A Drunk Holy Man

As you may know, I am not the holiest man in the world.

The main reason being that the "Holiest Man in the World" contest is held in Scotland every year, and the IRS will not let me deduct the airfare as a business expense. You also have to be at least 30 years old to enter.

This is a shame because I feel I could make a strong showing in the contest, especially since I own a tie that matches my Bible. If that is not a holiness home run, it is at least a triple.

The first man in scripture to be the holiest man on the planet is named Noah (Some might make an argument for Adam or Methuselah, but this my blog...so no arguing).


God came to Noah and said, "You are the HOLIEST MAN IN THE WORLD!" He actually said something more like, "You are the only person I do not want to kill." Regardless of the competition level, He was still the champion.

Once anointed, Noah goes about doing holy things like building a boat, starting a zoo, and building altars.

He also gets drunk and passes out naked on his sleeper sofa. This action does not seem up to par with his previously mentioned holiness.

When Ham, Noah's son, finds his 600 year old father lying naked in a drunken stupor, he does what any of us would do. He runs screaming from the tent. He also tells his brothers.

His brothers, Shem and Japeth, walk backwards into the room and cover their father. Naturally, because of Ham's misstep, he and his family are cursed (is this why the Israelites were not allowed to eat pork?).

How often have we only observed the drunkenness and the nudity of the world around us while doing nothing to help. Instead of covering the broken world with the warmth of God's love, we have only observed and discussed their sad situation.

If one could only point to the examples of Shem and Japeth, then the argument for covering the drunk and the naked would not hold much water (wine). However, we have a Savior who - knowing that we were broken, diseased, weak, drunk and naked - came into our room and covered us with a garment that is whiter than snow.