Maintain Your Guard - Noah

After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent.

Genesis 9:20-21

The prebout conference between two opposing boxers and the referee usually includes these important instructions: “Obey my commands at all times and protect yourself at all times.”

In other words, Listen up . . . and keep up your guard!

Does that sound at all like God’s instructions for your life?

Noah, despite his reputation as the only righteous man on earth in his day (according to Genesis 6:9), once failed to keep his guard up. His mistake had serious repercussions for his family.

Eight people survived the cataclysmic global flood. God used them to give humanity a new start with a clean slate. Unfortunately, sin soon began to take root again.

One day Noah, who began a vineyard after the Flood, violated the biblical principle of moderation in his drinking. After a glass of wine or three too many, Noah became so drunk that he passed out in his tent.

As Noah lay drunk, his youngest son, Ham, entered his father’s tent and sinned when he “saw that his father was naked” (Genesis 9:22). Though scholars debate what specific sin Ham committed, it seems clear that Ham didn’t conduct himself in a godly way.

When Noah realized what Ham had done, the consequences of the sin—his own and his son’s—took effect. He pronounced a curse on Ham’s son Canaan that had repercussions for thousands of years.

Noah let his guard down for only a moment, but his sin led to dire consequences for his family. He is an example of the importance of obeying God’s commands and keeping your guard up at all times!

Though God is more than willing to forgive and restore you when you confess your sin, you avoid the consequences entirely when you keep your guard up. “Protect yourself at all times” is good advice for the ring and for life.