Genesis 11:1-9 "The Origin of Languages"

Last time we considered the consequences of Noah’s prophecy in Gen. 9:25-28,  as he prophetically outlines the futures of his three sons  Shem, Ham and  Japheth. 

We are  not going to deal with  Genesis 10 in any detail  since it consists  of a long list of  the descendants of Japheth (10:2-5), Ham  (10:6-20) and Shem (10:21-32). The final verse in Chapter 10 essentially summarizes  the chapter: “these are the  clans of the sons of Noah , according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.”

The Bible teaches us that mankind  originated from one  couple, Adam and Eve. As a result of their  disobedience the terrible curse of sin was introduced into the world. That sin  which has affected every member of the human race  caused  God  to  put an end to that  by  causing   a  worldwide flood to swallow up  mankind and all that moves,  all except Noah and his three  sons and their families – and that simply  because of grace.  After the flood, the   world was repopulated  once more  by  three couples  who  descended from Noah.

The perfect chance given by God to Noah  and his family  to get  it right was missed when Noah got drunk. Sin  always has knock- on effects. So, Noah’s sin is followed by Ham’s sin.  This has an intriguing effect  upon  the future   of Canaan, the fourth of the sons of Ham. The Canaanites became a   proverbial  stench in  the nostrils of God, for they  became an utterly depraved people.

And so, in short,  we  have observed   that man’s basic sin problem, originating from  the fall  of Adam,  was not washed away by the universal flood.  The problem  was  that Noah, though He was chosen by God[1],  was a sinner himself. And so we  should not be surprised  that as  Genesis 11 follows,  that it doesn’t get  any better. Donald  Gowan^[2] sees a progression in terms of an increased alienation of  relationships in these first 11 chapters: husband from wife (Ch. 3), brother from brother (Ch. 4), children from parents (Ch. 9) and now people from other people (Ch. 11).  Why do we grow apart?  In each of these accounts, alienation at the human level is caused  and accompanied by alienation of humans from their God. This is  seen most  clearly  in chapters 3 &4.

Chapter 11 :  All these  different languages  are actually  a curse !

Ethnologists, estimate  that  there  are  well over  7000 languages in the world. This clearly  makes communication  a great challenge.  But  where  did   all these different languages start, since the Bible maintains that we had a common beginning? The Bible has a plain explanation for the origins of all languages.

In Genesis 11:5-7  we read: 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children  of  man had built.  6 And the LORD said, “Behold , they are one people, and they have all one language , and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And  nothing  that they propose to do will now be  impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language so they may not understand one another’s speech.”

We are told in no uncertain terms that the origin of  these many languages is  ultimately a matter  of God’s  judgement. If mankind can co –operate by means of a common language, then the real danger exists that  their wicked hearts will unite to plan evil.  So,  language becomes another  judgement from God . Within the span of the first 11 chapter of Genesis  we have now seen that there have been three great judgements upon  the whole of humanity: (i) The fall (ii)The flood (iii) flawed communication

We shall now consider the judgement at Babel  before we conclude with some vital lessons which  from this  story.   We  shall find here  an introduction (11:1) and   5  brief  scenes  and a conclusion.

Introduction : (11:1)

Genesis 11 introduces us to the fact that the world after the flood once only had one language , after all  people who have a common origin should have a common language. It is significant  that at Pentecost the  many languages present were made intelligible (decoded)  by the one gospel – pointing to the great  reverse that comes through Jesus Christ. One day in heaven  people from every tongue , tribe and nation shall praise God again   by means of one tongue. This is what the prophet Zephaniah anticipates: “For at that time l will change  the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD  and serve him with one accord.”  (Zeph. 3:9)   

 5 SCENES:

Scene 1 (11:2)

People were  on the move, moving eastward. If the ark came to rest in Ararat (northern Turkey), and if they moved eastwards they would have arrived at the plain of Shinar  (in Mesopotamia/ modern day Iraq).  

