Genesis 9

Genesis 9:11

Chapter 12 God’s Covenant With Noah “And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth."Genesis 9:11 Noah’s first act, when he came out of the ark, was to build, not a house for himself, but an altar “unto the Lord” on which he offered blood sacrifices as burnt offerings to God. These were received by God as a sweet-smelling savor. Having received these offerings, God declared that he would never again curse the ground for man’s sake and that, as long as the earth remained, its seasons would not cease.[5] [5] Do not allow the infidels of our day influence your thinking. Scientists, environmentalists and politicians may fret and worry themselves about “global warming” and the disappearance of seasons; but God has declared that “while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease!”Then we are told, “God blessed Noah and his sons” (Genesis 9:1). This is the first time we read of God blessing anyone since the fall of our father Adam. The basis of the blessing was the sacrifice God had received. That blood sacrifice was symbolical. It was a picture of Christ, the Lamb of God, for whose sake and through whose merits all the blessings of grace flow to sinners upon the earth.

This is a new beginning. Judgment is over. Old things have passed away. All things are now new. And everything now rests upon a covenant that God made, a covenant of grace, based upon shed blood. Man had forfeited the blessing of God.

He had forfeited his position as lord of creation. But grace restores him. Grace reinstates him. God made a covenant with Noah and, in its scope, that covenant reached even to the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea (Genesis 9:2). This covenant was made to last forever. Everything about Noah’s salvation by the ark is representative of our salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ. The whole story is full of spiritual suggestions. The ark is a picture of Christ and our redemption by him. The salvation of Noah and his family by water is a picture of our salvation by the washing of regeneration. Like Noah, though we are in the world, we are dead to it. As Noah came out of the ark, out of the flood of God’s wrath, so we have come up out of the watery grave to walk with Christ in the newness of life by the power of our resurrected Redeemer. As Noah came out of the ark to walk abroad in the earth, so the believer in Christ walks in freedom. Noah’s sacrifices to God picture the believer’s employment in this world - The worship and praise of God our Savior. When the Lord commanded Noah to be fruitful and fill the earth with his fruit, he set forth the fruitfulness of faith. Believer’s bear fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, unto God (Galatians 5:22-23). And as his witnesses in this world, believing sinners are spiritual parents to immortal souls, travailing in birth until Christ is formed in other chosen sinners by the work of God the Holy Spirit. Noah’s dominion over the beasts of the earth symbolized the believer’s dominion over the lusts of his own nature. Grace has made us priests and kings in Christ. We are priests to offer up sacrifices to God by Christ. We are kings to rule our own spirits by the Spirit of Christ. Noah’s security, standing before God upon the ground of God’s own covenant, was a picture of every believer’s security before God upon the basis of God’s covenant. Before ever the earth was made, before time began, in old eternity, God made a covenant with his Son for the salvation of his elect. We call it the covenant of grace, or the everlasting covenant. That covenant was a solemn compact between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, which guarantees and secures the salvation of God’s elect. It is a covenant ordered in all things and made sure from eternity (Ephesians 1:3-6; 2 Timothy 1:9). It is a covenant ratified by the blood of Christ at Calvary (Hebrews 13:20). It is a covenant established and sealed to God’s elect by the Holy Spirit in regeneration through faith (Ephesians 1:13-14).

It was this blessed covenant of grace that comforted, sustained, and gave satisfaction to David on his deathbed (2 Samuel 23:5). It is this very same covenant which is the comfort and strength of believing sinners today (2 Timothy 1:9-12). The covenant that God made with Noah was a covenant of pure grace and was representative of the covenant of grace which he made for us with Christ before the world began. Who made this covenant? The source of this covenant was God alone. This was a covenant which God made with Noah, not a covenant that Noah made with God (Read Genesis 9:11-12; Genesis 9:15). This was God’s covenant with Noah. Man had no part in making it, or in keeping it. And man could not break it. So it is with that everlasting covenant of grace that God has made for us.

It is a covenant of pure grace (Romans 9:11-18). It is a covenant of unconditional, unqualified promise. God says, “I will” and “you shall” (Galatians 4:22-31). Believers do not stand before God under a covenant that demands anything of us. We live under a covenant of promise. Its’ favors are unconditional.

Its’ mercies are unlimited. All its’ blessings are made sure to all the seed by the oath and promise of God. As God kept his covenant with Noah, so the covenant of grace has been faithfully kept to this day (Genesis 8:22), kept by God himself. Nothing in the covenant depends, in any degree, upon man - God says, “I will remember my covenant,” and he does. The garments of salvation are all garments of God’s providing, garments of grace. None of God’s people wear garments of linen and wool, of works and grace.C.

