Wednesday, January 17: “Growing Together in Love IV”

Genesis 9: 22, 23, 27 “Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness…. ‘May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.”

One man (Ham) working alone by spreading with his tongue the tale of his father’s failure caused shame and disrepute to come upon Noah. It took two men (Shem and Japheth) working together to cover the sin of their father. Ham ended up cursed, and propagated evil (Canaan) throughout the earth. Japheth was enlarged, and Shem’s descendants were Abraham and all his seed, including Jesus Christ. Behold the growth that results when God’s people work together in love!