Are you a squealer or a blanket?

Parents beware: your children will squeal on you!

On several occasions during my ministry, especially when working in Christian education ministries, I’ve had young children suddenly share with a class or group something their parents had said or done. It was usually a younger child sharing something they thought was funny or unusual without fully understanding what they were saying might be quite embarassing — or incriminating! — for the parent.

On the other hand, I have also seen numerous teens and adults attempt to share something about someone with the intent of embarassing or hurting the other person. It was more with this mindset that we see one of Noah’s sons squealing on him. The story is told in Genesis 9:20-27:

“After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers. Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked. When Noah woke up from his stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done. Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham: ‘May Canaan be cursed! May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives.’ Then Noah said, ‘May the Lord, the God of Shem, be blessed, and may Canaan be his servant! May God expand the territory of Japheth! May Japheth share the prosperity of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant,’”

When Ham saw the behavior of his father, he had a choice to make regarding what to do with this knowledge: because of love for his father, he could keep the information private and act privately, like his brothers did, covering his father’s nakedness so no one else would be able to see Noah in such a drunken stupor; or he could shine a light on Noah’s plight by telling others. Ham decided to tell. Even though he told only his two brothers, doing so exposed his father’s poor behavior to others who would not have known had Ham kept quiet. By telling his brothers, Ham expanded Noah’s shame. Some Bible scholars believe Ham, or possibly his son Canaan, may have been guilty of sinful behavior with Noah while in his drunken state. Whether or not that is the case, Ham didn’t find it a problem to shine a light on his father’s behavior.vWe often find ourselves in a situation where we become aware of the sins of others. What do we do with that knowledge?

First Peter 4:8 says, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.” The word used for “cover” in this verse means to literally conceal so that it is not visible. It does not mean that we tolerate sin, but rather that we do not broadcast the sins of others. Many today are like Ham, when they see the sins of others they spotlight what they have seen, often under the guise of seeking advice about what to do with the information. Yet, when it is their own sin, they prefer others to be more like Shem and Japheth, who walked backwards with a robe to avoid seeing their father in his nakedness, and to provide a covering for him. How do you handle the sins of others? Do you expand their shame by sharing it with others? Or do you respond with a blanket of love?

Scotty