No father worth his salt wants his son to suffer for his poor choices, but this is exactly what happens in Genesis 9:20-27. In this biblical narrative, Noah curses Canaan rather than Canaan's father, Ham, for the shameful act Ham committed against Noah, his own father.
Noah chooses to curse Canaan instead of Ham, who committed the egregious act, but then blesses Ham's brother, Shem. What is taking place in this biblical narrative?
There appear to be four key components to address in this biblical narrative. First, it is necessary to understand what occurred in this biblical narrative that led to the cursing of Canaan. Second, it is important to understand why Noah took the action he did in response to his son's actions, cursing his grandson instead of his son. Third, how does the cursing of Canaan coincide and work in tandem with Noah's blessing of Canaan's uncle, Shem? Finally, what does this mean for people of faith who follow God today and fail sexually and yet still want to seek His blessing through Jesus Christ?
What Led to the Cursing of Canaan
Genesis 9:1 begins with God blessing Noah and his sons. This foreshadows the promise God would give to Abraham several hundred years later in Genesis 12:2, when God said to Abram, soon to be Abraham, "I will bless you." Because Noah lived for 950 years, he was a contemporary of Abraham for a portion of their lives. Their lives overlapped. The blessings and curses that God promised to Adam and Eve, to Noah, and eventually to Abraham and his offspring tie into what took place in Genesis 9, with Noah cursing Canaan.
God told each of these people: Adam, Noah and eventually Abraham to "be fruitful and multiply." As a matter of fact, the promise God gave Abraham was just that, the blessing of offspring. This promise from God plays into the cursing of Canaan due to the actions of his father that violated that command. Conversely, the blessing of his uncle was due to Shem's faithfulness in honoring and seeking to fulfill this command in a morally ethical way consistent with God's original design for creation.
Why Noah Cursed the Grandson, Not the Son
So, what does all this mean? What did Ham do wrong to get his son cursed by his grandfather Noah? Noah had planted a vineyard. He had harvested the grapes and was enjoying the fruit they produced. Genesis 9:21 says he drank so much that he became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. Genesis 9:22 says that Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. The text explains that they took a garment and walked backward, covering him, and that they did not see his nakedness.
One might say, "Big deal!" More than likely, every child at some point has accidentally seen their parents naked in some capacity. But there is more going on in this passage than just a child "seeing" the nakedness of their parents. In biblical law in Leviticus 18, "uncovering the nakedness of your father" is a legal idiom for having sexual relations with your father's wife — that is, your mother. Under this interpretation, Ham committed maternal incest to usurp Noah's authority, and Canaan was the illicit child born from that union, explaining why Canaan himself was cursed. A second, separate reading holds that the cursing came about because Ham had sexual relations with his father, Noah, himself. Under this reading, the idiom "uncovering the nakedness of his father" is understood not as relations with the father's wife, but as relations with the father directly, meaning Genesis 9 would describe Ham having homosexual relations with his father. Many interpreters connect this same prohibition to Genesis 19, in the account of Sodom and Gomorrah with Lot, and again to Leviticus 18:22, in the giving of the law to Moses.
How the Curse and the Blessing Work Together
God blessed Shem, and his nephew Canaan was cursed to be his servant. This was because Shem followed God's design and command on how to be fruitful and multiply. God's blessing is closely tied to ethical sexuality consistent with the original design He determined in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of creation. Conversely, God's curse is tied to unethical sexuality, inconsistent with His original design.
What This Means For Us Today
The good news is that there is hope found in Jesus Christ.
Freedom From the Curse Through Christ
The Apostle Paul told the Galatian church in Galatians 3:13, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.'"
Jesus died on a tree to free everyone from the curse brought on them by the sins of their ancestors. Canaan suffered because his father sinned. Everyone suffers because of the sins of their fathers. But thanks be to God, the curse can be broken through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus died on a cursed tree to free everyone from the curse brought on them by their ancestors' sins. Because of the first mother and father, Adam and Eve, sin entered the world, and all after them were born into sin as sinners. But that is only half the story. Jesus Christ came, died and was resurrected to take away the penalty and curse of the sins of all who believe in Him.
The Apostle Paul said it best to the Galatians in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Through Christ's sacrifice, everyone who calls on His name will be saved. Everyone who believes in Jesus can be freed from the curse of sin that comes on each due to the sins of the generations before. Jesus breaks the bondage and gives eternal blessings to each who believes in Him. The curse is lifted, and the blessings reign forever for all who receive Jesus as their Savior.
Receive Him and live blessed!