Scene 2  (11:3-4)

The sign of a godless society is that it makes plans without reference to God:

q  They said to  one another, “Come and  let us make bricks…”

q  Come let us build ourselves a city, and a tower…ley us  make a name for ourselves. Building techniques in southern  Mesopotamia were very different to Egypt or Canaan. According to D.E.Gowan^[3], “Mesopotamia is a place  where no stone is available for building”. Bitumen is found plentiful in  the Gulf region which is rich in oil deposits. Bitumen is tar,  and this they used  to cement the bricks together.

These people had big plans! They wanted  to build a tower  that connected  earth with heaven. They naively  wanted  to bridge the gulf between God and man,  and in the end  they wanted to be like God. This was the original temptation in the garden of Eden – to be like God, and to take over the place that belongs to Him alone! Archaeology confirms   that towers (or ziggurats) became very popular in this region. The great temple tower of the Babylonian god  Marduk was discovered at the end of the 19^th century. It was aproximately 100 metres high.  The highest tower today is the Burj Khalifa in  Dubai (at 830 metres, completed in  2010)  followed by the Tokyo skytree (at 634 metres, completed in 2012)  Man still tries  to build towers for his own glory today.  But  back to the tower of Babel. The purpose  for building this tower was that  the  people in that day wanted  to make a name for themselves.  They wanted  glory for  themselves. This is nothing but usurping the glory of God. It is idolatry, and it is strictly forbidden in God’s moral law.  What God said to Baruch, through the prophet  Jeremiah, should also be our motto : “And do  you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not… “  (Jer. 45:5) The important issue in life is that God gets the honour. He, in turn will reward those who put him first.

Also note: the reason they wanted to build this tower, was not just to make a name for themselves, but  they  wanted a unifying ‘something’  so that they would not be dispersed  over the face of the whole earth. This is also contrary to God’s will, for the divine will was that they should subdue and fill the whole earth (9:1). Ironically they were condemned to suffer what they tried to prevent.  The God whom they opposed, scattered them.

Scene 3  (11:5)

This is the turning point in the whole story. We move from the way men think and plan  about their future to the way God thinks about  things. The tower, which they tried to build was in reality so  tiny  that God had to come down (see the irony!)  to see what they were doing ( the language is  anthropomorphic). Here is some perspective :

q  Psalm 2:1,4 :  Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? … 4.  He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

q   Isaiah 40:22: “ It is he  who  sits  above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants  are like grasshoppers; who  stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. “

Scene 4  (11:6-7)

We need to understand that God is dealing primarily with people’s motives. Building in itself  is not evil. The problem lies in the motive.  And so building the tower becomes a prelude to something worse. Understand then that human beings, precisely  because they are created in God’s image, they are capable of planning incredible projects. But because they are fallen beings, they  easily  turn their gifts from God into  idols.  They will glorify their own gifts, rather than the Giver of their great gifts . So what will God do?

Remember  that  God  will not destroy the earth again until Christ’s second return. So He has to intervene to restrain evil.  Incidentally, from the Scriptures  we learn that  before Christ return God will remove  all restraints  so that man’s unspeakable capacity for evil  may take its course. (2 Thess. 2:6-8) .

And so we learn that,  for the time being ,God does not give people unlimited freedom to do their own thing. And so  God  restrained them from plotting further evil by confusing their communications.

Scene 5  (11:8)

In Scene 1 we saw people on the move, coming to congregate in one place  in the land of Shinar. Now they were scattered by God. Without the ability to communicate in the same language it was  impossible for them to co-operate.  

Conclusion (11:9)

This concludes the results of God’s judgement. The city they aimed to build lies unfinished. Its name is Babel – the Hebrew form of the Greek, Babylon. Even though the  Babylonians understood  the name to mean “the gate of God”,  by a play on words, the Bible reinterprets  it as “confused”, and hence the word “babble” – to be  incoherent!)

The  real comfort is that the city   which the anti- Christ seeks to build in opposition to the heavenly Jerusalem , will never see its finishing touches. Jesus will overthrow  it.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS? THE MESSAGE OF BABEL :

1. Babel is about lack of communication, and it is seen as a divine judgement. Languages are ultimately  God’s judgement. They are at the centre of ethnic quarrels.  We see how much ink is spilled on this subject. Communication is much spoken about, and many seminars are held, because it clearly isn’t happening! Good communication  aims  to break down barriers and prevents misunderstanding and isolationism.  Fallen man will never be capable  to communicate well, since  sin and its cousins (pride, selfishness) will always drive us apart.

