Tower of Babel
Does The Bible Condone Racism?
The Ham Issue (Blacks Cursed?)
The Tower of Babel (Segregation?)
THE HAM ISSUE
"And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both of their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him.1 Then he said: 'Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants he shall be to his brethren.' And he said: 'Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem. And may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth. And may he dwell in the tents of Shem. And may Canaan be his servant.'" (Genesis 9:20-27 NKJV).
Ham, who was the father of the black race, had four sons: Cush,2 Mizraim, Put, and Canaan (Genesis 10:6), but only Canaan was cursed (Genesis 9:25). Noah could not curse Ham because God had already blessed him: "So God blessed Noah and his sons..." (Genesis 9:1). No man can curse what God has blessed. Nowhere do we find in the Bible that the descendants of Canaan are cursed forever. If this had been true, Simon the Canaanite, could not have been one of the twelve apostles: "And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him...Simon the Canaanite..." (Matthews 10:1, 4).
THE TOWER OF BABEL
"Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it can to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.' But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, 'Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they began to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another speech.' So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth" (Genesis 11:1-9). Not once is 'race' mentioned here, but the issue at the Tower of Babel is that they had one language.
What sin did the people of the plain of Shinar commit? The answer is found in Genesis 11:4: "And they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." "In other words...[they] resolved to use their (cultural-technological) prowess to establish security for themselves ... [but they] lost their unity (and their common language and culture)...because they misused this unity and cultural prowess, and have sought their security in their own identity, culture and power of achievement, instead of God alone."3 They wanted to rely upon their own achievements, but "Thus saith the Lord: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord..." (Jeremiah 17:5-8).
WHAT DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT SAY ABOUT
'SEGREGATION'?
The New Testament knows of only one legitimate separation among people and that is marriage between believers and unbelievers: "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God..." (II Corinthians 6:14-18). God has united all His people, regardless of color, race, culture, sex or nationality unto Himself and He has removed all barriers and distinctions: "...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself..." (II Corinthians 5:19). "For as many of you as were baptized [that's Holy Spirit baptism] into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Jesus Christ" (Galatians 3:27,28). For Paul said: "For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation...that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity" (Ephesians 2:14-16).
SUMMARY
* Paul criticized Peter publicly about Peter's racism for with-drawing from Gentiles according to the law (Acts 10:28).
* "I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus and the elect angels that you observe these things [church government, regulations (I Timothy 5:1-20)] without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality" (I Timothy 5:21 Open Bible NKJ).
* If you have hatred for your brother, you have not eternal life (I John 3:14,15 paraphrased).
* If you do not love your brother, you do not know God (I John 3:8 paraphrased). For God says if we hate and don't love our brother4 [brother includes all races: black, white, yellow and red], we don't love God because we are liars5 (I John 4:20 paraphrased).
* For you, brethren...through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word...You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Galatians 5:13-14).
FOOTNOTES:
1) This could only refer to a homosexual act since Noah said Canaan had done some immoral act toward him.
2) Cush is primarily credited with producing the Black race.
3) DeGruchy, John W. & Charles Villa-Vicencio (edited by). Apartheid is a Heresy. Grand Rapids, MI: Eermans Publish, pp. 118-21.
4) BROTHER, Who Is Our?: Those who are members of the Body - Mathew 18:15-18 "if your brother sins against you" (v.15). Also look at Matthew 18:21-35 "how often shall my brother sin against me" (v.21).
5) LIARS: Will they be in God's Kingdom? "...all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Revelations 21:8).
The Tower of Babel (Segregation?)
THE HAM ISSUE
"And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both of their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him.1 Then he said: 'Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants he shall be to his brethren.' And he said: 'Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem. And may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth. And may he dwell in the tents of Shem. And may Canaan be his servant.'" (Genesis 9:20-27 NKJV).
Ham, who was the father of the black race, had four sons: Cush,2 Mizraim, Put, and Canaan (Genesis 10:6), but only Canaan was cursed (Genesis 9:25). Noah could not curse Ham because God had already blessed him: "So God blessed Noah and his sons..." (Genesis 9:1). No man can curse what God has blessed. Nowhere do we find in the Bible that the descendants of Canaan are cursed forever. If this had been true, Simon the Canaanite, could not have been one of the twelve apostles: "And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him...Simon the Canaanite..." (Matthews 10:1, 4).
THE TOWER OF BABEL
"Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it can to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.' But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, 'Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they began to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another speech.' So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth" (Genesis 11:1-9). Not once is 'race' mentioned here, but the issue at the Tower of Babel is that they had one language.
What sin did the people of the plain of Shinar commit? The answer is found in Genesis 11:4: "And they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." "In other words...[they] resolved to use their (cultural-technological) prowess to establish security for themselves ... [but they] lost their unity (and their common language and culture)...because they misused this unity and cultural prowess, and have sought their security in their own identity, culture and power of achievement, instead of God alone."3 They wanted to rely upon their own achievements, but "Thus saith the Lord: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord..." (Jeremiah 17:5-8).
WHAT DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT SAY ABOUT
'SEGREGATION'?
The New Testament knows of only one legitimate separation among people and that is marriage between believers and unbelievers: "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God..." (II Corinthians 6:14-18). God has united all His people, regardless of color, race, culture, sex or nationality unto Himself and He has removed all barriers and distinctions: "...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself..." (II Corinthians 5:19). "For as many of you as were baptized [that's Holy Spirit baptism] into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Jesus Christ" (Galatians 3:27,28). For Paul said: "For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation...that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity" (Ephesians 2:14-16).
SUMMARY
* Paul criticized Peter publicly about Peter's racism for with-drawing from Gentiles according to the law (Acts 10:28).
* "I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus and the elect angels that you observe these things [church government, regulations (I Timothy 5:1-20)] without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality" (I Timothy 5:21 Open Bible NKJ).
* If you have hatred for your brother, you have not eternal life (I John 3:14,15 paraphrased).
* If you do not love your brother, you do not know God (I John 3:8 paraphrased). For God says if we hate and don't love our brother4 [brother includes all races: black, white, yellow and red], we don't love God because we are liars5 (I John 4:20 paraphrased).
* For you, brethren...through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word...You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Galatians 5:13-14).
FOOTNOTES:
1) This could only refer to a homosexual act since Noah said Canaan had done some immoral act toward him.
2) Cush is primarily credited with producing the Black race.
3) DeGruchy, John W. & Charles Villa-Vicencio (edited by). Apartheid is a Heresy. Grand Rapids, MI: Eermans Publish, pp. 118-21.
4) BROTHER, Who Is Our?: Those who are members of the Body - Mathew 18:15-18 "if your brother sins against you" (v.15). Also look at Matthew 18:21-35 "how often shall my brother sin against me" (v.21).
5) LIARS: Will they be in God's Kingdom? "...all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Revelations 21:8).
