Genesis 10

Good morning everyone. It is such a pleasure to see you all and get to be here today worshiping together. We have our kids that are joining together and going with their teacher back in the back. We have our online extended family worshiping with us from wherever you are, and of course we have our family reunion right here in person which is by far the best place to be.

Hey, I have to tell you about a conversation I was having earlier this week. Now this is a conversation that we had at our Wednesday night study. Basically what we were talking about is what would the church look like if we actually believed the stuff that we say we believe? I mean, what would our lives look like, and what would this fellowship of beleivers look like if we actually believed, like down in the inner most part of ourselves if we actually believed what we read in Scripture…Would our lives be different, or would our lives look the same…Listen, we were all talking about ourselves, not anyone else, but I thought I would throw that question out to you to think about this morning and let you think about that as we move into a time of focusing on the Word and see what God has to show us in our lives this morning.

Now, the passage we are going to look at today has both some strange things happening as well as some super important, but also a little boring information. This is one of those passages that when you get to it while you are reading the Bible you just kind skip over reading a couple of words here and there, but not actually reading and paying attention to any of it. It’s ok…I mean we all do that. :) However, sometimes we have to take the time to actually look at it becuase God put it there for a reason, right? I mean it’s not like Moses had a word count that he had to fill up…I may or may not have done that some of that while in college and grad school. But that’s not what is happening here. No, you see, if God directed Moses to put something in writing you can be sure there was a reason for it. That means we have to read it and look at it so that we can see what it is that God is showing us. I promise you we will always find something good and interesting...

You know, when I was a kid I used to go to work with my dad sometimes. My dad was a locksmith and so we would go all over the Dallas Ft Worth area getting people into their cars, or working with the IRS or ATF…Dad actually had government contracts that allowed him to be the guy they would call. Well, as we were driving all over Dallas and getting from one job to the next, dad would be listening to some sort of talk radio. One of the things that I frequently remember was Paul Harvey…Im sure most of you remember Paul Harvey, he passed away in 2009. So, one of the shows that he did over the years was a show called, “The rest of the Story”. Paul Harvey and his shows is what actually got me interested in things like Prequel’s You see, I wanted to know why people did the things that they did…What I learned is that frequently people did amazing things that no one ever knew about. Well, this morning we are going to look at

The rest of the Story

You see, we all read the Bible and we see things from time to time and we read various stories and we see how they fit together…kind of, but then we just sort of accept that they are unified as they are in the same book. However, when we read through this book of Genesis we are able to really see how things have changed and how nations are born and how the world was developed from a few people…Just bare with me this morning becuase we are going to see some things that you did not really expect to see from this family that is seen as a Godly family...

First of all we are going to see Noah’s sin. You see, this is actually really important becuase we see Noah as a bit perfect, but he was far from perfect…just like you and me. However, there is something we can really see, and we see this throughout the Scripture. God uses imperfect people to accomplish his perfect will. So if that is true, let’s take a look at what Paul Harvey would call, the rest of the story…Let’s look at what happens

After the flood

OK, so in order to really see what is going on we need to open the passage and take a look, so let’s go ahead and do that together. Join me in

Genesis 9:18–23 (ESV)

The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed. Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

Hmmm....So we have a bit of a situation here to deal with. First of all we see a continued correlation between Adam and Noah. You see, Adam was a farmer who sinned by consuming fruit…Noah was a farmer who sinned by consuming fruit. There is this continued connection because we are meant to be prepared for the picture of the final “Adam” who is Jesus Christ. Therefore we see these connections throughout the Scriptures. Actually, there is a psychologist named Jordan Peterson. Dr. Peterson is quickly become one of the great thinkers of this century. Anyway, he talks about the Bible, and Im not sure if he is a Christian or not, but he talks about the Bible and acknowledges that there is a linear story, but that the Bible is also connected to itself it multiple ways and that you can actually see more and more internal connections the more you study. Anyway, I don’t want to get stuck in the weeds here, but I want you to really begin to see that Scripture connects to Scripture for your own Spiritual growth.

