Chapter 9 to 10: Noah got drunk
So humankind got a new beginning with eight people (2 Peter 2:5). Noah, his wife, three sons and by implication three daughters-in-law.
Well one day Noah got drunk and laid naked in his tent. Ham stumbled upon him and told his brothers. Shem and Japheth covered up his father's nakedness with great respect for him. When Noah woke up he blessed Shem and Japheth and placed a curse upon Canaan, the son of Ham.
Mine, mine, why did God let this be recorded? I do not know. All I know is that the Bible was not written to portrait perfect saints. God wanted to make clear that no matter how "righteous" a person might be, he could never be perfect.
It was generally accepted that Africans are the descendents of Ham. But I know that it is wrong to believe that the Africans are living out this curse of Noah.
This chapter marked the end of Noah's life, so it is instructive to summarise how the Bible viewed Noah.
NOAH
God blessed Lamech with a son at the age of 182. His name means "out of the ground which the Lord has cursed God will bring relief from our work and from the toil of our hours" (Gen 5:29).
When God asked Noah to build an Ark and round up all kinds of animals, God set the grace period as 120 years (Gen 6:3). The scriptures mentioned that Noah become a father, so he would be at least 100 years away from the flood. Then God made a covenant with him. It must have taken Noah less than 100 years to complete the task. It would be reasonable to imagine that the whole wicked community was aware of what Noah was doing, since the project was so enormous and laborious. All that was recorded in the scriptures was, "Noah did all that the Lord had commandment". Noah just focused on God's command and withstood whatever ridicules or obstacles the community might have directed against him. The only source of comfort would most likely be his wife, his father and his sons, if they were old enough to help. Since Lamech died at the age of 777, that is when Noah was 595 years old. He must have being around.
In Ezekiel 14:14 the prophet called Noah a righteous man. However we knew for a fact that he got drunk and cursed his son as a result. In Hebrew 11:7 we knew why he was righteous. "By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, took heed and constructed an ark ...... and became the heir of the righteousness which comes by faith. Instead of a baptism by fire, Noah underwent a baptism by flood. (1 Peter 2:20 & 21).
