One of the strangest moments in Genesis (in my opinion) happens almost as a footnote to the events of the Flood.
After the waters recede and God makes His promise with the rainbow, the Text mentions that Noah plants a vineyard and gets drunk.
So drunk, in fact, that he “uncovers himself” inside his tent (Genesis 9:21).
What happens next would be almost just as bad.
Why Did Noah Get Drunk?
I’ve read several people on this verse because I’m fascinated how people treat a passage like this.
Surprisingly, many make the argument that Noah never really intended to get drunk. That fermenting wine was a relatively new process, and that even though Noah had a vineyard, he stumbled upon the intoxicating aspect of letting those grapes sit out for too long.
I find that argument hard to believe, personally — especially in light of the excessive carnality displayed by the people before the Flood.
Others argue that Noah had a moment of weakness. After all, the world had just been destroyed. I’d probably be a little messed up too.
Regardless, Noah was wrong for what he did. I don’t really think there’s any way he escapes blame entirely.
Why Did Noah’s Sons Look?
The other aspect that’s weird for me is that his son Ham “saw” Noah’s nakedness, and then ostensibly bragged about it. There are a number of other insinuations that people make about that point that I don’t have the time to get into here, but they’re…odd.
What’s refreshing in the middle of this whole escaped, however, is the other two son’s refusal to see their father in this state. Instead of viewing Noah, they took a blanket, walked backward into the tent, and covered their father.
It was the honorable thing to do, but it also prevented them from sharing in the sin that took place.
We Should Walk Backwards Towards Sin, Too
The next time you stumble into an environment where sin is taking place, take a page of Shem and Japheth’s playbook: Grab a blanket and walk backward (metaphorically).
Don’t let Satan have even a foothold. Avoid the temptation at the outset. Remove it from your field of vision.
You’ll have a much better chance of avoiding the sin if you refuse to even look at it in the first place.