H. Spurgeon said, “My looking to Jesus brings me joy and peace, but it is God’s looking to Jesus which secures my salvation and that of all his elect; for it is impossible for God to look at Christ, our bleeding Surety, and then be angry with us for sins already punished in him.” The covenant of grace is an everlasting covenant. Time does not change God or his purpose. David rejoiced to declare on his dying bed, “The Lord hath made with me and everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure.” Every child of God in this world can and should have the same joyful confidence in all his circumstances. Grace is never in jeopardy. Salvation is never in danger. God’s elect cannot, by any means, be lost (Isaiah 54:9-10). The covenant of grace is a covenant made by God and kept by God. With whom was the covenant established? The covenant touched everything in God’s creation. The benefits of the covenant were given to all Noah’s posterity. But the covenant was made with only one man - Noah (Genesis 9:11). Even so, the covenant of grace was made with one Person - the Lord Jesus Christ; but that one Person was Surety for many (Hebrews 7:22). God made his covenant for us with Christ. Our divine Surety met all the stipulations of the covenant for us. In him, only in him, every believer receives all the blessings of the covenant. They are ours in Christ and for his sake (Ephesians 1:3-6; 2 Timothy 1:9). What was the basis, or foundation, of the covenant? This covenant was God’s response to Noah’s sacrifice (Genesis 8:20-22). The covenant which God made with Noah was God’s answer to the “sweet savor” that ascended to him from the altar. All the blessings of the covenant flowed to Noah, because of the sacrifice. And all the blessings of the covenant of grace flow to all of God’s elect through “the blood of the everlasting covenant” (Hebrews 13:20), the blood of Christ, “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).[6] [6] God could not and would not bless and save even the people whom he loved with an everlasting love apart from the satisfaction of his justice by the blood of Christ.Why was this covenant made? We must not pry into the secrets of almighty God. I do not pretend to know all that moved God in the covenant he made with Noah, or in the covenant he made with Christ for us. However, this much he has revealed. God made his covenant to be… a wondrous display of his amazing grace (Genesis 8:21; Ephesians 1:6; Ephesians 1:12; Ephesians 1:14). a perpetual declaration of his glorious sovereignty (Genesis 8:22; Romans 9:11-18). a solid ground of comfort to his elect (Romans 8:28-32). What is included in the covenant? In a word – Everything! The covenant God made with Noah included all the elements of the world (Genesis 8:22), all the creatures of the world (Genesis 9:3; Genesis 9:9-10), and all the governments of the world (Genesis 9:6). The covenant of grace includes everything. “All things are of God” (2 Corinthians 5:18). “All things are yours” (1 Corinthians 3:21; Hosea 2:18; Romans 8:28). Everything in this world is so absolutely governed by God that nothing happens, nothing is done, nothing moves, nothing lives, nothing dies, except that which God has purposed for the fulfilling of his covenant in his elect. What is the meaning of the rainbow, the token of the covenant? Read Genesis 9:12-16. Here we see the rainbow upon the earth; but when John was caught up to heaven, he saw the rainbow encircling God’s throne (Revelation 4:3), and he saw Christ, our Mediator, ruling all things for the fulfilment of God’s covenant, crowned with a rainbow on his head (Revelation 10:1). The Lord is ever mindful of his covenant. He does not need a token to remind him of it; but we do. So he gave us the rainbow. It was the symbol to Noah of God’s covenant with him; and it is a symbol to us to remind us of God’s covenant with us in Christ. When may we expect to see the rainbow, the token of the covenant? The only time the rainbow is seen is when there is a cloud (Genesis 9:14). When our blessed Savior died at Calvary, there was a dark cloud over the earth; and there, in the death of our Substitute, we see God’s covenant. The believer’s days in this world are often filled with clouds, clouds hung by our heavenly Father – “When I bring a cloud.” We read the lines and promises of God’s covenant best when we read them drawn out for us upon the dark and cloudy sky of adversity. You will never see the rainbow until a cloud appears. But, as A. W. Pink wrote, “How blessed to know that the cloud that comes over our sky is of his bringing! And if so, how sure that some way he will reveal his glory in it!” If we would see the rainbow, there must also be some rain. The cloud itself does not give the rainbow. We will never see a rainbow without the crystal drops of water to reflect the light of the sun. And you cannot see the rainbow unless the sun shines. It is only as Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, shines in our hearts by the Spirit of grace that we are able to see God’s covenant and grace toward us in him. “Shine, O Sun of Righteousness Through all the clouds of time and sense; Display the rainbow of your grace And rest my soul in covenant peace.” What do we see in the rainbow, the token of the covenant? In the rainbow, we see transcendent beauty and glory. That is what we see revealed in the covenant of God’s grace. In the rainbow, we see a symbol of justice and vengeance satisfied. There is the bow; but it has neither string nor arrow. God has hung up his bow. The warfare is over (Isaiah 40:1-2). That is the covenant fulfilled by our Surety. In the rainbow, we see streamers of joy, a banner of delight, flung across the heavens. That is what the covenant of grace is! (Jeremiah 31:3; Jeremiah 31-34; Jeremiah 32:37-41).

