This transcript was auto-generated.
I would like to finish our time in chapter by taking an overview of what this all means for us today.
Let’s me remind you of the basic outline of this story
And Noah become a farmer, and he then plants a vineyard, but he drinks the wine and get drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. Ham, see his father naked and tell his two brothers in a mocking way. But the brother takes a garment and walk backward and cover Noah in such a way as to not see their fathers naked. Noah wakes up sees what has happened and curses the family line of Ham (Canaan)
We already talked a little bit about what nakedness meant in the story of Adam and Eve, and the idea is essentially when you are naked you become aware of your vulnerability. When your naked your vulnerabilities are exposed, both physically and psychologically. Built into us is the idea that we are fragile mortal creatures. To become aware of your nakedness is to become self-conscious and to know your limits and your vulnerabilities. The question is, what does it mean to see your father naked and respond in an inappropriate manner like in this story. Ham is being disrespectful of his father.
Another question is exactly what does the father represent? Does Noah in this story represent more than just himself, a man like other men. Remember we are told that Noah is the father of all men. A fresh start, like Adam without the fall. We will discover he is “The father of all Nations” as the story continues. For Ham to see him like that that and to disrespect him and to take advantage of his mistake. You may feel well Noah got drunk and you might say, well, if he’s sprawled out there for everyone to see. It’s hardly Ham’s fault if he stumbles across him, but the issue is how he reacts at his father’s vulnerable moment. Ham’s disrespectful transgress against the spirit of the father and lose respect for your of the father, you’re in trouble.
That’s an incredible idea, and I think it’s relevant here. Because of the intense criticism that is today directed towards what some see as the patriarchal aspects of our culture. There’s nothing wrong with criticism, but the thing about criticism is the purpose of criticism is to separate the wheat from the chaff. To expect men to behave better particular in their attitudes towards women but it’s not to burn everything to the ground.
In my estimation it is perfectly legitimate is to say, we’re going to carefully look at where things have gone wrong in the past and try and do better in the future. We’re going to keep what’s good, and we’re going to throw out what was bad. The point of the criticism isn’t to identify everything as bad, it’s to separate what’s good from what’s bad so that you can retain and reform and make better. That is what the reformation tried to do with the church. It didn’t say the church is doing some things wrong, lets throw it all out and go worship something else. What’s good you move towards. To be disrespectful towards the past means to undermine the very structure that made you and if you pull the foundation out from underneath that, what you have left, is not something you can build on. Ham makes this desperate mistake and exposes the vulnerability of his father, and he does it without any respect, and the judgment follows. Not only will he be a slave, but so will all of his descendants if they follow in his path. Meaning those who follow in the same manner. The other brother where willing to give their father the benefit of the doubt so when they see him in a compromising position they handle it with respect and don’t try and capitalize on it.
I think that’s what that story means. It has something to do with respecting our past and our spiritual inheritance and that is why it is worth studying these biblical stories even if you are not a believer because they’re part of the culture that made you. It seems to me that. It’s worthwhile to treat our heritage with respect and see what you can still glean from it and not to pull the whole thing down, So that’s how the story of Noah ends. In spite of his mistake Noah was a pretty decent embodiment of the spirit of the Father. Noah built an ark and got everybody through the flood, he kept his family safe. Yeah, maybe he made a mistake one day but that wasn’t enough to justify humiliating him.
I don’t think it’s pushing the limits of symbolic interpretation to note that the arc represented the church. A safe haven bequeathed to us by our forefathers. he amazing infrastructure that we inhabit was built upon over 2000 years of Christian history. That thing as a society we now take for granted. It works so well and protects us so much, many don’t even notice it anymore Today we see the disintegration and corruption of the political system the absolute ingratitude that goes along with the benefits we all get from living in a civilised society. You know, criticism, as I said is for fine thing if it’s done in the spirit of separating the wheat from the chaff but it needs to be accompanied by gratitude, and it seem to me that anyone who lives in the West in the western culture at this time. In our history and in this place we need to be grateful for what you have because despite of the endless moral panic of the media it’s never been better than it this today.So, give thanks to Father God for His Son His church, and His Spirit.