DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS

Genesis 9:18-10:1     (4/2)      1st Reading at Vespers, Wednesday, 4th Week of the Great Fast

 

After the Flood-III ~ Parental Blessings and Curses: Genesis 9:18-10:1, especially vss. 25, 26: “And [Noah] said, Cursed be the servant Chanaan, a slave shall he be to his brethren.  And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Sem, and Chanaan shall be his bond-servant.”  Holy Scripture records that, in time, Noah’s blessings and curses did fall upon his descendants.  To many, Noah’s pronouncements upon Ham and his son, Canaan, appear quite harsh and arbitrary.  Yet, because the Patriarch essentially “was a just man; being perfect in his generation...[and]...well-pleasing to God” (Gen. 6:10), he knew what ought to be the life goals of his children.

Doubtless, Noah demonstrated the right path that Ham and Canaan should follow by the grace of God.  The events recorded in this passage revealed to Noah that the desire to walk this way was lacking in these two and that their souls, drawn to the passions, stubbornly repulsed both parental wisdom and the call of God upon them.  Noah’s blessings and curses were not some magical cant but a prophetic declaration of fact.  Hence, today’s lesson raises the issues of what constitutes parental blessings and curses.  Are parents able to pass the blessings of the Faith to their descendants?  What part do parents play in transmitting sin to their children?

First, note the infinite difference between blessings and curses that come from God's mouth and those that are spoken by men.  What God declares, happens: “...whatever shall proceed out of My mouth, it shall by no means turn back, until all the things which I willed shall have been accomplished” (Is. 55:11).  Human beings may call down blessings and curses on others, but the application and fulfillment of these depend on powers beyond them.  Pharaoh had material power, and he cursed Moses.  But, by God's grace, he was not able to force Israel to his will (see Ex. 10).  Joshua, however, cursed any one who tried to rebuild Jericho (Jos. 6:26).  Since he was a Prophet of God, his curse, in fact, befell Achiel the Baethelite, a man who undertook the reconstruction of the city (III Kngs. 16:34).  At most, our human blessings and curses are only prayerful requests.  Ultimately, they depend on the agency of God (see Ps. 68:27-30).

Still, let no one deny the reality of powerful spiritual bonds between parents and children! There is much support in Scripture for believing that the blessings and curses of God-fearing parents on children are effective.  To prove this, take note of Noah’s prayer: he blessed God as he prayed for Shem and Japheth, and these blessings did, in fact, follow their descendants.

Unquestionably, blessings flow from God “through” the prayers and example of parents.  The Orthodox marriage prayer teaches this: “...for the prayers of parents make firm the foundations of houses.”  Notice especially the point made by St. Theophan the Recluse: “A man is not born a Christian, but becomes such after birth.  The seed of Christ falls on the soil of a heart that is already beating.”  And, therefore, as St. Ambrose adds, “The formation of the children is...the prerogative of the parents,” blessings and curses alike.  The parental task is awesome, for parents will have to answer “before the fearful judgment seat of Christ.”

The curse upon Canaan reveals a tragic side to what human parents experience.  Too often we live to see our sins visited upon our children.  There is potency both in the blessings and in the curses that we knowingly or unwittingly pronounce upon our children.  The sin of Ham, the father of Canaan, mightily befell Canaan and his descendants.  The present reading implicates both Noah and his youngest son, Ham, as parents.  Noah's drunkenness and Ham’s immodesty were sins that were passed on to the Canaanites (see Gen. 15:16-21).  Therefore, as parents, let us pursue godly purity and pray for the righteousness of our children.

Direct our children, O Lord, in the way of salvation, and grant them Thy grace always.

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