2. In the Bible,  Babel or Babylon represents  the world power in opposition to God. Nimrod (10:8) an early king of Babylon was a symbol of rebellion against God. Isaiah describes another king of Babylon in  satanic terms (Isa. 14:13-15). The book of Revelation uses  Babylon as  a synonym of worldly  opposition to God and His people (Rev. 17 – 19) . In contrast to Babylon the great harlot who is  left naked and destroyed, we have the picture of the new Jerusalem , the bride of Christ , clothed with dignity and His majesty.

3. In the third place we learn, what alone can effectively deal with this great judgement: On  Pentecost Sunday when the promised Holy Spirit filled those first believers, there was  a great reversal of  Babel. Instead of confusion and scattering, the language barrier was broken down, and people from different parts of the world heard the word of God in their own language – every nation was there – descendants of Shem, Ham & Japheth. The gospel of Jesus Christ was the decoder! And instead of division and separation, these believers were brought together (Acts 2: 1 – 47). This is of course  a foretaste of that great day, when in heaven, with one mouth, we  shall glorify God in perfect harmony, and all  who can sing now, will sing then ,  in the words of  Psalm 87:1-7:  

He has set his foundation on the holy mountain; 2 the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are said of you, O city of God:  Selah

4 “I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me— Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush— and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’”  5 Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.” 6 The LORD will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.” Selah 7 As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”

There will be no confusion then, and  no lack of understanding,  and no communication gaps! The problem  and enigma of Babel, which affects us to this very day , will have been solved forever and ever. 

We now draw near to the table which  God has prepared for us, as we remember with thankful remembrance that Christ has died to make us one. The miracle of unity is already at work with in us. It shall be completed on the day of Christ’s return.

 Amen!  

---

[1] Noah’s salvation here as elsewhere in the Scripture is always by grace through faith !

[2] D.E. Gowan : From Eden to Babel, p.116

[3] D.E.Gowan , From Eden to Babel , p.117

Genesis 9:24-29 - Noah’s astounding Prophecy !

The sad  fact of  Noah’s fall, so soon after  his literal ‘coming down to earth’ (having spent  a year in the ark), should not surprise us.  Noah was after all a  descendant of Adam, and as such we should not be amazed that Noah was able to sin.  The life of Noah  is no fairy tale, and there is no living  happily  ever after for him and his family. Sin  with its  many  tentacles (and in this case Noah’s drunkenness) remains a  curse  and  it is this that accounts for  the complicated history of mankind. So let us not be amazed that Noah would sin so soon after his exit from the ark. Rather, let  us be  amazed that God,  for whom every sin  is  contrary to  His pure and holy being, should have chosen to  bear with mankind  for  so long after the flood.  

We have seen that God  deals with  Noah,  not in the  way of what he  deserves. 

He deals with  Noah by way of a covenant. 

We have first seen a confirmation of  this covenant  in  Genesis  6:18 & 9:9, “Then God said  to Noah and to his sins with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you.”

A word that is often used in the OT to describe God’s  heart  behind this  this covenant is the  word translated as “loving kindness“ or “steadfast love” (ESV). The  best word to describe this  loving kindness may be summed up in a single word: Grace! Noah found grace (favour) in the eyes of the Lord. (Gen. 6:8). 

God's loving-kindness is illustrated in the OT in His relationship with Israel.  Despite  Israel's persistent waywardness could  God would not  relinquish his love for her. The book of Hosea  bears eloquent testimony to this (see for instance Hosea 11). Even though  Israel was faithless, yet God remained faithful. But the supreme  and final token of God’s  covenant kindness is seen  in the  cross of Christ.“But God shows his love for us in that  while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”(Rom.5:8) The “us”, according to John  are those “…who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.”

So then  as Noah wakes up from his drunken stupor, a  series of events is set into motion  which would profoundly affect the  history of the peoples of the world. 

And so it is. 

It is  often the small, seemingly unimportant  things that trigger  huge events. You may have heard  this before, but it’s worth repeating[1]:  

“For Want of a Nail”

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

 For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

 For want of a horse the rider was lost.

