Ammi Ministry Blog

The sin of Ham was showing disrespect for his father. Instead of covering his father’s nakedness and keeping quiet about what he had seen, he went to the other sons and mocked his father. One of the 10 commandments is “Honor your father and your mother.” This is a fundamental moral precept of God. The word yareh in Hebrew means to gaze upon, look at, saw (visual). Ham’s disrepect ends in a curse from Noah on his

Some scholars seizing on the term of Noah being uncovered have come up with the idea that Ham had homosexual sin with his father. They say the term uncovering a person is used in Scriptures as a euphemism to mean sexual intercourse. However, the context in which these references to sexual intercourse occur is clear. There is absolutely no context for this interpretation in 9:20-24.

God commands Noah and his sons to multiply and fill the earth – similar to God’s command to Adam and Eve. But now instead of only eating the produce of the land, God allows for the eating of animals, birds and fish. But, God forbids the eating of blood because it represents the life of the animals. The taboo on eating blood is also a foreshadowing of the Mosaic Sacrifical Law in Lev. 17:11 where God forbids the eating of blood because it is to be used on the altar for forgiveness of sin. All this in turn points to the atoning work of Jesus – the ultimate blood sacrifice. For those who are turned off by the idea of a blood atonement – consider that it represents how much God hates sin. It takes the death of an innocent animal and ultimately the death of God’s son to cover and remove the stain of sin. God describes blood as the life of the animal or human. It is blood that carries the life given oxygen and nutrition to the cells of the body. It is the blood that sustains human and animal life. Peter in 1 Peter 1:18-19 describes the atoning work of Jesus in this way; “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” Peter is also playing on the fact that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb – having died on the same day and the same hour. The Passover lamb protected the Hebrews from God’s wrath which slew the first born of the Egyptians.
God also forbids the killing of people in verse 6 because like Gen. 1 & 3 God made man in His own image. This points to the uniqueness of mankind. In the same chapter God allows the slaughter of animals for food, God forbids the murder of humans. Mankind is God’s agent on the earth to be His representative and agency of rulership.

The Holy Bible : English Standard Version.

Through out the Bible those who are true worshipers of God (Able, Noah) turn to a blood sacrifice as a means of approaching Holy pure God Almighty. When Noah shows thankfulness to God for surviving the Flood he builds and altar and sacrifices an animal. The offering is pleasing to God.

God commands Noah to come out of the Ark and release all the animals in order to replenish the earth. God’s ultimate goal is to restore the Garden of Eden in the New Heaven and New Earth (See the book of Revelation). The renewal of life is also a picture of the resurrection of Jesus who conquers death and opens the door to eternal life in the messianic age and in heaven.

Noah sends out a dove to see if it was safe to leave the Ark. This is one reason the dove is seen as a symbol of peace. The greatest peace of all is to have peace with God. When God is blessing a land, peace and prosperity reign. Of course the reverse is also true. Is America presently under God’s blessing or curse?

All humans and living creatures were killed by flood. God will not be mocked – sin provokes His anger. Proverbs rightly states the beginning of wisdom is the fear (respect and submission) of the Lord. Today’s America woefully rejects Proverbs wisdom. The rejection of God is like walking with hiking boots on thin ice. Sooner or later people will fall into icy (or in biblical terms – hot) water.

Considering that all of us are descendants of one of the 3 sons of Noah – Shem, Ham, or Japheth prejudice is foolish. It’s like hating yourself.

The clean animals would be used not only for food but also for offering to God when the water resceded (see Gen. 8:20).