Genesis 9:13

Chapter 13 THE RAINBOW “I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.” Genesis 9:13 After God destroyed the world with the waters of the flood in his fierce anger, he promised Noah that he would never do so again. He made a covenant with Noah, by which he assured him that he would never again destroy the world with a flood. As a perpetual reminder of that covenant, God set a rainbow in the sky (Genesis 9:11-16). From that day to this, the rainbow has stood as a perpetual reminder of God’s covenant. It is a sign of the covenant that will stand until God our Savior comes again and makes all things new. The rainbow and the covenant are mentioned frequently in the Scriptures in connection with the throne of God, the glory of God, and the promises of the grace of God. It is the Lord our God who declares, “This is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy upon thee” (Isaiah 54:9-10). When Ezekiel describes his vision of God’s glory, he tells us that he saw a rainbow, the symbol of the covenant, encircling God’s glorious throne. “As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezekiel 1:28). When the apostle John was called up to heaven, to behold the throne of God, he tells us, “There was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald” (Revelation 4:3). As the throne John saw is a symbol of God’s sovereignty, the rainbow round about the throne is a symbol of the covenant of grace. The rainbow is a reverberation, or a reflection of the beams of the sun upon a thin watery cloud. And the covenant of grace is owing to Jesus Christ, the Sun of righteousness” (John Gill). It is Christ who made the covenant for us with the Father. He fills the covenant with all the blessings of grace. Christ is the Mediator of the covenant, the Surety of the covenant, and the Messenger of the covenant. In Revelation 10:1; John draws a picture of Christ as One clothed with a cloud having a rainbow upon his head.

The fact is the whole of the covenant of grace is Jesus Christ himself. He is the Surety of the covenant, the Ratifier of the covenant, the Blessing of the covenant, and the Embodiment of the covenant. God the Father said to his Son, “I will preserve thee and give thee for a covenant of the people” (Isaiah 49:8). An Emblem Of Mercy And Peace The rainbow is an emblem of the covenant of grace. Its many colors might be expressive of the promises of God in the covenant. The covenant symbolized by the rainbow is the everlasting covenant of grace, of mercy, and of peace (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Jeremiah 32:37-40; Hebrews 8:8-13; Hebrews 10:16-17; Psalms 89:19-37). This covenant of grace was made between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit before the world was made. Our Surety and Representative in the covenant was the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:22; Genesis 43:8-9). In this everlasting covenant of grace, the salvation of God’s elect was agreed upon, wrought out, and accomplished in the oath, purpose, and decree of God (1 Peter 1:18-20; Revelation 13:8; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; Job 33:24).