 For want of a rider the message was lost.

 For want of a message the battle was lost.

 For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.  

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Such illustrations we find in the Bible. One disobedience  in terms of eating the forbidden fruit drives Adam and Eve out of the garden of God’s presence.  This act of disobedience by our first parents  has huge consequences for the whole of mankind.   

One murder  drives Cain  and his future  offspring even further away from God and   into the land of wandering. 

A little too much wine causes Noah to behave inappropriately, and a little too much gazing upon the naked body of his father,   as he lies exposed in the tent,  affects Ham and his future family.

Noah discovers   upon awaking  from his  hangover  that  he  had been dishonoured by  his youngest son, Ham, and following  this  he  utters  a  prophecy with far reaching consequences, containing  a curse upon his youngest son  Ham and a  blessing upon his two other sons,   Shem and Japheth.

THE CURSE AND THE BLESSING

What is  the link between  Noah’s fall and Noah’s prophecy ? Following his own sin Noah  in vv. 25-27 makes a profound utterance  concerning  the future  of his three sons  which  is  forms an outline  of the beginning  of the three great divisions of the human family after the great flood. From  Gen. 10:32 we know  that the  great races of the earth are  all descended  from Noah  through  Shem, Ham and Japheth.  

What will be the history of the races that spring from Noah’s three sons?  How will the new world begin?  

It  can only begin with human failure,  and so we  must not be surprised  to see the rapid spread of sin and evil  so soon after the flood .  I remind you of the initial  sequence of sin   Noah sins – Ham sins – and Ham’s son, and Canaan,  the father of the Canaanites,   becomes the epitome of sin  in  the Bible.

But here’s  what we need to understand. These words of Noah were not  simply  uttered  as a result of  resentment against Ham for having entered  Noah’s private  space while he was lying  drunk and exposed in his tent.  That may be so at face value. There is however  far more in Noah’s words than just a temper tantrum or words spoken in anger. These words spoken  in  9:25-27 were in fact spoken as prophecy. They were  uttered  under a Divine impulse! This  fact is proven by the fulfilment of the prophecy itself. A careful comparison of other Scriptures shows us this, and its remarkable fulfilment demonstrates that  this  was indeed  a  prophetic word.   

This prophecy  consists of two pronouncements:   a  curse and a blessing.[2]  

Initially, the cursing and  the blessing had  something to do  with  the way  the sons had  approached their drunk and naked  father in his tent.  Ham seems to have  dishonoured his father  by his irreverent approach. This is later  described as  the 5^th commandment Ex.20:22. He had failed to honour his father  here.   It seems as if Ham  may  have  used this  moment not only to gaze shamelessly upon his naked father, but  he might have also  ridiculed him to his brothers. Philip Eveson says,  “Corrupt minds feed on scantily  dressed or naked bodies in suggestive positions. The modern media have made their millions through pandering to human lust” [3]

The contrast in attitude is  observed  when his brothers, Shem and Japheth  walk into the tent,‘backwards ‘ (i.e. respectfully!) so that that they would not see their father’s nakedness, and covered him with a garment.   Their attitudes and therefore their  action is  in direct  contrast  to  Ham. Had he really cared for his father’s reputation   he would have acted as his brothers did. The moral law (the 10 Commandments) which were  given  later with Moses,  included the necessity of  children maintaining respect for their parents. Children who disrespected their parents,  according to  the OT law were  even  liable  the death penalty.  (Deut. 21: 18-21) Shem and Japheth  continued  to treat their father with respect, even though he had compromised himself.   We must never  gloat  over the sins of others. We must never  add  to their shame by our own shameful behaviour.

And now we see something peculiar. When   Noah wakes up from his drunken stupor  he  curses not Ham, but his son Canaan, and in the curse passed upon Canaan we find a very  solemn instance of the sins of the fathers being visited upon the children.

Note the consequence: he reaped exactly as he had sown—Ham sinned as a son and was punished in his son! [4] (A.W.Pink).  So, the curse uttered by Noah did not fall directly on Ham but upon one of his sons, in fact,  the fourth son who was called "Canaan" (see Gen. 10:6).  So, we discover  that not all the sons of Ham bore the curse!  Canaan bore the curse!

