经文：不要醉酒，醉酒使人放荡，乃要在灵里被充满。（弗五18，另译）
现在，在神的祝福之下，挪亚成了新地上的首领和地上一切人类的父。挪亚有三个儿子，名叫闪、含、雅弗，他们的后裔分散在全地上。挪亚作起农夫来，栽了一个葡萄园。挪亚在这件事上必定很成功，因为葡萄园出产葡萄，他将葡萄酿成了葡萄酒。然而，挪亚因着成功而开始放松自己。有一天，挪亚在葡萄园中喝酒。葡萄酒是滋养人的，但挪亚因着放松，就失去节制，喝了太多的酒，因此便醉了。他喝醉了，就不但放松，更是轻率，在帐棚里赤着身子，自己竟然不知道。他没有知觉的赤着身子，就被他的儿子含看到了（创九18-22上）。
挪亚得着神的祝福后，又失败了的例子，给我们一个鉴戒：每当我们在神的祝福下经历成功时，我们必须谨慎，因为成功很容易使我们放松、轻率。我们对自己的成功不该过于高兴；相反的，我们要在苦难中欢喜。人一放松，就会轻率；然后就会失去知觉，甚至变成赤身。赤身的意思就是在神眼中失去了遮盖。自从亚当和夏娃堕落以后，神就要堕落的人以衣服为他们的遮盖。今天我们都是堕落的人，我们都需要遮盖。我们的身体应该以衣服为正确的遮盖，不论男性或女性，都该以衣服来遮盖自己的身体，而不穿过短或暴露的衣服。同时，我们在属灵方面也需要遮盖，而我们属灵的遮盖乃是基督。我们必须谨慎，不要因着兴奋而使自己放松、轻率、醉酒、甚至赤身。在每一活动中，每一所作或所说的事上，都保守自己被基督所遮盖。
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Noah’s Failure Through Relaxation – Gen9:20-21; Eph. 5:18
Now under God’s blessing, Noah became the leader of the new earth and the father of all mankind. Noah had three sons — Shem, Ham, and Japheth — whose descendants spread over the whole earth. Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard. He must have been successful, for the vineyard produced grapes, and he made wine from them. But because of his success, Noah began to relax. One day, he drank wine from the vineyard. Wine nourishes man. Due to Noah’s relaxation, he lost restraint and over drank, becoming drunk. Drunk, he not only relaxed but became careless and lay naked in his tent without being aware. Being naked without awareness, he was seen by his son Ham (Gen. 9:18–22a).
The example of Noah receiving God’s blessing and then failing gives us an admonition: whenever we experience success under God’s blessing, we have to be careful because success easily causes us to relax and become careless. We should not be overly joyful about our success; instead, we should rejoice in suffering. Once a person relaxes, he becomes careless; then he loses awareness and even becomes exposed. Being naked means losing covering before God. Since Adam and Eve’s fall, God has required fallen man to have clothing as his covering. Today we all are fallen; we all need covering. Our bodies should be properly covered, whether male or female, without wearing overly short or revealing clothing. At the same time, we need spiritual covering, and our spiritual covering is Christ. We need to be careful not to allow excitement leads us to relax, become careless, drunk or exposed. In every activity and in everything we do or say, we have to keep ourselves covered by Christ.