In the Shadow of the Rainbow

Today we're going to look at a man that if it wasn't recorded in scripture we would never believe what we're about to read.

One of the most holy men in the scriptures, a man who's recorded in the hall of faith, Noah, falls into sin. As a result of that, the ramifications of course are far-reaching. So today we see a man in the shadow of the rainbow, in the shadow of that great promise, that great covenant from God, fall deep into sin and its effects upon his family. Genesis chapter 9, turn with me in your Bible if you're not already there.

Genesis chapter 9, verse number 20, Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. And Ham the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backward, and covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father's nakedness. When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him.

So he said, Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants. He shall be to his brothers. He also said, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem. And let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant. And Noah lived 350 years after the flood. So all the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died. Thus we come to the end of the life of Noah in the Scriptures. This text in which we are reading has been misapplied and misinterpreted many times over the years.

I don't know if you know this or not, but this is the favorite passage of the Ku Klux Klan, Genesis chapter 9, verses 20 and following. Believe that or not, but that's the case. And the question comes about the curse of Canaan. Why was Canaan cursed? What are the events surrounding that whole scenario? And the significance of the names of Shem and Japheth. We understand that from these three boys the whole earth has been populated. We are from Shem, him, and Japheth. And so today as we look at this text in Genesis chapter 9, we want you to notice four things.

First, the fall of a father. Second, the sin of a son. Third, the curse of Canaan. And then fourth, the blessings of the brothers. Genesis chapter 9, verse number 20, gives us the fall of a father. Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and uncovered himself in his tent. As you recall in Genesis chapter 6, verse number 9, the Bible tells us that Noah was a blameless man. God had declared him a righteous man. Noah was a man who walked with God. Noah is recorded in Hebrews 11, the hall of faith.

He is a man of God, a great man of God. Second Peter tells us that he was a preacher of righteousness.

Not only did he live righteously, but he preached the righteous life and called people to repentance and called people to follow God. And he modeled a righteous life because he lived before his family. He lived before a wicked world honoring his God when others would dishonor his God. Yet Noah being well over 600 years of age by now, in the older part of his life, fell deeply into sin, which is a reminder to all of us that none of us ever arrived, do we? No matter how old you are, you're never free from temptation to sin.

Noah was a righteous man, yet Noah fell into sin. Noah planted a vineyard, partook of the wine of that vineyard, became drunk. The fall of a father, two things, his drunkenness, two, his nakedness. Number one, his drunkenness.

Noah became drunk. The Bible is filled with exhortations, commands, precepts against drunkenness. Let me read a couple of them to you.

Proverbs chapter 20, verse number one, wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.

Turn over to Proverbs chapter 23, verse number 19, listen my son and be wise and direct your heart in the way. Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine or with gluttonous eaters of meat, for the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags. The Bible says that you should not even associate with a heavy drinker.

Don't even mingle with them. Don't even be around them because the end of their life is poverty, it's brokenness, it's rags. So, don't even associate your life with those kinds of people. A little further down in Proverbs 21, who has woe, who has sorrow, who has contentions, who has complaining, who has wounds without cause, who has redness of eyes, those who linger long over wine, those who go to taste mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly, at the last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper.

Your eyes will see strange things and your mind will utter perverse things and you will be like one who lies down in the middle of a sea or like one who lies down on the top of a mast. They struck me but I did not become ill. They beat me but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink. The Bible is clear. Don't even look upon the wine and its redness. Don't even be tempted with that which is there. A number of years ago when I was an associate pastor in a church not too far here in Southern California, there was a ministry that I was involved in overseeing along with a multitude of ministries in that church.

It was a fairly large church at the time. And one of those ministries had to deal with people who had come out of alcoholism. People who had been involved in alcohol to such a degree that it had destroyed their lives and their families and those around about them. And they were the kind of people who would say we need to preach strong against drinking and against drunkenness. They would come out and say make sure you tell people about the negativism that's there, the sin that's there, the hurt, the pain, the turmoil that's there.

And so as an associate pastor on staff I would deal with those issues and come out vehemently against them and preach against them. But you know what? I found that a lot of people in Christianity got upset with that because they like to drink. Oh they might not be drunkards but they like to drink. And I came to realize that no matter what I said whenever I preached I always got somebody upset about something. So I just got used to getting people upset about something in the Bible. It took it as if I got through a week when nobody called me or was upset about something.

