Often the strange and unusual entertain us. Television programing counts on the fact that when something odd is shown, we will stop channel surfing and watch it.
But the truth of the matter is that real life can be stranger than fiction.
Real Life is Stranger Than Fiction
Consider the story of Noah. He lived a righteous and blameless life for 600 years (Gen 6:9). He walked with God. And, he maintained a personal relationship with God. God used Noah as a type of savior for his family. As he exited the Ark and worshipped God as his first priority, God blessed him (Gen 9:1). Yet, in the last third of his life, there was a tragic turn of events.
Noah continued the trade of his father Lamech. He became a man of the soil, that is, he was a farmer and cultivator of crops (Gen 5:29). Noah, like Adam, was extremely intelligent. He pioneered the science of fermentation. He developed horticultural skills and refined a vineyard simply for the enjoyment of it.
A Warning Regarding Alcohol Consumption
Wine is not a necessity but a luxury. It’s not outlawed in the Bible, but drinking fermented liquid does carry a warning. Don’t consume it in excess (Pr 23:20, Eph 5:18). Interestingly, Paul gives this warning not to unbelievers but to the church! Wine cheers and comforts the heart but in excess, it can lead to a loss of control as well as to other sins (Tit 2:3).
Noah is the first person mentioned in the Bible to produce wine. And, he is the first person mentioned who got drunk. His drunkenness led to an additional sexual sin (the details of which we are not told to protect his dignity). What we do know is that in the privacy of his tent he exposed himself and disgraced his godly reputation.
What is Worse Than Sinning?
His youngest son Ham watched the whole thing (possibly the earliest mention of voyeurism). He stood by and watched Noah’s shame. Then he did something even worse. What’s worse than sinning? It is to revel in another’s fall. Ham dishonored his father by making fun of his father’s sin to his brothers. What Noah did was wrong, no doubt about that. But what Ham did was worse. He slandered his dad for the fun of it.
Ham’s two brothers didn’t think their father’s fall was funny. Shem and Japheth responded in a way that would minimize damage to their father’s reputation. They respected their father by not looking at his nakedness. They walked backward, not looking at him while covering him with a sleeveless cloak. Noah, a godly man, sinned.
Sin Survived the Flood
Sin was nothing new. It survived the flood. Adam also sinned. Adam walked with God and eventually fell to temptation. Cain, Adam’s son, did a shameful thing in killing his brother. Likewise, Noah, a righteous man, sinned too. And his son Ham did a shameful thing. He publicly mocked his father’s piety. The result of Adam’s sin was a curse on his descendants. And the result of Noah’s sin was similar. It produced a curse but not so much on Ham as upon Ham’s descendants.
What We Learn From Noah’s Fall
Noah’s fall was tragic. Yet, we learn at least three significant things from it. First, if Noah, who was a righteous man, can sin, then anyone can sin. If Noah can fall, anyone can fall. To write of Noah’s fall is somewhat unusual in the ancient world. Noah was a hero. He was a type of savior for the human race.
In ancient literature, recording the fall of a hero was rare. Normally only the good side of a hero is documented. So, why did Moses record Noah’s sin? True, to err is human. But it’s also true that humans like to conceal their faults. Think about this for a moment. Recording Noah’s fall is one proof that Genesis isn’t humanly inspired. It’s divinely inspired. God inspired Moses to write about Noah’s sin. Noah’s fall would most likely not have been included in his story if the Bible was only humanly-inspired. Moses would have omitted it to elevate him as a hero.
Since the Bible is divinely inspired, there’s a spiritual lesson found in knowing Noah fell. Paul, in the context of trusting in one’s Jewish heritage, stated that everyone sins. No one is righteous on their own. All sin and fall short of God’s glory (Rom 3:10-12).
All of us, like Noah, sin. And even though Noah was a redeemer of his family, he was a defective redeemer. He was imperfect. This means we must continue to look for another Savior who is perfect.
None of the Heros in the Bible are Perfect
All the patriarchs leave us wanting a true faultless redeemer. Abraham lied about his wife being his sister. Moses disobeyed God when he struck the rock twice. David committed adultery and murder. Solomon had multiple wives and overtaxed the people. Paul persecuted Jesus and the church. And Peter, after living with Jesus for three years, denied ever knowing him.
These men all have something in common. They fell in the latter part of their lives. They were all sinners. And, they were heroes of the faith, but imperfect heroes. Noah fell in the last third of his life. Moses fell in the last quarter of his life. David was over fifty years old when he fell. Peter lived with Jesus for three years and still denied him. Paul had to start a new career in the last half of his life because of his sins.
Temptations Remain into Your Mature Years
Each of these men fell in the latter part of their lives. I use to think that the older I became the less evil would tempt me to sin. I was wrong. The longer I live with Christ the greater trophy I become to the devil if I fall. It takes time to build a good reputation. But it only takes one sin to be publically exposed and your good reputation is destroyed.
Sins continue to assault us even into our mature years. We are more concerned about our teenagers and adult children falling into temptation than ourselves. But the truth is that the heart at all stages of life tends to drift toward sin.
In our greatest moments, Satan can take us down in an instant. Yet, there is some good news. In our weakest moments, Jesus provides victory (1 Cor 10:13). The gift of saving faith is stronger than demonic temptation. God alone redeems. God alone helps. And he alone provides the way of escape.
In the first of three lessons, we learn from Noah’s fall that even in our mature years we will fall to temptation and our children may experience the consequences of it. Yet, God never gives up on us or our children. With the next article will deal with Noah drunkenness and its consequences.
Picture attributions: Cover Pic by pexels.com, Grapes by Andy Putnam, Green grapes from pexabay.com, Old man from Pexabay.com
