Genesis

This is the account of Noah.

Noah was a righteous man; blameless among the people of his time.  Noah walked with God. 
Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth..  Gen. 6. 

Then the Lord said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for you alone have I found to be truly righteous in this age."  Gen 7. 

These were the sons of Noah and from them the whole world branched out. 

Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard. 
Noah drank of the wine and became drunk. 

The secret manner was uncovered in the privacy of Noah's tent. 
Ham spied his father's secrets and told his two brothers outside. 

Shem and Japheth recovered the secrets of Noah. Gen 9. 

And these are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations; and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood. Gen 10. 

Discussion of the Occurance.

Ham probably committed some of these acts:  Perhaps Noah would have someday given the valuable and dangerous secret away or sold the information by an agreement.  The secret of yeast and fermentation have been important information ever since and were eventually used for preserving beer and wine and raising bread.  The daily bread was a staple in many growing cultures.  Noah's secret had instead been taken without choice. 

Here are some possible reasons Ham was ordered to compensate Shem and Japheth for the balance: 

The prohibition against trespassing and espionage is important for a nation to remember.  The history of the deluge shows a similarity in many recognized versions worldwide.  The history of private property, privacy rights, inside information, trade secrets and accounting may be seen in the beginning. 
return (c)1998 copyright Jesse Don Hickson III