We have to  make this point  because there is some horrible theology  that has been associated  with this text.  The appalling misuse of this passage had been sometimes used   by  to justify the enslaving of  the African people.  This warped theology came  mainly from the proponents  of slavery in 19th Century America and Britain, who ignored the unexplained transition from Ham to  Canaan in Noah’s curse, and  who drew  the simplistic conclusion that according to Ch. 10,  Ham was the ancestor of  Africans, concluding   that his black descendants may be rightfully enslaved. However , they ignored the plain fact that the curse is directed against Canaan, and  Canaan was neither black, nor African! 

The Canaanites  were  the  inhabitants  of the  territory that was promised by God on oath to Abraham and his descendants.   And these Canaanite  tribes of which you read  – they were the cursed  people, and the prophecy was  fulfilled  when Israel took over that land, and  they  were either annihilated or subjected   to slavery  with the conquest of Canaan under Joshua. In many instances the Canaanites actually became a stumbling block to Israel when   Joshua and Israel  failed to drive them out of the land.  The point is   that this is the fulfillment of the curse  in relation to the promised land. It has nothing to do with Africans.

Besides that we do not  actually know, who exactly the Hamitic races  might be today. That issue is not  exactly relevant to the central message of the Bible , since it is now clear to us that “ all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God”  (Rom. 3:23).  Today  there  are  really only two types of people in this world today,  Christians and non-Christians, and they are not separated along racial lines!From the clear perspective of the N.T.  it is important  to understand  that all tribes, nations and tongues  are fallen. The curse rests on the entire human race, and no man shall  escape the coming judgement by fire, unless they are washed in the blood of the Lamb!

THE BLESSING 

The curse was upon Canaan. And the  particular blessing expressed  was upon (note) the God of Shem."Blessed be the Lord, the  God of Shem; and let Canaan be  his servant.”  (v.26) Donald Grey Barnhouse says, “The blessing is not upon Shem, but upon the God of Shem. Nothing can take root in man. It is the God of Shem who will bring forth Christ from Shem “[5]

This   fact speaks  of the  continued covenant relationship in which  God was to enter into a covenant relationship with the children of Shem. The realization that Yahweh  was to be the God of Shem caused Noah to break forth into thanksgiving—"Blessed be the Lord God of Shem."  It is very clear that the Shemites are the Semites, from which the Hebrew people  are descended , and through whose line  the Lord Jesus was to be born.

"May God enlarge the territory of  Japeth (v. 27). The name  Japheth means "enlargement" so  that here there was a play upon words.  The Japhetites are  most probably the  progenitors of Greeks, Romans etc. the first fruit among the gentiles  following the preaching of the gospel to the gentiles.  It was through the influence of the Greek and Roman empires that the gospel spread – and so it was: "May Japheth live in the tents of  Shem."

THE FULFILMENT OF NOAH'S PROPHECY

This  prophecy uttered by Noah gives us  in a few brief sentences the history of the new world and thus in the closing verses of Genesis 9 we have an  unfolding of the future destinies of the new humanity. Shem is to have  the spiritual  pre- eminence  among his brothers; to Japheth is given  the task of enlarging their territory; and Ham  and his sons are  left  without a substantial commission, except that Canaan is cursed.

An attempt to categorise  exactly   as to who  today  descends from whom is futile.

The  NT view   needs to guide out OT interpretation. We are assured  that all the nations today  are in need of the gospel.  The temptation to  separate this or that nation as God’s favourites (as has been attempted in many instances in history) will just not do. “All have sinned  and have fallen short of the glory of God”. No single civilization, including the Hebrews have ever managed  to live righteously before God.

What we do understand clearly from this text is that God’s plan is clearly outlined in history.

What we know  is that God’s blessing would be upon Shem – but only, because this was the one through whom the promised Messiah (the Lamb that would take away the sin of  the world)  would be given. In this  Shem was singularly privileged – but (note!) the glory goes to the blessed God of Shem! Shem himself, was subject to sin as were his brothers. 

What we know is that the whole world needs a Saviour. 

