Genesis 9 – Part 2 – Preacher Of Righteousness Found Drunk And Naked! Series

Genesis 9 – Part 2 – PREACHER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOUND DRUNK AND NAKED!

The Bible is so honest! After Noah obeys God and builds an Ark, after he honours God and builds an altar, after he intercedes for generations to come and God answers his prayers, after all that – he goes away and gets drunk in his tent! Not only that but he became the first streaker, taking off his clothes. The preacher of righteousness – drunk and naked!

I’ve been watching some cricket during the week. Ricky Ponting is amazing. 209! Why I brought up cricket was because, it is not uncommon over the years for a male streaker to run out onto the field. Strange behaviour. And maybe alcohol is to blame. Well, Noah gets drunk and naked! At least he stays in his tent.

I’ve never been drunk and don’t ever want to be. I have seen enough senseless and depraved activity conducted because of alcohol that I no longer want to be associated even with drinking wine at a meal.

I have counselled women who have been raped after a night of alcohol at a nightclub. It happens all too often. I don’t understand how drinking to the point of inebriation or binge drinking is fun. I don’t want alcohol to addle my senses to the point of brain damage and go down that dangerous path that shows no concern for my health or for others who I may abuse or put in hospital or embarrass or hurt deeply.

There is no humour about slurred speech, impaired balance, poor coordination, a red flushed face, reddened eyes, reduced inhibition, and erratic behavior. I don’t see anything funny about taking to the road and endangering the lives of those around me by my indulgence and intoxication and selfishness.

Many Christians don’t think twice about drinking and seem to regard it as a sacred right. “Don’t spill my beer! Are you going for a drink tonight, mate? Yeah mate, I’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it for quids!”

Alcohol is spoken of in love affair terms and anyone dares speak against it is a woose. None may dare take challenge my right to have a love affair with beer. It’s as if a beautiful woman has seduced them by her charms. They make jokes and flirt with her, but they are flirting with a killer. It’s still the highest cause of road deaths in Australia.

Overdramatic? Yes it is! It is a drama that is played out like a soap opera and with serious consequences that will largely be ignored because “I can handle it. Be a man!” Alcohol has that kind of seductive influence. And perhaps you are saying that you’re not hooked! How mad at me are you at reading this? Maybe that’s some kind of guage to the seducing influence alcohol has on you. Anyway, I started off talking about Noah.

So here is Noah who provides a precedent for streaking and binge drinking.

Maybe this is the first time anyone ever got drunk and Noah didn’t even know what was happening. Now that really would be an excuse for binge drinking, but I doubt it. The world was full of wickedness before the flood. I can’t imagine that alcohol was not a part of that. Noah most likely knew what he was doing. Even the best of people can fail and Noah failed big time. No person is sinless, not even Christians who seem so sanctimoniously righteous at times. Yes, I know Lord, including me.

1 John 1:8 (NLT) says “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.”

There’s no law about getting drunk at this time, so technically Noah gets off on a good behavior bond. The laws on getting drunk came later, nevertheless sin always has consequences. Noah’s drunkenness did too. Nothing much more is said about Noah after this. His seemed to disappear into oblivion. It just says that late in life, he failed, cursed his youngest son and grandson and then died.

Maybe Noah became a binge drinker in his late years or died of liver disease induced by alcoholism. We are not told. I’d hate to think that this was the case but if so, it means it can happen to anyone.

Proverbs 23:31-35 (NLT) says “Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper. You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things. You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t even know it when they beat me up. When will I wake up so I can look for another drink?””