found in Scripture, but the theological concept is throughout.

Why, then, do I call this the History of the Law? Because, in this passage we have, if you will, a new creation with new ordinances and commandments.

Compare this with the initial interaction between God and the first man, Adam as depicted in Genesis chapter 1-2. With this, however, comes the violation of the natural, or moral, law.

Let me set this up in the context of the first few chapters of the Bible. To begin with, the 10 Commandments are not verbally given until Exodus 20:1-17, but we see aspects of those commands violated. For example, in chapter 3 we see the worship of another god (i.e., themselves), covetousness, stealing, bearing false witness. In chapter 4 we see the murder of human life in addition to covetousness. Also in chapter 4 we see adultery committed. Then in chapter 6 we see rampant violation of the law of God (i.e., the moral law).

God then judges humanity through the flood. Everything is wiped out, and the reestablishment of the human race begins with Noah and his family. God makes a wonderful Covenant with Noah, which we learned about two weeks ago. Now we enter our present passage.

I. The Setting of the Story- 9:18-19

Verses 18-19 provide us with the setting of the story. They reorient our focus from the devastation of the flood to the new life and possibilities in this post-flood world.

It is a short point, but it sets up the rest of the story found in Genesis, and really, the entire Scripture. After all human beings were wiped out, eight people were left to repopulate the earth. They were to “be fruitful and multiply,” as God told them in 9:1. Running along the same lines as Genesis 1:29, Noah and his family were charged with doing the same thing as Adam was, only this time in a fallen world (notice the phrase “fear of you and dread of you” in 9:2).

II. The Sin of the Son- 9:20-24

The next portion records Noah’s work in his vineyard. Noah, a “man of the soil,” begins to develop a garden. Does that sound familiar? Adam is made “from the dust of the ground,” and Noah is referred to as a man of the soil, which is the same Hebrew word.

Noah planted a vineyard, while God planted a garden (2:8). Now, it is odd that Noah would become drunk considering he was esteemed by God as “a righteous man, blameless in his generation” (6:9). There are several possible reasons why.

Briefly, we could say that the atmosphere of the earth was quite different before the flood. It seems that from Gen. 1:6-8 there was some sort of atmospheric barrier. It could have shielded the earth from the harmful UV rays, as well as created a Greenhouse effect on earth, allowing plant life to thrive. Animals and human beings seemed to live longer and healthier lives, even after God’s curse upon the earth and mankind (3:14-19).

With that said, it would have altered the fermentation process. If you are interested in a more scientific explanation, I recommend John Whitcomb and Henry Morris’ book The Genesis Flood. Or, you could also check out the website Answers in Genesis by Ken Ham. Either way, Noah could have accidently become drunk, as this view would attest.

Another view is that the phrase God describes Noah with was not an exclusive phrase. Similar to this thought would be God’s description of David as a “man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14, cf. Acts 13:22). So, while Noah was a remarkably righteous person (through God’s grace), he was not without flaws or sins. Thus, Noah became drunk as a result of his own sin.

While both are plausible, I think the passage is reminding us of the sinfulness of humanity. C. H. Mackintosh offers some incredibly wise words,

“Alas! what is man? Look at him where you will, and you see only failure. In Eden, he fails; in the restored earth, he fails; in Canaan, he fails; in the Church, he fails; in the presence of millennial bliss and glory, he fails; he fails everywhere, and in all things: there is no good thing in him. Let his advantages be ever so great, his privileges ever so vast, his position ever so desirable, he can only exhibit failure and sin.”—C. H. Mackintosh

Noah failed, intentionally or not, and then we see his son, Ham, and his sin. Ham enters his father’s tent and sees his nakedness and then tells his brothers. Now, theologians and scholars have and will debate this until the Lord returns. Our goal this evening is not to settle that debate, but to keep the bigger picture in mind.

Ham is dishonoring his father in this account. This is a key concept for a few reasons.

A. The son’s sin demonstrates a violation of God’s Law

First, it does not get bogged down with the details of the story. Some scholars see this as a sexual sin, others as a mocking sin, etc. The key point is that Ham dishonored his father. This is important as we consider the History of the Law, because this passage serves as a reminder that the 10 Commandments are not tied to Israel alone. They existed before Israel and have existed after Israel.

This is a violation of the 5th Commandment, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” (Ex. 20:12) Nakedness is always shameful in the Scriptures (or, should be). Look at Adam and Eve’s response in 3:7 and 10. The sin of the son was a violation of God’s natural or moral law.

B. The son’s sin demonstrates the continuity of God’s Law

We touched on this briefly, but I want to draw out some additional ramifications of this truth. We have seen that this sin violated the 5th Commandment, but I want to tie this into the greater framework of Scripture.

In Romans 2:12-16, Paul presents an argument that the Gentiles are just as guilty as the Jews, though the former did not have the written Law like the latter. Why? Because they had the Law of God written on their hearts. Notice Paul’s words in verses 15-16. This, as I mentioned, has tremendous implications for our understanding of people who have no written copies of Scripture nor access to the written Law of God.

