Noah’s Fall

Today’s Daily Bible Reading is from Genesis 9:20-29. Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard. He made wine from the vineyard and drank too much of the wine, and became drunk. Then, Noah went to lie down in his tent and fell asleep uncovered. Noah may not have known what the effects of drinking too much wine would be, but he became incapacitated.

Ephesians 5:18 warns us, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” The key to the whole dilemma of whether or not it is okay to drink wine is found in Ephesians 5:18 where it tells us not to get drunk with wine by drinking it in excess. This Scripture also reminds us to be filled with the Spirit, by doing so we can be full of joy until it overflows.

One of the reasons the Bible warns us about getting drunk is that drinking in excess clouds our judgement and may cause us to do things we wouldn’t ordinarily do (see Proverbs 31:4-5).

Proverbs 20:1 tells us, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

In an effort to prove that it is okay to drink wine, some people may refer to 1Timothy 5:23, which says, “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.” This Scripture seems to be suggesting using wine for medicinal purposes. There may have been a problem with the water that was causing them to get sick on their stomachs. The key to the whole dilemma of whether or not it is okay to drink wine is found in Ephesians 5:18 where it tells us not to get drunk with wine by drinking it in excess. This Scripture also reminds us to be filled with the Spirit, by doing so we will be full of joy until it overflows.

Ham, the father of Canaan, went into the tent and saw his father naked. He went outside the tent, and told his two brothers what happened. Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it over both of their shoulders, and walked backward into the tent, and covered up their father. They made sure to keep their faces facing backward, so they would not see their father’s nakedness.

In this day and age we may wonder, “What was the big deal?” But, in Noah’s day, it was a shame for a son to see his father naked. We don’t know whether anything else happened in the tent or not, but Leviticus 18 goes through whole list of people whom we should not see naked.

Once the wine wore off, Noah woke up and realized what his younger son, Ham, had done. Noah was upset and cursed, Ham’s son Canaan, and said he would be one of the least of servants to his brothers.

Noah blessed his son Shem saying, “Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.” Shem was blessed because of his relationship with God.

He also blessed his son Japheth saying, “God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.” Japheth would be blessed through his brother, Shem, but Ham’s son, Canaan would be the servant of both of the sons.

This may have been the beginning of a family feud. Can you imagine being told you would be a servant to your family members?

Noah lived 350 years after the flood and a total of 950 years before he died. Can you imagine living to be that old?

 

Daily Bible Reading:

Genesis 9:20-29

20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.

24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.

29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

 

Things to think about:

• What was Noah’s vocation in this Scripture?

• Where did Noah fail?

• What are some of the dangers of drinking too much wine?

• What did Noah do to his sons because of the incident in this passage?

 

Prayer of the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father,

As we study this passage we see some of the problems with drinking too much wine. Help us to realize that sometimes these things become a trap. Help us to guard against getting caught up in drinking and the possibility of getting drunk or using bad judgement. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

 

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The Book of 1 Samuel: Prophets, Priests, and Kings by Deborah H. Bateman is a Daily Bible Reading Study of the book of 1 Samuel. This is the 31st book in the Daily Bible Reading Series. The book of 1 Samuel is found in the Old Testament of the Bible.

The Book of 1 Samuel not only discusses the life and call on Samuel as prophet, but also includes events that happened during his lifetime. The people of Israel insisted on having a king and even though Samuel tried to warn them of the dangers of appointing a king, they insisted. So God chose Saul to be their king. A good portion of the book includes the events during the reign of King Saul including the ongoing rivalry between King Saul and David.

The Book of 1 Samuel: Prophets, Priests, and Kings contains 71 Daily Bible Reading Lessons. Each lesson consists of a commentary by the author, the Daily Bible Reading Scripture, a few questions for contemplation or discussion, and a prayer to go along with the lesson. This Bible study is great as a personal daily devotional or a group Bible study.

For those of you interested in Bible journaling, may we suggest you pick your favorite Bible verse from each lesson and journal about it. This will be a great reminder of the lessons you learn as you read and study this book.

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For those of you interested in Bible journaling, may I suggest you pick your favorite Bible verse from each lesson and journal about it. This will be a great reminder of the lessons you learn as you read and study the Bible along with us.