2. Genesis: Noah

Okay, so God told Noah to build the ark and he did.  Then Noah saved all the animals (well, actually 2 of each unclean animal and 14 of the clean ones….I believe there will be more clean and unclean definition coming later), and his 3 sons.  They sailed on the ark during the Flood (it’s always capitalized) for 150 days.  Or maybe 190 depending on how you read it…it’s hard to know if the facts are redundant or actually separate facts.  And then the waters receded and everyone left the ark, Noah planted a vineyard, and got drunk and naked.  I presume a couple of years at least passed so that the grapes could grow and the wine ferment.  Anyway, while Noah was drunk and naked, his three sons walked in on him.  First his youngest son Ham, who did nothing to help Noah, just went out and told his brothers what he’d seen.  Japheth and Shem then covered Noah without looking at him.  So when Noah sobered up, he cursed not Ham, but Ham’s son Canaan!

This has been bugging me all week.  Then finally this morning I figured it out.  Why would Noah curse the son of Ham when it was Ham who had done wrong?  Why would his grandchild be punished?  It doesn’t seem fair or right.

But it’s truth.  When a parent does wrong, the child does always suffer.  A selfish parent raises children who are also selfish.  An abusive parent raises children who become abusive.  A mean parent raises a child who becomes mean.  And all of these traits leave unhappiness in their wake.  So it may not be fair or right, but it is true.  When bad people become parents, they don’t usually do a good job raising happy well adjusted human beings.

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