The Fall of Noah
Text: Genesis 9:18-29
Core Idea: This story reminds us that no one is exempt from sin – which means that every single one of us is in need of grace. We must continually cling to Christ and guard our hearts. And if someone sins, we should be quick to cover them with love, not expose them, for this is the Jesus way.
INTRODUCTION
Well, we’re currently going through the Book of Genesis – looking at how all things started. And two weeks ago, we saw God blessing Noah as he entered the new world that had been gifted to him – to multiply and make the earth flourish with life again. In fact, He established a covenant with Noah – promising that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood, that He would preserve this world until the serpent-crusher comes to, once and for all, set His people free from the penalty, power, and presence of sin. And to strengthen his faith, God even gave Noah a sign – a rainbow to remind God’s people of His faithfulness, protection, and grace. Now, you would think that things will be different from now on. “Noah just witnessed the catastrophic display of God’s wrath against sin. Why would he do anything to arouse God’s anger again? Why would he do anything that can jeopardize the blessings he has received from the Lord?” But that’s exactly what we find Noah doing next. Then, with that in mind, please turn to Genesis 9:18-29 – and I will read this for us.
18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth. 20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” 26 He also said, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. 27 May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.” 28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Let’s go through this passage under three headings:
· THE SIN OF NOAH
· THE RESPONSES OF THE SONS
· THE PROPHECY OF NOAH
1) THE SIN OF NOAH
Let’s start with verse 20: “Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.” Considering that it takes years to cultivate a vineyard and bear fruit, we can safely assume that some time must have passed since the flood. Now, Noah was doing exactly what God had called him to do – cultivate the land and be fruitful. In fact, Noah drinking wine was him just enjoying the fruit of his labor – there was nothing wrong with that. But we do run into a problem in verse 21 – “When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.” Some read this and argue that Noah just made a mistake – he didn’t know his limits and accidentally drank more than he should have. But that’s unlikely since he was a seasoned man of the soil – he must have known what wine could do to him. In other words, he was no helpless victim. He stripped himself naked and passed out in the tent because his drinking had gone out of control – and having uncovered himself, he had covered himself with shame and disgrace. This comes to us as a shock because of what we read in Genesis 6:9, which said, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” Then, we can’t help but ask, “How could someone like that do something like that – something so detestable in the eyes of the Lord? How could he allow this to happen? Why couldn’t Noah control himself?” Well, the text doesn’t tell us, but we can speculate why. Do you remember what God said to Cain in Genesis 4:7? “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” The truth is that the flood was not enough to purge the wickedness in the human heart – sin was alive and well in the new world. And because Noah did not guard his heart, because he let his guard down, sin, like a beast, devoured and consumed him.
Then, here are two things we can learn from this. First, it teaches us that anyone can fall into sin anytime. Think with me. As I mentioned earlier, there was no one like Noah in that he alone lived a life of obedience at that time. He alone desired to please God, serve God, and honor God in all circumstances because he loved and trusted God with all of his heart – but even then, it didn’t change the fact that he was still subject to sin. No matter how godly he was, he was still enslaved to sin – and when he let his guard down, he fell prey to temptation. Pastor Kent Hughes explains it this way: “When all the world was against Noah, he faced scorn and violence straight-up. But in his vineyard, among his own who needed no proof of his virtue, he relaxed and opened the door for sin to enter. In the same way, we can become so careless in our home life that we forgo spiritual disciplines around those we trust. All too often, the walls of our homes witness irritabilities and anger and slanderous words and laziness and sensualities that – if the walls could speak – would take our gray hairs down to Sheol.” Brothers and sisters, please hear this very carefully. Past success does not guarantee future godliness. Just because you’ve walked faithfully with God before, just because you’ve experienced great victories in the past, doesn’t mean that you’ll, for sure, continue to grow in holiness. In fact, some people assume that certain sins will diminish or disappear as they age, but nothing could be further from the truth. For example, you may think that youthful lust will fade away with age, but sexual temptation can continue to persist through their desire to meet someone new or their addiction to pornography. You may think that maturity brings humility, but pride can manifest in many ways, like boasting about past achievements or looking down on younger generations. You may think that greed and materialism will lessen over time, but as people get older, they may get tempted to make money the source of their security – as a result, becoming overly stingy. All that to say, aging is not the solution to overcoming sin. In fact, let me push this idea a little more. Some of you may think that you’ll sin less if you get what you’ve been longing for in life, whether it be marriage, children, career, beauty, fame, and so on – but that is most definitely not true. If I can share my own example, I’ve always wanted to be a dad. So, when I became a father of two beautiful sons, I thought that I would never complain again. Why would I? I finally received what I wanted the most. But parenting began to expose me to how impatient I was, how quickly I could get angry, and how selfish I could be. