In continuation of our treatise on covenants, we want to take a more serious look at a little-noticed one in the old testament.
What disguises it is its positioning within the all-famous ten commandments.
We have already identified idolatry (seeking to enter covenants with negative spiritual forces in addition to our covenant of salvation through Jesus Christ) as a covenant breaker which brings a curse (commandment 2 in Exodus 20:4). [See mystery of covenants unveiled part 3]
In Exodus 20:12 (NIV),we come across the hidden covenant of filial loyalty.
"Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you."
I claim it is hidden because it seems very little in the verse suggests a covenant. However, if we go with our earlier definition of a covenant, we begin to identify the various conditions in the verse.
It is implying that not honoring one's parents could cause a shortening of lifespan. A curse is not known to prolong life. In fact, curses bring negative impacts on the lives of those so afflicted. Therefore, curses directly or indirectly cause a premature end to life.
On the other hand, the promise given in the verse is a long, abundant (full) life for honoring our parents. In other words, a blessing.
The first parent documented in scripture to directly curse his offspring was Noah. This was several centuries before the ten commandments were given by God. Interestingly the same portion of scripture also documents the first filial blessing.
Ham, Noah's last born, happened to have come across his father in a compromised state. Noah was drunk, and naked (as many who have been drunk usually find themselves). Ham stumbled onto Noah and obviously felt some contempt. He looked down on his father judgementally and decided to broadcast his father's moment of vulnerability. He did nothing to cover his father or even show some form of loyalty to him.
His brothers on the other hand, immediately they heard it, quickly covered Noah while not observing his nakedness with their own eyes. They were loyal, respectful and truly loved their father. They did not want to remember him as a naked drunk, so they averted their eyes.
Ham didn't have a choice not to see Noah naked, but his fault came in his response.
But what has baffled many scholars over the years is Noah's response to what happened. Noah did not curse Ham. He cursed Canaan, Ham's son. Why?
The answer is in Genesis 9:1 NIV
"Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth." "
"God blessed Noah [ AND HIS SONS ]" (emphasis mine). You cannot successfully curse a man blessed by God.
As early in history as this was, even Noah knew that whoever is blessed by God cannot be cursed by anyone else.
And so while blessing Shem and Japheth, he skipped Ham and cursed Canaan. Noah did not lay any blessing on the generations of Ham.
Noah didn't curse Ham because Ham was blessed by God. But he blessed his other sons and cursed Canaan his grandson. Canaan had no hand in the crime, but his generations bore the brunt of the punishment for Ham's crime.
If you don't honor your parents, you are laying a foundation for curses on your generations. Your children also will not honour you, and the trend of dishonor for parents will continue from generation to generation with their attendant curses.
Break the cycle today. Start to love, care about, and treat importantly your father and your mother. Cover their nakedness, defend them, don't judge them. Then the blessing of long and abundant life, and their own blessings of wellbeing will abide with your generations.
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