In time this covenant of grace, made in God’s eternal purpose, was ratified and fulfilled by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ in the place of his people (Hebrews 9:15-17). And all the blessings and promises of the covenant are sealed to the hearts of God’s elect by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:13-17; Ephesians 1:13-14). As the rainbow is the emblem of mercy, peace, and recondiliation in God toward man, after he had destoryed the world by the flood, so the covenant of grace is a covenant of mercy and peace. It comes from God’s mercy. It is full of God’s mercy. And it provides abundant mercy, peace, and reconciliation for sinners through the blood of Christ. The Security Of The World When God set his bow in the sky, he promised that he would never again destroy the world by a flood. Can you imagine how Noah and his sons must have trembled, when they heard that first clap of thunder and saw that first bolt of lightening after the flood. The ark was gone. Perhaps they used it for fire wood. As the rain began to fall, I do not doubt, they must have been horrified. Then, the rain stopped. The sun began to shine. And the bow of God appeared in the sky! By the appearing of God’s bow in the sky, their fears were silenced. As the rainbow is a symbol of God’s covenant and his promise to Noah that he would never again destroy the earth with a flood, it is God’s covenant of grace that holds back the hand of his justice, and keeps Him from destroying this earth and its inhabitants. Had it not been for the covenant of grace, God would have destroyed the human race when Adam sinned in the garden. And were it not for that same, inalterable covenant, God would not allow the wicked to live today (2 Peter 3:9). As the angels of judgment could not destroy Sodom until Lot was safely out of the city, so the Lord God will not destroy this earth in his wrath until he has saved all the hosts of his elect (Revelation 7:1-17). Above all else, it is the firm and everlasting covenant of grace that secures the eternal salvation of God’s elect (2 Samuel 23:5). We believe in eternal security, because we believe in the immutability of God’s covenant. God is faithful to his covenant. He will honor his covenant. He will keep his covenant. And, blessed be his name, God’s faithfulness to his covenant is not in anyway dependent upon the faithfulness of his people (Psalms 89:28; Psalms 89:34; Ezekiel 16:60-62). Encompassing The Throne The throne, remember, is the emblem of God’s sovereignty, his dominion, and his power. The “rainbow round about the throne” tells us that God’s sovereignty is bound, hedged about, and limited by his covenant. In other words, God cannot and will not do anything contrary to or inconsistent with his covenant (Hebrews 6:13-19). God has bound himself to his covenant. The fact that this rainbow, the covenant of grace, completely encircles the throne of God signifies three things: God is always mindful of his covenant. The Psalmist said, “He will ever be mindful of his covenant” (Psalms 111:5). No matter which way he turns, the covenant is always before his eyes. He constantly remembers it for the good of his people. He faithfully keeps his covenant. No matter how he comes to his people, he comes to us by way of the covenant. No matter what God does, he is fulfilling his covenant. No man can come to God, except through the covenant. Strip the throne of this rainbow, and there is the august, sparkling majesty of God, a consuming fire, which no man dare approach. But that same throne, encircled with a rainbow, is inviting (Hebrews 4:16). Sinners may approach the God of the covenant by a new and living way, by the blood of the everlasting covenant. We cannot draw near to God with our works. Both Cain and Uzza stand as striking examples of what becomes of those who put their own hands into the business of God’s salvation. We dare not attempt to draw near to God with the strange fire of our own religious deeds and sacrifices.

But sinners can draw near to God on the basis of the covenant, pleading the merits of Christ’s righteousness and shed blood. We come to God in the covenant name, Jesus Christ. The pass-word to God’s throne is Christ. We pray in Christ’s name (John 15:16). We worship in Christ’s name (Matthew 18:20). We are saved in Christ’s name (Acts 4:12). The fact that this rainbow encircles the throne of God tells us that God’s government of this world is determined by and is in exact agreement with the covenant of grace (Romans 8:28). God always has respect to the covenant. He does everything for the fulfilment of the covenant. In all the great events of providence, God is simply fulfilling his covenant. As you read the Scriptures, you will notice that everything was done to suit God’s purposes for his chosen nation. Egypt comes across the stage, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and Rome. But all these nations are just background settings.

Their pomp, granduer, and wealth are just accessories. They rise and fall, they come and go with insignificance. The central figure is Israel, the elect nation, the church of God. The rest of the nations are nothing more than props, scaffolding, and gardeners for the Lord’s vineyard. God has chosen Jacob for his portion. He is only concerned with Jacob.

He does everything for Jacob. “I believe”, C. H. Spurgeon once said, “that when kings and potentates meet in the cabinet chamber and consult together according to their ambition, a Counsellor whom they never see pulls the strings, and they are only his puppets.” (Read Isaiah 10:1-34; Isaiah 43:1-7) The ultimate end of all the events of providence is the salvation of God ‘s elect, the gathering of his redeemed ones, the calling of his church. God rules this world for his elect, covenant people. By secret, almighty, irresistible force, God works all things together for the good of his elect. As this is true in all the great, momentous events of providence, it is equally true of all the small, minute matters of daily life - The painting of the lilac, the feeding of the sparrow, the numbering of the hairs of our heads, are all done by God because of his care and love for his people in Christ.The promise of the covenant is, “Surely blessing I will bless thee” (Hebrews 6:14); and he always does. “Although my house be not so with God, yet” I am blessed of God. Let every child of God rejoice in this great fact of covenant grace. We are blessed of God according to the tenor of the covenant. In all our temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13), in all our afflictions, in all our chastisements (Hebrews 12:5; Revelation 3:19), our heavenly Father is bringing upon us his covenant blessings in and through Christ Jesus. There is a rainbow round about the throne. Let that throne decree what it may, the decree shall never run contrary to the covenant of love. Even when I am most distressed, and the circumstances of my life are most painful, yet I know of a certainty, and testify gladly, “Truly God is good to Israel” (Psalms 73:1). Emerald Green In Color The rainbow has many colors. But the dominant, prevailing color is green. This is the color of life, peace, tranquility, and joy. Truly, the most delightful, enlivening, peaceful sight in all the world is the covenant of God’s grace. What is more cheering than to see God as our covenant God, Christ as our covenant Surety, and all the blessings and promises of the covenant made sure to us in him? The covenant of grace, like the emerald, is ever green. It is always new. Its promises are always fresh. Its blessings shall endure forever. Designed To Be A Reminder Though God does not need anything to bring things to his remembrance, yet, he condescends to set the rainbow in the sky so that he might look at it and remember his everlasting covenant; and he allows us to put him in remembrance of his covenant, pleading the promises of the covenant with him in prayer (Isaiah 43:25-26). Let every believer have a constant regard to the covenant. Our God does. Draw comfort from the covenant. Never be so base as to entertain hard thoughts about God’s providence. God’s providence is only the outworking of his covenant grace. Give thanks and praise to God for his covenant (2 Samuel 23:1-5; Ephesians 1:3-6).

