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by Bill Seng

“Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” ~Genesis 9:25

James Laurinaitis always dreamed of playing football for The Ohio State Buckeyes. In 2004 his dream was all but certain to come true. He was named Defensive Mr. Football in the state of Minnesota, capturing 193 tackles and 5 sacks in his 2004 season. At The Ohio State University, his career garnered so much success that he went on to play professional football for the New Orleans Saints. But if you knew his family legacy, you might be less likely to be surprised.

His father was a rough character. He took an early interest in power lifting. At 6’2” and in the ball park of 300lbs, he was quite a sight to behold. Although he started his working life as a bouncer, you would be more familiar with him for what he did later in life. He was half of World Wrestling Entertainment’s (formerly World Wrestling Federation) Tag-Team, the Legion of Doom. His name is Joe Laurinaitis, but you may know him better as Animal. He and his tag-team partner Hawk wore big, scarlet, spikey football shoulder pads for their entrance attire. It was almost as though his son James was destined to be a Buckeye.

Family legacies can be either good or bad. In the days before the great flood of Genesis, Noah’s wife bore 3 sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. After the flood had subsided, Ham decided to humiliate his father, who found himself in a humiliating situation. Ham’s other brothers aided their father to prevent him from being ashamed, but when Noah realized what had happened, he cursed Ham and his descendants (Genesis 9:20-25). At the time, Ham had a son named Canaan who would suffer from the effects of the curse. Canaan would establish a land/nation that would be named after him in the Middle East. As much of a blessing as this might sound, it was solely through sinful idolatry that this nation would be established.

Canaan had a son that he named Cush. Cush is not that important compared to his son (grandson of Canaan), Nimrod. Nimrod is credited for having established many great nations in Assyria, the greatest of which was Babylon (Genesis 10:11). It is suspected that Nimrod was the mythologized Babylonian god, Marduk. Marduk was famed for slaying an angry deity known as Tiamat, which some speculate may really have been a ferocious beast of some sort (Nimrod was a famed hunter according to Genesis 10:9). Upon the defeat of Tiamat, Marduk built the city of Babylon. This city was littered with all sorts of temples dedicated to false gods. If Jerusalem could be called God’s capital on earth, Babylon would have been the devil’s. Nimrod’s legacy in the region lasted a long while as he founded other nations after the dispersion of Babel/Babylon. In Judges, we see the Israelites battling against various kings of Canaan. The Canaanites had always been a thorn in the region in which they dwelt.

We must consider what sort of legacy we leave our children and future descendants. Did Ham have to allow his children to become as rebellious as himself? Probably not. It is through pride and an unrepentant heart that parents pass bad habits down to their children. All people are given the opportunity to repent. No matter what sort of legacy your family has left for you, God always allows another chance for repentance.

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