After the Flood, Noah plants a vineyard and then
makes some wine, gets drunk, and falls asleep naked. This is the way his
youngest son Ham finds him. The next morning Noah curses Ham for seeing him
naked: “Cursed be Canaan [son of Ham]; a servant of servants shall he
be to his brothers” (Genesis 9:25, English Standard Version).
Two responses to being cursed are possible.
First, one may seek reconciliation with the one who pronounced the curse and be
blessed instead. Two, one may seek enough power to keep the curse from having
its intended effect (Jacques Ellul, The Meaning of the City, pp. 9-20).
