Guess what so and so's done!
I wonder why Ham wanted to insult his father.
Perhaps Noah had admonished Ham for drunkenness in the past, therefore he revelled in this opportunity to slander his father.
It is common, for those people who walk with a disregard for God's Laws, to rejoice when a believer slips into sin.
Proverbs 10:23 says: "A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct."
But it would be totally wrong, for a Christian to find pleasure in hearing about a fellow believer who has fallen into sin.
Anyone who has a true understanding of repentance, cannot rejoice in the sins of others.
When Paul had heard about the sexual immorality at Corinth, he wrote very strongly saying:
"And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief, and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?"
(1 Corinthians 5:2)
Sin in our own lives, and in the lives of others should sadden us.
In the same letter Paul wrote: "Love does not delight in evil." (13:6)
As believers, we should find no pleasure at all from hearing about peoples sins, but rather we should mourn, and grieve.
The other two sons of Noah, Shem and Japheth, did a very good thing.
Not only did they not look at their fathers nakedness, they stopped others from seeing also.
And that is an example to us all, regarding other people's sin.
That garment they laid over their father's shame, was a picture of the mantle of love, that we are to throw over the faults of others.
'What!' I hear you cry, 'Surely that gives approval to their sin?'
Our aim is not to put a screen around that person, so that they can continue to sin.
We are given clear guide lines by Jesus, as what to do when a fellow Christian sins against us: "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established, by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church..." (Matthew 18:15-17)
If we are close enough to a situation, we can help in this way.
But if we're not, then it is probably none of our business!
Pray for them privately, but not in a prayer meeting.
To tell someone else about it is gossip.
If we want to straighten out every person we meet, it shows a lack of trust in the Lord, because He is well able to correct, and discipline His children!
Let's take Peter's instruction to heart:
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8)
And remembering the words of Jesus:
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye, and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrit, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers eye." (Matthew 7:3)
Let's finish with those great, well known words:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13)
Ark image: thanks to ‘The Pictorial Dictionary’ published by The Educational Book Company, London.
© 2003 Bible Explained part of www.seeking-god.co.uk
