1 of 10
Richard Allen Farmer
Crossroads Presbyterian Church
5587 Redan Rd.
Stone Mountain, GA 30088
770.469.9069-office
Portrait of a Naked Father
Text: Genesis 9:18-29
True, Noah was a righteous man (6:8-9; 7:1). However, Noah
was an imperfect man. We shall look at one of his not-so-stellar
moments, in this sermon. After the flood Noah became a
farmer(20). The curse of the ground(8:21) is lifted. He was
already a father, so now he is Father Farmer. John Phillips, who
employs alliteration in all his commentaries, notes that in this
passage we'll see Noah as a father, a farmer, a failure. Noah has
three sons(18). Although they are usually listed in order in
which they appear in verse 18, Japheth is the elder
1 of 10
2 of 10
brother(10:21). Noah decides to drink. By the way, drinking, to
excess, is always a conscious decision. Only in cases of abuse
has one been forced to drink. In Noah's case, he grew the grapes
and decided to drink the wine.
1. Seemingly personal choices have far-reaching implications.
Comment [1]:
This is the first instance of drunkenness in the Old Testament.
The Bible never prohibits drinking. Rather, the prohibition is
against drunkenness. I urge you to consider abstinence as a way
of life if you have ever, even one time, been drunk. You cannot
be drunk if you never drink. I am a teetotaler by choice. I want
to know what is happening at all times. When one is not drunk
one has control of a situation. The Bible speaks of moderation
and encourages us to avoid excess. The danger of drunkenness is
that it leads you to do what you would not normally do. Noah
uncovers himself while drunk(21). He would probably never
2 of 10
Comment [2]:
3 of 10
have uncovered himself in a public way if he had not been
drinking. However, when one is drunk, modesty may not have
an opportunity to show itself. The sin here it is not Noah's
drinking. The sin is Noah's drunkenness(Isaiah 5:11,22; 28:1-7;
Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 5:11) and Noah's nudity.
Noah's drunkenness affects other people. Most notably, Ham is
affected.
2. You don't know who will observe your sin and what they will
do in response. Note Ham. In verse 22, Ham sees his father
drunk and naked. Perhaps it was accidental. That is the only way
most of us would ever see our fathers naked. With the exception
of our going to a gym or locker room with our father, or his
teaching us how to shower, we would have no reason to ever see
him unclothed. What does Ham do in response? He tells his two
brothers outside. Some commentators have suggested that Ham's
report was done disrespectfully. "Hey, you guys, come see our
3 of 10
Comment [3]:
4 of 10
stupid dad. He is out of it, and he's missing his clothes". Verse
23 begins with "but". The other two brothers, Shem and Japheth,
respond to their father's awkward circumstance differently.
Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders
and walked backwards to cover their father. They were most
eager to protect his dignity(cf. Lev. 18:6-7). If you are a father
you are most blessed if you have a Shem or Japheth who are
intent on serving you, protecting you from yourself and covering
you when you are exposed. Noah's awaking from his drunken
stupor is analogous to the prodigal son coming to himself in
Luke 15:17. When Noah comes to himself he utters both a
malediction and a benediction. A malediction is the
pronouncement of bad sayings, a curse. A benediction is the
pronouncement of good sayings, a blessing.
This is the third curse in the book of Genesis(3:14-17; 4:11).
4 of 10
5 of 10
Ham sins as a son and he is punished in his son. Some have
taught that people of color are cursed, according to Gen. 9:25.
However, Ham is not cursed, his son Canaan is(25). From
biblical history we know that Egyptians are the descendants of
Ham. It was thought, therefore, that people of Africa, darkskinned people, fell under this curse(Jer. 13:23). This was
subsequently used to justify slavery. One of Ham's sons is
Cush(10:6), which is translated, black. No, Noah doesn't curse
Black people. He shows his moral nakedness by cursing his own
grandson(9:22) and his progeny. Is there a man here who has
cursed his family by his behavior? Have we men uncovered
ourselves, shamed ourselves, hurt ourselves and our families, by
our behavior. I have read some alarming statistics regarding
homes in which a father is not present. When a man leaves his
family, not only does he expose himself but he exposes, makes
naked, his family.
5 of 10
6 of 10
The Positive Impact of Father Involvement
In a study examining father involvement with 134 children of
adolescent mothers over the first 10 years of life, researchers
found that father-child contact was associated with better socioemotional and academic functioning. The results indicated that
children with more involved fathers experienced fewer
behavioral problems and scored higher on reading achievement.
This study showed the significance of the role of fathers in the
lives of at-risk children, even in case of nonresident fathers.
Source: Howard, K. S., Burke Lefever, J. E., Borkowski, J.G., &
Whitman , T. L. (2006). Fathers’ influence in the lives of
children with adolescent mothers. Journal of Family
Psychology, 20, 468- 476.
6 of 10
7 of 10
Father Factor in Poverty
Children in father-absent homes are almost four times more
likely to be poor. In 2011, 12 percent of children in marriedcouple families were living in poverty, compared to 44 percent
of children in mother-only families.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Children’s Living Arrangements
and Characteristics: March 2011, Table C8. Washington D.C.:
2011.
Father Factor in Emotional and Behavioral Problems
Data from three waves of the Fragile Families Study (N= 2,111)
was used to examine the prevalence and effects of mothers’
relationship changes between birth and age 3 on their children’s
well being. Children born to single mothers show higher levels
7 of 10
Comment [4]:
8 of 10
of aggressive behavior than children born to married mothers.
Comment [5]:
Living in a single-mother household is equivalent to
experiencing 5.25 partnership transitions.
Source: Osborne, C., & McLanahan, S. (2007). Partnership
instability and child well-being. Journal of Marriage and
Family, 69, 1065-1083.
Comment [6]:
3. Shame lasts
No shame- Gen. 2:25
Shame- Gen. 3:7
Corporate shame- Jer. 3:1-3, 25
Illus.
Several years ago I was the guest preacher for spiritual renewal
week at the Christian Academy in Japan(CAJ). This is an
international school for missionary kids(a co-called MK school).
One afternoon a student escorted me to the train for a tour od
8 of 10
9 of 10
downtown Tokyo. At the train station there were hundreds of
bicycles and not one of them was locked up. I question my
student escort and asked why no bicycles were locked. In my
native New York City, we not only lock the bike.We take the
front wheel off and carry in to our workplace. The student
escorting me told me that there was such a concept of shame in
Japan that it would not be worth it to any thief to steal a bicycle.
If one were to steal a bike one would bring shame upon one's
entire family and ancestors. I wish we had such a concept of
shame.
Shame on naked, drunken us! Shame on all who forsake their
privilege and responsibility to model a circumspect life before
their watching sons, daughters, nieces, nephews,
granddaughters, grandsons and young neighbors.
Let us wake from our stupor, shake ourselves and bless those
around us.
9 of 10
10 of 10
Blessed be the Lord and blessed be the generations following
us.They are watching us. Let's give them a good show.
Amen
10 of 10