READ: Gen. 9:18-29
Then he said: ‘Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.’ And he said: ‘Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant’. – Gen. 9:25,26
Are we witnessing a shameful family scene here? A drunken father becoming the target of one of his sons venting his anger at him? Well, what is happening here is not an exaggerated reaction of a teenager. Noah’s sons are adult men who are already married. The matter itself is not something to be taken lightly. Their father was naked and not sober. Ham commits a shameful sin by intentionally mocking his father in front of others.
From your children, especially from believing children, you would expect love and respect. But Ham, who is sober, displays deep contempt or even hatred. He exploits the situation to involve his brothers as well. It is not just a sin against the fifth and seventh commandments, but in fact, complete godlessness. Here we see the manifestation of what the LORD had spoken about sinful human hearts right after the flood (8:21). We see, just like with Cain, the seed of the serpent in the tent of the seed of the woman.
We do not know if Noah was aware that grape juice could contain alcohol through fermentation and make him drunk. But God’s Word does not draw attention to that. It is about Ham’s sin and its consequences. Through his action, Ham reveals a godless heart. That is why, when Noah wakes up, he curses the offspring of Ham, namely his son Canaan. We know what became of that lineage. The sins of the Canaanite nations (as seen in Sodom and Gomorrah) called for God’s judgment.
The bright spot is that God makes it clear to Noah that Shem will receive His blessing and that Japheth will dwell in the tents of Shem after their expansion. Christ will be for Israel but also for the Gentiles. Shem and Japheth had protected their father in love as an expression of faith. Thus, the antithesis is already tangible within Noah’s household. But victory is promised to the seed of the woman through Shem.
Does the curse affect Canaan’s entire offspring?
Singing: Ps. 101:4