What we know is that this Saviour has come.

And all the nations must bow before Him. 

He alone will present us  perfectly before the presence of God’s glory. 

That is the true future of the human race.  

---

[1]  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Want_of_a_Nail  The earliest reference to the full proverb may refer to the death of Richard III of England at the Battle of Bosworth Field. This short variation of the proverb (shown to the right), was published in "Fifty Famous People" by James Baldwin. The story associated with the proverb, describing the unhorsing of King Richard during battle, would place the proverb's origin after the Battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485. However, historically Richard's horse was merely mired in the mud. In the story, the proverb and its reference to losing a horse is directly linked to King Richard famously shouting "A Horse! A Horse! My Kingdom for a Horse!", as depicted in Act V, Scene 4 from the Shakespeare play Richard III, which was written circa 1591

[2] See Deuteronomy 28  for a  further example

[3]  Philip Eveson :The Book of Genesis  simply explained,  p. 202  ( Evangelical Press)

[4] A.W. Pink :Gleanings from Genesis, p. 

[5] D.G. Barnhouse : Genesis , p. 66

Genesis 9:18-29 - "Noah’s Fall!"

Last  time we considered  God’s Covenant with Noah, which extends to this very day. God did not only enter into a covenant with Noah in his day, but we noted that  God  also  entered into an everlasting  covenant with the earth and all its inhabitants (Gen. 9:8-17).   In this covenant  God  assured  the offspring of Noah  and  every living creature on the earth  that  He would never destroy the earth by water again. For this, God  provided a sign  for  Himself – the rainbow! Every time you see a rainbow, be assured that  God remembers  His  covenant!

And so Noah and his family  are given the chance of a new start for humanity. In some ways the new start  contains elements  of the  Adamic covenant.  Noah is  commanded to  be fruitful and to multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28 à Gen. 9:1)  

But there are also aspects in which this new start differs from the Adamic covenant.  Adam was told that he would have dominion  over  all  fish, birds and animals, and it appears that  Adam lived  in harmony with  all these. These  also were not food  for Adam, for in Gen 1:29 he is  told: “Behold , I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.”

Under the Noahic covenant  however   things are different in this regard.  The relationship between  man  and animals, birds and fish  has changed.  God says to Noah: “The fear of you and the dread of you  shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps  on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hands they are delivered”(9:2).  We see  that this is true today. No wild animals, birds, fish  are  naturally tame. They all fear man.

There is  also  another new dimension attached to this  in Genesis  9. God  permits man to eat  the flesh of animals  in addition to plants  (9:3). The only proviso in this regard is that man  is not allowed to  eat the blood of animals (9:4).

And  then  we find a significant addition  to the  new world   under Noah.  Law is introduced! Life in a sinful, fallen world requires regulation. Following  the fall of Adam,one of the earliest  sins  is murder. Cain killed Abel  (Gen.4:8). Murder becomes a frequent occurrence from  there on.   So God makes a law concerning this in the new world under Noah: “And for your lifeblood I require a reckoning… whoever  sheds the blood of man, by man  shall his blood be shed , for God made man in His image.”   Laws for the ordering of civil society,  laws that protect us from murder and violence are  introduced to make life possible in a fallen world.  Please note that every civilisation in which law and order are ignored  are also societies  in which respect for human life collapses. Such societies  are subjected to a drastic increase in civil wars, riots,  murder, abortions, rape , violence etc. So then,  Noah was given help from God  to order his new world.

But now we  must  face another sad reality in  Genesis 9 : 18 – 21.  After such a merciful deliverance from the  flood,  and  after witnessing such a solemn demonstration of God’s holy wrath against sin, and  having received such a great covenant  filled with assurance, one  might have thought that these lone  survivors  of the  human race might have learned from their past!

The  very next thing we read is  quite discouraging:  "Noah began to be a man of the soil,  and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the  wine and  became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent" (9:20, 21).  The Hebrew word translated here  as  "uncovered"  (Hebr. galah)   when referring  to a human being  most often refers to sexual promiscuity. Whether this was so is difficult to tell. A.W. Pink says, “ The sins of intemperance (drunkenness)  and impurity are twin sisters“.   In the case of the  story of  Lot later  in Gen. 19:30-38, drunkenness or alcohol abuse  becomes the means  by which  he enters into an incestuous  relationship with  his daughters, having far reaching effects on his descendants.

