17. Noah’s Curse on Canaan (Gen 9:18-28)

INTRO

Something unpleasant happens to the Noah family. Ham saw his father Noah's naked body, and he told his brothers. And Noah cursed his grandson Canaan, the son of Ham.

Read Gen 9:18-28 (NET) or Gen 9:18-28 (ESV)


Questions for Observation

(              ) saw Noah’s nakedness and told it to his brothers, but Noah cursed his son (              ) to be a slave of his uncles.

(               ) and (               ) walked back to their father and (               ) his nakedness. Noah blessed them.

Though Noah was godly and righteous so that he was saved from the flood, he still had (              ) heart. The problem of sin cannot be fixed through any punishment. He became the first father who (               ) his son (or grandson)

 Meditation for Application

What had Ham done wrong? Why did Noah curse Canaan, instead of Ham? We cannot find satisfactory answers to these questions. It is wise to focus on what is written and what is known to us for now. 

Shem and Japheth did a commendable job. They walked backward and covered the shame of their father. This attitude should be a rule of thumb for those who live among sinners as sinners: covering others' failure just as God covered Adam's nakedness. 

The passage emphasizes that Ham was the father of Canaan (v18, 22). This episode explained to the Israelites who were to conquer the Canaanites how they were cursed.  

In OT, fathers blessed their children in place of God. Abraham blessed Isaac, Isaac blessed Jacob, and Jacob blessed his sons. 

Even God did not curse any human being for their evident sin. But Noah cursed his grandson for an unclear reason. Ham also is not exempt from guilt. The seed of sin in their hearts will bring out more and more conflicts between brothers in the following story.

God covered Adam's nakedness. The Lord covered our sins with His blood. His painful nakedness covers our sinful nakedness.  The glorious nakedness covers shameful nakedness.



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