There is no shortage of controversial issues raised in the opening chapters of Genesis. We have already discovered the God’s Word has much to say about the subject of Creation, the family, the role of husband and wife, homosexuality, capital punishment, and role of government. Today, we come to a passage that has been wrongly used to support white racism. Our goal in today’s study is to discover the truth concerning the curse on Canaan, and to examine our own hearts regarding race relations.
Sadly, Christians used the BIBLE in an attempt to justify their racist behavior. The SCOFIELD STUDY BIBLE (1917) included this footnote in Genesis 9:21. “A prophetic declaration is made that from Japheth will descend the "enlarged" races Genesis 9:27. Government, science, and art, speaking broadly, are and have been Japhetic, so that history is the indisputable record of the exact fulfilment of these declarations.”
From Genesis10:6, we learn that the sons of Ham were Cush (Ethopia), Put (Lybia),
Egypt, and Canaan. Scofield’s interpretation is that the curse of Genesis 9:27 is a curse that condemned the entire continent of Africa.
While Scofield’s note may initially sound innocent, notice the word “Japhetic.” Japheth’s sons moved into the land that is currently Turkey, Greece and the western Mediterranean, essentially the ancestors of white Europeans. “Japhetic” means the superiority of the white race. This was the attitude of many in Europe and America in the 1800’s and 1900’s. It is devastatingly sad that accomplished theologians such as Scofield could be so prideful, as well as so thoroughly blinded by their cultural understanding so as to misinterpret the Scriptures. Bear in mind that the same danger is possible for us today, perhaps in different areas of our thinking.
Before we go further into the subject of racial prejudice TODAY, let’s examine the story more closely. There are key points for us to remember...
The description of Noah’s Sin is given in Gen 9:20-22.
This occurred years after they left the ark. There were only 8 were on the ark. Ham’s son Canaan was not yet born when they left the ark. Enough time in the story has gone y so that there was time to find grapes, plant a vineyard, and ferment wine and drink from those grapes.
NOTEThis is the first mention of wine in the Bible, and it demonstrates to us the danger of alcoholic consumption. Noah did not set out to get drunk and embarrass himself, he succumbed to the power of alcohol, as many still do today. WINE TAKES OVER and causes even the STRONGEST BELIEVER to sin!
Noah retires to his tent, overheated by the alcohol, he removes his clothes. Noah’s behavior is a LACK of JUDGMENT and DISCERNMENT. His lack of discernment cause him to make wine, the wine led to the sin of DRUNKENNESS and tt put the man of God in a compromising situation. His son Ham, overcome by evil, was able to take advantage of Noah. And it all started with Noah’s lack of discernment.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary notes the following: “Intoxication and sexual looseness are hallmarks of pagans, and both are traced back to this event in Noah’s life.” BKC. John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-), in loc.
Ham’s Sin is described in Gen 9:22.
What happened next is of utmost importance to the story. “Ham saw his father’s nakedness. The word can be interpreted, “gazed with satisfaction” (Morris). There is is often an emotional component to this word (“My bones gloat over me” (Ps 22:18). “Enjoy looking at” (Song 6:11). “Look at with sorrow” (Gen 21:16).
Ham was satisfied to see his father’s embarrassing condition. Here, Dr. Morris gives us profound insight. “A much more probable interpretation of Ham’s actions here is that they expressed a long-hidden resentment of his father’s authority and moral rectitude. ....Now, however, beholding the evidence of his father’s human weakness before his very eyes, he rejoiced, no doubt feeling a sense of release from all the inhibitions which had until now suppressed his own desires and ambitions. Thinking his brothers would share his satisfaction, he hastened to find them and tell them the savory news. Literally, the text means “he told with delight.”
Ham’s sin was not so much one of immoral lust. It was one of rebellion against his father’s authority, plus resentment against the entire moral standard that had been taught and enforced by Noah in his family for well over a hundred years. Fundamentally, his act revealed an attitude of resentment against God Himself, a character trait which was bound to crop out explosively some day, if not in Ham, then in his children. Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record: A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1976), 235.
Ham went and told his brothers (with delight). He violated God’s command regarding the family, “honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12)
Ham shows disrespect and lack of concern for his father’s embarrassing situation. In contrast to Ham’s action, Noah’s sons Shem and Japeth honor their father with respect (Gen 9:23). They recognize that their father was not a perfect man. Recognizing the potential for sin in us all, they cover their father so that his shame does not spread to others.
They showed respect for their father. They covered Noah’s disgrace. They understood the frailty of man, and the danger of sin. They were determined that the sin would spread no further than Noah’s tent. They protected Noah’s testimony and showed respect for their otherwise godly father.
Because of Ham’s disrespect, Noah places a curse upon his son. Gen 9:24-27 Notice that the curse is placed on Canaan, the son of Ham and not upon Ham himself. Because Ham disgraced his father, Ham would be disgraced by his son! Canaan’s decedents would be servants. This is extremely important. Ham is not cursed (as Scofield and others wantonly argued. Canaan is cursed, and only Canaan.
So we ask the question, who were Canaan’s descendents? They were the people of the plain, including Sodom and Gomorah. They were the eventual people of the Canaanites. (See Genesis 10:15-16).
What happened to the Canaanites?
As early as Genesis 14, the decedents of Canaan were defeated and enslaved. God would later command Israel that He would “destroy the Canaanites” (Exodus 23:23-33). And this is exactly what happened (Numbers 21:1–3 ; Judges 1:17).