Ok, so back to whats going on here. What we see to start with here is

One mans sin

That man happens to be Noah. Now, as we saw a moment ago, Noah is a farmer, and is working the ground. One of the things that Noah grew was grapes. Grapes that he later made the choice to turn into wine. Now, I want to be very clear here. The fact that Noah drank wine, is not itself a sin. You see, while the Bible condemns drunkenness, it doesn’t condemn the growing or eating of grapes or the drinking of wine. Grapes, raisins, and wine were important elements in the diet of Eastern peoples. In fact, in Old Testament society, wine was considered a blessing from God. So if the drinking of wine is not a sin, what is the sin here. Well, clearly Noah went too far with his drinking of wine. Noah drank so much that he stripped down and was naked inside of his tent.

Now, I do want to address a couple of thoughts in this story. First, as you study you will read about a euphemism regarding “uncovering the nakedness”. That is a phrase that is used in other places and entails sexual activity. However, this passage does not say that Ham uncovered the nakedness of Noah, only that Ham discovered his fathers nakedness. In this instance there is a disgraceful action that is taking place, but it is not an incestuous action with between a father and a son. Noah uncovered himself in his drunkeness, and lay naked in his tent. Also, some have attempted to claim that due to the atmosphere change after the flood that for the first time wine caused drunkenness…this is a weak attempt to “clear” the sin of a faithful man. You see, it is difficult for us to realize the weakness of those we look up to. However, there is only one that is sinless and we must remember that God uses the flawed people of this world to accomplish his.

So what we know is that Noah got drunk…Noah got so drunk that he stripped down and likely lost track of what he did. That is alot of wine friend. I can tell you from personal experience, It is possible to drink so much that you don’t know what is happening. That happened to me at least twice that I can remember myself, where I woke up outside unsure how I got there. I only share that with you becuase we need to remember that God uses flawed people and just becuase you have sinned in your life, that doesn’t mean that God is done with you. Listen, this is important becuase I know that there are some of you that are here this morning, and maybe some of you that are listening online right now that would say that you have done too much to be used by God…let me tell you that is not true. If God can use me, God can use anyone, ok.

So we see here not only that Noah sinned, but also we are able to see the sin and the character of his sons when they discover Noah’s sin. Ham discovered the drunkeness of Noah. Now, Ham should not have entered the tent of Noah in the first place. However, maybe he was worried, maybe he heard table falling over or heard Noah yelling or something like that, so let’s give him the benefit of the doubt for entering into his fathers private space. Well, now you have to realize what Ham did. You see, Ham went out and brought his brothers in order to show them the nakedness of their father. What would the purpose be? Well, based on Noah’s reaction and based on the older brothers reaction we can assume that the purpose was to bring more shame to Noah.

Think about this for a moment. How people respond to the sin and embarrassment of others is an indication of their character. Ham could have peeked into the tent, quickly sized up the situation, and covered his father’s body, saying nothing about the incident to anyone. Instead, he seems to have enjoyed the sight and then told his two brothers about it. He likely even suggested that they go take a look for themselves. Have you ever been a part of a situation like that? Have you ever seen the sin of someone else and then told others about their sin. Have you ever had conversations about other people when they weren’t around about the things that they have done…That is called gossip, and gossip is always sinful. Ill be honest with you, I never really thought about this passage in terms of gossip, but that is exactly what is happening here. Matthew Mitchell gives a great definition of gossip in his book “Resisting Gossip”,

“Sinful gossip is bearing bad news behind someones back out of a bad heart” —Matthew Mitchell

Does that sound like what Ham did there? I think so, and in doing that Ham showed a weakness in his character that would show up in his descendants. This isn’t what Shem and Japheth do…No, they do not join in the humiliation of their father. Instead they cover their fathers shame. This does not excuse what their father did, but they do not need to receive joy from their fathers shame. That is what leads to the

One mans prophecy

You see, we read this next section as a curse, because that is what is said. However, this should be more understood as a prophecy that Noah is telling about his children and grandchildren. This would be similar to the blessing and curse that was customary for the father to give to their kids. So in this, Noah is sharing what will happen based on the actions and character of his kids. Look at this passage with me.

