Green Eggs and Ham

Did you ever have green eggs and ham?
as child I can remember our elementary teachers doing a Dr. Seuss Unit which included a day of us all trying Green eggs and ham. I of course would not stand to try it, not because of the green coloring, but because I despised eggs and didn't care for ham as well.

But why don't I like eggs or why do some people get queasy when their food turns green?

Well Why did God choose the Israelites and not the Moabites, or the Egyptians to develop a special relationship with?

Why do we do anything?

Well I am reminded of these things when reading Gen. chapter 10. In which recounts the genealogies of Ham Shem and Japeth after the Flood. and One would suspect that God would say something or denote this son or any other number of things to make his future line clear. Or perhaps he Choose the eldest son? well looking back a few chapters in 5:32 in states that when Noah was 500 years old he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japeth. Well why all lumped together? it's three sons so they could not all be born separately and Noah still continue to be 500 years old. But also you would think that it would say something like it did with Cain and Able if they were triplets... But besides that if you continue a little farther in Chapter 9 Noah plants and grows a Vineyard and becomes drunk (which by the way is the first indication of either of these activities though perhaps wine or something was created before the Flood since it had not rained... but hten again it hadn't rained...) Well what does it say in 9:22

"And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the naked ness of his father, and told his two brothers outside."

It even flat out says the father of Canaan which is then reiterated in chapter 10. then read down a few more verses...

9:25-27

"So he (NOAH) said, Cursed be Canaan; a Servant of Servants He shall be to his brothers..."

Then you read these genealogies... Yes it's longer, yes it's more detailed, but no their is no indication of it being a portion of God's Chosen people. And it's quite the opposite. The beginning chapters make Ham's descendants appear inferior, childish, and cursed. They are destined to become servants and thus they later became.

So what does this mean to us? It means look around you, look at the past, look at yourself. Yes perhaps your not the strongest, the greatest, or anyhting spectacular, but you are still a human. You are still created in God's Image, And even a cursed people like Israel that faced many things in there existence. God has a knack and a gift and a desire to hang on to, to love, and cherish those less fortunate, the cursed, and the deprived. So count it a blessing that life is no simple easy train ride; for pain is how we grow, time is how we measure what is important in our lives, and Our actions and thoughts is how we show others ourselves despite our Green eggs and ham that is buried behind us.

WHO AM I

"'...So Now, Go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.'
But Moses said to God, 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?'"

Exodus 3:10-11 NIV

Moses killed an Egyptian, fled and started a new life, now God is calling his name to go back and face his fear, his past, and the world he thought he had forgotten about

The first steps are the Hardest. Moses thought himself unworthy of this task; do we feel the same way? Are we taking after the environment we live and putting up a mask to block ourselves from the world.


But what does God say?

"And God said, 'I will be with you.'"

Exodus 3:12a NIV

God was not only going with him but he was always with him.

Moses was saved from death by his mother and the princess of Egypt. He was schooled in the finest schools in Egypt and lived a very privileged life compared to his family and nation.

Now God was calling him to use what God had given him, to use his schooling and his saved life to make a difference.

I feel we are so much like Moses and we can learn so much from his example, not just the miracles he preformed, but how he lived. He lived in ignorance not knowing that God had planned this from the beginning. This is ironic also because this story directly follow genesis, which ends with the story of Joseph. Joseph faced many struggles, but always gave the glory to God and understood that even being sold by his brothers was part of God’s plan.


How often do we as Christians feel second rate or inferior to this characters listed here in the bible. We feel like Moses. He had grown up hearing about Abraham and Joseph, and now he had run away, but God called his name, and I am sure at the time Moses had no idea the impact he would have, or where his path would lead, but God called his name and with a small nudge followed.

Maybe we as Christians need the same encouragement as Moses, we need a little nudge in the right direction, and we need to forget that we are inferior to biblical characters, because they were humans just like us. We need to stop running and turn around and ask questions just like Moses.



Am I inferior? Proud? Righteous? Am I who I say I am? Am I being truthful?

WHO AM I?