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. You finally found the one, and you thought everything in life was going to be perfect – but you find yourself being tempted to be quick to criticize and slow to forgive when tensions arise. You finally got into the job of your dreams. But you’re constantly being tempted to idolize your work – to make it the most important thing in your life. You finally lost a lot of weight and are pursuing a healthy lifestyle. But you keep finding yourself being tempted to judge those who may be overweight – those who are not like you. I could go on and on with different examples – but the point is that nothing in this world will stop us from sinning. It may put a stop to certain sins, but it’ll only tempt us with a new set of sins. All that to say, just like Noah, we’re all vulnerable to sin. In fact, we’re all prone to sin – which means that we all need to stay vigilant. We must guard our hearts, knowing that sin is crouching at the door of our hearts – hiding and waiting for the opportunity to devour us.
Second, it’s meant to remind us that this new world is no different from the old one in that mankind could not escape the power of sin. You may have noticed, but what’s interesting is that Noah’s story is very similar to the creation story. Here’s what I mean. A few sermons ago, I shared that in the flood, God de-created the heavens and the earth so that He could abolish the old world and “create” a new one. So, just as God’s Spirit hovered above the waters on the first day of creation, we saw the wind blowing across the flood. Just as the dry land formed out of the seas on the third day of creation, we saw the dry land appear as the waters receded. Just as the birds, animals, and mankind were created on the fifth and sixth days of creation, we saw all the living creatures entering the new world again. And just as God commanded mankind to be fruitful and increase in number, God said the same thing to Noah in Chapter 8. In one sense, Noah was the new Adam. Think about it. Just as Adam was in the garden planted by God, Noah planted a garden of his own – a vineyard. In fact, just as Adam consumed the forbidden fruit, Noah also consumed the fruit of his garden (wine) in a forbidden way. Just as Adam felt shame after realizing that he was naked, Noah was covered in shame after realizing that he was naked. Thankfully, just as God made garments of skin for Adam to clothe him, God used Shem and Japheth to cover Noah with a garment. And just as Adam was the father of all humanity, Noah, too, became the father of all humanity. All that to say, the fall in Genesis 3 was being repeated in our passage again. The new world is not better than the old one, for they’re both filled with sin. Then, just as Adam and Noah had to live in the hope of the serpent-crusher to come, this reminds us that we, too, must live by faith in the serpent-crusher who has already come. So, that’s what the first point is about – the reality of sin and the need for grace.
2) THE RESPONSES OF THE SONS
The passage tells us that there were two different responses from Noah’s sons. First, Ham exposed his father. Verse 22, “Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.” It wasn’t his fault that he found Noah drunk – lying naked inside the tent. But instead of protecting his dignity, Ham saw Noah’s nakedness. Now, this doesn’t mean that Ham accidentally saw but quickly turned away – no, most of the commentators agree that Ham most likely looked at his father with condemning and mocking eyes. Just on a side note, some have suggested that the phrase “saw his father naked” is actually a euphemism for a sexual act – but it’s been quickly dismissed because there’s no clear evidence for this claim. Now, the sin of Ham can be explained with two words – inside and outside. Verse 21, “Noah became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.” Verse 22, “Ham saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.” What Noah did in private, Ham went out of his way to expose him publicly, not out of his concern for Noah, not with a desire to help his father overcome a sin, but simply to increase his father’s shame. He invited his brothers to come and see how hard his father fell. But his brothers did not give into that temptation, for unlike Ham, Shem and Japheth covered their father. Verse 23, “But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.” If you think about it, this couldn’t have been easy – walking backward with a garment on their shoulders to block their view so that they don’t see their father naked even by accident. They moved slowly toward his father step by step – and when they got to him, they carefully put the garment over Noah’s body so that his shame could be covered. Their intention was to honor their father and treat him with respect, even though they may have been, for sure, disappointed in him. Ham wanted to expand Noah’s shame, while Shem and Japheth wanted to minimize his shame.
