DWDP- Gen 9: 22-24 What's in Your Heart?

A single moment in Genesis 9 exposes something most of us would rather avoid: what we do with another person’s failure reveals what’s happening inside our own heart. We sit with Noah’s drunkenness and shame, then watch Ham respond in a way that feels disturbingly familiar not with protection, but with delight and a story to tell. From there, we contrast the quiet honor of Shem and Japheth, who refuse to look and choose to cover, reminding us that love doesn’t feed on embarrassment and wisdom doesn’t turn sin into entertainment. 

We also push past surface behavior into the deeper issue Scripture keeps pressing: rebellion. Why does resentment toward parental authority so often mirror resentment toward God’s authority? We connect Genesis 9 with Proverbs and 1 Samuel 15, where God makes it plain that obedience from the heart matters more than outward religious performance, and that rebellion is not a small flaw but a spiritual rupture. If you’re thinking about Christian parenting, family discipleship, or how gossip spreads in churches and communities, this conversation puts a spotlight on motives, not just actions. 

Finally, we land on hope, not despair. Jeremiah’s warning about the deceitful heart leads into the gospel promise of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. God can make dead things come alive, even a heart tangled up in sin, pride, and resistance. If this encouraged or convicted you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find these biblical devotions and join the conversation.

Transcript

Welcome To More Than Medicine

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Welcome to More Than Medic, where Jesus is more than enough for the ills that plague our culture and our country. Hosted by author and physician, Dr. Robert Jackson.

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Papa, can you tell me a story? Do you really want me to tell you a story? Well, you go get your brother and your sisters, and I will tell you a story.

Genesis 9 Read Aloud

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Welcome to Devotions with Dr. Papa. Gather round, grab your Bibles, and let us look into the written word, which reveals to us the living word, who is our Lord Jesus Christ. Today we're in Genesis 9 verses 22 to 24. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 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 so that they did not see their father's nakedness. When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. May the Lord add his blessing to the reading from his word.

Noah’s Drunkenness And Exposure

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Now here is the scenario. Noah has allowed himself to become intoxicated, and feeling hot as drunken folks often do, he flung off his clothing, thereby exposing himself. Initially he was all alone, so other than becoming intoxicating, no harm was done. But then along comes Ham, who is once again identified as the father of Canaan. Now why did he just happen to come along at just that inopportune time? We don't know. Did Satan orchestrate that chance meeting? Scripture doesn't tell us, although we do know from other passages that Satan operates behind the scenes, yet only with God's sovereign permission, as he did in Job's life. Nevertheless, Ham discovers his father, the preacher of righteousness, intoxicated and

Ham’s Sin And The Lure Of Gossip

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exposed. The sense of the word saw his nakedness is really gazed at his nakedness. What would an honorable son have done? Well, he would have immediately averted his eyes and kept this entire episode to himself. King Solomon the wise tells us that the words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the bank. That's Proverbs chapter seventeen and verse nine. The Proverbs also tells us that love covers a multitude of transgressions. Apparently Ham had a rebel spirit in him that had lain dormant for some time, perhaps a long hidden resentment of his father's spiritual authority. Perhaps he had allowed Satan to get a toehold in his life. Now all of that is speculation, but I think his actions give us the opportunity to make some of that speculation. So rather than concealing a matter as a wise son would do, he rejoiced in his father's moral failure and ran to his brothers. Literally, the text means he told with delight. Thinking that somehow it would justify his own carnal inclinations, he reported to his brothers with delight his father's moral failure.

Shem And Japheth Cover Shame

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In complete contrast to their carnal brother, Shem and Japheth placed a garment on their shoulders, walked in backwards, refusing to even look upon their father's exposed body, and covered up his shame. Their actions rather than their words rebuked their carnal rebellious brother, who had delighted in their father's disgrace. An honorable son is a father's delight, but a foolish son is destruction to his father. Shem and Japheth were honorable sons. Ham was a foolish son, who was destruction to his father. Ham's sin was resentment against God himself, that began with a rebellion against his father's authority. How often do you and I see that in our own children today? We often perceive a rebel spirit against parental

