Why Did Noah Get Drunk? By Mark Mayberry 6/15/2014

Introduction The occasion of Noah’s drunkenness blemishes the story of an otherwise good and godly man. When Jehovah determined to destroy the world because of its sin, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God (Gen. 6:5-9). When he was instructed to build an ark, and bring two of every living creature into the ark, and gather food for his family and the animals, the Bible says, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did” (Gen. 6:22). Noah is a model of faithful obedience (Heb. 11:7). Genesis 6:5-9 (NASB95) — 5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:22 (NASB95) — 22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did. Hebrews 11:7 (NASB95) — 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. Only after the flood do we read of Noah’s failure (Gen. 9:20-29). He began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard. Then Noah drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. Ham saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, and went backwards into the tent, covering the nakedness of their father. This story reminds us that personal dignity is not preserved in a state of drunkenness. Genesis 9:20-29 (NASB95) — 20 Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his

wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25 So he said, “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers.” 26 He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. 27 “May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.” 28 Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. 29 So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died. The Proverbs contains many warnings against drunkenness. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise” (Prov. 20:1). Several chapters later, the sad state of the drunkard is dramatically portrayed (Prov. 23:29-35). King Lemuel’s mother taught him that it was not appropriate for kings to drink wine lest they drink, forget the law and pervert justice (Prov. 31:4-7). Proverbs 20:1 (NASB95) — 1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise. Proverbs 23:29-35 (NASB95) — 29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30 Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine. 31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly; 32 At the last it bites like a serpent And stings like a viper. 33 Your eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things. 34 And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast. 35 “They struck me, but I did not become ill; They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink.” Proverbs 31:4-7 (NASB95) — 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink, 5 For they will drink and forget what is decreed, And pervert the rights of all the afflicted. 6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to him whose life is bitter. 7 Let him drink and forget his poverty And remember his trouble no more. Isaiah pronounced divine judgment (woes) upon those who pursue strong drink, but neglect the Word and ways of God (Isa. 5:11-12). Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant men in mixing strong drink; cleaver, corrupt fools are they (Isa. 5:21-23). Woe to the drunkards of Ephraim: prince, priest and prophet alike (Isa. 28:1-8). Woe to the blind watchmen and foolish shepherds who forsake their duty through wine and strong drink (Isa. 56:9-12). Isaiah 5:11-12 (NASB95) — 11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink, Who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them! 12 Their banquets are accompanied by lyre and harp, by tambourine and flute, and by wine; But they do not pay attention to the deeds of the Lord, Nor do they consider the work of His hands. Isaiah 5:21-23 (NASB95) — 21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight! 22 Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine And valiant men in

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mixing strong drink, 23 Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right! Isaiah 28:1-8 (NASB95) — 1 Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley Of those who are overcome with wine! 2 Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent; As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction, Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters, He has cast it down to the earth with His hand. 3 The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trodden under foot. 4 And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley, Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to summer, Which one sees, And as soon as it is in his hand, He swallows it. 5 In that day the Lord of hosts will become a beautiful crown And a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people; 6 A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, A strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate. 7 And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment. 8 For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place. Isaiah 56:9-12 (NASB95) — 9 All you beasts of the field, All you beasts in the forest, Come to eat. 10 His watchmen are blind, All of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark, Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber; 11 And the dogs are greedy, they are not satisfied. And they are shepherds who have no understanding; They have all turned to their own way, Each one to his unjust gain, to the last one. 12 “Come,” they say, “let us get wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink; And tomorrow will be like today, only more so.”

Perhaps It Involved Loneliness Why did Noah get drunk? The Bible does not say. Perhaps it was the result of loneliness. After the flood, the formerly populated world was a vast emptiness. Many people fear being alone. It is often a disconcerting, unnerving, unhappy experience. As Erich Fromm said, “We have developed a phobia of being alone. We prefer the most trivial and even obnoxious company, the most meaningless activities, to being alone with ourselves; we seem to be frightened at the prospect of facing ourselves.” Indeed, close friendships are a rich blessing (Eccles. 4:8-12). Unexpected or unwanted solitude can tax even the strongest person (Psa. 25:16; 102:1-7). However, let us not wallow in self-pity. Many suffer loneliness because they are sitting instead of serving. Christians should reach out to others who are in need (Matt. 25:34-36; James 1:27). God is the solution (Psa. 68:5-6). Service is the key (Mark 10:45; Acts 20:35). Ecclesiastes 4:8-12 (NASB95) — 8 There was a certain man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity and it is a grievous task. 9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be

