10.17.26 – It's All About the Garden

This week in Parashat Noach, I made a note to myself to look into Genesis 9:20–25 because of the concepts of fruit, uncovered, nakedness, garment, and curses. Do these sound familiar? These concepts are parallel to those in the Garden. Let us look at this together.

The story:

"Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. And Noah, a man of the earth, began to plant 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 the garment, laid it on both 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. Then he said: 'Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to his brethren.' And he said: 'Blessed be YHVH, the Elohim of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. May Elohim enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; and may Canaan be his servant.'"
(Gen. 9:18–27)

First: In Genesis 9:20, Noah is described as an ish ha'adamah—"a man of the earth." In Genesis 2:7, YHVH Elohim formed man from the earth/ground (ha'adamah). As Adam represented all of mankind, it now appears that Noah will be the next representative and example.

"And YHVH Elohim formed man of the dust of the ground (ha'adamah), and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."
(Gen. 2:7)

Second: We have Noah "planting a vineyard." Well, what did YHVH do?

"YHVH Elohim planted a garden eastward in Eden."
(Gen. 2:8)

Third: We have a problem that involves a "fruit." In 9:22, Noah "drank of the vine." And we know when you drink too much wine, it becomes a mind-altering problem. So... of course we know in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Chavah/Eve ate of the "fruit" of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and "the eyes of both of them were opened." That means their mind now has their own lens of seeing the world, as opposed to seeing the world through their Creator's eyes.

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened."
(Gen. 3:7)

Fourth: What is the next thing that happens after Noah drinks too much of the fruit of the vine? He becomes uncovered... naked.

"...and became uncovered in his tent."
(Gen. 9:21)

The same thing, of course, happened to Adam and Chavah:

"...they knew that they were naked."
(Gen. 3:7)

Fifth: Nakedness is covered up by a garment. YHVH covers up Adam and Chavah. Well, Noah is also covered by his sons. A little extra tidbit worth considering: despite how most translations read, in 9:23 it is literally "the garment" (not "a garment"). Could it be that "the garment" used to cover Noah was the same "tunic of skin" that YHVH Elohim covered Adam with?

"Also for Adam and his wife YHVH Elohim made tunics of skin, and clothed them."
(Gen. 3:21)

"But Shem and Japheth took the garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father."
(Gen. 9:23)

Also about the covering of sin is the attitude of love:

"And above all things have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins.'"
(1 Pet. 4:8)

Sixth: Something or someone is cursed. In the Adam and Chavah story, it is the serpent and the earth who are cursed by YHVH. And Noah curses Canaan:

"So YHVH Elohim said to the serpent: 'Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.'"
(Gen. 3:14)

"Then he said: 'Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to his brethren.'"
(Gen. 9:25)

Within this sixth parallel, there is another parallel. The implied thought is that the serpent was once on the same level as all the other beasts, and after being cursed, he becomes subservient to all beasts of the field. Likewise, Canaan also was once on the same level as all his brethren, and now he will become a servant of servants. There are many theories for why Canaan was cursed. Perhaps we will talk about that next year!

So we have a remarkable set of parallels. It really seems like the story of the vineyard is a repeat of the Tree of Knowledge story in the world of Noah. How can we understand what the Almighty is trying to teach us? Is there a Tree of Knowledge for us to face in our world? Let us consider a few of the differences. In the Garden of Eden, YHVH's presence is much more intimate. Noah relates to Yah from afar. His world is the world of mankind. Thus, the story of the vineyard is a repeat of the story of the Garden in a different world... in man's world. In the Garden of Eden story, it is YHVH Elohim who creates Adam from the ground. In chapter 9, Noah is the man of the ground.

We have YHVH planting a garden versus the man Noah planting the vineyard. In the Garden, YHVH speaks to Adam and Chavah of the forbidden tree. In the vineyard, what was the problem? It was not the fruit of the vineyard, but actually the wine—the "man-made substance" that comes when we process the fruit. It is not the Creator's good gifts which are the problem, but Noah's abuse of them.

