Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

Let us look at some of the biblical texts, which were miss-interpreted to enslave the African person and to keep him in perpetual slavery. Today we will look at the curse of Ham and how this text was used to subjugate black people for many generations.

Genesis 9:18-28

¹⁸ The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) ¹⁹ These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.

²⁰ Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. ²¹ When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. ²² Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. ²³ 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.

²⁴ When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, ²⁵ he said, “Cursed be Canaan!  The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.”

²⁶ He also said, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
²⁷ May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”

²⁸ After the flood, Noah lived 350 years. ²⁹ Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.

As can be seen from the text, Noah curses the grandson of Ham, Canaan. Nowhere in the text does it ever state that Noah curses his son Ham, who theologians suggests represented people from the African continent.

However, during the 15th Century and latterly in the 20th century, this text was used to suggest that Black people were cursed and were only fit to be slaves or servants.

Now a curse is defined as: ‘A solemn utterance to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something.’

Once the nobility of Europe saw that forced labour could greatly enhance their wealth, they used this text to justify the enslavement of African people as chattel. Whereas, the descendants of Canaan are still fighting the Israelites, in the land that was once Canaan, today!

If Ham represents Black people, Noah never cursed Black people! God never cursed Black people. Today you have the power to revoke any negative utterance that was spoken over you or your ancestors in the name of Jesus.