Then, let me ask you, “When someone sins, how do you respond?” Think about your spouse, children, parents, friends, co-workers, or church members. When you see them sin, when you see someone, especially a Christian, losing their temper, swearing, slandering, gossiping, lying, cheating, compromising, showing favoritism, when you see them in guilt and shame, are you quick to expose it or cover it? Do you share with others in the name of “needing to pray for them,” or do you make sure that it doesn’t become a topic for gossip? Are you quick to look down on them or quick to help them get up again? Are you quick to be harsh against them or tender toward them? Are you more critical or gracious? Do you speak the truth to them in love or judgment? 1 Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” Brothers and sisters, I pray that you’ll always respond like Shem and Japheth, for this is the way of the Lord. Think back to Genesis 3. After Adam and Eve ate the fruit, we read that their eyes were opened – and they realized that they were naked. So, they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Now, just before God banished them from the Garden of Eden, listen to what He did for them – Genesis 3:21, “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” Because God knew that their attempt to cover their nakedness and shame was inadequate, He made coverings for them to demonstrate His mercy and grace. Even when they sinned against Him, He went out of His way to provide for them. Now, it gets better. Think with me. A garment of skin implies that an animal had to be killed – blood had to be shed. This is significant because it’s meant to foreshadow the work of Christ on the cross. Just as an animal’s blood had to be shed to cover Adam’s shame, Jesus’ blood had to be shed to cover our shame. He was scoffed at, beaten, and rejected. His garment was taken away by the Roman guards. And He was killed in the most shameful way possible on the cross – bearing the righteous wrath of God for you and me so that we can be covered and be honored before the Lord. Brothers and sisters, if this is what our Lord and Savior did for us, how can we not do the same for others who may be covered in shame? Of course, this doesn’t mean that we’re overlooking sin or excusing their sinful behavior. Certain sins should be made public in order to keep sinners accountable and protect the community. There’s no doubt about that. But that’s not what this is – this is more about addressing their sin with the intention of walking with them. You’re not trying to guilt-trip them but protect their dignity. You’re not aiming to expose them but leading them to repent of their sins. You’re not going with a judgmental heart but with a heart that desires to help them overcome sin and grow in holiness. Friends, this is what we need to do for all those around us in this community. Then, let’s do just that from this day forward. I invite you to choose the way of our Father by covering their shame with the love we have received from Him.
3) THE PROPHECY OF NOAH
When Noah woke up from his sleep, he found out (probably from his wife or other family members) what Ham had done to him – and this is what he said in verse 25, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” Now, did you catch something strange? Noah directed his curse not at Ham but at Canaan. Who’s Canaan? Verses 18 and 22 tell us that he’s one of Ham’s sons. Then, you can’t help but ask, “Why? Why did Noah curse Canaan, not Ham?” It doesn’t seem fair because it looks like Canaan is paying for his father’s sin. Well, scholars offer four possible reasons. First, since God had previously declared blessing on his three sons (to multiply and be fruitful), Noah may have felt hesitant to curse one of them – “How can I curse someone who has been blessed by God?” But since someone had to take responsibility for Ham’s sin, Noah decided to curse one of his sons. I guess that’s possible, but it still doesn’t explain why it had to be Canaan since Ham had other sons. Second, Noah cursed Canaan because he was particularly dear to Ham. By cursing his son, Noah was inflicting a greater pain on Ham without directly cursing him. But there’s zero evidence for this in the text. Third, Canaan somehow may have been involved in exposing Noah’s shame. Again, possible, but no evidence in the text. Lastly, the curse was prophetic rather than punitive. Here’s what this means. Those who argue for this say Noah must have foreseen that Canaan and his descendants (the Canaanites) would ultimately embody the sinful nature of Ham and become morally corrupt – people deserving of judgment. So, when Noah cursed Canaan, he was, in one sense, prophesying that God is going to bring destruction against Ham’s descendants in due time. In fact, that’s exactly what happened under the leadership of Joshua. The Canaanites were the original inhabitants of the Promised Land, and they were already known for their extreme wickedness – engaging in practices like child sacrifice, idolatry, and sexual immorality. So, God commanded the Israelites to destroy them and possess the land for themselves – fulfilling Noah’s curse. Now, as much as these theories help us make sense of this text, we’ll never really know why Noah cursed Canaan because the Bible doesn’t tell us. But that’s okay because it doesn’t take away from the main point that God wanted to communicate through this curse – namely, the seriousness of sin and its far-reaching impact. It reminds us that there are consequences to our sins. Now, sadly, some Christians in the past completely missed the point – and misused this verse to justify the evil institution of African slavery. Because they believed that the people in Africa were the direct descendants of Ham, they argued that God had ordained them to be in bondage – that God wanted them to be punished for what Ham did. This, of course, isn’t true – in fact, there’s no biblical or genealogical evidence to prove this. Then, this just shows us how dangerous it is to misapply the Word of God. That is not what this verse is about – Noah’s curse on Ham simply reminds us of the destructive consequence of sin.