I didn't preach hard enough the week before so I made sure I preached harder the next week after that. To realize that there were people in the audience who said, hey man you know what it's okay to take a few snorts here and there, have a few brewskis with the boys, it's not a big deal. And yet in my father's family we saw the devastating effects of alcohol on his father, his mother, him, his brothers. Devastating effects. I coached college baseball for 10 years, saw the enormous effects upon young boys who would involve in alcoholism and see what would happen to their lives, their dismissals from school, the sin that they would engage in and destroy their lives.

The Bible goes even further, Galatians chapter 5. It says, now the deeds of the flesh, verse number 19, are evident which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. The Bible is very clear that those who practice drunkenness, those who habitually engage in drunkenness are those who will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The Bible is clear on that. You say, well, are you telling me that to drink socially is a sin? I don't think I just said that, but you might imply that. The Bible doesn't come out and say that specifically, so I'm not going to come out and say that specifically, but I would say this. Why would you even want to engage in something that could have devastating effects on your family? Why would you want to do that? Oh, I've known many parents who drink socially, and it's never affected them one bit, but their kids are destroyed because they're drunkards.

Say, well, my kids made their own decision. That's their problem. Well, then you've got another attitude problem as a parent. The fall of a father led to gross sin in this family. I want to warn you, be careful what you do. Be careful how you live your life, because your children will emulate what you do, and what you do in moderation, your children will do in excess. So be careful. Be wise. Don't be foolish. Noah's drunkenness, number two, Noah's nakedness, those two pretty much go hand in hand.

Read through the Scriptures in your real lives in Lamentations chapter 4, and I believe it's over in Habakkuk chapter 2 and Genesis chapter 19. Drunkenness and nakedness go pretty much hand in hand. The Bible says that Noah uncovered himself.

Noah got naked. Alcohol as a narcotic affects the brain, affects all that we say and all that we do, and we lose self-control. Noah's sin was devastating. The fall of a father. The second thing I want you to see is the sin of a son.

The sin of a son. And two things I want you to notice, Ham's dishonor and his brother's decency. And this is where the text gets a little bit tricky. And I'll just be the first to let you know that I didn't, I only read one guy that agreed with me.

Nobody else agreed with me on this. So, if you're thinking, well, Sparks, I've never heard that before. You were way out of the limb on that one. Well, maybe that's the case. But, you know, I've asked the Lord to search my heart and try to figure out what the deal is. Most commentators would say Ham did something of such a nature that it caused Noah to curse his youngest son, Canaan. I don't agree with that. I believe that Ham did do something. I believe that Ham did dishonor his father. I believe that Ham did disrespect his father.

But that was not what caused Noah to curse Canaan. And I'll explain that to you in a moment. The text says, and Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. We'll stop right there. Most commentators believe that Ham was so taken by what his dad did that he went and began to spread the news to his brothers. And almost in a vengeful kind of way. And that may be, I don't necessarily see that in the text, but that's where most commentators go with it. And they contrast what the other brothers did, Shem and Japheth, by going in with their backs to their father.

That would show their decency toward their dad. And the text goes on to say this, but Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father's nakedness. Those who believe that he did engage in some sin by the long elated look and by his going back and gossiping about his father say that that's what caused Noah to curse Canaan, Ham's youngest son. I don't buy it.

And let me tell you why. Which leads us to point number three, the curse of Canaan. It says that Ham saw his father. It doesn't say he did anything to his father. It says that Ham saw his father. That's up in verse number 22. But when you come down to verse number 24, it says, When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done. Now, the commentators who say that the youngest son who is Ham did this awful thing of disrespect to his father, that's the argument for then Noah cursing Canaan.

But the text says that Ham saw his father. It was the youngest son who did something. Now, the question comes, is the youngest son Ham or is the youngest son, which could be translated the smaller son, be the smallest son of Ham? Which would be Canaan. Those who believe that the reason God cursed Canaan and not Cush, who was the oldest son, if you go over to Genesis chapter 10, verse number six, it tells us, And the sons of Ham were Cush and Misraim and Put and Canaan. Now, usually in Jewish tradition, when they list them in order, they list them in order of age.

