Thoughts on Genesis 9:18-29

Thoughts on Genesis 9:18-29
What caused Noah to get drunk? Did he get carried away? Was he experiencing
distress? Many times complacency comes after a great experience and we become prone to temptation. Noah had a long history in his relationship with God yet he failed after such a high. It is hard to believe this but we are all human. What really gets me is that there's no consequence for his action. Nothing is mentioned. Is it possible his relationship with Ham was estranged after this? I believe so. Even with such event, Noah's reputation as a man of faith is preserved in the Bible (see Hebrews 11). As for the punishment for Ham, it seems unjust. Something appears to be missing? It appears that respect and honor of parents above their weaknesses. I read a commentary by Louis T. Talbot (for which Talbot Seminary is named) and he calls Ham's sin a perversion but no real proof is offered. God sees more in Ham, his heart. I don't know what God saw but we know for a fact that Ham's descendants the Canaanites were really bad. Noah's prophecy almost seems that no mercy is available for Ham. Does
God predestine some for doom without giving them a chance? This is a hard question to answer that only God knows. I certainly will not answer it.

Where I have trodden

This past week and a half has been full of action. We spent a week in Puerto Vallarta México and I have ingrained some of the experiences. I remember Hector the travel agency salesman who got us to attend a sales pitch. We didn’t buy anything but we got some trips out of it and almost got to eat with him dinner at his house but he wasn’t there when we visited. We have his phone number and he invited us to call him so we can have dinner with him and his family, if we go again. Some other things were shocking, like my first run along the coast on Sunday morning. Towards the end of Nuevo Puerto Vallarta I saw death. A young man was laying dead on the beach being watched by people and two policeman keeping others away. I later found out it was a crime of passion. It showed me how frail life is in this world. I remember our conversations with all the taxi drivers and the tips that they gave us as we asked about where to find certain things. Never have I had more conversations with taxi drivers like in this trip. I remember the couple with their little daughter from Veracruz that we befriended on a boat tour of Vallarta. I wonder if we our paths will ever cross. Our layover in Mexico City was just as interesting. I’m thankful for they young man who kindly led us to the Metro and gave us directions so that we could spend five hours in el Zócalo, the heart of México City. I remember the poor peasant ladies selling their merchandize and just felt so much compassion for them. Then our trip with my son and many other young people to San Antonio lake for a three-day adventure. Mixed with feelings of inadequacy but at the end experiencing a rekindling of my faith and love for young people. They all have made a permanent mark in my life. They’ve begun to turn my life in a different direction. I just don’t know where but I’m moving.