Having examined this biblical account, which has been misused to advocate the sin of racism, what does the BIBLE teach about race?
There is only ONE RACE... the HUMAN RACE. FOUR passages make this abundantly clear.
In Genesis 1:27 we discover that we are created in “God’s image.
In Acts 17:26 we discover that we all are descendants from ONE human father. "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live."
In Revelation 5:9 we learn heaven will be filled with a multitude of people and races. No one race is special. "And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation." This passage is striking because it demonstrates four categories of people that God will ensure to inhabit heaven. Notice that division of race (skin color) is not among the categories.
The first is Tribe (phulos). It means “A subgroup of a nation which is regarded as being more closely related biologically than the whole nation” (Louw and Nida). Examples of this word are phrases like tribe of Benjamin, tribe of Judah...
The second description of humanity in Revelation 5:9 is the word Glossa. It means language.
The third word is Laos and means people .
The fourth is Ethnos and refers to national boundary divisions.
Nothing is said of a “race!” God does not see us that way!
We read in Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." 1 Corinthians 12:13 "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." Colossians 3:11 "Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all."
What does BIOLOGY teach us about race? Here, De. Ken Ham offers excellent insight.
According to the Bible’s history, all humans are descendants of Adam and Eve—thus only one biological race exists. ... When the Human Genome Project published a draft of their findings in 2000, the New York Times reported that “the researchers had unanimously declared there is only one race—the human race.”
Assume dominant genes result in lots of melanin and recessive genes result in little melanin. Adam and Eve were most likely a middle brown color with both dominant and recessive genes for the pigment melanin in the skin. Children who received all the dominant genes would end up with a lot of the color and be very dark. Children who received all the recessive genes would end up with only a little color and be very light. Children with a mixture of the genes (both dominant and recessive) would be middle brown (Ken Ham, “It’s Not Just Black and White,” (Answers in Genesis, Feb 13, 2008), www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v3
What is the Source of Racism? It is NOT
America’s past history of slavery
Poverty
Social classes
The source of RACISM is SIN!
It is PRIDE, in that we think that we are better than others.
Sometimes, racism comes from SHAME, in that we think we are inferior to others.
Sometimes racism comes from OPPRESSION, where one group manipulates another group of people.
Racism has been ADVANCED through the teaching of evolution. In the 1920’s, Margaret Sanger promoted the idea of Eugenics. She thought that black people were a mongrel race. Her view was rooted in Evolutionary thinking that white people had evolved to a higher level than natives in Africa and South America. Science was used to promote this travesty! Her views come from the same pot of soup that gave rise to the ideas of white superiority and the rise of Facism in Germany!
Margaret Sanger founded an organization that would help to reduce the number of unwanted races. It is the organization known today as Planned Parenthood!
How did this thinking ever gain acceptable status in academic circles? Once again, Ken Ham offers helpful insight.
“In the 1800s, before Darwinian evolution was popularized, most people used the word “races” to refer to such groups as the “English race,” “Irish race,” and so on. However, this all changed in 1859 when Charles Darwin published his book On the Origin of Species. Most people don’t know that the subtitle of that book is The Preservation of Favored Races and the Struggle for Life.
In 1871, Darwin wrote The Descent of Man in 1871, in which he applied evolutionary philosophy to mankind. (Because of his bitterness toward God and renouncing his earlier faith, it’s likely that this is what he wanted to do all along anyway.) In The Descent of Man, Darwin popularized the idea of different races of people—lower races, higher races, primitive races, advanced races, and so on. What did that do? As the late Steven J. Gould from Harvard University said, “Biological arguments for racism may have been common before 1850 but they increased by orders of magnitude following the acceptance of evolutionary theory.” (Ken Ham, “It’s Not Just Black and White,” (Answers in Genesis, Feb 13, 2008), www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v3/n2/twins-black-and-white
Racism is a powerful tool used to divide, control and manipulate people. Most of us were unaware of the interpretation of Genesis 9 promoted by Scofield, but all of us are capable of the sinful ideas of racism.
These are some of the sinful tendencies from which we must recognize and repent
Racially charged words
Humor at the expense of others
Stereotypes
Seeing things through a “racial lens”
Saying, “It’s white people who are racist”
Saying, “It’s black people who are racist”
Thinking that they way to overcome racism is through reverse racism (affirmative action)
Voting for or against a political candidate because of their skin color
One difficult area for some to overcome is their objection to interracial marriage. Since God only sees us as one race, and since his commands apply to us all, then there is nothing wrong with interracial marriage. A negative view of an interracial couple is rooted in the idea that people are to mix with only their own “kind.” We have seen that this thinking is unbiblical, and against our biological makeup.
It is interesting that in America, it is usually a marriage of a white person to a black person that causes some objection. The same person who objects to a white/black marriage finds no problem or uncomfortability with a white/asian marriage. This reveals an inconsistency rooted in American ideas of racism. It is wrong and we should abandon it.
America has a sad history when it comes to seeing people as God’s creation. Slavery, Evolutionary teaching, Segregation and current Racial discrimination are all sins that mar our heritage. But it ought not to be this way with God’s people!
Call to Action
The SIN is
Judgement
Pride
Anger
Bitterness
The CURE
Repentance
Forgiveness
Grace
Forbearance
The GOAL - one people of God!
