Gen. 9:28-29

Gen. 9:28-29

Here, we see Noah described just like those in Genesis 4 and 5, just living and dying like all flesh. God judged the world, yet the sinful ways of man kept going, for death passed unto all men, for that all have sinned. Romans 5:12

This leads to another important point concerning the fact he lived so long after the Flood.

He and his sons and their wives were the last connection to the pre-flood world. They could easily speak to what things were like, and how bad things had gotten because of the sin of the world. However, nobody listened to them.

Some have asked, if Noah and the others were around, why didn't people listen? The response is simple. There are people who do not listen to those with experience today, even after they see the exact result of which the experienced person speaks. A person will say, for instance, don't try to ride your skateboard on that hill, it's impossible. And, even if the person saying it has a broken arm from that very hill, there are people who will try to ride it anyway because they don't want to believe what the other person says. Indeed, they may try even if they saw the accident with their own eyes. 

And, here, there was a very different world from the one before the Flood.

This brings to mind the fact that those of us who have trusted Jesus Christ to forgive us and called on him to save us will rule and reign with Jesus in the Millennial Kingdom. Once one trusts Jesus Christ as Savior, He comes into their life and makes them new inside, and He can guide them. Without Jesus, we can't get to His perfect Heaven.

Even with Him, we must constantly be on our toes to be controlled by the Holy Spirit so we are not drawn away by the temptations of the flesh. After all, Moses' brother Aaron was drawn away to make that golden calf for the people of Israel while Moses was up on the mountain.

The point is that we will rule and reign with Christ in our resurrection bodies, so we won't be able to sin. It will be impossible. And, since the devil will be bound, he won't even be tempting those who are born and live in Jesus' kingdom.

However, they will still have their fleshly nature and need to trust Christ as Saviour to be made new inside. And, we will be able to share with them just what it was like in the really rough times when the devil was on the earth to throw so many obstacles into our paths. It might be just as hard for them to believe us.

We'll have advantages we don't have now, though.

Now, we find it hard to stay focused on God and follow his lead when witnessing. However, we will have resurrection bodies in the Millennial Kingdom. This means that we will be perfectly connected to what the Lord wants us to say. We will know how to reach each person individually. So, we will not struggle with what to say or how to say it.

There also will be rapid consequences to sim. People will not get off scot-free without punishment for wrongdoing. So, there will not be the people to ask why bad things happen to good people. Righteousness will reign. We will simply have a new set of problems, such as people who might not want to be nice. People's emotions will still get the best of them because they are human. And, as hard as we try, we know from revelation 20 that there will be people who rebelled against God's perfect justice at the end of the Millennium. One final time, just as has happened throughout history, mankind will try to be as God. And, people will fail, because only God is perfect love, goodness, mercy, justice, holiness, and so on.

Such an attempt to become equal to God happened soon after the Flood as well, as we shall see, an attempt which God quickly stopped.

Gen. 9:26-27

Another reason why this is likely a prophecy is that these next two verses clearly are. Noah gives a very clear prophecy concerning Canaan, that the descendants of Canaan would be servants of the descendants of Shem.

Notice that no mention is made of Ham, let alone his other sons. No, Noah is clearly talking about something which would befall only Canaan.

As for Canaan being a servant of Shem, it could have happened with the men themselves, but clearly happened with their descendants; as is usually the meaning with this kind of prophecy. Canaan's descendants fell into such horrible cruelty as sacrificing their children to false gods by making them pass through a fire. Their evil came up before the Lord and he judged them after giving them much time to repent; and, he did so by Israel marching through and conquering it.

Here is another interesting thought, though. Noah prophesizes that descendants of Canaan would be the servants of those of Shem. When God told them to destroy all the wickedness; so Noah is giving a prophecy that shows God knew that Israel wouldn't totally obey Him in driving the people out of the land god gave to Abraham and his descendants. God is merciful, but He is also just,a nd He must punish sin. Israel's refusal to deal witht he sinful sacrificing of other people and other evils came back to haunt them, as they, too, fell into such horrible acts.

