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Acts 24:16
King James Version
16 And herein do I exercise myself,
to have always a conscience void to offence
toward God, and toward men.
Canaan received a curse from his grandfather, Noah.
Why was Canaan cursed, instead of his father, Ham?
Is that why GOD doesn't want any Canaanite in His house?
Has GOD always known how descendants of Ham, and Canaan, would be?
Let's get the context, through these verses:
Genesis 9:20-24
King James Version
20 And Noah began to be an husbandman,
and he planted a vineyard:
21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken;
and he was uncovered within his tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan,
saw the nakedness of his father,
and told his two brethren without.
23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment,
and laid it upon both their shoulders,
and went backward,
and covered the nakedness of their father;
and their faces were backward,
and they saw not their father's nakedness.
24 And Noah awoke from his wine,
and knew what his younger son
had done unto him.
After that incident, Noah cursed Canaan, instead of Ham:
Genesis 9:25-27
King James Version
25 And he said,
Cursed be Canaan;
a servant of servants shall he be
unto his brethren.
26 And he said,
Blessed be the Lord God of Shem;
and Canaan shall be his servant.
27 God shall enlarge Japheth,
and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem;
and Canaan shall be his servant.
Many scholars have come up with reasons why Noah got angry at Ham.
And why Noah cursed his grandson, Canaan, instead.
One notable study was given by Don Stewart:
"Why Was Canaan Cursed Instead of Ham?"
Perhaps, this verse may explain the puzzle:
Numbers 14:18
King James Version
18 The Lord is longsuffering,
and of great mercy,
forgiving iniquity and transgression,
and by no means clearing the guilty,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generation.
That explains Canaan bearing the iniquity of his father, Ham.
And all other generations after him.
And yet, another verse comes to mind:
Ezekiel 18:20
King James Version
20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father,
neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son:
the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him,
and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
Following that route, we gather that Noah (the father) shall not "bear the iniquity of the son" (Ham).
It also says "The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father".
Why did Canaan bear his father's "iniquity"?
Perhaps, these verses will explain GOD's decision, through Noah:
Isaiah 46:10
King James Version
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times
the things that are not yet done,
saying,
My counsel shall stand,
and I will do all my pleasure:
GOD is all-knowing.
He knows the "end from the beginning".
He knows the "things that are not yet done".
All our hearts are transparent before GOD.
All our souls belong to GOD.
Ezekiel 18:4
King James Version
4 Behold,
all souls are mine;
as the soul of the father,
so also the soul of the son is mine:
the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
As born again, I trust the will, ways, and wisdom of GOD.
Isaiah 55:8-9
King James Version
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Through that curse, the Canaanites were destined to be destroyed.
GOD declared war upon them.
What did He command Moses to do?
What did He instruct Zechariah to say?
An amazing set of verses tell us more.
Click here for the next post.
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