“But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.”
○ Today, the title of the sermon is “honor your parents.”
The theme of the text is the filial duty, filial piety.
Today’s text is the story after the Flood Judgement.
After the Great Judgment of the Flood, the human race begun again.
Only Noah’s family survived after the Flood.
Noah had three sons: Shem and Ham and Japhet.
○ After the Flood, one day Noah made a mistake.
Noah drank wine and became drunk and he exposed himself.
Then Noah’s three sons knew their father naked but their responses were different.
○ Ham talked the fault of his father to his brothers. But Shem and Japheth covered their father’s naked body. Whose response should we follow?
○ Let’s read the first message together; “Do good to your parents.”
○ It is the will of God to cover the faults of our parents.
Proverb 17:9 says: “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”(ESV)
In another translation, “Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends.”(CSB)
○ We have to do good to our parents.
We have to do nice to our parents.
We have to do kind to our parents.
This is the right thing to do.
[B] Do not uncover the faults of your parents.
○ OK. Let’s read the second message together.
“Do not uncover the faults of your parents.”
○ Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. So what did Shem and Japheth do when Ham told them about his father’s nakedness?
○ Let’s read the verse 23 together again:
“But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.”
○ Like Shem and Japheth, all children should cover their parents’ faults without revealing them.
Children should embrace their parents’ lack.
○ Even if our parents have some lack and shame and fault, children should cover them.
It is love that cover our parents’ mistakes.
○ 1 Corinthians 13:4 says: “Love is patient, love is kind.”
And 13:5 says: “Love does not dishonor others.”
[C] Honor our parents from the heart.
○ OK. Let’s read the third message of the text together:
“Honor our parents from the heart.”
○ “Honor your father and mother.”
This is the fifth commandment of the Moses’ Ten Commandments.
○ “Honor your parents.”
In here, “honor” is in hebrew “kabbed.”
Kabbed means “make heavy.”
This is the key of the message today.
○ Ham thought his father lightly, but Shem and Japheth felt their father heavily.
This difference did not happen just one or two days.
○ From this story, we can know one truth.
It is really important to honor and respect our parents from the childhood and from the heart.
[D] Blessed are those who obey their parents.
○ OK. Let’s read the final message today.
“Blessed are those who obey their parents.”
○ When Noah woke up and learned what Ham had done to him.
What did Noah say?
Listen to Noah’s saying!
○ Genesis 9:25~27 says:
“Noah said, Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.
He also said, Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
May God extend Japheth’s territory...
and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”
○ Deuteronomy 5:16 says:
“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
“You may live long and that it may go well with you in the land.”
This is God’s promise for us!
○ Children should respect whether their parents are rich or poor.
Children should be with their parents, whether they are healthy or sick.
Children should cover whether their parents have much faults or not.
Children should be good to their parents all the time.
○ Look at the story of Naomi and Ruth.
Ruth was an example of filial daughter.
Like a filial daughter Ruth, like a filial son Isaac, like Shem and Japhet, if we live like that way, God will surely bless us.