Genesis 9:18-29

Chapter 14 Noah and His Sons “And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan Genesis 9:18-29 The entire inspired account of Noah’s life after the flood, a period of 350 years, is given to us by Moses in just twenty-nine verses (Genesis 9:1-29). That fact, in itself, is remarkable, when we consider what tremendous responsibilities fell upon his shoulders. Noah led the world in the worship of God. He was the man responsible for the government of the nations which issued from his loins. In addition to his tasks as both the prophet of God and the civil magistracy of the world, Noah still had the care of his family. Yet, the Holy Spirit passes by all the frustrations of earth he endured and feats of faith he accomplished, and focuses our attention upon the only blemish recorded concerning his life of 950 years! There must be some special reason for this. Don’t you think? The Scriptures declare that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). The Lord God reduced the world to one family. In the flood, the Lord God destroyed the whole human race, except for Noah, his sons, and their wives. Why? Because “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” God chose Noah, provided an ark of salvation for Noah and his family, put them in the ark and graciously brought Noah and all who were with him in the ark through the judgment. In Genesis 10:1-11 Moses describes God’s covenant with Noah and his sons after the flood. In these verses God promised his providential care to Noah and his family, as they went about replenishing the earth (Genesis 9:1). He put the fear of man in the beasts of the earth (Genesis 9:2). The Lord gave man all the vegetation of the earth, beasts of the land, fowls of the air, and fish of the sea for his food and pleasure (Genesis 9:3-4). God required all men, under penalty of death, to take care of one another (Genesis 9:5-6)[7]. Then, in Genesis 9:8-17, we read of God’s covenant, in which he promised never to destroy the world by water again and the rainbow, the token of his covenant[8]. [7] As it is expanded in the giving of the law and by our Lord Jesus in his sermon on the Mount, this prohibition of murder is much more than just a prohibition of murder. It requires that we love and care for one another, that we protect both the lives of others and the name and well-being of others. As we shall see, it is precisely at this point that Ham’s rebellion and sin were manifest. He hated his father and sought to destroy his character. [8] This covenant and its token (the rainbow) are used by the Spirit of God as a type and picture of the covenant of grace, according to which our heavenly Father rules the universe for the salvation of his elect (Revelation 4:1-3; Romans 8:28-30). In Genesis 9:18-19, we are told that “The sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.” We have two choices. We can either accept the ever changing, wild guesses of evolutionary fools regarding the origins of man and the nations of the world; or we can believe the revelation of God. I believe God. According to the Book of God, all mankind descended from Noah and his wife, his three sons and their wives, and before that from Adam and Eve. It is obvious that we have many different groups or races with what seem to be greatly differing features. The most obvious of these is skin color. Many see this as a reason to doubt the Bible’s record of history. They believe that the various groups could have arisen only by evolving separately over tens of thousands of years. That is sheer nonsense. Skin pigmentation, eye and hair colors, and the shapes of men’s physical features change within immediate families in one generation. It requires nothing more than looking at any man and his children to see that fact clearly demonstrated. The races of humanity did not evolve from some cosmic ooze, or from the fish of the sea, or from some very crude early species of monkey. We may have different skin color and may be shaped differently, but the entire human race is one race. We are all the sons and daughters of Adam, descended through Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The dispersing of the nations, under the judgment of God, was the work of God’s wise and adorable providence, not the luck of evolutionary accidents (Acts 17:26). In Genesis 9:20-29, the Holy Spirit records the sad events of Noah’s drunkenness and Ham’s sin against his father, the curse of Canaan, his prophecy regarding his sons, and Noah’s death. Noah’s FallIn Genesis 9:20-21, Moses describes and records for all to read Noah’s fall. A sad, sad record this is, but it is written for our learning and admonition. So let us learn its lessons well. May God the Holy Spirit inscribe them upon our hearts. We must make neither more nor less of this than the Spirit of God does. We are told by God what kind of man Noah was.

