Noah's Descendants 

Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.  He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness. When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”  He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” (Genesis 9: 20 to 27) 

After the flood, God blessed Noah to be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it (Genesis 9: 7). God also established a covenant with Noah and his descendants that "Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9: 10) 

God told Noah to multiply over the earth. It was Noah who determined the fate of his descendants. However, he determined their fates according to their acts that we know had a huge consequence later in human history.    

According to Bible scholars, Ham's descendants, except Canaan, were mainly spreading out of Africa. Shem's descendants, including Hebrews, were mainly spreading out of Asia. Japheth's descendants were mainly spreading out of Europe, including some islands. According to the Bible, Canaan indeed became the servant of Hebrews. According to history, not only that Africa indeed was suppressed by Europeans for a long time, but Europeans also had colonized Asia for quite some time too just like Noah said, "may Japheth live in the tents of Shem". We could still see the consequences even today.  

God established a covenant with Noah, but Noah tried to fulfill it based on the behavior of human flesh. Some may say that Ham should cover his father's shame when he saw it rather than to tell his brothers. No matter how justified we may think about Noah's decision, if the decision was based on human behavior, then there are always some drawbacks. That's why God needed to make a covenant with Abraham.  God told Abraham: 

" I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.  I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.  The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17: 6 to 8).   

It's like the covenant as Noah's. However, this time God would fulfill the covenant Himself. All Abraham needed to do is to have faith in God. It's called justified by faith. Now, we are all saved by faith.  And the faith came from God's grace through Jesus. Just like the book of Hebrews says,  

" fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." (Hebrews 12: 2).   

Also, Jesus said, 

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8: 31 32).   

With the grace of God and the faith authored by Jesus. We are not only saved but also set free from the doomed fate bound by sin and flesh. Emmanuel. 

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