Genesis 9 - Rethink

I feel a strong conviction that I have failed to expound the greater sin in the story of Noah and Ham. My tendency in the last post was to focus in on Noah's guilt. Adamant that there was someone to blame I pursued Noah for his reckless behavior.

I'm left undone as I realise the very heart of this passage condemns exactly that attitude. Everything in the passage points towards Ham's guilt in this situation. Failing to understand, I did exactly what Ham was guilty of. I pointed the finger, I exposed, I blamed. I didn't take the attitude that God took when he saw Adam naked. God by nature acted with grace, covering Adam's shame. God in love and sacrifice offered Adam a refuge. I, with Ham and the Pharisees and the Church, did what most offended Jesus in his earthly ministry and what was most unlike the God of Genesis 3. I judged, I sought to expose, I sought to shame, I stood tall and proud. Ofcourse sin should be challenged, we need rebuke and correction in the life of our communities. Yet Ham's sin was in his attitude - conceited, arrogant and proud. Aligning himself with the 'righteous' he sought to shame, humiliate and condemn.

I'm astounded at the depth of this passage. At face value I saw a moral lesson but deep beneath the words I have discovered the heart of God. I see the rescuer, the redeemer, the God of outrageous grace. I see him imploring the Church to shake of the spirit of Ham and to regain His image as the one who intervenes, not only with judgment but with grace.

This admission is not to say that we should ignore Noah's error or avoid discussing its implications but that the greater sin and the one the evangelical church should be more acutely aware of is the attitude of judgment and the tendency to want to expose the sin of others. Ham had Genesis 3 as his example, we have countless more stories that tell us about the nature of our God - when will we return to His image and embrace the life of grace?

God help us. Amen.

**I'm acutely aware that God pronounces the curse on Adam and Eve before he covers their shame in Genesis 3. This response is not to undermine the importance of understanding the law and judgment. These are ofcourse foundational to any notion of atonement and rescue. This post however is to address the attitude with which we respond to the sins of others, when we ourselves are often most guilty of all.