Genesis 9:1 “Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.’”
After the flood God blessed Noah as He had blessed Adam and added [Genesis 9:2-3]:
“The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”
Noah’s family was human, which stands for “imperfect” – and there was a fall-out between Noah and his son Ham. Soon after everybody had exited the ark to start a new life, Noah took to farming. He had a green thumb and derived great pleasure from the things he grew. A nearby mountainside looked like the perfect spot to set up a little vineyard. And so he began cultivating red and white grapes. Harvest time came and he had a great crop. One day he got drunk from his own wine and laid down to sleep it off in his tent. He was too drunk to realize that he was naked.
Then Ham came into his tent and saw his father naked in his drunken stupor. He went to tell his brothers about it and made fun of him. That would be the final nail in his coffin. When Noah woke up and found out what his youngest son had done he got angry and announced in front of everyone [Genesis 9:24]:
“Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.”
The family fell silent after Noah had dropped the bombshell, but he wasn’t done yet. A blessing would follow his curse – albeit a mixed blessing. Turning to Shem and Japheth he said [Genesis 9:26]:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”
Noah’s wife cried: “What have you done! Thanks to God we have survived a major catastrophe. We are the only people left on earth, and you curse one of your sons? And for what?” Noah looked his wife squarely in the eyes and said: “He had it coming. This is not the first time that he has disrespected me, but this time he went too far. He publicly humiliated me.”
Ham’s face was ashen, but his eyes brimmed with tears as he quickly turned away from his father. Without talking to anybody he packed his things, took his wife and children and moved to a faraway land.
In this lifetime Noah would never see Ham’s face again.