Genesis 9:24–28 (ESV)

When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.” He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” After the flood Noah lived 350 years.

Noah wakes up, likely confused as he doesn’t exactly remember what is going on. He sees he is naked, but that there is a blanket on top of him…Seems strange and so he talks to his kids and then he discovers the disrespectfulness in his son. Do you see here how Noah says that Canaan will be cursed, not Ham. If this was an angry father cursing his son, he would have cursed Ham. However what we see is Noah describing the future of his sons and one grandson on the basis of what he saw in their character.

The result of this prophecy is that Canaan will be a servant nation, and we see that happen throughout the Old Testament. Ultimately this is the nation that Israel would conquer and God would instruct the Israelites to destroy every aspect of this nation becuase of the sinfulness and moral decay that was present in this nation. God warns the Israelites not to compromise to the Canaanite way of life. A warning that would be ignored.

However, we see something really cool in this prophecy from Noah that is best understood after you read the genealogy in chapter 10. I am going to challenge you to go home and read that this afternoon while it is fresh in your mind in order to understand what I am about to tell you. You are also going to see at the bottom of your note-sheet a map that will show how the nations moved from Noah and his children. This is actually called a “table of nations”. With this map, you can see how the generations after Noah moved around.

Table of Nations (ch 10)

put map in notes

From the linage of Ham we have Canaan which is where this prophecy is directed. In this linage we have a group of people that will always fight God. Now, it can be hard to describe the moral decay of the Canaanite culture, but reading Lev. 18 will give you a glimpse of the way that the lived. The Hamites, which would be the family of Ham in general did some great things…However, the Canaanites lived and worshipped in such a way that was evil in the sight of the Lord, and Noah is focused on them here.

Next we have the linage of Shem. Shem will be the Hebrew nation. This is Abraham, David, and ultimately Jesus will come from this line. Now this is important becuase you will notice that Noah did not bless Shem…He blessed the Lord God of Shem. Noah is giving glory to God for what He will do with the descendants of Shem. Noah acknowledged before his sons that whatever Shem has will be God’s gift, and whatever blessing Shem brought to the world in the future would be because of the grace of God, not becuase of himself. The word Shem means name, and it is through the line of Shem that the name of the Lord is proclaimed throughout the entire world.

Finally we have the linage of Japheth. Noah tells us that this line will ultimately live in the tents of Shem. This is a pretty cool picture of the future, becuase from this linage we have what will be known as the Gentiles in Jesus’ time. Japheth will be the Gentile nation. So the gentiles will live in the tents of Shem. Through Shem, Japheth will be introduced to the name of the Lord. We see here that this is a group of people that will spread out much farther than their relatives Ham and Shem, and they will even reach what we know as Asia Minor and Europe. They were a people who would multiply and move into new territories.

When Jesus came to earth, He brought light to the Gentiles, and the apostles and the early church carried that light to the nations. That is why we are here today. The descendants of Noah’s three sons were represented in the early church: the Ethiopian treasurer, a descendant of Ham; Paul, a descendant of Shem; and Cornelius and his family, who were descendants of Japheth.

Isn’t it cool to think about how God blessed all three lines when Jesus came. Isn’t it cool to think about how God blessed you when Jesus came? Through the story of Noah and his family we can see ourselves. What we see is that all three sons failed in some way and needed a savior. We have each failed in many ways, and are in need of a savior.

Psalm 14:3 (ESV)

They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

There is none who does good…not even one…not even you. This morning as we close out I want to challenge you to reflect on your own failings. You know as we were talking on Wednesday night, one thing that was said is that when we realize how great our sin is…then (and only then do) we realize how great his love is.

This morning I am going to pray and I am going to pray that God convicts us of our own idolatry and the ways we have put ourselves above him. I am going to pray that God will show us the areas that we need to repent and grow closer to him as the only one who offers salvation from ourselves...

Lets pray