Scholars vs. Scripture • Genesis 9

This week in our VOW Bible study, we explored Genesis chapters 9 and 10. We are immediately confronted with the Sin and Curse of Ham. Much debate arises around this passage for its cryptic wording of what appears to be the somewhat innocuous offense of "uncovering his father's nakedness," followed by the cursing of Ham's entire lineage of descendants.

We had a sort of choppy gathering this week, between folks coming in and out of the discussion and my youngest child needing to be taken to the ER via ambulance for a fortunately minor injury, there was a lot of disruption and little resolution during the call. Sunday, however, proved to be more fruitful, as each of us connected at length around this passage and what The Spirit had to reveal to us in Scripture.

The curse of Ham, as well as the drunkenness of Noah, has been a subject of so much debate by scholars, teachers, and theologians that most of us coming into this text would be tempted into two potential dangers when reading Scripture:

1) Choose a pet theory, one that appeals most to our own worldview, understanding, and sensibilities, or 2) Shrugging one's shoulders, assuming that we can never really know, it could be any of those theories, and "it just must be one of those mysteries".

The assumption that if there has not been a theological agreement on a passage, it must not be possible to discern or reveal to us immediately places the intellect, doctrines, and abilities of man over the promises and power of God.

While basing our selection or preference for an interpretation on the arguments, credentials, or reasoning of either our logic or a teacher or mentor we admire does the very same thing. Both dressed up deceptively as the world's definition of humility, while being the most insidious form of human arrogance that many people today sit comfortably in.

The Creator of the universe left us His Word. He also intentionally presents His Word in such a way that the casual or intellectual reader cannot discern it. The Word is Spiritual, and the Carnal Mind cannot discern what is Spiritual (1 Corinthians 2:14). Peter explains that the Spirit is given only to those who both believe and obey the Messiah (Acts 5:32). So, if you come from the understanding that you are free to live based on your own standard of righteousness and that God's standard is either optional or altered, it is time to take a hard look at your expectation of being able to discern Spiritual things. This is not a boast; in fact, this is the true definition of biblical humility. That if one is submitted fully to God, seeks daily His instruction through His Word, and obeys, God will provide understanding and revelation in the Spirit. There's no part of that done in one's own strength, it is true humility to submit to the Living God.

So with that in mind, let's examine the Sin and Curse of Ham

There is no rebuke, curse, or so much as a hint from the text of Genesis 9 that Noah, who fell asleep drunk on the wine of his vineyard, was in any way a sin against God. One might come to such a conclusion early on, reading the Bible without having studied the rest of Scripture, and begin to understand God's pattern, character, and consistency. However, after spending time in His Word, you begin to know Him and understand His unchanging character and see more clearly what He is conveying to the reader. When we approach The Word, we are approaching time with Yeshua. He is the Word made Flesh, meaning that we can only truly know Him by spending time reading Him. This is how we develop a relationship with Him. However, if we do not step further and further into obedience as He calls us to follow Him as we spend time with Him, then He cannot continue to reveal Himself, because if we aren't walking in step with Him, we can no longer hear Him or see Him. When a child of God does something wicked or evil in His sight, He warns, instructs, or corrects them. We find no such thing here in the account of Noah's drunkenness. We only see that because of that situation, Noah was unable to stop or avert whatever this act of Ham was that caused Ham's son and his descendants to be cursed.

Have you considered the change in elevation due to the flood? I only recently came to this epiphany after the recent discovery of over 4 miles of structure detected below the visible surface of the pyramids. This discovery is causing a massive controversy in the archeological world, as it would completely reshape the narrative around the time of their construction and the accomplishments of Egypt. An altitude shift of that magnitude would easily account for the dramatic shift in alcoholic metabolization and effect on the body. Have you ever had a drink at a significant elevation difference than you are acclimated to? Just a few hundred feet causes a big difference in the body, let alone miles. I have experienced this myself almost 20 years ago on a trip to Whistler, BC. After one beer at an event on Whistler Mountain, I felt as though I had been drinking heavily for hours. The combination of lower oxygen levels getting to the bloodstream and dehydration is known as hypoxia, and when combined with alcohol, which also lowers oxygen levels and dehydrates, the result, if not careful, can be dangerous.

