What Sin Did HAM Commit Against His Father Noah?
Let’s read the passage in question:
The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.
20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.
24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,
“Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers.”26 He also said,
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
27 May God extend Japheth’s territory;
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”Genesis 9:18-27
Ham’s transgression was not that he unintentionally saw Noah naked, but rather that he didn’t respectfully cover-up his father’s dubious behavior; instead he ran out and tattled to Shem and Japheth with the likely intent of gossipy ridicule. His brothers, by contrast, dealt with the awkward situation with reverence and love, which brings to mind a few verses:
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8
Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.
Proverbs 10:12
Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
Proverbs 17:9
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
Exodus 20:12
Ham didn’t conceal his father’s embarrassing situation, but rather disrespectfully gossiped about it. Meanwhile his brothers honorably covered-up the matter, literally and figuratively. The moral is that we should not be gung-ho about exposing an individual’s faults, how much more so when the person in question is one’s father? The same applies if someone’s your spiritual father or mother (1 Corinthians 4:15).
This does not mean that we should ignore offenses as there is a time & place for confrontation and correction, which holds people accountable to negative behavior. Yet, even then, Christ said to handle it privately on the initial confrontation and not to gossip about it (Matthew 18:15-17).
So it’s not what Ham saw that caused Noah to overlook him with his fatherly blessing and curse Canaan, but rather what he foolishly did about what he saw.
Related Topics:
Why Gossip & Slander are so EVIL
How to Confront & Correct (and How NOT to)
What Happened to the Hebrews are WARNINGS for New Covenant Believers
How to keep yourself BLAMELESS (while not being SINLESS)
Forgiveness—Should You Forgive EVERYONE for EVERYTHING ALL of the Time?
Insights on OFFENSE & FORGIVENESS from Joseph’s Story
Why You should always FORGIVE when the Offender is Repentant
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