So Cush would be the oldest, Canaan would be the youngest. Therefore, because of what Ham did, he was the youngest son of Noah. Therefore, Cain cursed Canaan because Canaan was the youngest son of Ham. You follow with me? If not, pick up the tape and you can play it back over and over again and get the gist of what I'm saying. But I think the bottom line here is a couple of things. One, Jewish law prohibited the cursing of a son because of the sin of a father. You say, but our pastor, the Jewish law was not enacted yet.

It had not been given. So you can't use that as an argument, which is probably very vital. Yet Abraham would give a 10th to the Lord. And we'll read about that later on in Genesis. And how did he know to give a 10th to the Lord when the law had not been given yet? We'll talk about that when we talk about Abraham giving a 10th to Melchizedek. But Jewish law would prohibit the cursing of a son because of the sin of a father. Number two, you need to understand that Canaan was specifically named by Noah.

He was named in verse number 22, verse number 25, verse number 26, and verse number 27. The specific reference to Canaan and mentioning of his name over and over and over again would lead me to believe that Canaan, the youngest son, did something to Noah while he was naked. You say, what gives you that idea? Simply the phrase uncovering his nakedness. I won't take the time now, but if you go to Leviticus chapter 18, you realize that the definition of uncovering one's nakedness deals with sexual sin, either through adultery, incest, homosexuality, or bestiality.

It's all Leviticus 18. And when you uncovered someone's nakedness, you were engaging in some sexual relationship with him. Evidently, Noah was uncovered. There was some nakedness that would happen here. And because Canaan, and as you read through the text of the Old Testament, you realize that Canaan was the most immoral, most idolatrous nation, most wicked nation on the face of the earth. That's why when you read through the Old Testament, the Israelites were to wipe out the Canaanites. They were to demolish them.

They were to destroy them because of their wickedness. Go over to Genesis chapter 10 and you realize in verses 15 down through verse number 19, that the Canaanites are the ones who dwelt in Sodom and Gomorrah. And we'll realize in Genesis chapter 19 that they were destroyed because of their wickedness, specifically homosexuality. That would then lead me again to think that Canaan was involved in some kind of sexual act with his grandfather. Canaan is one who was not the oldest son of Ham. Cush was.

And usually, if there was a curse pronounced upon the children, it would happen to the firstborn, not the lastborn. In 202 BC, Rome defeated Carthage, who were descendants of the Canaanites, the Canaanites were wiped out completely in 202 BC. The prophecy was fulfilled. Just as God said, it would happen. But let's end on a good note, the blessings of the brothers. He also said, blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be a servant. May God enlarge Japheth and let him dwell in the tents of Shem and let Canaan be a servant.

This is so good. Shem, his line would be blessed. Japheth, his line would be blessed. But in order for Japheth to really experience the blessing of Almighty God, he would need to dwell, tabernacle in the tents of Shem. Why is that? Shem's name means the name, the name. In order for Japheth to be blessed spiritually, they would have to dwell in the tents of the name. What's the name? What's the name? It's the Messianic line. The nation of Israel comes through the line of Shem. The Gentile nations come through the line of Japheth.

In order for the Gentile people to experience the spiritual blessing of Shem, they would have to dwell in the tents of the name. And what's the name? We know that Abram was a son of Shem. And in Abram, all the nations of the world would be blessed through Abram would come the seed, through Abram would come the Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords. And is it not true that in order for the Gentile people to experience the blessing of God, they have to adopt the name of Jesus Christ. They have to be in the name's family.

They have to experience the name of God. And so Shem would be blessed and through his line would come the Messiah, the name above all names, the name that one day every knee would bow and every tongue would confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. In Japheth, his boundaries would be enlarged. And the Gentile nations are very large today. But in order for them to experience the blessing of God, they need to dwell with the people of the name, those who know the Messiah, those who have given their life to Him.

That's the blessing of the brothers. How about you? Do you dwell in the name? Do you understand the name of Jesus Christ? Do you understand that there is pardon in the name? There is pardon in the name. No matter what your sin in the past may be, no matter how gross it may be, no matter what the effects on your family it may have caused, do you know that there is cleansing pardon in the blood of the name? The Bible tells us in Matthew chapter 1 verse number 21, Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.

Peter would say in Acts 2 verse number 38, Repent and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of sins. The blessing of the brothers can be your blessing today. You can experience the cleansing from your sin because of the name of Jesus Christ. You can experience victory in your life because of the power He gives through His name. You can experience shelter in your life because He promises to protect and to provide for you because of His name. That blessing can be yours.

Is it? I trust it is. Let's pray together.