drunken, naked, passed out Noah Genesis 9
There's this curious story after the Noah's flood story in Genesis 9.
20 Noah, a farmer, was the first to plant a vineyard. 21 He drank from its wine, got drunk and passed out, naked in his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and told his two brothers who were outside the tent. 23 Shem and Japheth took a cloak, held it between them from their shoulders, walked backwards and covered their father's nakedness, keeping their faces turned away so they did not see their father's exposed body.24 When Noah woke up with his hangover, he learned what his youngest son had done. 25 He said, Cursed be Canaan! A slave of slaves, a slave to his brothers! 26 Blessed be God, the God of Shem, but Canaan shall be his slave. 27 God prosper Japheth, living spaciously in the tents of Shem. But Canaan shall be his slave. (MSG)
It is so curious that there are too many interpretations of it. I'm sure the insight lightbulb for me this afternoon isn't original, but I want to write it down somewhere. Some interpreters read into that Ham interacted sexually at some level, mentally or physically, with his vulnerable father. But today, since I'm reading large chunks at a time, I thought of the context of Adam and Eve in the garden who were innocent, naked and unashamed. (Gen. 2:25) But once they sinned, they were ashamed of their nakedness and hid and God clothed them (ch.3). It occurred to me that it must have been a very strong feeling of shame that even Adam's distant descendants still felt and still respected God's solution to such feeling. Ham however, seemed to have enjoyed his father's shame, an innovation in depravity so recently after the flood, a judgment on depravity, and tried to include his brothers in on the joke. They didn't join him and Ham's child was cursed by Noah.
update from this morning's reading:
in Genesis 27 Rebekah is preparing her son Jacob to steal his brother's blessing from his nearly blind and aged father.
11 “But Esau my brother is a hairy man,” Jacob protested to his mother Rebekah, “and I have smooth skin! 12 My father may touch me! Then he’ll think I’m mocking him and I’ll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing.” 13 So his mother told him, “Any curse against you will fall on me, my son! Just obey me! Go and get them for me!” (NET)
So mocking one's father in the ancient near east is an action with very serious consequences, which is what Ham and Rebekah disregarded and Shem and Japheth did not.
Other thoughts on drunkeness at my series on college.
20 Noah, a farmer, was the first to plant a vineyard. 21 He drank from its wine, got drunk and passed out, naked in his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and told his two brothers who were outside the tent. 23 Shem and Japheth took a cloak, held it between them from their shoulders, walked backwards and covered their father's nakedness, keeping their faces turned away so they did not see their father's exposed body.24 When Noah woke up with his hangover, he learned what his youngest son had done. 25 He said, Cursed be Canaan! A slave of slaves, a slave to his brothers! 26 Blessed be God, the God of Shem, but Canaan shall be his slave. 27 God prosper Japheth, living spaciously in the tents of Shem. But Canaan shall be his slave. (MSG)
It is so curious that there are too many interpretations of it. I'm sure the insight lightbulb for me this afternoon isn't original, but I want to write it down somewhere. Some interpreters read into that Ham interacted sexually at some level, mentally or physically, with his vulnerable father. But today, since I'm reading large chunks at a time, I thought of the context of Adam and Eve in the garden who were innocent, naked and unashamed. (Gen. 2:25) But once they sinned, they were ashamed of their nakedness and hid and God clothed them (ch.3). It occurred to me that it must have been a very strong feeling of shame that even Adam's distant descendants still felt and still respected God's solution to such feeling. Ham however, seemed to have enjoyed his father's shame, an innovation in depravity so recently after the flood, a judgment on depravity, and tried to include his brothers in on the joke. They didn't join him and Ham's child was cursed by Noah.
update from this morning's reading:
in Genesis 27 Rebekah is preparing her son Jacob to steal his brother's blessing from his nearly blind and aged father.
11 “But Esau my brother is a hairy man,” Jacob protested to his mother Rebekah, “and I have smooth skin! 12 My father may touch me! Then he’ll think I’m mocking him and I’ll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing.” 13 So his mother told him, “Any curse against you will fall on me, my son! Just obey me! Go and get them for me!” (NET)
So mocking one's father in the ancient near east is an action with very serious consequences, which is what Ham and Rebekah disregarded and Shem and Japheth did not.
Other thoughts on drunkeness at my series on college.
Comments