AND NOAH AWOKE FROM HIS WINE, AND KNEW WHAT HIS YOUNGER SON HAD DONE UNTO HIM. (25) AND HE SAID, CURSED BE CANAAN; A SERVANT OF SERVANTS SHALL HE BE UNTO HIS BRETHREN. (26) AND HE SAID, BLESSED BE THE LORD GOD OF SHEM; AND CANAAN AND CANAAN SHALL BE HIS SERVANT. (27) GOD SHALL ENLARGE JAPHETH, AND HE SHALL DWELL IN THE TENTS OF SHEM; AND CANAAN SHALL BE HIS SERVANT.

As we look into the spiritual aspect of what is being said here, it becomes very telling. I’ like most people have a tendency to see the physical aspect in scripture and never look at the things that God’s Spirit would have us see. so, let’s see if we can find something spiritual here.

Firdt of all; I’d like for you to notice that when Noah mentions his eldest son, he names him in the respect of to whom he serves. Blessed be the Lord God od Shem. We’ll have to admit that in the story Shem in his flesh did exactly the same thing that Japheth did. Therefore, the only difference we can see is his devotion to his Lord God.

If we place this in a place we might understand it better, just look at the people that attend Church with you. Basically, everyone is a member, they’ve been baptized and say they believe in Jesus Christ. However, just how many are truly sold out for the work of Christ, showing that by witnessing to the lost outside the Church they attend? How mant of them have died to their flesh and are now walking in God’s Spirit?

In this picture, when Noah seen his son Shem, he only seen (his Lord God), not Shem. Right on the other hand, he didn’t see that in either of his other two sons. When we underwstand that all these people (believed), that to the point that they actually walked on the Ark with Noah, actually had a part in building it; that doesn’t mean that they were sold out to what they said they believed. Now, on the back side of the flood we can clearly see that.

We see in the last two verses in this chapter were Noah died. Now, just who was it that carried the same message he preached to the masses of this world? Again, as we read in the next two chapter we can clearly see that Shem took on that responsibility. We also see that neither of Noah’s oher two sons were obedient to the voice of Noah, choosing rather to go their own way; rejecting the Lord God of Shem. It’s one thing to say you believe but, being obedient to the voice of God is a completely different thing.

Many people look at salvation as just a simple lifeboat to keep them from destruction. People with this mindset are perfect pictures of Japheth and Ham. We’ll lookat them a little later but let’s first looat at what we see and the spiritual aspect of Shem.

If you will notice it says in the very last part of the verses that God would enlarge Japheth and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant. What can we see as the spiritual implication here? To begin to find this answer, let’s look back to The time before the flood. Both Japheth and Ham heard the message of Noah and yielded to that message. Weren’t they blessed because they yielded to that message? In essence, weren’t they yielding themselves to the Lord God of Noah?

The three sons of Noah became (servants to) the Lord God of Noah. Noah did’t force them to do that, it was a wilful act by all three sons. Noah just happened to be the leader. Now the flood has passed, Noah is dead and, Shem becomes the very same voice that formed the leadership of a family. Can you see how that both Japheth and Ham would be much better off if the would have yielded to the (Lord God of Shem)?

If we bring this op to present and compare it to what we see today, Shem is a picture of every man that stands behind a pulpit in a Church and tries his best to say exactly what his (Lord God) tells him to say. Every person that is listening to him is like both Japheth and Ham.

Japheth is a metaphor to those that think they are doing fine as they are. Actually, it’s not relative to whether they are born again or not. The fact is that they are not interested in yielding themselves to the leadership of the Lord God of the pastors that are speaking because he is preaching to someone else, not them.