Like Job, grace had made Noah a just and upright man (Genesis 6:9). He was “just,” – Both justified by the grace of God through the redemption that is in Christ and just in his dealings with God and men. He was sincere, upright, and honest. The grace of God which distinguished him from the world had saved him corruption of his own heart and the corruptions of the world in which he lived. Noah was a child of God, a man of faith (Hebrews 11:7). Yet, when Moses was inspired of God to write the history of this remarkable man after the flood, he mentions nothing about those 350 years in which he walked with God by faith in Christ, just as his great grandfather, Enoch, had done. Nothing else is mentioned about all those years except this drunken stupor and the events surrounding it. The intention of our Heavenly Father in permitting these things and the intention of the Holy Spirit in inspiring Moses to record them here is that we might learn from them and profit by them (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11-13). Without question, there are many other lessons which could and should be drawn from this sad event in Noah’s life than I shall mention; but it appears to me that there are five very obvious lessons for us to learn from this, First, learn this: – The Bible is, indeed, the inspired Word of God himself. One glaring evidence of Divine Inspiration is the fact that those men who wrote the Scriptures recorded, without excuse or extenuation, the most horrible failures of the greatest examples of faith and godliness. Unlike the writings of men, the Word of God deals with things honestly, even those things which are most likely to give men occasion to blaspheme and ridicule it. There is no attempt made in the Book of God to hide or excuse Noah’s drunkenness, Abraham’s actions before Pharaoh, David’s crime, Peter’s fall, or even the strife between Paul and Barnabas. Second, these things are written in the Book of God to teach us, by example, that “Salvation is of the Lord!” Grace precedes the need for grace. God chose Noah and made a covenant with him, assuring him of God’s goodness before he needed the assurance, in anticipation of the need. Grace saved Noah and preserved him; and when he fell, grace restored the fallen saint, and preserved him still. Third, the Holy Spirit here shows us that the very best of men are only men at best. “Man at his best estate is altogether vanity.” The fact is, though he was saved by the grace of God, Noah was still, just like you and me, a sinner. The human heart is essentially evil (Jeremiah 17:9). Fourth, the only righteousness any sinner has or can have before the holy, Lord God, is the righteousness of Christ. It is the righteousness of Christ imputed to us by grace that justifies us, and the righteousness of Christ imparted to us in the new birth that sanctifies us. Fifth, learn this: – No believer in this world is immune from temptation or sin. God graciously keeps his own elect from Satan, but not from sin, – from death, but not from decline, – from condemnation, but not from corruption, – from falling away, but not from falling. Sometimes God let’s one of his saints fall for the comfort of others, lest we be overwhelmed with despair when we experience the same thing. Martin Luther wrote, “The Holy Spirit wanted the godly, who know their weakness and for this reason are disheartened, to take comfort from the offense that comes from the account of the lapses among the most perfect patriarchs. In such instances we should find proof of our own weakness and therefore bow down in humble confession, not only to ask for forgiveness, but also to hope for it.” Ham’s SinNext, in Genesis 9:22-23, the Spirit of God shows us Ham’s sin, the terrible sin of a malicious, God hating rebel against his father, and, more importantly, against the God of heaven, whose authority was represented in his father. When Noah lay naked in his tent, in his drunkenness, Ham walked in on him. When he saw his father in such a condition, rather than trying to help the old man recover, rather than protecting his father’s honor, he went outside and called his brothers, seizing the opportunity to defame his father, his father’s God, and the worship of God his father had taught him. Remember, Ham was not a boy. This was not a childish taunt. Ham was a grown man. He was at least 100 years old. No doubt, Noah had often upbraided and reproved him. Perhaps he had often reproved Ham for drunkenness. Ham’s sin revealed his heart. The son would not have treated his father with such contempt, if he had not already murdered him in his heart. God commands children to reverence their parents, giving them the honor due to their position as our parents, because it is right. Ham despised his father. Before the flood, the whole world thought Noah was a fool, condemned him as a heretic, and looked down upon him as a mad, divisive, mean-spirited bigot, because the gospel he preached condemned them. Though he hid it, Ham was, all the while, in complete agreement with them; and now his true heart was manifest. Like Absolam after him, Ham walked in the way of Cain, ran after the error of Balaam, and perished under the gainsaying of Korah (Jude 1:8; Jude 1:10-11). Ham thought himself holy and Noah evil.

