Last week's discussion was too valuable to not blog. How many people make mistakes? How many people witness another's mistakes? A mistake is a moment. I think it is most interesting how things play out from a mistake... and it is the story afterward that effects lives much more.
Good people make embarrassing mistakes sometimes.
Good Noah was called by the grace of God, a righteous man. We didn't get a dossier of Noah's good deeds and attributes as an introduction to Noah... rather we read that Noah found favor in God's eye. What does that mean?
I liken it to finding a friend... that initial spark that shines when you find someone that resonates with you that makes you look forward to getting to know them. You WANT to get to know them... because you think they are alRIGHT... RIGHTEOUS.
I think God knew that Noah .. though not perfect.. had a good and committed heart.
And good and committed people sometimes make mistakes... Noah wasn't the party type but he certainly over-indulged... much to the delight to his youngest son who chose to broadcast his father's moment of weakness to his older brothers.
The older sons found their father in a compromising "after-party pose" and immediately covered their "uncovered" father. When Noah finally woke up and found out what his youngest son did, he was VERY unhappy.... furious.
In class we wondered if Noah's reaction was a bit over the top...
Well considering that Noah was 600 hundred years old; his youngest son was no baby boy... considering that they have just lived through so much devastation together; his son wasn't exactly building unity by broadcasting his father's moment of weakness.
"Hey big bro... pop's not so righteous... right now he's a naked drunk in his tent. Wanna see?"
If you can't make a mistake and be covered by your OWN FAMILY .. what kind of world can you create? Chapter NINE wasn't about covering dsyfunctional behavior; it was about covering a loved one's moment of shame and embarrassment.. a moment that wasn't a big deal at all...
Except to the one that had been waiting for it.
The heart of that youngest son wasn't in the right place and he thought he found a moment of victory in his father's moment of weakness, wishing to disqualify his father's credibility.
To delight in the mistakes of another exposes less about the mistake and more about the person who likes to talk about the mistake.
What would the world be if we could be more conscious in supporting good things to happen rather than giving air time to downfalls?
JNET
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