Shaping the Future
This strange story of the drunkenness of Noah shows us just how far reaching our lives are. We may not give much thought to how our lifestyle choices shape the choices of our children and their children, yet this passage of scripture reveals a small window into this very fact. We start off our passage with a strange encounter between Noah and his sons. There has been some debate over everything this story contains. Did Noah know the wine would lead to drunkenness? Does that matter – he was within his own tent afterall? What exactly was it that Ham did or said that was so awful? Some have proposed a very sinister act done by a son upon his father, but scripture does not back up those ideas. If scripture is taken at its word, we see the sin of dishonoring a parent.
Our society has almost completely erased this sin from its conscience. However, children respecting their parents is so important to God that it made His top 10 (Exodus 20:12). The best explanation for Ham’s actions and the resulting blessing and curses that came in verses 25-27 came from Bob Deffinbaugh written on Bible.org. He wrote:
“Why did God curse Canaan for the sin of Ham? Beyond this, why did God curse the Canaanites, a nation, for the sin of one man?
The explanation which best seems to answer these questions is that the words of Noah convey not only a cursing, and a blessing, but a prophecy. While it is true that the sins of the fathers are visited on the sons, this is only “to the third and fourth generations” (Exodus 20:5). If this principle were to be applied, all the sons of Ham should have been cursed.
By prophetic revelation, Noah foresaw that the moral flaws evidenced by Ham would be most fully manifested in Canaan and in his offspring. Knowing this, the curse of God falls upon the Canaanites because of the sinfulness Noah foresaw. The emphasis thus falls upon the fact that the Canaanites would be cursed because of their sin, not due to Ham’s. I think this explains why Canaan is cursed and not Ham, or the rest of his sons.
The words of Noah, then, contain a prophecy. Canaan will most reflect the moral flaws of his father, Ham. And the Canaanites will manifest these same tendencies in their society. Because of the sinfulness of the Canaanites foreseen by Noah, the curse of God is expressed. The character of these three individuals and their destiny will be corporately reflected in the nations which emerge from them.”
Our lives shape the lives of our children. Let us be mindful of the shape we are creating in the future of our families. Let us break the cycle of sin and start a new line of obedience and honor for others. We lead by example, but we don’t always lead in the right direction. Let Ham be a reminder to us that our lives matter. We shape future generations one decision at a time.
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