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warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. Psalm 25:16 (NASB95) — 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely and afflicted. Psalm 102:1-7 (NASB95) — 1 Hear my prayer, O Lord! And let my cry for help come to You. 2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress; Incline Your ear to me; In the day when I call answer me quickly. 3 For my days have been consumed in smoke, And my bones have been scorched like a hearth. 4 My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away, Indeed, I forget to eat my bread. 5 Because of the loudness of my groaning My bones cling to my flesh. 6 I resemble a pelican of the wilderness; I have become like an owl of the waste places. 7 I lie awake, I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop. Matthew 25:34-36 (NASB95) — 34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ James 1:27 (NASB95) — 27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. Psalm 68:5-6 (NASB95) — 5 A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation. 6 God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land. Mark 10:45 (NASB95) — 45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Acts 20:35 (NASB95) — 35 “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Perhaps It Involved Discouragement Why did Noah get drunk? The Bible does not say. Perhaps it was the result of discouragement. He may have suffered the inevitable let down that comes after completing some great task. He may have grieved over the great loss of life in the flood. He may have been disappointed that so few responded to his preaching (2 Pet. 2:5). Discouragement can severely test our faith; disappointment can become a stumblingblock. Trying circumstances call for courage and confidence, not self-pity and drooping despair (Isa. 35:1-10; Heb. 12:1-6, 12-13).

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2 Peter 2:5 (NASB95) — 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; Isaiah 35:1-10 (NASB95) — 1 The wilderness and the desert will be glad, And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like the crocus 2 It will blossom profusely And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the Lord, The majesty of our God. 3 Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. 4 Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. 7 The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes. 8 A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it. 9 No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there, 10 And the ransomed of the Lord will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away. Hebrews 12:1-6 (NASB95) — 1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” Hebrews 12:12-13 (NASB95) — 12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Alcohol is not the solution. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Alcohol does not drown care, but waters it and makes it grow faster.” Remember the words of Lemuel’s mother: “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to desire strong drink, for they will drink and forget what is decreed, and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.” Yet, she continued, “Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more” (Prov. 31:4-7). This language is accommodative, describing what is rather than what should be. Kings should not get drunk, but neither should commoners. Wine does not change things for the better. In fact, it often

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makes it worse. Many turn to alcohol to find relief from their burdens, only to find their hearts are further weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness (Luke 21:34-36). Proverbs 31:4-7 (NASB95) — 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink, 5 For they will drink and forget what is decreed, And pervert the rights of all the afflicted. 6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to him whose life is bitter. 7 Let him drink and forget his poverty And remember his trouble no more. Luke 21:34-36 (NASB95) — 34 “Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 “But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Perhaps It Involved Contention Why did Noah get drunk? The Bible does not say. Perhaps it was the result of contention. The Biblical text may hint at discord between Noah and his second son. Ham looked on his father’s nakedness and then told his brothers. Did he look scornfully? Did he speak scornfully? Perhaps. He was apparently guilty of disrespect (Gen. 9:20-29). Noah’s reaction suggests extreme displeasure. Strife may be the underlying and unstated motive (Prov. 15:17; 17:1; Eccles. 4:6). Secret sins may exist within a family; yet, such will not remain hidden (Psa. 90:8; Eccles. 12:14; 1 Cor. 4:5). Are things amiss? Confess and correct the wrong; let contention be replaced by contentment. Genesis 9:20-29 (NASB95) — 20 Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25 So he said, “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers.” 26 He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. 27 “May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.” 28 Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. 29 So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died. Proverbs 15:17 (NASB95) — 17 Better is a dish of vegetables where love is Than a fattened ox served with hatred. Proverbs 17:1 (NASB95) — 1 Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it Than a house full of feasting with strife. Ecclesiastes 4:6 (NASB95) — 6 One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.

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Psalm 90:8 (NASB95) — 8 You have placed our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your presence. Ecclesiastes 12:14 (NASB95) — 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. 1 Corinthians 4:5 (NASB95) — 5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.

Conclusion Sacred Scripture warns against the perils of drunkenness. So also do human sages. Bertrand Arthur William Russell once said, “Drunkenness is temporary suicide; the happiness that it brings is merely negative, a momentary cessation of unhappiness.” Evangeline Cory Boom once said, “Drink has drained more blood, hung more crepe, sold more houses, plunged more people into bankruptcy, armed more villains, slain more children, snapped more wedding rings, defiled more innocence, blinded more eyes, twisted more limbs, dethroned more reason, wrecked more manhood, dishonored more womanhood, broken more hearts, blasted more lives, driven more to suicide, and, dug more graves than any other poisoned scourge that ever swept its death-dealing waves across the world.” Let us heed these words of wisdom.

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