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"I need help to understand what Ham did to his father Noah.
Was it homosexuality? I don't believe it was gossip, or the Bible would say that Ham said something about his father Noah. The condemnation of Canaan makes it seem much more serious than gossip. Please help me to understand." "Bro. Davidson, A young Christian man who attends another congregation approached one of our elders about supporting him to some degree in his efforts as sponsor, leader, advisor, or whatever the title may be concerning the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. We are of the opinion that this is just another denomination and think that we should have nothing to do with it. What do you think?" Harrell Davidson |
Question One: "I need help to understand what Ham did to his father Noah. Was it homosexuality? I don't believe it was gossip, or the Bible would say that Ham said something about his father Noah. The condemnation of Canaan makes it seem much more serious than gossip. Please help me to understand." (Name Withheld) Answer to Question One: The passages to which the querist refers to are Genesis 9:22, 25. "And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without" (vs. 22). "And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren" (vs. 25). There is absolutely nothing in the text to suggest that this was homosexuality. We are not proficient in the Hebrew language, but are able to study words and their usage in this language. The key word to help us understand this is "wayyar' " which carries the idea that Ham did not merely see, but that "he looked at" or "he gazed with satisfaction." Something that ought to have brought reverence such as Ham's two brothers had, but this brought such an unclean imagination in Ham. Also, the phrase, "[A]nd told his two brethren" comes from "wayyaggedh" which carries with it more than simply telling his brothers. The situation indicates that he told his "brothers with delight." It could be gossip in the way it is used. Gossip does not always means that something said is false. It also carries the idea that even though a thing may be true there should be no delight in spreading it. There seems to be in the author's mind, that since Canaan is mentioned in verse 18, it is there for a purpose. Evidently Canaan was already following in the footsteps of his father. Be that as it may, Noah gives us a prophecy regarding the curse of Canaan. This is, of course, a reference to the Canaanites who were cursed, not arbitrarily, but by their own volition and part of Canaan was Sodom in whose direction Lot later pitched his tent. Later, in the Law of Moses, there would be a prohibition on "uncovering" the nakedness of the father or the mother. Such activity was called an abomination (cf. Lev. 18:6, 7, 24, 29, 30). We hope this is helpful. Question Two: An email question asks, "Bro. Davidson, A young Christian man who attends another congregation approached one of our elders about supporting him to some degree in his efforts as sponsor, leader, advisor, or whatever the title may be concerning the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. We are of the opinion that this is just another denomination and think that we should have nothing to do with it. What do you think?" Sincerely, Elders, Fordland church. Fordland, Missouri Answer to Question Two: There was some urgency when we received this question and we responded immediately, but thought other readers of The Gospel Preceptor might someday have to make a similar decision. We answered in part by saying, you are correct regarding your assessment of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). I went to several websites and found that FCA is an "interdenominational body." It is for anyone who "has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into his soul." You can see by these quotes that the Lord's church could not in anyway support it. The FCA would have a way of desensitizing an otherwise faithful young man to the point that he would think that one church is just as good as another. You were wise in rejecting any kind of sponsorship. It was likely the position of a "Huddler" which calls a group together to pray is what the young man would have been. The group is then called a "huddle." They normally huddle around the flag and pray, but there are conventions in almost every state annually. Thanks for the questions. |