The Curse of Canaan
A Devotional Series from Genesis
Online Bible Audio/Readings Links (ESV)
7/19 Reading Portions: Judges 2; Acts 6; Jeremiah 15; Mark 1
Genesis 9:24-27
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.”
AWAKE
When Noah woke up, he immediately prophesies. This is a prophetic foreshadow of the gospel saint’s recognition of sin, and his or her repentance thereof. It is written,
But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:13-14
John Bunyan writes of this in The Pilgrim’s Progress, when the Pilgrim fell asleep in the arbor on the Hill Difficulty, losing his gospel scroll, but after Christian backtracks and finds the scroll, he is strengthened to face the roaring lions at the top of the hill.
Canaan is cursed for Ham’s sin of dishonoring Noah, his father. Though every salvation is by God’s grace alone, the character of our children will often reflect the character of their fathers, whether good, bad, or ugly. The descendants of Canaan were idolatrous, and they became a contentious foe years later to the children of Israel when taking possession of the Promise.
In the details of the curse, we should recognize and note that the children of disobedience, as reflected in the curse upon Canaan, ultimately makes the cursed soul the servant of YHVH God’s purposes, manifested in his servitude to God’s redeemed (Shem), and even to those who are morally descent folk yet unsaved (Japheth). How are the wicked ultimately servants to God? Sometimes, we see this in judgment, since judgment begins in the household of God (1 Pet 4:17). YHVH used the wickedly bitter Chaldeans to bring judgment upon Judah (Hab 1:1-11). Sometimes Christ uses the circumstances of the wicked so we may show mercy, even to the salvation of their souls (Luke 15:11-32). Sometimes the heavenly Father uses the godless, self-seeking soul to bring about the greatest good, like Judas Iscariot betraying our Lord Christ so that by Christ’s sufferings and death, wretched souls like yours and mine could be saved. Hallelujah! What a Savior!