And yet, God showed His mercy int hat He loved them even though He knew they would disobey Him to much. It is just as Jesus said, crying out on the cross, "Father, forgive them, they know now what they do!"(Luke 23:34) God is longsuffering toward us, not willing the any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.(2 Pet. 3:9)

Indeed, God takes no pleasure in the punishment of the wicked.(Ezek.33:11) This is something we should all remember - it's hard for me, too, seeing all the evil in the world, but while God will mete out His justice someday, He gives time to repent as well. We should then be forgiving toward others, just as God for Christ's sake forgave us.(Eph.4:32)

Canaanites would also be the servants of Japheth. Most of Japheth's descendants lived in Asia Minor (Turkey) and Europe, so this could have happened right away. It would explain more easily how Japheth would live in the tents of Shem, because while israel was a crown jewel for a while during David's and Solomon's reign, it never truly ruled any of the homes Europeans or those in Turkey would inhabit, and once the Jews were scattered, it was often the other way around in Europe.

Of course, we also have the possibility that other descendants of Shem fit this prophecy. Remember that we only read of the firstborn after a certain amount of time, and there were clearly others, sicne the longer life spans had only begun to slowly diminish; even int he time of Abraham 150-200 years wasn't unheard of; note that Job lived 210 years in total, and he lived around that time, possibly as late as the time of Jacob.

Gen. 9:22-25

Because of what verse 24 says, it appears best to cover these three verses as a whole, because there may be more here than meets the eye. It has to do with the temptations which were said to have perhaps already been much more pronounced in Canaan, things which would lead to the horrible evil of the Canaanites. It is also connected to what may have come from Noah's drunkenness.

First, we noted that Noah almost certainly did not sleep naked. Therefore, Ham had to know what happened. He almost certainly didn't just happen in on his dad and see him naked.

We see in verse 22, at least one major sin was committed - that of gossip. Ham went and told his brothers. We don't see how he told them, but it is quite plausible that it was done not only in a gossiping way but in a way that told them that he really didn't have much concern for his father. It wasn’t the concern of a son who says, “I think Dad has a problem, we need to get him help.” Indeed, as noted, this was probably the first time Noah had done this, and there is no indication that it happened again, so there was no need for them to counsel Noah and help him stay away from alcohol. This is why they likely went and covered him up, ashamed not to look at him but at what had become of him because of the drunkenness. They didn't want to embarrass Noah any more, and didn’t feel it would be an ongoing problem. It’s important to trust the Lord in knowing when to get a person help and when something can be ignored.

This brings up another point, however, that being how Noah knew what Ham had done. We considered before that Noah may have been making a spectacle of himself, talking and acting beyond foolish while drunk. It is possible that Ham accompanied him back to his tent to make sure that Noah at least passed out drunk there and not outside, which would explain why Noah knew what Ham had done. Perhaps Ham had left him uncovered, mocking him instead of covering him. This would account for Ham seeing his father's nakedness, telling his brothers, and leaving the evidence because Noah, while drunk, could have been still aware enough to know that Ham had been there and had not covered him up. It would also explain why Noah cursed Canaan, because Noah wanted to point out that Ham's youngest son would be just as much of a problem, and just as uncaring, as Ham had been.

However, there is another, darker possibility. The above speculation would still make Noah's comments prophetic. However, this idea fits nicely, too, and may tie in with the above, though it could be true even if Noah was not outside making a foolish spectacle of himself.

It has been suggested that when Ham looked upon Noah’s nakedness, it wasn’t a normal glance, but rather a leering, almost sensual in nture. If ham did this and then told Sham and Japheth, they might have had even more reason to go in backward. Once something is put into one’s mind it cn be hard to get it out, which is why Philippians 4:8 warns us to think on things which are true, honest, just, pure, etc.. If this was the case, they didn’t want to think of their father in the way Ham had mentioned. They had never thought that way about noah before, but such thoughts troubled them so much that to avoid those thoughts returning, they made sure not to look at him at all.

