The Sin of Noah?

Nell · 08-02-2015, 09:42 AM

Genesis 9:18-27
18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

I recently took another look at these verses and I would like to make a few observations about what the verses actually say.

Rather than “deputy authority” the verses are the obvious account an interaction between a father and his sons…its a family matter.

“The sin of Noah”? This passage does not contain the word “sin”. The Bible doesn’t call what Noah did “sin”. He and his family were just off the boat and the earth had been wiped clean. He was apparently new to the vineyard business. What these verses discuss may have occurred at Noah's first harvest of wine when he drank too much and it put him to sleep. Then, he was uncovered “within his tent”.

Speaking to "deputy authority", Noah may have been uncovered in his tent, but to the outside world, Noah was covered ... by his tent.

He didn’t go bar-hopping. He didn’t go out carousing around with the boys, get drunk and take his clothes off. He was drunk and naked in the privacy of his own tent. Since the Bible doesn’t call it sin, should we presume to call sin what the Bible does not? Even though sin is implied, is there enough evidence to convict? Since it is not specifically stated in the Word, Noah's actions could have been unintentional so I can give him the benefit of the doubt.

Noah’s son Ham saw his father’s nakedness and went out and talked about it to his brothers. Shem and Japheth respected their father by simply covering him up. If there is a lesson to these verses, IMHO, here it is. In a family, you’re always going to see things you wish you hadn’t seen. There will be things you don’t want to see. In a family, “nakedness” is always a possibility. Parents aren’t perfect and their behavior will be exposed to the children. Of course, this doesn't excuse bad or sinful behavior of parents toward young children. In this passage though, Noah's sons are adults, so that's the context I'm addressing. This may imply that honoring your father and your mother as adults may be more difficult...not sure.

Later, as you know, honoring your father and your mother became the 5th Commandment given by God to Moses. It also carries a promise.

I now believe that today, as we’ve seen the breakdown of the family, and the serious results throughout the world, the 5th Commandment looms large. Especially the promise: "...that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."

In Genesis 9, Noah’s sons weren’t young children, they were adults. Shem and Japheth, by their actions, respected their father. They likely weren’t thinking “deputy authority”. Their actions honored their father. This probably wasn’t the first time they had seen questionable behavior in the family. There had also likely been sin for which Noah needed to repent to his sons. They had been cramped up together on a boat for at least 1 or 2 years! It seems that Shem and Japheth had learned a lesson that Ham had not learned.

“And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.” This is interesting. How did he know what Ham had done? Regardless, Ham paid a heavy price for his behavior. Ham was the father of Caanan and Caanan was cursed and became a servant to Shem.

So, the "deputy authority" interpretation overshadows a more obvious look at the behavior of three sons toward their father...two sons who respected and honored their father, and one son who did not and got himself and the entire land of Caanan into big trouble.

Nell
____________________________________________

Exodus 20:12 (KJV)
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Ephesians 6 (KJV)
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

08-02-2015, 09:42 AM	#1
Nell Admin/Moderator Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 2,100	The Sin of Noah? Genesis 9:18-27 18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. 19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. 20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. I recently took another look at these verses and I would like to make a few observations about what the verses actually say. Rather than “deputy authority” the verses are the obvious account an interaction between a father and his sons…its a family matter. “The sin of Noah”? This passage does not contain the word “sin”. The Bible doesn’t call what Noah did “sin”. He and his family were just off the boat and the earth had been wiped clean. He was apparently new to the vineyard business. What these verses discuss may have occurred at Noah's first harvest of wine when he drank too much and it put him to sleep. Then, he was uncovered “within his tent”. Speaking to "deputy authority", Noah may have been uncovered in his tent, but to the outside world, Noah was covered ... *by his tent. He didn’t go bar-hopping. He didn’t go out carousing around with the boys, get drunk and take his clothes off. He was drunk and naked in the privacy of his own tent.* Since the Bible doesn’t call it sin, should we presume to call sin what the Bible does not? Even though sin is implied, is there enough evidence to convict? Since it is not specifically stated in the Word, Noah's actions could have been unintentional so I can give him the benefit of the doubt. Noah’s son Ham saw his father’s nakedness and went out and talked about it to his brothers. Shem and Japheth respected their father by simply covering him up. If there is a lesson to these verses, IMHO, here it is. In a family, you’re always going to see things you wish you hadn’t seen. There will be things you don’t want to see. In a family, “nakedness” is always a possibility. Parents aren’t perfect and their behavior will be exposed to the children. Of course, this doesn't excuse bad or sinful behavior of parents toward young children. In this passage though, Noah's sons are adults, so that's the context I'm addressing. This may imply that honoring your father and your mother as adults may be more difficult...not sure. Later, as you know, honoring your father and your mother became the 5th Commandment given by God to Moses. It also carries a promise. I now believe that today, as we’ve seen the breakdown of the family, and the serious results throughout the world, the 5th Commandment looms large. Especially the promise: "...that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." In Genesis 9, Noah’s sons weren’t young children, they were adults. Shem and Japheth, by their actions, respected their father. They likely weren’t thinking “deputy authority”. Their actions honored their father. This probably wasn’t the first time they had seen questionable behavior in the family. There had also likely been sin for which Noah needed to repent to his sons. They had been cramped up together on a boat for at least 1 or 2 years! It seems that Shem and Japheth had learned a lesson that Ham had not learned. “And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.” This is interesting. How did he know what Ham had done? Regardless, Ham paid a heavy price for his behavior. Ham was the father of Caanan and Caanan was cursed and became a servant to Shem. So, the "deputy authority" interpretation overshadows a more obvious look at the behavior of three sons toward their father...two sons who respected and honored their father, and one son who did not and got himself and the entire land of Caanan into big trouble. Nell ____________________________________________ Exodus 20:12 (KJV) 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Ephesians 6 (KJV) 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.