Genesis 9:18-28 (ESV):
The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.
Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.
He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.
Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness.
When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him,
he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, 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.”
After the flood Noah lived 350 years.
Now, why does this text show us that Noah was drunk? Why is that detail even there?
This is actually the first mention of wine and drunkenness in the Bible, and it’s really not flattering at all. Remember, Noah was written about as a righteous man who walked with God. And the very first thing he does after giving that offering to God in the bit we read yesterday—he falls into drunkenness from the fruit of his own vineyard.
So why is this in the Bible?
Well, it’s a reminder—even after the flood, even after judgment, the human heart is still sinful. The flood cleansed the earth, but it didn’t cleanse the heart. Sin came along for the ride on the ark.
Now, why is what Ham did so serious?
The text is pretty vague on that. But what is clear is that Ham dishonoured his father in some way. At the very least, he mocked Noah and exposed his shame instead of covering it.
In Genesis so far, sin and shame are really closely linked. Remember, it was shame that Adam and Eve felt, and God covers it with animal skins. He covers their nakedness. Ham does the opposite. Rather than covering Noah’s shame, he exposes it.
In an honour and shame culture like theirs, this was a deep violation of someone’s dignity. Instead of turning away, like Shem and Japheth did, Ham went and told his brothers about it—he gossiped. It wasn’t just that he saw his father’s nakedness—it was that he failed to honour him. He failed to cover him.
Then Noah wakes up and he doesn’t curse Ham—he curses Canaan, Ham’s son. That’s puzzled people. But from a Reformed lens, we can say this shows the covenantal consequences of sin. Sin doesn’t stay in one generation—it keeps going. Ham dishonours his father, and that same pattern keeps showing up in his descendants.
And this sets up the conflict we see later in the Bible—between Israel (descendants of Shem) and the Canaanites. They’re at odds throughout the Old Testament. It’s not an ethnic or racial thing—it’s covenantal. It’s about how sin plays out across generations.
This also connects back to the promise in Genesis 3—the seed of the woman versus the seed of the serpent. That theme keeps running through Scripture. Which seed will win? And we know the answer: Israel triumphs in Jesus.
So why does this matter for us?
Well first, this passage teaches us again about human nature. Even after the flood, sin is still alive and well. Noah—the man who was obedient and righteous, who walked with God—still falls. Our spiritual pedigree doesn’t stop us from falling too.
Ham’s response shows us what happens when we highlight shame rather than cover it. And we do that all the time. But we need our shame covered. And we can’t cover it ourselves—we need someone else to do it.
And of course, that’s exactly what Jesus does. He covers our sin and our shame through his sacrifice on the cross.
But this passage also teaches us to honour our parents, and to cover other people’s failings when we can. Shem and Japheth show us something really Christlike here. They walk backwards, they won’t even look. They act to restore dignity.
That’s what Jesus does. God chooses not to look at our shame—he looks at the perfect life of his Son instead. And he gives us that righteousness. That’s grace. That’s love.
Proverbs 10:12 says, “Love covers all offenses.” And it’s because of God’s love that our shame and our sin has been covered by Christ.
This story shows us that sin lives on in the human heart. It shows us we need someone better than even Noah—someone not just righteous, but perfect. Someone who wouldn’t just cover our shame, but bear it in our place.
The blessing of Shem and Japheth ultimately points us forward to Jesus, the greater son of Shem, who covers us with his righteousness.
Noah went into a garden and got drunk off the fruit of his vineyard. But Jesus also went into a garden—and he drank a cup too. The cup of God’s wrath. And that’s what redeems and restores us.
And that’s something to be thankful for.
Let me pray.
Dear Lord,
We confess that we are often like Ham. We expose. We’re slow to cover. We want to gossip and chat about others instead of honouring them as people made in your image. Please forgive us. Help us to follow the example of Shem and Japheth, as they followed the example of Christ. Help us to walk in gentleness and grace, and to restore the shamed and the fallen. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that though we are guilty, you are righteous. Though we are ashamed, you have clothed us. Though we are weak, you are strong.
Help us now to live from that place—with deep love for you.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.