Thousands of years ago, the rabbis had a discussion about the nature of the original Tree of Knowledge. You know, it probably was not an apple tree, right? Some rabbis think it was a vine, and I concur. In fact, some rabbis go so far as to suggest that Noah's wine was from the same vine which Adam and Chavah ate from! The vine, YHVH's Tree of Knowledge in Eden, becomes the wine, man's Tree of Knowledge in man's—that is, Noah's—world. Now wine is certainly not prohibited in the Bible. But drunkenness is. Perhaps the vine also will be restored! Remember, Yeshua spoke of being the Vine in John 15!

The Tree of Knowledge is about unhealthy desires. And that includes more than drunkenness. A drunkard is any kind of addict—one who is totally controlled by something external. We may not be an alcoholic, but that definition hits a lot of us, right?

"For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world."
(1 John 2:16)

So what is the message for us today? It is like Noah—a righteous man, a man who "walked with Elohim"—had another chance to "be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth." All started out well, and there were great victories for Noah in walking out his faith. But something happened as soon as he planted that vineyard. You can see it in one Hebrew word:

"And Noah, a man of the earth, began to plant a vineyard."
(Gen. 9:20)

The Hebrew verb translated as "began" is from the root chalal. Strong's suggests these various translations: to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin. Yes, Noah "began" to plant. But the word seems to carry the connotation of making common or starting down the path of polluting himself. Grapes do not grow overnight. It takes at least three years for a vineyard to begin to produce grapes for harvest. Noah placed himself in a downward spiral.

Noah was a great man of faith. But he allowed something into his life. It probably started as a "harmless" thought: "I want to plant a vineyard."

"But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."
(James 1:14–15)

Paul says:

"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"
(1 Cor. 10:12)

Adam and Chavah's story and Noah's story teach us that it is possible for faithful men and women to stumble. Moses also sinned later in his life by striking a rock and taking some of YHVH's glory for himself. King David sinned with Bathsheba, and the wise King Solomon departed from YHVH's will when he was old.

Past successes do not give you the right to future victories! The enemy is patient and deadly:

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
(1 Pet. 5:8)

The Scriptures introduce us to such great men. How then can we have any hope of remaining faithful? Next week, we are introduced to the next man of Yah's choosing. He is the next righteous man and the "father of our faith" as believers in Yeshua:

"And he (Abram) believed in YHVH, and He accounted it to him for righteousness."
(Gen. 15:6)

"Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the Torah, but also to those who are of the faith of Avraham, who is the father of us all."
(Rom. 4:16)

Each of us, like Adam, like Noah, like Avraham, and so many others, must make the choice to walk a blameless, righteous life. It is the righteous who will inherit the kingdom:

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of Yah? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of Yah."
(1 Cor. 6:9–10)

Are we sinless? No, of course not. When we sin, we must repent and be cleansed. But we must continue the "practice" of righteousness:

"Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous."
(1 John 3:7)

"If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him."
(1 John 2:29)

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
(Matt. 5:48)

These verses imply that righteousness is a path where we practice the laws of the Kingdom. We are moving forward for "His Name's sake!"

"He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."
(Ps. 23:3)

So the point is that we have to make the choice to follow Him, to pursue the laws of the Kingdom, and to repent when we fall. The Scriptures keep telling us stories of great people who had vulnerable, fleshly moments. Each of us has our turn in living Kingdom lives. That is the main point of the parallels of the stories. But He is there for us!

"As for El, His way is perfect; the word of YHVH is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is Eloha, except YHVH? And who is a rock, except our Elohim? It is El who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect."
(Ps. 18:30–32)

"But seek first the kingdom of Yah and His righteousness."
(Matt. 6:33)

There is so much more to say. Consider that in Isaiah 5, the Almighty plants His own vineyard in His own Land. Consider that in John 15, Yeshua declares Himself to be the true vine and His followers to be fruitful branches. But most of all, learn from the two stories we studied today, and let us together ask Him to strengthen us in our weaknesses!

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but Adonai is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
(1 Cor. 10:13)

Shabbat Shalom!
Alan

www.lightintorah.org