Honor, Shame, and the Trajectory of Nations Text: Genesis 9:20-27
Introduction: The World After the Rain
We come now to one of the most misunderstood and tragically abused passages in all of Scripture. The world is new, washed clean by the judgment of God. The rainbow, a sign of God's covenant promise never again to destroy the earth by water, is fresh in the sky. Noah, the one righteous man in his generation, has stepped out onto dry land with his family, the seed of a new humanity. It is a fresh start, a new creation, a picture of baptismal grace. And what is the first thing we see in this new world? We see sin. We see failure. We see a family crisis that will set the course for all of subsequent human history.
This is a hard-headed, realistic book. The Bible is not a collection of airbrushed portraits of saints. It shows us our heroes with their warts and their stumbles. And this is a profound encouragement. Noah was a man who "walked with God," and yet he was a man who could get drunk and lie naked in his tent. The flood washed away the wicked, but it did not wash away the sin nature that clings to every son of Adam, Noah included. The heart of man is still deceitful, and the world, though cleansed, is still the stage for the great drama of sin and redemption.
This account is not here to provide a justification for the wicked institution of race-based chattel slavery. That is a grotesque and sinful twisting of the text, an abuse that has brought shame upon the name of Christ. No, this passage is about something far more fundamental. It is about honor and dishonor. It is about piety and rebellion. It is about how a family's response to the failure of its patriarch sets a course for blessing and for cursing down through the generations. It is a story that establishes the cultural DNA of the three great streams of humanity that flow from Noah's sons.
We must read this not as an isolated incident, but as a seed. In this one domestic failure, we see the sprouting of three distinct worldviews, three ways of relating to God and to authority, that will grow into mighty, and often conflicting, civilizations. This is not about skin color; it is about character. It is about covenant.
The Text
Then Noah began to be a man of the land and planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine and became drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent. Then Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took the garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned backward, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. Then Noah awoke from his wine, and he knew what his youngest son had done to him. So he said, “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers.” And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.”
(Genesis 9:20-27 LSB)
The Patriarch's Failure (v. 20-21)
We begin with Noah's new vocation and his subsequent fall.
"Then Noah began to be a man of the land and planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine and became drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent." (Genesis 9:20-21)
Noah, the shipbuilder, now becomes a farmer, a "man of the land." This is a good and honorable calling. He is exercising dominion, cultivating God's creation, bringing forth fruit from the ground. Wine, in Scripture, is a symbol of joy and blessing (Psalm 104:15). It is a gift from God. The problem is not the vineyard or the wine, but the excess. Noah, the righteous man, gets drunk. He loses control and lies exposed in his vulnerability.
This is a stark reminder that righteousness is not a static achievement. Even the most faithful man can fall. Grace does not make us sinless; it makes us forgiven. This is not an excuse for sin, but a warning against pride. If a man like Noah, who weathered the storm of God's wrath upon the whole world, can be tripped up by a cup of wine in his own tent, then let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Cor. 10:12). The new world is not a perfect world. The human heart, even the redeemed human heart, remains the primary battleground.
Noah's sin was one of private indulgence that led to public, or at least familial, shame. He was "uncovered." He was vulnerable. The head of the human race, the patriarch of the new world, was in a state of dishonor. How his sons react to this failure is the pivot upon which the entire narrative turns.
Two Responses to Shame (v. 22-23)
Next, we see the divergent reactions of the sons, which reveal their fundamental character.
"Then Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took the garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned backward, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness." (Genesis 9:22-23 LSB)
Ham's sin is not simply seeing his father by accident. The text indicates a deeper malice. He "saw" the nakedness, and instead of quietly retreating and covering his father, his first instinct is to gossip. He goes out and "told his two brothers." This is the spirit of mockery. It is a spirit of rebellion. It is the desire to see authority brought low, to revel in the failure of a superior. Ham saw his father's weakness as an opportunity to elevate himself. He is the archetypal revolutionary, the resentful son who despises the honor of his father. The text pointedly identifies him as "the father of Canaan," which is crucial. This rebellious spirit will be the defining characteristic of his descendants, the Canaanites, who will become infamous for their sexual perversion and idolatry.
