Paul, today's question comes from someone who is reading your daily Bible reading plan found in your daily devotional, everyday gospel.

They've hit Genesis 9 when Noah gets drunk and passes out naked in his tent.

Why is it that ham and not only ham, but his descendants too, are cursed. Wasn't Noah and his sin of drunkenness

at fault here? The story seems a bit harsh. So I want to read the biblical passage this story comes from

because there are just elements in the passage that are really important. Noah began to be a man

of the soil and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered

in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.

Then Shem and Jepeth took a garment, laid it on both of their shoulders, and walked backward, and covered the nakedness of their father.

Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness.

When Noah woke from his wine and knew that his younger son had,

and knew what his youngest son had done to him, he said,

curse be Canaan, a servant of servants, shall he be to his brothers.

He also said, bless be the Lord, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be

a servant. May God enlarge Jephthah and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his

servant. That's Genesis 9, 20 through 27. This is surely one of the saddest stories in the Old Testament, maybe in Scripture, because

it comes on the heels of the glory of God saving Noah and his family from that great flood,

and afterwards restating to Noah and his family from that great flood and afterwards restating to Noah and his descendants

the covenant that he had made with Abraham.

It's a beautiful story of God's grace and God continuing with zeal to fulfill his promises.

So you got this high moment of glory,

and then you come crashing down.

Like Adam and Eve created in the Garden of God's blessing,

...