This would explain how Noah knew what Ham had done. He obviously woke up with a blanket over him, and knew it hadn’t been over him when he fell asleep. If he recalled that Ham gazed upon him in a lewd manner before or even recalled some things from the night before (because not all drunks forget what they did the previous evening), he would have good reason to be upset.

But, why a curse on Canaan, then? As noted before, this curse was quite probably prophetic in nature. If Ham had such thoughts, Noah recognized Canaan would, too. In fact, Canaan was old enough at this point that he likely exhibited the same traits but on a much larger scale. Remember that the Canaanites were into all sorts of wickedness, so much so they would sacrifice children to a false god and do other awful things that God warned the Israelites to have no part of.

Of course, as noted, all this is speculation, but there are good, sound reasons behind all of it that do fit with the rest of scripture. The important thing is that one know Jesus Christ as Saviour, and then earn blessings and rewards once saved by being that kind, compassionate, respectful person who will treat others in a Christlike manner. Thinking about things and focusing on the things mentioned in Philippians 4:8, and drwing near to the Lord while fleeing youthful lusts, will allow one to have the right heart so if someone like a Noah does need help for a problem such as alcoholism or anything else, they can help that person get help in a kind, respectful way.

And, I’ll close this post by noting a couple of places where one can turn or where one can refer someone else for Christ-centered help with any kind of addiction, whether to alcohol, drugs, or even those youthful lusts. “Reformers Unanimous is a wonderful ministry in a number of churches in the United States, and they may have help on their website in addition to locations of churches and treatment centers. There is an online ministry with lessons and I believe counselors to e-mail with at settingcaptivesfree.org. And, there is a community of Online Missionaries who can help with addictions if you go to Jesus2020.com and fill out the form. Someone like Noah doesn’t seem to have had a major problem, but others do, and it shouldn’t be ignored, because those who do have addictions greatly harm others through their actions and/or inactions.

Gen. 9:20-21

Noah planted a vineyard. It is worth mentioning that's he would have known a lot about cultivating fruits and vegetables from before, because people were vegetarians, even if he probably only began to do this after the Flood, as the Bible says he began to be a husbandman. After so much work building the ark, these skills were no longer needed. Many times, especially in this advanced technological era, we develop skills that are not needed later in our lives.

It is important to remember that God takes care of us and will guide us in the right way if we just trust and follow Him. It may or may not have been God's plan for him to simply turn to farming, but it is never God's plan to fall into sin. Rather, He lovingly guides us away, always providing a way of escape, as 1 Corinthians 10 : 13 says, but He gives us freedom to choose His perfect, loving plan or not.

It is almost certain that Noah wasn't a drinker before, because he was perfect in his generations. Even if that is taken to mean that he had no Nephilim DNA, which we mentioned before is possible, he still found favor in the sight of God and therefore would not have been likely to take to the sin of drunkenness. A little doubt is present because, after all, David was a man after God's own heart and he had some serious sin problems when he lusted after Bathsheba. But, even if Noah had gotten drunk once or twice that certainly wasn't a common thing.

And, again, he likely hadn't. He was too busy building the Ark and trying to plead with people to be saved. When our minds are focused on the work of the Lord, the devil will fight us, of course, but having something to fill our minds with which is Godly – just as those things Philippians 4:8 tells us to focus on – it eliminates a big area the devil can use to infiltrate, that being an idle mind. Remember that it was when he couldn’t sleep that David went out on his roof and saw Bathsheba, instead of praying and finding some way to possibly serve the Lord by helping others as King. And, when the King of Persia in Esther couldn’t sleep, he had his chronicler read back the events of several months (because the king likely figured hearing such dull monotony would help him get to sleep) and thus the king was reminded of something he’d neglected, that being rewarding Mordecai for saving his life.

Either way, Noah knew the properties of grapes and how they fermented and became usable in alcoholic beverages. He had likely been privy to many sins which resulted from drunkenness in the world before the Flood.

