Genesis 9:22-27
I. THE CURSE
A. Ham Was The One Who Did The Wrong, Not Canaan His Son, v22. If this was a curse upon the person, rather than a prophetic overview of what the effects of Ham’s attitude would bear on his posterity, then the curse would have just been pronounced upon Ham.
B. Canaan Was One Of The Four Sons Of Ham, Genesis 10:6-20. Why would the curse rest only on Canaan and not on the other three sons? If this was about Ham’s sin creating a subservient race of people, Canaan was the same race as Cush, Mizraim and Phut.
–For example, Egypt is referred to as the land of Ham: Psalm 105:23 & Psalm 106:21-22.
C. “Canaan Shall Be His (Shem’s) Servant”–In What Sense? Did Canaan actually wait on Shem as a household servant? NO!
–Canaan was to be Shem’s servant, not Japheth’s (the Gentiles). But in what sense?
–The nation of Israel descended from Shem. The sense in which Canaan served Shem, is that God subdued Canaan under Israel. The Canaanites were a strong people, until God subdued them before Israel, and gave Israel possession of the Canaanites’ land. Exodus 15:14-16 & Exodus 23:28-33
–This was prophesied, as it was God who made the difference in Israel conquering Canaan: Numbers 21:2, Nehemiah 9:24, Judges 1:27-30, Judges 4:23. This was not about the Canaanites being a subservient race, but about their being conquered by Israel, and their land becoming Israel’s inheritance–this was a judgment of God against the Canaanites because of their iniquity, as well as God’s gift to Israel as their inheritance: Psalm 135:8-12, Zephaniah 2:5-7.
–This curse was a prophetic view of Canaan’s servitude to Israel, as a conquered people, rather than a curse that would make a subservient race unto other Gentile races.
II. IS THIS CURSE GREATER THAN GRACE?
Romans 5:20-21 – Grace is greater than the curse of sin; if the curse of sin is greater than grace, then we are all doomed. Galatians 3:10,13 – The curse of sin was laid upon Christ, and because He bore it all, Galatians 3:14, those under the curse, who accept Christ, come into all the entitlements of Christianity, by grace through faith.
A. In Defining Man’s Relationship Or Standing Before God, God says it all goes back to Adam, not Canaan, or anyone else. Canaan is not a capital figure in how any or some men stand before God, only Adam – Romans 5:12,18,19. In God’s sight, “there is no difference” Romans 3:22-23.
–God sees the whole human race as “one blood”, Acts 17:26,27,30. God sees our sin condition as being that of our human nature, which comes to us inherently and internally from Adam only, and not from any external curse placed upon us due to Ham’s misdeed.
B. The Blood Of Jesus Doesn’t Just Wash One Of Some Guilt, Some Curses, And Leave Others Remaining, But Rather Completely Cleanses Of All Sin & All The Curses Of All Sin: Acts 13:38-39, Isaiah 1:18. Every believer’s standing before God is the same – 2 Corinthians 5:21 – due to the fact it is the standing that Christ gives, the same unto all – Romans 8:32-34.
C. God Is Not A Respecter Of Persons; He Does Not Have A Double Standard In Redemption: Acts 10:15,34,35,43,47,48, Acts 11:18.
–Thus, the inclusion of all; Christ, having died for all, affords all the full benefits of all the New Testament privileges: Ephesians 2:13, Ephesians 3:6, Galatians 3:27-28 – the old distinctions do not apply to membership in the New Testament Church.
—Matthew 28:19-20 – Any and all who believe the gospel, are under God’s command to be baptized; and all who believe and are baptized, are to be taught to observe all things that Christ commands, which necessarily includes the right and privilege of New Testament Church membership. There is no such thing as God saving someone, but denying them the opportunity to be baptized and become a part of the New Testament Church, because of some curse of Canaan being upon them. Thus, the Ethiopian eunuch was saved and baptized and went on his way back to his country as a witness of what great things Christ had done for him, Acts 8:37-39.
—1 John 2:2 – The blood of Jesus Christ is what gives the believer their entitlements, not the curse of some sin. Romans 10:12
**A Canaanite Was One Of The Twelve Apostles! Matthew 10:2-4
SHARING
