Genesis 9:20-29

Noah and his wife had at least three children. These boys, Shem, Ham and Japheth, grew up, got married, and came through a very difficult crisis, the flood.

Their greatest claim to fame came through their children. In Genesis 10 we have a list of the nations that is traced back to one of these three brothers. For example, we find in verse 2 mention of Magog. In verse 10, Babylon and in verse 11 Ninevah.

One incident in their lives comes out in Genesis 9:18ff. Earlier in Genesis 9 God blesses Noah and his sons and establishes a covenant with them.

Starting in verse 18, the text reads, Ge 9:18 -19 “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 earth.”

We might ask ourselves why Moses puts in the fact that Ham was the father of Canaan. The answer is that Moses knows that Israel will face the Canaanites in the near future. The Canaanites were the ones who occupied the promised land. Their tribes are given in Genesis 10:15-19. Gen.10:15-19 “15 Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, 16 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans scattered 19 and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon towards Gerar as far as Gaza, and then towards Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.”

As such, Israel was going to be taking their land away from them. Moses is going to mention Canaan and the Canaanites as leading characters in what follows.

Let’s read the story. Gen. 9:20-27 “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’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backwards and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father’s nakedness. 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, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. 27 May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave.””

• Notice the mention of Canaan in this passage. Verse 22 shows Ham, the father of Canaan. When Noah wakes up in verse 25 he says “Cursed be Canaan.” He goes on to say, “May Canaan be the slave of Shem” in verse 26 and in verse 27, the slave of Japheth.
• Now historically we need to go to Genesis 10 and ask, “Who are Canaan’s brothers?” The answer is found in Genesis 10:6. Gen. 10:6 “6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan.”
• Cush, according to Genesis 10:10 and 11 fathers Babylon and Assyria.
• Mizraim in verse 14 is the father of the Philistines.
• Put has no nations mentioned in this chapter.
• The countries we know well. Babylon, Assyria and the Philistines are all enemies of the Canaanites and conquered them over and over.
• What brings on the curse? Why would Ham’s child be cursed? The quick answer is because of the conduct of his father. Children can be cursed by the actions of their parents.
• What did Ham do that was so outrageous? He exposed his father’s exposure! Noah was sleeping off a drunk. Ham walks into the tent, sees his father lying there naked. Instead of covering him up, he goes out and tells his brothers. They come in an cover him up, being very careful not to look at their father.
• This shows us the degree to which we have slipped as people. We think that seeing the nakedness of a parent is not a big deal. We bring movies into our homes where people are undressed. We approve our children of wearing clothes that do not cover. I will tell you that one hundred years ago, people would have been up in arms over these issues. But our senses are so dulled by over exposure and constant bombardment, that we make light of these issues. And after the flood, I will tell you that for someone like Noah, a righteous man, for someone like Shem, a godly man, for someone like Japheth, a pious man, this behavior was outrageous.
• I wish I could find a parallel in our society today, but nothing is outrageous to our sensibilities. The blood and gore in primetime TV is vivid. There are very few people married or happily married on any of the shows. The blatant disrespect children have for parents, citizens have for the law is normal. And after watching half or less dressed people on the screen, the idea that Ham did anything wrong seems trite.
• What makes us yawn made Shem, Japheth and Noah blush.
• So why the curse on Canaan? We don’t know. Is it ok to say that? We don’t know. The text does not give us a clear answer.
• Here are some possibilities. Noah was coming out of a drunk. People who drink in excess tend to go to extremes.
• A second and more possible explanation. Ham had been blessed by God earlier in the chapter. Noah could not curse someone that God blessed. So he chose to curse his son. Why Canaan? It may be because of information we do not have. It may be because he was the youngest.
• Verse 24 is interesting. The KJV calls Ham the “younger son.” The NIV calls Ham the “youngest son.” The literal Hebrew is, “small”… in size, number or quantity. He could have been physically the smallest. He could have been the youngest.
• What confuses us is that Ham is always mentioned between Shem and Japheth. If he was the second son, he would not be the youngest, but the younger.
• If he was the youngest, then we can make a link between Ham the youngest and Canaan, the youngest.
• It is also possible, but this is pure speculation, that he was like his father or loved by his father in a special way. Noah had some reason.
• But whatever the case, Canaan is cursed because of the actions of his father.
• Men, we don’t realize how much we influence our children. Our actions can have results for our children. If we are unfaithful to our wives, our children suffer. If we abuse alcohol or drugs, our children suffer. If we amass debt our children suffer. If we are angry with our own parents or brothers or sisters, if we have bitterness and unforgiving hearts, then our children suffer. If we neglect the reading of the word, prayer or attendance in church and service in the kingdom of God, our children suffer. Every parent should want their children to grow up to be committed followers of Jesus Christ. Do you not agree that God’s way is the best way, that the path to peace goes directly through Jesus Christ?
• What is in marked contrast to Canaan who is cursed because of his father, is that Shem is blessed because of his God. Children can be blessed by parents who follow God. Gen. 9: 26 “26 He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.”
• We do not hear any mention of Ham and God. But Shem was a follower of God. The word for “the Lord” is Jehovah. The word for God is “Elohim.” These are the names used for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who said he was the “I Am”, the triune God we follow.
• Noah sees the difference. The God of Shem is the one who is blessed. For through God’s help, Shem did what was right.
• Why did Shem and Japheth treat their father with such dignity even when their father didn’t deserve it? I have no doubt that they learned decency in the home. Ham heard it, but learning does not really take place until we use our information properly.
• Remember how wicked the people were who surrounded Noah and his family. Yet, in the midst of sin and degradation, Noah and his wife instilled good values in their children. These do not happen by accident, these happen when parents live and teach what is right to their kids.
• So what do we learn from all this?
• Children are important. Here we see that God blesses these three sons with the promise of children of their own. Their children go on to be nation builders.
• Children are different. We see the same set of parents. Two out of three know what is right and do it. One fails.
• Children need spiritual training. Noah commends his son for following God. I am sure he wanted all three to do the same. But Noah and his wife gave their children spiritual training.
• Children need godly role models. Ham did not set a good example to Canaan and though the text does not say so, this may have been a part of his character. If our next generation of children are going to follow the Lord, we need to be parents who follow the Lord with joy and grace and commitment and peace.