The drunken leader (Genesis 9:18-29)

How does Noah handle the additional responsibility God gave humans after the flood? Remember God gave us authority over the lives of others for the first time (9:6), while enshrining his own responsibility over us with a covenant (9:8).

Noah doesn’t handle it well:

Genesis 9:18-23 (NIV)
¹⁸ The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) ¹⁹ These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.
²⁰ Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. ²¹ When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. ²² Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. ²³ But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

This is the first reference to alcohol in the Bible. Scripture does not condemn drinking wine (Matthew 9:17; John 2:7-11; 1 Timothy 5:23), but it warns against drunkenness (Proverbs 23:20; Luke 21:34; Romans 13:13; Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 4:3). Specifically, drunkenness impairs the judgement of leaders (Proverbs 20:1-3; 1 Timothy 3:3, 9; Titus 1:7; 2:3).

Perhaps Noah was using wine as an escape. Can you imagine the horrific loss he felt? Everyone Noah knew outside his nuclear family was gone. Lot experienced that kind of loss at Sodom too, and that’s the next time we read about drunkenness (19:32-35). But drunkenness didn’t solve Lot’s problems. Or Noah’s.

Noah’s drunkenness only increased his shame. Inebriated, he lay naked inside his tent (verse 21). That’s not criminal, but it was shameful for a leader in their world.

Noah’s sons responded to his shame in different ways. One son (Ham) blabbed about it, thereby increasing Noah’s shame (verse 22). The other two took steps to cover Noah’s indiscretion, limiting his exposure and shame (verse 23). Seriously, that’s all that’s going on. There is no reason to read anything else (such as homosexual activity) into the story.

The point of the story is how Noah responds when he comes to and becomes aware of his shame. The first leader to whom God gave authority over the lives of other people responds in a way that has characterized human leaders throughout history. He demotes the one who blabbed his shame publicly, and elevates the ones who covered his shame:

Genesis 9:24-29 (NIV)
²⁴ When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, ²⁵ he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.”
²⁶ He also said, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
²⁷ May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”
²⁸ After the flood Noah lived 350 years. ²⁹ Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.

This is the first time we’ve seen the word slave in the Bible, and it’s here three times. God gave Noah authority over human lives, and Noah used that authority to enslave people. Noah invoked God’s name to elevate those who covered his shame, while declaring slavery for the descendants of the one who promoted his shame.

Does this sound familiar? Do you ever see leaders acting like this?

If Noah was a righteous man (6:9; 7:1) who did all the Lord commanded him (6:22; 7:5) and yet Noah abused the power God gave him, will other leaders do the same?

When God conceded that Israel could have kings, Saul abused the authority God gave him (1 Samuel 15:26). So did David when he came to power (2 Samuel 12). Solomon and his son so enslaved the people that it split the kingdom (1 Kings 12). Eventually God sacked the shepherds he’d appointed because they were eating the sheep (Ezekiel 34).

The rulers of the nations do this too. Pharaoh enslaved Jacob’s family. Assyria and Babylon took for themselves the nation God established. Rome crucified the King of the Jews.

What kind of world do we have now that God has given humans authority over each other’s lives? It’s a world where people form nations with their own rulers, and war against each other to build their kingdoms. That’s the story of Genesis 10, as we’ll see next time.

We really need that covenant God made with the earth.

Related posts

• Why slavery? (Gen 9:18-29)
• Power without shame (Rom 1:16)
• How Jesus overcomes the world’s power problem