Daily Lesson for January 19, 2022

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Genesis chapter 9 verses 18 through 25:

18 The sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. 19These three were the sons of Noah; and from these the whole earth was peopled.

20 Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard. 21He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he lay uncovered in his tent. 22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backwards and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25he said,

‘Cursed be Canaan;

lowest of slaves shall he be to his brothers.’

Ham was the father of Canaan, who was said to be the father of Africa. Thus, the Curse of Ham (actually placed on Canaan) is said to be the curse placed upon all black people everywhere.

But how about this instead: Ham was the truthteller. Noah was said to be the most righteous man alive. But in reality he was a drunk. And Ham was the son who had the eyes to see it. He saw his father in the nakedness of who his father really was. That is why he was cursed -- because while everyone else was covering up for their father (the first enablers), Ham was getting rigorously honest about his family.

Most don't much like too rigorous of honesty -- whether we're talking about real fathers or founding fathers. And the one who dares to tell the truth, is often the one who in the end bears the curse while everyone else goes on acting like they never noticed their daddy had no clothes.

It's all in the Bible.

Ryon Price is Senior Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.