Rebellion Reveals The Heart

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authority that reflects resentment against God's authority. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever seen the credit card commercial on television that asked this question? What's in your wallet? Implying that all of your buying, purchasing, and traveling problems will be over if you just have the right credit card in your wallet. Well, let me ask you a better question. What's in your heart? What's in your child's heart? For you understand clearly that whatever is in your heart determines the course of your life. That's why the writer of Proverbs tells us, guard your heart, for out of it flow the issues of life. Let me say that again. Guard your heart, for out of it flow the issues of life. Do you remember when Samuel rebuked King Saul in 1 Samuel 15 for disobeying God? This is what he said to Saul, 1 Samuel 15, verses 22 through 24. Samuel said, Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Obedience Versus Empty Religion

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Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination or witchcraft, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. And then he went on to tell Saul that because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king. My goodness, did you get all of that? Did you understand all of that? You see, the sacrifices are the external evidence of worship. Obedience from the heart is the internal evidence of worship, and that's the part that God sees. And it determines that obedience from the heart is better than mere external compliance. He then goes on to say that rebellion in our hearts is no different than witchcraft or idolatry. Oh my goodness. That was Ham's real problem. Rebellion against his father, and by extension, rebellion against God. Now dear listener, that's your child's problem. That's your and my problem. Anytime we feel that rebellion against authority, whether it's parental authority, the pastor's authority, the police, or the word of God, we can trace it back to its real source, which is our heart. What's in your heart? Jeremiah the prophet told us that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Who can know

The Human Heart Problem

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it? Who can understand it? Who can comprehend the heart? Listen carefully. The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. And the problem of the human heart is that it is wicked beyond repair, spiritually dead in transgression and sin, and in bondage to sin. Paul told the Roman Christians that the penalty for sin was death, spiritual death, to be separated from God both now and in eternity. So what can you do? Well, nothing really. All you can do is receive the gift of God. Ephesians two eighty nine says for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, lest any man should boast. Salvation, dear listener, is a gift from God. Even the faith to believe in Jesus Christ is a gift from God. It's not a free gift because Jesus paid for your salvation with his blood. Jesus paid it all. But it's free to you. Your part is to confess your sin, repent of your sin, and receive the Lord Jesus Christ. To as many as receive him, to God to them God gives the right, the privilege to become the children of God, even to as many as believe on His name. There is no issue in your life that a miracle won't solve. Even a heart that is wicked, rebellious, spiritually dead and in bondage to sin. God specializes in making dead things come alive.

Grace, Repentance, And New Life

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And that can happen to you. He can transfer your spiritually dead heart from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of God's beloved Son. Confess sin, repent of sin, and receive the Lord Jesus Christ today. That can be you. Next week we'll talk about the amazing prophecy that Noah made when he awoke and realized that his son Ham, what his son Ham had done to him. So stay tuned. Now I don't do this often, but my wife and my producer encouraged me to uh promote my four books, and I want to do that today before I conclude. You can purchase these books at Amazon at Courier Publishing, or you can go to our website, Jackson Family Ministry,

Books And How To Connect

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and find these books and make a purchase if you're interested. The first book that I published was The Family Doctor Speaks, The Truth About Life, which is a pro-life book and it describes my personal journey as a pro-life physician. It's really a primer on pro-life issues and helps you answer the hard questions that revolve around the pro-life debate. The second book is The Family Doctor Speaks, the truth about seed planting, equipping believers for evangelism. And it's a lot of stories about sharing the gospel, and it helps equip you to share the gospel and make disciples. The third book is The Family Doctor Speaks, Turkey Tales and Bible Truths. I'm an avid deer and turkey hunter, so I took the stories and used them as a platform for Bible teaching. My forte is Bible teaching, and I use the stories as an opportunity to teach the Bible. And then the last book is a biography about my father entitled On Laughter Silvered Wings. My father was a beloved family doctor, a Vietnam War veteran, highly decorated Vietnam War veteran. He was a social activist, a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard for 17 years prior to his death, his untimely death at age 41, and a great dead. And I think you'll thoroughly enjoy reading his biography. It makes a very good, a great gift for young men, even for men who were involved in the Vietnam War, they find the book very, very interesting. So you can find those on Amazon, Courier Publishing, or you can email us at Jackson Family Ministry and we'll send you a copy. All right, there's that. Remember, Jesus loves you. Your doctor loves you. And until next week, I pray that the Lord will bless you real good.

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Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, Instagram, or webpage at Jackson Family Ministry dot com.