We  may be  surprised, having developed such a high esteem of Noah  from the testimony of the Scripture itself, and that  Noah  having faithfully served God  for 120 years,  should now be  found  in such an uncontrolled  state.  We shall see  that this seemingly small thing has enormous consequences on his descendants. And a puzzling  prophecy is made in 9:25 with far reaching consequences.  We learn this often from the  Scriptures :  the sins that we think of as private  have public consequences. No one sins in isolation. Private sins  have effects on our families, and if on our families , then on our societies, and if on our societies , then on the world.

But should we really be surprised that Noah sinned? Have we not yet learned  that  the best among fallen  human beings are capable of disappointing us?  As someone said,  “The best of men are men at best!”   Are we still looking for the perfect Adam, apart from Jesus?

We may be shocked and grieved and disappointed, but we should not be surprised  to find   Noah failing.   It reminds us  all  too much of  the  sin of the first Adam, who ignored  God’s clear directives in Gen. 2:17, and  who was inclined  to  listen to the devil rather  than to God (Gen. 3:1-7)!

There is an uncanny  resemblance in the history of Noah with that of Adam.

A comparison of Adam with Noah  :

1.      Adam was placed upon an earth which had been  newly created by God ;  so also, Noah after the flood, was placed  onto a newly created earth.

2.       Adam was made lord of creation (Gen. 1:28);  a similar promise is given to Noah  (9:3)

3.       Adam was "blessed" by God and told to "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" (Gen. 1:28);  in like manner, Noah was "blessed"  and told,  "be fruitful and multiply and fill  the earth" (Gen. 9:1).

4.      Adam was placed by God in a garden to "work it and take care of it " (Gen. 2:15) ; similarly  Noah, " a man of the soil …planted a vineyard" (Gen. 9:20).

5.      In this garden Adam sinned and fell, and  similarly the product of Noah’s garden,  the vineyard,  caused  Noah’s sin and fall.

6.      The sin of Adam resulted in the exposure of his nakedness (Gen. 3:7), and similarly we read  that "Noah… was uncovered in his tent" (Gen. 9:21).

7.       Adam’s nakedness was covered by another (Gen. 3:21);  and so it was with Noah (Gen. 9:23).

8.      Adam’s sin brought a terrible curse upon his  offspring. In Rom. 5:12 we read,  “Therefore as sin came into  the world through  one man, and death through sin, and so  death spread to all men because all sinned…” . Noah’s sin ( though linked to Adam’s) is  similar in that his  sin caused  a curse to be spoken  over  his offspring. (Gen.9:24, 25).

9.      Adam had three sons—Cain, Abel and Seth. The promised seed/ Messiah  was to come through Seth; and here again the analogy holds -  for Noah also had three sons—Japheth, Ham and Shem,  and it was Shem  through  whom the promised seed, the  Messianic line continued.

10.   Almost immediately after Adam’s fall a wonderful prophecy was given containing in  seed form  concerning the history of redemption (Gen. 3:15), and  so too after Noah’s fall, a remarkable prophecy was uttered containing in outline the history of the great  nations of the earth and God’s redemptive plan in it all.  Abraham, the friend of God would become  the father of many nations . The NT applies this in a particular way, namely that  Abraham’s true offspring will not be measured by nationality  but by  their faith relationship to God.

So, we take a step back. What do we see? We  see  the devastating consequences of sin.  We learn that even  small sins can have  great effects. Sin’s deceitfulness  fuelled by   Satan’ snares trip us up, time and again! We see that history does repeat itself. The problem is that due to our stubborn pride we  fail to learn from history.

Now Romans 15:4 says… “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope…”. If this is so,   then what  are the lessons to be learned here, and what hope can we draw from these lessons?

