The Curse of Ham
Read Genesis 9:18–27. What is the message of this strange story?

Noah’s act in his vineyard echoes Adam’s in the Garden of Eden.
The two stories contain common motifs: eating of the fruit, resulting
in nakedness; then a covering, a curse, and a blessing. Noah reconnects
with his Adamic roots and, unfortunately, continues that failed history.
The fermentation of fruit was not a part of God’s original creation.
Noah indulged, then lost self-control and uncovered himself. The fact
that Ham “saw” his nakedness hints at Eve, who also “saw” the forbid-
den tree (Gen. 3:6). This parallel suggests that Ham did not just “see”
furtively, by accident, his father’s nakedness. He went around and
talked about it, without even trying to take care of his father’s problem.
In contrast, his brothers’ immediate reaction to cover their father, while
Ham left him naked, implicitly denounced Ham’s actions.
The issue at stake here is more about the respect of one’s parents.
Failure to honor your parents, who represent your past, will affect your
future (Exod. 20:12; compare with Eph. 6:2). Hence the curse, which
will influence Ham’s future and that of his son Canaan.
Of course, it is a gross theological mistake and an ethical crime to
use this text to justify racist theories against anyone. The prophecy is
restricted to Canaan, Ham’s son. The biblical author has in mind some
of the corrupt practices of the Canaanites (Gen. 19:5–7, 31–35).
In addition, the curse contains a promise of blessing, playing on
the name “Canaan,” which is derived from the verb kana‘, meaning
“subdue.” It is through the subduing of Canaan that God’s people, the
descendants of Shem, will enter the Promised Land and prepare the way
for the coming of the Messiah, who will enlarge Japheth “in the tents of
Shem” (Gen. 9:27). This is a prophetic allusion to the expansion of God’s
covenant to all nations, which will embrace Israel’s message of salvation
to the world (Dan. 9:27, Isa. 66:18–20, Rom. 11:25). The curse of Ham
will, in fact, be a blessing for all nations, including whichever descen-
dants of Ham and Canaan accept the salvation offered them by the Lord.
Noah, the “hero” of the Flood, drunk? What should this tell us
about how flawed we all are and why we need God’s grace every
moment of our lives?