Ham’s disobedience curses not Ham

Read Genesis 10:6-10

We have spoken on this topic before, that the decisions of our fathers affects us, good and bad we inherit the consequences of their decisions. We see it here in the person of Ham.

For Noah in response to Ham’s disobedience curses not Ham, but instead his son Canaan. Which we undoubtedly know would be the father of all those enemies of God who would be destroyed upon the entry of Israel into the Promised Land.

Canaan is cursed with being servant or slave to his brothers, which is exactly what happened during Israel’s takeover of the Promised Land. His descendants become slaves for the Israelite people.

You will notice in Ham’s family tree some recognisable names. Egypt, Canaan, especially Nimrod who would establish both the Babylonian (Babel) Empire and the Assyrian Empire, the two great enemies of God during the time of the kings and the Exile. In his genealogy is a reference to virtually every people group that will ever oppose God and his people.

By the disobedience of their father Ham, they are made enemies of God. They learn from their father, and it in turn is passed down the generations until you have entire people groups who rebel against God.

Our families make us who we are, the great blessing of the gospel is that our upbringing, our families are not the final word in who we are. They are incredibly formative but they do not determine our destiny.

But we would be wrong to deny the effect of godliness as well as ungodliness in a family. Ham by his choices steered his family down a path of godlessness, so we have the choice to steer our families down a path of godliness. One cannot underestimate the power of faithful, god-fearing parents who love the gospel, and live it out.

We cannot guarantee the salvation of our families, but we can provide every opportunity possible for their salvation. Do not think your choices bear no weight they bear eternal weight, and God will use them to steer our family and friends to their eternal destiny.

Question:
Are there areas where you think you are not truly thinking about the eternal consequences of your decisions?
What gospel truth keeps you from despairing of the fact that you’ve made the wrong decisions in the past?