So, why did Noah do it? Carelessness? Or, something else? We don't know, but enough is known of things such as survivor's guilt that he could possibly have been thinking about how sad it was that so many refused to trust in God, even as the flood waters were going up.

If this was the case, the proper solution was not to get drunk, but to pour out His heart to God and seek God's peace and comfort. Looking at the Psalms, we see many times when David felt depressed and he called on the Lord. it is amazing how many of the  Psalms start out with David so down in the dumps and end with him praising the Lord. God has a way of giving peace in the midst of anything.

Once Noah got drunk, he passed out naked. We could speculate as to what happened in a few areas.

For instance, did he act really dumb beforehand, so Ham was just waiting to see what would happen? That's unknown, but it is possible that God recorded this in Scripture because He wished to show how easily He forgets the sins of His saints, those of us who have trusted Christ as Savior. God removes our sins as far as the east is from the west, and we are promised that He will remember them no more. However, the main point here is that he would have acted in some improper way. Wine is a mocker, the Bible warns against its use - or any alcohol - because God knows it's addictive and destructive effects. Families are ripped apart, Money rightfully earned to bless the person is wasted, and people are mistreated because of the effects of it. All the ads would entice people to buy orange juice, milk, or any other product if they were made for that product.

His nakedness was not necessarily part of this, however. First, we would need to know if it was normal for him to not wear clothes while sleeping. We're not told the tradition the way we are in other circumstances later in the Bible, but if Noah was consistently naked sleeping, it would not have been a strange thing for Ham to enter and notice it later. Therefore, it is likely that he didn't sleep naked.

Gen. 9:18-19

This short summary of Noah and his sons, and the naming of one in particular, is given by the Lord to begin to explain what happens next.

First, it’s important to note that these three families would eventually overspread the whole earth, which is actually quite easy mathematically and genetically, with life spans only slowly declining. Please let me pause to give a couple good reference books, the first being available as an Internet edition. In “After the Flood" by Bill Cooper, we see a good summary of how some of them – especially the sons of Japheth – did so. There is also “Life in the Great Ice Age” by Michael Oard (also available at Amazon) for a discussion at the end of the story of how the Great Flood impacted people and caused, among other things, people with very bad cases of rickets to look to modern people like a different species because they don’t understand the situation from the Bible. No, the Bible doesn’t mention an Ice Age, but it all fits together well, and we have to remember that the Bible isn’t a book to tell everything about every situation and every fact in the universe. It is, however, absolutely true in what it says, and what we take in must be analyzed as accurate or not based on the Bible.

Back to our study, before Noah’s kids spread out around the world, though, they were all in the same general area. They’d begun to have families and repopulate the world, but they tended to remain in the same place rather than replenish the earth as they were told.

Had Noah's sons and their families begun to spread out like they were told to, what happened next would not have happened, and there wasn't any been as many to take part in the evil which would come at Babel. We need to remember that when the Lord tells us something, He knows the future and every possibility that can come from each of our choices, and is doing what He does for our benefit, in this case to protect them from themselves.

It's like the warnings in the previous section, where I diverge from the talk of the rainbow to discuss something which may or may not be very close, but which will have crucial ramifications for those who live through it. God shows in His Word, the Bible, that he cares about us and only once what is best for each of us.

Notice, finally, that Canaan is referred to as Ham’s son, but no other designation is given. This means it is likely that Canaan was not his favorite son as when Joseph is referred to as Jacob’s – Israel’s by then - favorite. Another time God points out something special about a person is when Jacob’s attitude toward his wives, Leah and Rachel, is pointed out. Since Shem had Arphaxad soon after the Flood, and the young people after all needed time to be born, much less to grow, Noah likely saw some tendency in Canaan already which would  foretell big problems. But, file that away for a moment until we tackle the rest of this, and simply remember that – given what would come of the descendants of Canaan, and how wicked they would be – God knew the future already, and the choices people would make.