This section is split into two pretty divergent topics, so I'll also split my comments. This first section is an account of God's covenant never to destroy all life by flood again, which is basically a more lengthy repeat of the last couple of verses from chapter 8. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot to say, but I do find it interesting that now we finally see God giving animals to man for food. I wonder if mankind was largely vegetarian prior to that, or if it was already established and just being reiterated - but it is enough for me to know that I can eat meat without feeling bad about it :) I also want to note that I am not very happy about the homosexual community stealing the symbol of God's covenant from this event. I'm not sure where they got the idea that a rainbow of colors represents sexual deviancy, but at least I can relish in the thought that all they can do is make bumper stickers; God makes the real deal!
The second, and to me far stranger part, is an account of Noah getting drunk and his sons finding out. Maybe it is just a cultural difference, or maybe we aren't getting the nuances of how it happened, but it seems odd to me that a man would curse his own son (Ham) for simply seeing him naked. I mean, they are both full-grown adults and there doesn't seem to be any maliciousness on Ham's part; it was also Noah's own fault that since he got drunk. Furthermore, it isn't Ham directly that Noah curses - but Canaan, his son. Maybe someone out there has some insight? If not, I'd chalk this up to a father being overly harsh in punishment to a son :(
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New America Standard, New King James, New International
Voting on Laws
15 years ago
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2 comments:
In regards to the second part, I always read it as Ham not doing anything productive with the situation at hand. Almost as if he were making fun of his father instead of trying to restore him. "Ham...saw the nakedness...and told his two brothers. BUT Shem & Japheth...covered the nakedness." Anyway, that's how I read it. As for the punishment, itself, something seems to be lost in the translation or culture of the times.
I have heard it speculated that Ham not only looked on his father's nakedness but also performed some inappropriate actions... but that is not clearly stated in the text, so we'll just leave it there.
I have also heard that this was probably the first vinyard ever (thus, the first wine), and Noah became drunk because he didn't know any better yet.
As far as cursing Canaan goes, to curse a son was to curse his father, since the son had learned everything he knew from his father and the son is, in a sense, the father's legacy to the world---a continuation of the father's life once he is gone. So if Noah had cursed Ham, his curse would have reflected on himself, specifically his (failed) responsibility to bring up Ham in the ways of the Lord. Therefore, he cursed Canaan, implying that the failure and guilt rest with Canaan's father, Ham.
Well, there's my two cents.
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