Noah was a godly man. He was also the father of a family and the leader of mankind. But he made a mistake and had a failure, and his mistake was exposed. When Noah woke up, he cursed the one who exposed his nakedness and blessed the ones who covered him (vv. 24-27). We may think that Noah should have confessed and admitted his failure. However, since God had established him as the leader, Noah had to speak, not according to his feeling of conviction but according to God’s government. Even though he failed, he did not disregard his leadership, his position as God’s deputy authority. Instead, he took care of God’s government and God’s economy on the earth and represented God to speak a strong governmental word. Ham despised God’s government by seeing and exposing Noah’s failure. Thus, he lost the blessing and brought in a curse. Because Shem and Japheth respected God’s government, they did not see their father’s nakedness. Rather, they covered their father’s failure. Because of this, they were kept under God’s government. They thus escaped the damage caused by Satan and received the blessing.
Noah’s curse and blessing were prophecies inspired by God in His governmental dealing. They were not according to Noah’s personal feeling. They were according to God’s government. They were not of Noah but of the very God who exercises His government over mankind. Noah prophesied according to God’s government to curse one of his sons and to bless the other two.
According to history, Noah’s three sons eventually became three great races. Japheth became the forefather of the Europeans, and according to Noah’s prophecy, Japheth would be enlarged by God. This means that the descendants of Japheth would be the strong ones to conquer and spread. Over five hundred years ago, Columbus ventured to sail across the Atlantic, and he reached a new continent, America. Thus, Japheth was further enlarged. Shem is the source of the races that are mostly in Asia, including the Jews. Ham became the father of the race that is mostly in Africa. Europe, Asia, and Africa come together geographically around the Mediterranean Sea. The Jewish land of Palestine is in the center of these three inhabited sections: Europe to the north, Africa to the south, and Asia to the east. Hence, Noah’s prophecies concern the history of the whole world.
Through Noah’s prophecy, God cursed the son who exposed his father’s failure. Canaan, Ham’s son, received a curse to be a servant to both Shem and Japheth (v. 25). Ham was the father of Cush (10:6), who is the forefather of the Ethiopians.
Cush begot Nimrod (v. 8), who built Assyria with Nineveh as the capital. He also built Babylon with Babel as the capital (vv. 10-11; Micah 5:6). Assyria and Babylon became the leading nations that opposed God’s people. The first nation to invade Israel was Assyria. Then Babylon followed Assyria to conquer Israel, destroy Jerusalem, burn down the temple, and exile the great majority of the children of Israel (2 Kings 25:1-21; 2 Chron. 36:17-20).
Noah prophesied, saying, “Blessed be Jehovah, / The God of Shem” (Gen. 9:26). Jehovah, the very God, is of Shem. The Jews are the descendants of Shem. They have to boast, saying, “God is ours.” Even the Lord Jesus told the Samaritan woman that salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22). Shem was blessed by gaining God. God became Shem’s blessing, and He is also man’s rest, peace, enjoyment, and salvation.
Whatever is related to God has come out of the Jews. The Old Testament was written by the Jews. Except for one Gentile, Luke, the New Testament was also written by Jews. Even Luke wrote with the knowledge that he received from the Jews. All the things concerning God, concerning God’s gospel, concerning Christ, and concerning salvation have come out of the Jews. Shem does not have government or the sciences like Japheth. Shem has God.
Ham’s descendant Nimrod built Babel, but Shem’s descendant Abraham built and lived in tents. The children of Israel also built the tabernacle for God. The Lord Jesus, one of Shem’s descendants, was likened to a tent, a tabernacle (John 1:14). Eventually, the New Jerusalem will be God’s eternal tent, His eternal tabernacle (Rev. 21:2-3). The names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel are inscribed on its gates (v. 12), and the names of the twelve Jewish apostles are on the foundations of its wall (v. 14).