Therefore, he jumped at the chance to expose Noah as a sinful wretch, despised and judged of God. He gleefully aired his father’s nakedness. This is the conflict which has been going on in this world since the beginning of time and continues today. The seed of the serpent is at enmity with the seed of the woman. As Cain’s murder of Abel must be traced to the enmity Satan has for Christ, so Ham’s uncovering of his father’s nakedness reveals the same enmity. It is this enmity of hell which inflames the rage of the entire world against Christ, his church, and the gospel of the grace of God. It is this enmity which unites the whole religious world of Babylon (intoxicated with the wine of free will, works religion) against Christ and his kingdom. Ham was an apostate. He professed to be one with Noah. He professed to believe the gospel Noah preached. But it was all a show of hypocrisy. In time, he turned from the way of Noah to the way of Cain. Ham behaved as a reprobate man. He rejoiced in the iniquity of his father and published it (1 Corinthians 13:4-6; Galatians 6:1; Proverbs 10:12; Proverbs 12:6; Proverbs 17:9). Like his father, the devil, he was a liar and a murderer. As Shem and Japheth refused to look upon and covered their father’s nakedness, believers protect the names, reputations, and honor of others (Genesis 9:23). They took a blanket and went into the tent backwards, refusing to look upon Noah’s nakedness and folly. By their actions, they said to one another, “This is not our father. We will not look upon his folly, ourselves or expose it to anyone else.” That is what love does when object loved falls (Proverbs 10:12). Believers are kind, forbearing, and gracious, bearing with one another’s infirmities, covering one another’s faults, extenuating, excusing, and making as little as possible of one another’s failures. As this is true regarding all men, it is particularly true with regard to our brethren, and most particularly with regard to God’s servants. – “Against an elder receive not an accusation, except it be by the mouth of two or three witnesses.” Gossiping, slandering men and women, people who rejoice in spreading the faults of others (though they always preface it by saying, “I hate to say it, but…”), simply do not know God. Canaan’s CurseIn Genesis 9:24-25, we read about the dreadful curse that fell upon Canaan and all the descendants of Ham because of their father’s sin. These words do not represent the wrath and vengeance of Noah, but the terrible wrath of God. The Lord God was so moved in wrath against this despicable, insolent, contemptuous rebel, that he does not even call him by name, but calls him Canaan, after his son and the multitude of rebels which would spring from his loins. What was this curse? What did it involve? There is no question that Ham was the father of those people known as Negroid; but it is the height of racial arrogance and displays a terrible ignorance of Scripture to suggest that the color of a man’s skin represents the curse of God (Colossians 3:10-11). Ham and his sons were cursed to servitude, bondage, and slavery; and it is true that in modern times the sons of Ham were enslaved by other people. Some have even pointed to this text as a biblical justification for the barbaric practice of slavery. However, if we read the Bible and/or history books, we see that cursed Ham took possession of the largest part of the earth and established the most extensive and powerful kingdoms in the world. Compare this with the history of blessed Shem and Japheth, it appears to the eye of carnal reason that they were cursed and Ham was blessed. The curse of God upon Canaan (Ham and his descendants) must have been something other than what men look upon and consider a curse. The fact is, this prophecy, like all others, is beyond the mere scope of reason. It can be understood only by the revelation of God given in Holy Scripture and embraced by faith. The life of the believer is a life of faith and hope. Physical health, material prosperity, and domestic tranquillity is no more an indication of blessedness, than adversity is an indication of wretchedness. In fact, just the opposite is true, as the book of Job demonstrates. Ham was cursed. Yet, he alone became a master. Nimrod, who was his grandson by Cush, became the father of Babylon.

Mizraim, another of Ham’s children, became the father of Egypt (Genesis 10:6; Psalms 78:51). Shem and Japheth were blessed. Yet, they appear to have been cursed. The specific curse of God upon Ham and his sons was slavery. Yet, it was Ham and his descendants who held Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in slavery in Canaan and in Egypt. What, then, was God’s curse upon Ham?

Do we have any indication in Holy Scripture what it was? We do indeed. You will recall that when the Lord God cursed Cain, he put a mark upon him. Cain complained that his punishment was greater than he could bear and wanted to die; but God made him a permanent fugitive and vagabond in the earth. Yet, again, we see Cain’s sons possessing great wealth and power (Genesis 4:10-18). The mark God put on Cain, like the curse placed upon Ham, was a spiritual mark and a spiritual curse. I do not know whether Cain was marked by some terrible, grotesque disease or deformity; but I really doubt it. The mark of Cain and the curse of Canaan were the same.

