Part three in a three-part series on the fall of Noah.
In our previous article, we learned that if Noah, who was a righteous man, can sin, then anyone can fall. And although Noah’s fall was tragic and dissapointing we can learn much from his mistake.
Not only did we learn that everyone sins, but we learned Noah was an imperfect redeemer. This directs us to look for another who is a perfect redeemer. That is one who has never sinned.
The second lesson learned from a good man falling is that if Noah can lose control when drunk then anyone can be overcome from drinking too much wine. The first-time wine is mentioned in the Bible it led to drunkenness and it negatively influenced Noah’s younger son.
Is Drinking Alcohol a Sin?
Drinking alcohol is not a sin in the Bible, but many people sin when they drink too much alcohol. That’s why many Christians choose to abstain from alcohol. Others learn to drink in moderation. And, others develop a chemical or social dependency on alcohol. This causes them to have a lack of control or to become social drinkers. A social drinker is someone who needs alcohol in order to enjoy being social.
We should note at this point that even though Noah became drunk, he remained a believer. Just because a person commits a sin doesn’t mean they lose their salvation. If that were true, we would all question our salvation. On the other hand, Noah’s sin resulted in more than just the sin of drunkenness. It cursed his descendants.
God’s Plan For Community is a Good One
Fortunately, God has a better plan. His plan is to fill believers with his Spirit (Eph 5:18). Liquor can lead to indecency, shameful acts, and uncontrollable behavior (Pr 20:1, 21:17). But being filled with God’s Spirit leads to self-control and an enjoyable life without abusing alcohol.
So, in Christ, there is freedom to drink or not to drink. We should not judge a believer who drinks in moderation or chooses to abstain. One behavior isn’t more spiritual than another (Rom 14:19-23; 1 Cor 8:9-13, 1 Tim 5:23).
The Unexpected Consequences of Sin
However, Noah’s sin created unexpected consequences. It influenced Ham’s descendants. The description of Ham’s behavior implies that he lingered and enjoyed watching his father fall. This further suggests that something was suspect with Ham’s faith. Maybe he sought evidence that his father wasn’t all that righteous. Maybe he was jealous of his father’s relationship with God. Or perhaps, in seeing his father sin he was able to justify his own lack of faith.
Ham’s satisfaction in seeing his father fall didn’t last long. As a result of Ham’s sin, his family line was cursed. Ham cursed his father and his punishment was that his son would be cursed (Gen 9:25). We don’t fully understand why Ham’s son was cursed. Maybe the punishment fits the crime. Or maybe, Ham’s jealous desire to dishonor his father was a character flaw that dominated his family line. Whatever the case, history reveals that the Canaanites (Ham’s descendants) became morally worse than their forefathers. The extreme sexual perversions and child sacrifices of the Canaanites are legendary.
Ham was a Hot Head
Ham’s curse was severe. The Hebrew word for curse is “Aw-rar’.” It means to denounce scathingly, to loathe, or to bitterly curse. It’s a strong word. It sounds like a dog’s growl. What Ham did was repugnant. Yet, as awful as the curse appeared, it was peppered with grace. Only one of Ham’s descendants would feel the curse. God spared his other three sons.
Ham’s name comes from the root word for hot and indicates he may have had a hot temper. The curse reflected sin working its poison into Ham’s family. And it manifested itself in Ham’s children becoming Israel’s worst enemies. His offspring included Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt.
Furthermore, Ham’s hot-headedness ultimately led his family line to become a “slave’s slave” in relation to his brothers (vs 25). Noah was actually prophesying about the future relationships Ham’s descendants would have with Shem’s.
Joshua Fulfills the Prophecy Against Ham
The fulfillment of this prophecy took place when Joshua entered the promised land. Joshua led the Hebrew slaves (Shem’s descendants) out of Egypt, took control of Palestine where the Canaanite lived (descendants of Canaan), and made Ham’s descendants their slaves. The Canaanites became the “slave’s slave.” The Persians, descendants of Shem, also subjected Babylon and Egypt. Neither Babylonians, Egyptians, or Palestinian Arab nations, enemies that surround Israel while they lived in the Promised Land, have recovered from Joshua’s conquest.
Sin and its effects are powerful. Left unchecked they can destroy an entire nation or race.
What We Learn When a Good Man Falls
We first learned that if a godly man like Noah can fall into temptation that we too will fall into temptation. Secondly, we learned Noah was an imperfect redeemer. With him becoming drunk, we realize he’s not the promised deliverer. Noah was a godly man but also a flawed image of the perfect one who would come and redeem us. In our final article, we will learn how through Noah’s fall God is able to prepare humans for his full and complete redemptive plan.
Picture Attributions: Wine pic by EmZed @ freeimages.com, Cursed/blessing sign author unknown, Noah curses Ham (public domain from Wikipedia).