Shem and Japheth, in stark contrast, respond with piety and honor. Their actions are deliberate and respectful. They take a garment, lay it on both their shoulders to share the responsibility, and they walk backward. This is not just about averting their eyes; it is an active gesture of profound respect. They refuse to gaze upon their father's shame. They refuse to participate in Ham's mockery. Instead, they cover it. They restore his honor. This is the fifth commandment in narrative form: "Honor your father and your mother." They understood that honoring their father, even in his failure, was part of honoring the God who placed him in authority over them.
Here we have two foundational responses to sin and authority. The way of Ham is to expose, to mock, to tear down, and to use another's failure for self-aggrandizement. The way of Shem and Japheth is to cover, to protect, to restore, and to uphold the principle of honor. One is the way of rebellion; the other is the way of godliness. Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Ham wanted to put his father's sins on display; his brothers wanted to cover them in love.
The Prophetic Curse and Blessing (v. 24-27)
When Noah awakens, he understands what has happened and pronounces a prophetic oracle that will shape the world.
"Then Noah awoke from his wine, and he knew what his youngest son had done to him. So he said, 'Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers.'" (Genesis 9:24-25 LSB)
Noah, speaking as a prophet, does not curse Ham directly. He curses Canaan, Ham's son. Why? Because the curse is aimed at the fruit of Ham's rebellious spirit. It is a prophetic declaration that the culture descending from Ham, epitomized by the Canaanites, will be a culture of servility and degradation because it is founded on dishonor. This is not a prescriptive command for individuals to enslave others; it is a descriptive prophecy of the societal consequences of rebellion against God's created order. A people who mock the authority of the father will ultimately become a people fit only to be servants. Their internal rebellion will manifest as external subjugation. This curse is later fulfilled when Israel, the descendants of Shem, conquer and dispossess the wicked Canaanites from the promised land.
Then Noah turns to his other sons:
"And he said, 'Blessed be Yahweh, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.'" (Genesis 9:26-27 LSB)
The blessing on Shem is remarkable. Noah does not bless Shem directly; he blesses "Yahweh, the God of Shem." This indicates that the line of Shem will be the line of covenant. It is through Shem that God will reveal Himself, call Abraham, create Israel, and ultimately bring forth the Messiah. The greatest blessing is not earthly power, but a right relationship with the true God. The Shemites are to be the stewards of God's revelation.
Japheth's blessing is one of enlargement and expansion. "May God enlarge Japheth." This points to the geographic and cultural expansion of the Japhetic peoples, who would spread across Europe and Asia. But their ultimate blessing comes through their relationship with Shem: "And let him dwell in the tents of Shem." This is a stunning prophecy of the gospel. The Gentiles (Japheth) will find their true home, their spiritual blessing, not in their own accomplishments, but by being brought into the covenant family of the God of Shem. The Apostle Paul explains this very reality in Romans 11, where the wild olive branches (Gentiles) are grafted into the cultivated olive tree (covenant Israel). The blessing for Japheth is to be included in the salvation that is of the Jews (John 4:22).
Conclusion: The Gospel in the Tent
This story is a microcosm of the gospel. We, like Noah, have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We have uncovered ourselves in our shame. And there are two responses to this reality.
The spirit of Ham is the spirit of the accuser, Satan. It is the spirit of self-righteousness that seeks to expose the sins of others, to mock their failures, and to stand aloof in judgment. It is the spirit of the world, which loves to tear down and dishonor.
But the spirit of Shem and Japheth points us to Christ. What did they do? They took a garment and, walking backward, they covered their father's shame. This is precisely what Jesus Christ, the ultimate son of Shem, did for us. He saw us in our drunken, naked, shameful sin. But He did not mock us. He did not expose us to the ridicule of the universe. Instead, He took the robe of His own perfect righteousness, and He walked backward from the glory of heaven to the shame of the cross, and there He covered us. He took our shame upon Himself so that we might be clothed in His honor.
The gospel is the great covering. God looks upon us, and because of the work of His Son, He does not see our nakedness. He sees the righteousness of Christ. He has cast our sins behind His back. The way of Ham leads to curse and servitude, because it is the way of pride and rebellion. The way of Shem and Japheth, the way of faith, leads to blessing and a home in the tents of God's covenant, because it is the way of humility and honor.
Therefore, let us be a people who cover, not expose. Let us be a people who honor, not mock. And let us give all praise to Yahweh, the God of Shem, who has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be enlarged in all the earth, inviting all the sons of Japheth to come and dwell in His tents forever.