God’s mark upon Cain was the mark of the beast, the mark of the world, the mark of doomed, damned men, clinging to the religion of the world, despising God, his Son, and the gospel of his grace. The same is the curse God put upon Ham and his spiritual sons. The only people in this world who are not engulfed in the religion of this world, the only ones who do not wear the mark of the beast are God’s elect, whose names are in the book of life and who have been sealed by the Spirit of God[9] (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 13:17-18; Revelation 14:11; Revelation 16:2; Revelation 17:8; Revelation 19:20). [9] The curse, in so far as it relates to spiritual things, is not upon the physical descendants of Cain and Ham, but upon those who walk in the way of Cain and Ham, in the way of self-righteous, free will, works religion. – In other words, all idolaters are the descendants of Cain and Ham.Learn this, and learn it well. – God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His ways are higher than our ways. God’s elect are blessed with a kingdom, but it is a kingdom of grace, not of the world. We possess great blessedness, but it is the blessedness of forgiven sin, a reconciled God, and everlasting glory. Upon these things we must set our hearts, leaving the cursed followers of Cain and Ham to possess and perish with the world (Colossians 3:1-3; Matthew 6:19-21; Matthew 6:33).. Learn this, too. – The Lord God does visit the iniquities of the fathers upon their children, generation after generation. God considers it no more a dishonor to his character to declare this than he did to declare that he has mercy on whom he will have mercy (Exodus 33:19; Exodus 34:6-7). It should, however, be understood that while the sin of a father makes him responsible for the ruin of his family, a man’s own sin alone is the cause of his punishment (Ezekiel 18:20; Deuteronomy 24:16). In the day of judgment we will, each one, give account of himself to God. Noah’s ProphecyIn Genesis 9:25-27 we read concerning his other two sons as well, Shem and Japheth. What a remarkable prophecy this is. It is a prophecy which was never fully understood or explained by any other man, until the apostle Paul, writing by the same Spirit of inspiration, explained its meaning in Romans 9-11. Noah understood that his sons would inhabit the earth until the end of time. He prophesied that Christ (the God of Shem – the Seed of woman) would come into the earth through Shem’s seed. He also prophesied that God would bring about the fulness of Israel by gathering his elect from the Gentile world (Japheth) into the tents of Shem (the Jews). Noah also prophesied that Ham, that dominant but reprobate son, would ultimately become the servant of both Shem and Japheth. Noah praised the God of Shem for his electing love. – “Blessed be the Lord God of Shem.” The blessings Shem enjoys are not the result of his goodness, but of God’s. Therefore it is the God of Shem who is blessed. Then the old patriarch spoke of the union of Jew and Gentile in Christ. “God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem.” This dwelling of Japheth in the tents of Shem is not the result of war, but the blessed unity and union of believing hearts in Christ (Ephesians 2:13-22). Noah also assured his favored sons that their oppressing, persecuting, slandering brother, with all his apparent power, would only and always be their servant, performing only that which will ultimately benefit them. What a promise this is! Ham built Egypt, and Egypt possessed Israel; but there redemption was portrayed in the overthrow of Pharaoh. Ham built Canaan, and Canaan became the land of Israel’s inheritance by the blessing of God. Ham built Babylon, and Babylon possessed Israel. Yet, there redemption was portrayed in Cyrus.

It was the sons of Ham (the Pharisees and the Romans) who crucified the Lord of glory; but thereby the Son of God redeemed his people (Acts 2:23). To this day, the sons of Ham despise, persecute, and slander Shem and Japheth (God’s elect); but they only serve the interests of our souls (Romans 11:33-36). Noah’s EndIn Genesis 9:28-29, the Holy Spirit records Noah’s end, that we might also learn from that as well. Noah lived 950 years, 20 years longer than Adam and only 19 years less than Methuselah. He lived, for at least 370 of those years, as a preacher of righteousness. Yet, he died at last. Here is a man who saw great things. Happy are those who are blessed of God to see the same. Noah saw the world before the flood, deserving the wrath and judgment of God. He saw the justice and mercy of God in bringing him through the flood. This man saw the world after the flood and the splendor of God’s good providence in all things. This same man, Noah, now lives in the world above and sees all things clearly, in the light of the glory of God our Savior. Do you see him, seated yonder, with the blood washed band around the throne of God and of the Lamb? I think I can hear the old patriarch singing, as he cast his crown at the Savior’s feet and worships him that liveth for ever and ever. – “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created…Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth…Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”