This explanation is not only scientifically sound, but it also more consistently agrees with the rest of Scripture and God's character. Noah does not awaken to the rebuke of the Lord; rather, when Noah awakens, he realizes what had been done, and he curses Canaan, Ham's son. We also see Ham's brothers, Shem and Japeth, walking backwards to cover what was done. This reveals to us that whatever had happened was something that neither of them wanted to be seen.

We need not hypothesize on this subject much, as Scripture reveals to us exactly what the definition of "uncovering your father's nakedness" means.

Leviticus 18:8 "You are not to uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife, for it is your father’s nakedness."

So with new information, one can look back at this initially strange account and begin to put the pieces together, from Scripture rather than from Scholars. Noah planted a vineyard in a vastly different environment than the world he formerly knew and understood. The noting of Noah's incapacitation is there to explain why Noah was unable or unavailable to stop this horrific deed from being done by Ham to his mother. Ham would not have dared to attempt such an act with his father nearby and alert, however, Noah being rendered unconscious gives us insight into opportunity.

We are presented with the reality that the presence of Sin in the world, even after being purged of nearly every bad actor, has consequences that impact even the atmosphere of Creation. We also know that the Bible describes Noah as perfect, righteous, blameless among his generation, and wholeheartedly walked with God continuously (Genesis 6:9). This does not consistently line up with the idea that Noah had intentionally set out or descended into drunkenness. We must always line up Scripture and expect it to be consistent, because God is consistent. Noah's incapacitation was a result of the sin that caused the entire Earth to be changed drastically. In contrast, Noah's righteousness merited enough favor with God that God's Grace was then extended to the rest of Noah's family, and that included Ham. We see here that just like what God had given in the garden, Grace extended does not, in and of itself, sanctify a person. Each is required to finish the race well and endure until the end in faithful obedience. Noah is a picture of Messiah, meriting favor with God through faithful obedience that extended Grace to those who did not deserve it and be saved from His wrath.

So why curse Canaan? Why not curse Ham? The answer can be found in the account of Balaam the prophet. A man anointed with the Spirit of God who was unable to curse the children of Israel because, "How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?" Numbers 23:8

So we now have the answer to this question as well. God had already blessed Ham (Genesis 9:1). Noah was unable to curse someone blessed by God. Noah also would not have been able to curse Canaan if God had not cursed Canaan as well.

Are you starting to see how incredibly perfect and consistent the Word of God is?

That if we simply remove the man-made scales over our eyes and circumcise our hearts, we can read a Perfect Book which is a Perfect God who became a Perfect Man, and understand it clearly and without confusion? It has been the single most freeing blessing I have ever received in my entire life. To be able to hear God's voice clearly and without the heaviness of doubt or uncertainty provides peace, knowing that when I don't at first understand a passage, I no longer need to be tossed to and fro by doctrines of men and demons. That I can trust that He will reveal all things in time as long as I remain diligent and abide in Him and Him alone, which means in His Word and in faithful obedience, to allow His Spirit to discern for me!

Now, for the new reader, properly reading the Bible in the order given from Genesis to Revelation, you would not come across this passage for a little while, but still, only two scrolls away is the revelation for the reader. Given explicitly, without confusion by God Himself to the faithful disciple, spending time in His Word. Spending time knowing Him. The problem with the modern disciple is that it has become far too common to stop reading shortly after the account of Noah and the Flood or maybe make it through the exciting parts of the Exodus account, and skip right over to Matthew and camp out in the New Testament unless being called into Psalms, or maybe the Prophets for their encouraging or poetic attributes. While taking every other understanding from the teachings of men, only stopping in the recesses of the "Old Testament" to find a phrase that fits into the pet doctrine one is attempting to confirm or disprove. This is violence being done to The Kingdom of God, it is slander being done to our Creator.

However, when we diligently abide in the Vine, sit at the Feet of Yeshua, and stay in His Word, which is the substance of His character, we are always rewarded with indisputable Truth.

Psalm 119:142 .. "And your Torah is Truth."