(Gen. 9) We begin with a covenant from God to never again destroy the earth, and we end with a rather disappointing story about a curse. The story at the end is one of shame and dishonor: Noah's drunkenness, and a curse and generational servitude for one of Noah's sons. This story leads us to conclude that irresponsible indulgence in pleasure always turns out to be displeasing in the end (whether it's Noah's irresponsibility with drinking or Ham's disrespect, they both did whatever pleased them in the moment.) The same scenario can play out with any type of sin. Sin is a ruling force, captivating, but not in the good way. It enslaves and ensnares its victims, and condemns them to a life of servitude, breeding more and more shame and more and more dishonor. The cycle continues, even being passed down to the next generation, until the curse is broken. The good news is that the curse CAN be broken! With God's forgiveness and a change of heart, even some of the Canaanites (Ham's cursed descendants) found their way back, many years later, into the blessings of the two brothers that did not disrespect their father in his moment of weakness.