God, in His goodness, has providentially provided His law in our hearts, where the 10 Commandments, though slowed and clouded by sin, reside in the heart of human beings. That is why I refer to this passage as The History of the Law, because it places the context in the greater framework of Scripture.

C. The son’s sin demonstrates the evil in men (and women)

Think about this account. Ham knew, first hand, the wickedness of humanity as well as the terrible judgment from God (i.e., the Flood).

This passage demonstrates the depravity of humanity. Paul provides a more graphic picture, with a heavy reliance on the Psalms, in Romans 3:9-18. Ephesians 2:1-3 also depicts humanity in a biblical, though not flattering, light. A quote by Charles Ryrie should prove helpful here,

“Total depravity must always be measured against God’s holiness. Relative goodness exists in people. They can do good works, which are appreciated by others. But nothing that anyone can do will gain salvational merit or favor in the sight of a holy God.”—Charles Ryrie

The son’s sins demonstrates the evil in humanity.

III. The Curse of Canaan- 9:25

Ham mocks his father, while Shem and Japheth carefully guard their father’s decency and cover his nakedness. Upon awakening, Noah is angry and issues a blessing and a cursing on his three sons. The blessing and cursing is seen throughout Genesis and the Bible. You can check it out on your own time.

We must look to other Scripture to help clarify this passage before us, particularly the curse of Canaan.

Leviticus 18:6-19 records a list of “you shall not uncover the nakedness...” commands.

But consider one of the first verses at the beginning of the chapter: verse 3. This contrasts the descendents of Ham (Canaanites) with the descendents of Shem.

Noah curses Canaan, which scholars also debate why the curse was on Canaan and not Noah.

We will not discuss this academic dispute. We will, however, keep in mind the context. Often times, as is represented in Scripture (cf. Ex. 20:5-6), sins were generational. This does not imply that they were passed on genetically (i.e., Jacob and Joseph), but that the character of one tends to be the character of the other. Now, keep in mind the plan of God revealed in Genesis 3:15. God plans to bring about the Seed of the woman would come.

This plan would involve humanity, but it would also be in relation to the seed of the serpent. Canaan (and Ham) are “seeds of the serpent” as displayed by their character. The Canaanites would, following the prophetic curse of Noah, be subjugated, but they will also follow in their fathers’ footsteps and be horrifically hedonistic and morally loose.

But this brings us to our last point of focus this evening.

IV. The Blessing of God- 9:26-27

Noah pronounces a curse on Canaan, but he offers a blessing for Shem and Japheth. These blessings also further clarify the stage for redemptive history, that plan of which God offers a glimpse into in Genesis 3:15.

The blessing of Shem begins, ironically, with a blessing to God. Noah says, “Blessed be the LORD (the covenantal name of God) , the God of Shem.” You could also render this as, “Blessed be Jehovah, because He is willing to be the God of Shem.”

This is important as we consider the ongoing development of the book of Genesis and the greater framework of the Old Testament people of Israel. Vos says, “This is the first time in Scripture that God is called the God of some particular group of mankind.”

We will witness the development of the people of Shem through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the 12 sons of Israel.

The blessing on Japheth is a little more nuanced, but nevertheless amazing.

In this blessing, Noah states that Japheth and his seed will dwell in the tents of Shem. History proves this, as in the case most notably of the Greeks and the Romans. But, looking way off into the future, it is the Greek language and the Roman empire that allowed the spread of the gospel to the entire earth.

It was, as the apostle Paul would call it, “the fullness of time,” in Galatians 4:4. Another remarkable aspect of this blessing is the fact it mentions God in the expansion of Japheth’s territory.

Referring to the lineage of Japheth, Vos says, “For this blessing became one of the most potent factors in the spread of the true religion over the earth.” Delitzsch comments, “We are all Japhethites dwelling in the tens of Shem.”

As we end our time this evening, I want to provide a brief recap of what we have learned from Genesis so far.

The book presents the creation of everything, crowning it with humanity. God, in His goodness, allowed Adam an opportunity to submit to His divine lordship and be God’s representative ruler over the entire earth.

Adam disobeyed and brought sin into the world. God’s plan, however, was not destroyed, for He promised Adam that the Seed of the woman would defeat their enemies (sin and Satan).

Humanity is warped by sin, as demonstrated by Cain’s murder of Abel, the rampant wickedness of the earth, and the ultimate destruction of all living creatures in the flood.

God delivers again, however, through His grace Noah and his family. Noah receives a new edict, not unlike the creational edict of Adam, and yet the problem of sin still persists.

The plan of God, however, is further clarified as the stage is stabilizing through the Noahic covenant. The plan is even clearer as we learn it will come through Shem’s descendents, though Japheth’s descendents will play a significant roll as tent dwellers with Shem.