Expert: Rev. Frank Ricketts - 1/13/2005

Question
Dear Rev. Ricketts,

Bright blessings. I would like to know the name of the authors of the diffrent books in the Bible.
I know that Moses is credited as writing Gen. through Deu. David wrote Psalms.
This is what I am refering too. I would like to know both the old and the new testaments.

I have started a 1 year study for the Bible and I have another question. In Gen 9:21-25 God curses Ham for seeing him naked. Can you give me more insight to this situation. Did Ham do this as an act of evil intent? Was it by accident?

I have just returned back to God after 15 years when I gave up on Christanity. I am trying to understand his word. With more clarity than when I was younger. With the internet available to us now I can reach out to others who have stronger foundation and knowledge than I have.

Thank you so very much for you love and understanding and help.

Into the Light,

Betty

Answer
The books of the Bible and the authors:

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy - Moses
Joshua – Joshua
Judges, Ruth – Samuel
I Samuel, II Samuel, I Kings, II Kings, I Chronicles, II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job – Unknown
Psalms – David
Proverbs – Solomon
Ecclesiastes – Solomon
The Song of Solomon – Solomon
Isaiah - Isaiah
Jeremiah – Biography of Jeremiah
Lamentations – Sequel to Jeremiah
Ezekiel – Ezekiel
Daniel – Daniel
Hosea – Hosea
Joel – Joel
Amos – Amos
Obadiah – Unknown
Micah – Micah
Nahum, Habakkuk – Unknown
Zephaniah - Zephaniah
Haggai - Haggai
Malachi – Malachi
Matthew – Matthew
Mark – Mark
Luke – Luke
John – John
Acts – Luke
Romans, I Corinthians, II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, I Timothy, II Timothy, Titus, Philemon – Paul
Hebrews – Unknown
James – James the brother of Jesus
I Peter, II Peter – Peter
I John, II John, III John – John
Jude – Jude
Revelation - John

   Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren - Gen 9:24-25.
   Noah was industrious and enterprising. It was a new world and he wanted to get on with life with God's blessing. He was probably delighted with his vineyard and had ventured his skill in fermenting wines. I am certain that Noah's drunkenness was unintentional. He probably was conducting a bit of wine tasting became carried away and forgot to spit it out; but this is the nature of the beast. Mankind always comes short or bungles in some way. Here is Noah who has survived the catastrophic deluge, he was protected in the ark by the grace of God, God was with him and he witnessed the awesome judgment and then when it's all history he gets drunk.
   Because of his drunkenness Noah didn't know whether he was Arthur or Martha, if he had his clothes on or off, in fact he was so inebriated that he probably tried to get into bed but hit the deck before he could get a nightshirt on. Unfortunately it was not a respectable sight. This is what the flesh does to us. It embarrasses us and makes fools out of us and reduces us to a state of humiliation. Noah is both the believer and the sinner. It took him completely unawares. So how was he a righteous man? By his genuine faith in God!
   The sin of Ham: What was the difference between Noah and Ham? Noah got appallingly drunk, Ham was slightly perverted; Are they not both sinners? Yes! But it's the nature and heart that God looks at. Noah was accidentally drunk, but Ham had a twist in his nature. It says in verse 24, "Noah awoke and comprehended what Ham had done unto him." Ham had broadcast Noah's plight around for others to look and snigger over. However, Ham's brothers were honorable; they demonstrated respect and decency to their father, as it was not something to amuse them-selves with and snigger about in a seamy way. Verse 25: And he said, Cursed [be] Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
   Notice that Noah doesn't curse his own son Ham he curses Canaan the youngest son of Ham? It seems he couldn't bring himself to induce a curse on his own son. The curse by Noah is a Prophecy and a marker and the Canaanites would play a role in the future of God's people and that the people of God will subjugate them. Noah was indicating who the group would be; that is their ethnicity. They were from Ham, though Ham himself was not cursed and other tribes from him were not cursed either. It is a fact that Ham's descendents were mainly the African peoples. Shem's were the Middle Eastern and Mesopotamian peoples and possibly the Asiatic groups as well. Japheth is the father of the Europeans and Caucasians. We all come from Noah's sons no matter who we are. Noah came from Adam.
   The contrast here is in the attributes of his brothers Shem and Japheth. They were righteous men and accordingly received prophetic utterances of blessing upon their descendants. The curse on Ham's son Canaan was to be a servant of servants. God positively despised the Canaanites; they were a singularly immoral people with a spirit of idolatry and iniquity. This all has direct reference to the land of Canaan and to their servitude and destruction at the hands of the Israelites. Israel notably descended from Shem.
   But let's have another look at the curse upon Canaan. Firstly all humans are cursed with the effects of sin, so basically we are all under a curse. I think that is the crux of the matter. Sin and choices in life are a personal thing. We all make our own choices in life and we can choose to be part of the curse or choose to get above it. There were a number of Canaanites who got free of the curse. They rose above it. I can think of a few from the top of my head such as Rahab, (a harlot to boot), Tamar, who married a son of Jacob's son Judah, (that means that she is part of the genealogy of Jesus), and a whole group of the Hivite tribe who were later called the Gibeonites. They were all assimilated into Israel.
   But there was a particular curse over the Canaanites and it was one of gross perversion and idolatry. The Canaanites were not always slaves and certainly not inferior intellectually. On the contrary they were a very strong and tall people and technically competent. They also had long periods of peace but the peace tended to increase their perversions. However, all humans have the same capabilities. So the curse of Ham is a relevant issue even today. Perverted people who will not get the problem dealt with come under that category.
   We must continue to learn of all Christ that we can.


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God bless!