Now, after cursing Ham, Noah doesn’t forget to reward Shem and Japheth for their act of honor – verse 26, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.” Interestingly, Noah doesn’t bless Shem but the God of Shem. Why? Because Noah knew that God was sovereignly working through Shem to protect him. He was basically saying, “God, I praise You for covering my shame through Shem. If it weren’t for You, it would’ve brought great disgrace to my soul. In fact, bless Shem for what he did as well, for without his obedience, this would not have been possible. Just as You treated me with grace, continue to walk with Shem and his descendants.” And that’s exactly what God did. We won’t read it, but Genesis 10:21 tells us that Shem was the great-grandfather of Eber. Now, Eber is where we get the word “Hebrew” – which, by the way, is another way to describe the Israelites. In other words, God fulfilled Noah’s blessing by entering into a covenant relationship with one of Shem’s descendants – the Hebrew people. And just as God worked through Shem to cover Noah’s shame, His plan was to work through these chosen people (the Israelites) to cover the shame of others. In fact, that’s exactly what we see next – verse 27, “May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.” Japheth gets blessed through Shem – by living in the tents of Shem. You may be thinking, “Well, how does that work?” But it’ll all make sense if you understand who the descendants of Japheth are. “Japheth” comes from a Hebrew word that means “to extend.” This is important to note because scholars argue that Japheth is the forefather of the people who have spread across Europe and Asia – those who extended their reach to the ends of the earth. In other words, the Gentiles. Do you see where I’m going with this? God promises to bless Japheth and his descendants (the Gentiles) through Shem and his descendants (the Israelites). In fact, let me be even more clear. The gentiles will be blessed through one specific descendant of Shem – Jesus Christ, the serpent-crusher.
What does this mean for us? Well, it reminds us that all of us are recipients of Noah’s blessing, for we’re saved not by our own works but through the work of Christ – the descendant of Shem. Because Jesus came, we were forgiven and set free from the penalty and power of sin. Because Jesus came, our shame was removed. Then, one thing we can do as a response to this passage is to praise and thank God for making this salvation available to us – and we will do just that by singing together soon. But as the gospel people, we should also go and tell others about this – that the King has come, that hope has arrived, and that they should repent and turn to Him, for He alone is the ultimate covering for our sin. What a timely reminder, as Easter is just a month away! I encourage you to start praying for your non-believing friends and family members – and find an opportunity to invite them to church so that they can hear the gospel message and be saved.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, this story reminds us that no one is exempt from sin – which means that every single one of us is in need of grace. We must continually cling to Christ and guard our hearts. And if someone sins, we should be quick to cover them with love, not expose them, for this is the Jesus way.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Why do you think Noah, a man described as righteous, fell into sin? How does Noah’s failure illustrate the idea that no one is immune to sin? In what ways do we sometimes let our guard down in our personal lives, leading us into sin?
2) When we see others sin, are we more like Ham (exposing and mocking them) or like Shem and Japheth (seeking to cover and restore)? How do we learn to handle others’ sins and failures with grace and wisdom?
3) What does the idea of Japheth “dwelling in the tents of Shem” teach us about God’s plan for all nations? Who around you need to hear this news? Pray for them and pray for yourself that God will use you to make this beautiful gospel known to them.