Lessons learned from Noah’s fall :

1.  We learn from Noah’s fall  that the Bible presents   human nature in its true colours: the characters of our Bible heroes  are faithfully  depicted.  Where they do well, we are  told  that God is pleased with them. But this does not mean that  our Bible heroes are sinless.  The sins of   our Bible heroes  are never   covered up in the Bible. Normally,  we try to cover up the faults of  those  whom we admire,  and from this perspective  we may be assured  that if  the Bible  had been a human production, we might have never known the truth about Adam, Noah, Abraham, David and many others. We might never have known about the grave  defects of our leading  Bible characters.  But God caused this  Bible  to tell us the  absolute truth about ourselves.  We  have illustrated before our very eyes the doctrine  of the  utter and total depravity of human nature.  Man by himself and  unaided just cannot  be righteous by God’s standard.  And so we learn that God’s  dealings with us in history are not determined by  the faithfulness of man. God  deals  with us on the basis of his  faithful love (Hebr. hesed)  – His covenant love, which is  fulfilled in  Christ and His work on the cross. The reason why  I can  go to heaven is not  rooted in myself.  It lies in the  covenant faithfulness of God, which was supremely shown in the blood shed on the cross.

2.  We learn from Noah’s fall  to beware of  ancient  stumbling blocks … in this case , the danger of using alcohol  in an unguarded  way! Drunkenness is an evil!  It is solemnly warned against from the very first chapters of our  Bible! The Bible has strong words to say about alcohol abuse!  Drunkenness is a sin against God, for it  makes  the image of God in man look foolish; it is coming under the influence of the wrong spirit, and it leads to further sinagainst our fellowman  - as we well understand in our country, for most crimes committed in Namibia are connected to alcohol abuse, and very frequently  alcohol  abuse is also  linked to sexual sins! Drunkenness leads to other evils. Noah’s sin gave occasion for his son Ham to sin.

3. From Noah’s sin we learn our need  for constant  watchfulness and prayer. A believer is never immune from falling. We are children of Adam and of Noah.  We are  fallen beings, and  evil  dwells  in us and beside us. Nothing but constant dependency upon God  will help  us to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Let us be humble in this regard, and let us never think that   we cannot be tempted  by evil.     Listen to the word of God in  1 Cor.  10:12:  So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  The apostle Paul wrote this to the Corinthian Christians who  had become  complacent  in so many things. They  were not carefully guarding  their lives. Paul drew an analogy for them  from the history of Israel in Numbers 25:1-9,  where as the result of careless interaction  with the people of Moab, Israel began to indulge in  idolatry, as well as  unrestrained eating and drinking,  which ended  in  sexual immorality. On that occasion God  put to death 24 000 of them.

Back to Noah. Here was a man who had withstood the temptations of an evil world for so long  and yet, he now,  in an unguarded moment  gives into the  uncontrolled behaviour  associated  with drunkenness, and  the results are devastating.  This is one of the things which is written for "our instruction (warning)on whom  the end of the ages has come" (1 Cor. 10:11).  One thing we must  not do! We must not sit in judgment upon Noah with pharisaical complacency. Instead  “…we  need to watch ourselves, or we also may be tempted “  (Gal. 6:1).

4. Noah’s fall  issues  a solemn warning to every servant of God. It is deeply significant that following this prophecy, recorded in the closing verses of Genesis 9, nothing whatsoever, except his death,  is recorded about Noah after his  fall. The last three hundred years of his life are a blank!   Brothers and sisters , make it your aim to end well. Guard your lives. In this  matter  take counsel from Paul  who wrote to the Corinthians, “…I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. “  (1 Cor. 9:27).

It is one thing to start well; it is quite another to end well. To start well, does not mean that we will end well. Oh, to be able to say with the apostle Paul , who could say in his last  days  in 2 Tim. 4: 7 : “I have finished the  good fight , I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Now,  we are not saying  at all  that Noah lost his faith. His picture hangs after all  in that great gallery of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. But we may be assured of this: Noah is there in heaven by grace  alone.

We want to end well  and in order to end well we need to be guarded  and disciplined  and humble  before God and man. Let us learn this lesson, and live circumspectly, and go to heaven, as far as it depends on us,  without regrets. May the Lord Jesus  be glorified  in our lives, and may no one  be given cause to blaspheme the Name of God because of our  erratic Christian behaviour. 

Amen !