I’m continuing my YouTube series through the book of Genesis. My video making skills are almost non-existent, but I’m trying to make small improvements with each video. It’s really not easy to talk to a camera.
I was encouraged to start this project by Mr. Beast, currently the #1 YouTuber in the world with 242 million subscribers. He encourages people to make 100 videos and try to get a little better with each video. He also said no one will watch the 100 videos, but you may have a few views on the 101st video.
I do have one advantage on Mr. Beast—content. I believe the Bible is the most important book in the history of the world and my goal is to simply go through it chapter by chapter or section by section. I also thought with all the stuff on YouTube why not put Bible teaching on it. I consume so much content on YouTube, it’s time to start producing.
Anyway, if you’re interested in the content, I would love for you to like, comment, and subscribe. Here’s my latest video. The text is below.
Summary
Noah gets drunk, is found naked by one of his sons, then curses his grandson.
Expanded Summary
Noah was “a man of the soil,” meaning he was a farmer. He planted a vineyard then drank some of his vineyard’s wine and became drunk. In his drunken state, he “lay uncovered inside his tent.” Noah’s son Ham “saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness.” Shem and Ham also turned their faces away to make sure they couldn’t see their father.
When Noah became sober, he learned what Ham had done so he cursed Ham’s son, Canaan. Noah said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” Then Noah praised the God of Shem and said, “May Canaan be the slave of Shem.” Noah also said, “May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”
Noah lived 350 years after the flood then died at 950 years of age.
Minor Points
- How long after the flood did this story occur? Since it usually takes about three years to grow grapes to maturity, this story probably occurred at least three years after the flood ended.
- Did Noah get drunk often? We don’t know. We are not told if this was the first time or the hundredth time. Some translations say, Noah “was the first to plant a vineyard” (CJB, CEV) so perhaps viticulture started with him.
- Is drinking alcohol a sin? The Bible says, “Do not get drunk on wine (Eph 5:18) and “do not join those who drink too much wine” (Prov 23:20), but it doesn’t say don’t drink wine. We know that Jesus turned water into wine (Jn 2).
- What else did Noah do during his 350 years after the flood? It doesn’t say. Essentially, Genesis gives us two stories about Noah: the flood story and the drunk and naked story. In the first story Noah is the hero who saves humanity with God’s help. In the second story Noah is the drunk dad who loses control of himself.
Main Points
- Noah lived a normal life after the flood. He worked the ground as Adam had done.
- Noah was not perfect. Until this point, we have only heard good things about Noah. “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God” (Gen 6:9). And he “did all that the LORD commanded him” (7:5).
- Ham did something egregious. Many scholars have suggested that Ham must have done something more than merely see his father naked. Some think the word “told” in this context carries a mocking connotation. Others have speculated that Ham did something of a sexual nature to his father. Rashi, a medieval Rabbi, said some rabbis think Ham sodomized Noah and some think he castrated Noah. Rashi thought Ham castrated Noah preventing him from having a fourth son so Noah cursed Ham’s fourth son, Canaan. But the text only says that Ham saw his father naked then told his two brothers. In any case, Shem and Japheth showed much more respect to their father than Ham did.
- Canaan is cursed by Noah. A curse is a decree of disapproval resulting in negative consequences. Up to this point, the serpent (3:14) and the ground (3:17) have been cursed by God. And Cain was placed “under a curse” (4:11). But this curse is unique because it is not expressed by God. Some have suggested that since this curse is not made by God, it can only be effective with divine approval. What is Canaan’s curse? He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers. The word slave appears three times in reference to Canaan in Genesis 9:25-27: “lowest of slaves,” “May Canaan be the slave of Shem,” “may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.” Slaveowners in American history and earlier times used this story as justification for slavery because they viewed the curse of Canaan/Ham as darker skin. Hence, they argued that Ham’s descendants were Africans. But that is incorrect. The curse is focused on Ham’s fourth son—Canaan—and Canaan’s descendants were the Canaanites who lived in the Middle East, not Africa.
- Why did Noah curse his grandson Canaan and not his son Ham? This is a huge challenge in the story. Rabbi Eleazar in the 2nd century said Canaan was the first to see Noah naked and he then went and told his father Ham. So, both Canaan and Ham had a role in the offense. But we are not given the answer in the text. We know a few hundred years later, God gave Canaan’s land to the people of Israel who were descendants of Shem. The name Semite probably comes from the name Shem.
- Noah was devoted to the LORD, the God of Shem. Notice that while Noah curses Canaan, he also blesses or praises God. Shem and Japheth are not praised. Noah was deeply devoted to the LORD. “He walked faithfully with God” (6:9), he “did everything just as God commanded him” (6:22), he “did all that the LORD commanded him” (7:5), after the flood he “built an altar to the LORD” (8:20), and now he praises the LORD (9:26). And the LORD is the God of Shem. Since Noah also invokes God in his words to Japheth, perhaps this implies that Ham/Canaan had another god. Noah said:
“Praise be to the LORD, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
May God extend Japheth’s territory;
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.” (vv. 26-27)
After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. For a deep dive into church history and the character of God, see my book Surprised by Hell.