©2003 Charles Darby
Gen 9:20-23 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
Some, in the church of today, consider it their responsibility to expose a brother or sister if they say or do something wrong. Ham, the son of Noah, saw his father drunk and naked then went and told it to the other children. The other children refused to look on their father or tell it. They walked backward and covered their father. Because of this they were blessed and Ham and his descendants were cursed to be servants.
I have heard it said that the “Army of the Lord” is the only army that kills their wounded. There is much truth in that statement. I believe with all my heart a Christian should strive, with the Lord's help, to get all sin out of their life and live Holy, Godly lives in Christ Jesus. Many times we all stumble and fall short of what we should be. When that happens, should we run tell everyone we know that this one failed? Would it not be better to go to this one, in love and in private, and do all within our ability to restore instead of condemn?
2 Cor 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.
This should be the ministry of the church. We should not condone sin but we are to love sinners. Paul goes into this in depth to the Corinth church. Some were in deep sin but while he wanted the sin to stop, he was not ready to write them off. He desired them to be restored. That is part of the ministry of reconciliation!
I wonder if any of us have every “I” dotted or every “T” crossed? I don’t know about you but I am still growing in the grace and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I have been a Christian since the last day of January 1970. Like Paul I have not yet arrived but I am forgetting the past and pressing forward.
If the church gave up on everyone who said or done something wrong, none of us would make it. We are to show grace and mercy to all and be quick to forgive others, as we want the Lord to forgive us. Let’s remember that the Lord will deal with us as we have dealt with others.
We can choose to cover and be blessed or expose and be cursed. The choice is ours.
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