A NEW ERA — Genesis

GENESIS 9 A NEW ERA In Genesis chapter eight we read of the first step of faith Noah made into this new life beyond the flood. Noah answered God’s call to come out of the ark, and “they went forth” into liberty, through grace, into a new creation. The first thing Noah did was build an altar for worship. Worship is our response to God, who in love, opened His heart to Noah as they were together at the altar. God has saved, does save, and will save all who come to Him by faith.

Chapter nine begins with another special blessing of this new life upon which Noah entered. Every new believer in Christ who appreciates being saved, and has become a new creation in Christ, becomes a worshipper and enters into a personal relationship with his or her Lord Jesus. “Be fruitful and multiply” are words from God to those who live by faith. We have died to the world by virtue of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. New life bears new fruit that increases the more we feed our souls with the word of God, and water our spirits when we meditate on what we read and hear from God.

There is also new power that was not there before the flood. It may have been that there was some other kind of connection between humans and animals before the flood. This new element in the new life was introduced in which animals began to fear humans. Protection from God was made so that even the strongest of beasts have an innate fear of people. God used them, and perhaps still does, to bring judgment, but in a general sense, animals can learn to be controlled or at least, to avoid, humans, even though we are weak and puny mortals.

The flesh of animals was given by permission from God, to help sustain mankind after the flood. Previously, man’s food was only plants or from plants. Since the flood “every moving thing” as well as plants are sources of food for human beings. When we are given our new nature by the new birth, we have an abundance of spiritual food to nourish our souls and spirits that the people of the world system know nothing about. We can have our hunger satisfied by this new food from God. We can be clothed with coverings that last and protect us; we can derive strength from the meat which God says is ours for the taking.

God also gave man the authority to judge those who take the life of others. We have been formed in the image of God, by God, and it is a sin against Him personally when a person takes from another that life that God gave him or her. That which God has made to live, He will not allow to be taken away without equal consequences. Hate eats away at, and ultimately destroys a person from within them. The work of hateful flesh must be properly dealt with to preserve that which is from God.

A covenant was made between God and man relating to the creation God made in which he intends men to dwell, and the Creator Himself who has placed us in His creation. The rainbow is always in the clouds between heaven and earth, but it is only from time to time that we can see it from our place. That rainbow between the sun and water is always before God’s eyes.

A New Start

Divine Blessing, v.1. “God blessed Noah and his sons.”
Divine Exhortation, v.1. “Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.”
Divine Promise, v.2. Fear and dread of humans came on animals; that protected weak mankind
Divine Provision, v.3. Food and sustenance were assured for human survival
Divine Prohibition, v.4. Blood is not to be eaten as it is what symbolizes the life that God gives.
Divine Warnings, v.6. The sanctity of life is to be preserved by equal punishment of those who take a person’s life.
Divine Expectations, v.7. Fruitfulness

A New Covenant

The Source of the Covenant, v.9. God
The Scope of the Covenant, v.9-10. Every living creature
The Purpose of the Covenant, v.11. Promise that life will not be cut off by a worldwide flood
The Sign of the Covenant, v.12-13. Rainbow in the sky
The Message of the Covenant, v.14-15. God is faithful
The Duration of the Covenant, v.12, 16. Permanent
The Guarantee of the Covenant, v.17. God’s word

The Contents of the Covenant

God’s mercy: No flood of water again in judgment on the whole earth
God’s power: The regular order of nature will not be changed
God’s faithfulness: Look ahead and up in faith
God’s grace: He will continually show undeserved favor that gives faith, hope and love to people

The Characteristics of the Covenant

Its naturalness: Nature expresses spiritual truth
Its conspicuousness: Everyone can see the rainbow without difficulty
Its universality: It can be seen everywhere on earth
Its uniqueness: Its effects come from both storms and sunshine
Its beauty: Its colors are exquisite expressions of grace in all its ways
Its union: Earth and heaven affirm this covenant
Its permanence: The rainbow is always there, always seen by God from above, but not always seen by humans below.

THE RAINBOW Gen.9:13. I do set My bow in the cloud” When Noah came out of the ark, there would have been desolation as far as he could see in every direction. No signs of life were anywhere except the new growth of plants. Not a shred of evidence would have shown that people had ever lived on the earth. As he put his feet on the ground, he may have remembered it was over a year before when he had walked on solid ground. Perhaps when he lifted his eyes toward the sky and saw some dark clouds there, he would have wondered if rain was coming and would bring another flood. Through his years of life before the flood, the earth was watered with dew. The sound of rain falling on the roof of the ark may have still resonated in his memory. The God spoke “I now establish My covenant with you…” “Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood.” “This is the sign of the covenant I make between Me and you.” “I set My rainbow in the sky.” “I will remember My covenant” “I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant.”

God used the illustration of this covenant with Noah to reinforce the covenant He made with Israel during the days of Isaiah [Isa.54:7-10]. His “covenant of peace” was valid.
God used the rainbow to calm Noah’s fears
God’s work was simple but sublime. Sunshine from the opposite side of raindrops displays the beauty of color and forms an arch from our perspective like a roof over our heads.
God’s skill and power are displayed openly. “Glory to God in the highest.”

Faith looks beyond the rainbow

The beauty of the Lord is reflected in nature
The light of the Lord is open to us all to see its variety
The mercy of the Lord shows itself visibly in the rainbow
The promise of the Lord in the rainbow strengthens our faith
The joy of the Lord cheers us in dark times. The rainbow is seen at the beginning of the Bible and shines brightly again at the end as it circles the throne [Rev.4:3] and there is a rainbow on the head of the mighty angel [Rev.10:1].

Lessons from the rainbow

In every storm of strife and opposition, the Sun of Righteousness is there
In every terror of conscience, the sun is there above the clouds of darkness
In every difficulty and perplexity, the light of the Sun is still able to make the rainbow to be seen by God from above

In every dark curtain when peace is removed, the Sun of holy light still makes the colorful circle of promise shine, even though we may not see it at the moment
In every cheerless day when hope seems to be gone, the sun still shines through the waters of testing, leaving the testimony of assurance that God is near
Faith, when it lifts its head above circumstances, can see the brilliant colors of promise, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
Clear joy can be possessed when the perplexities and difficulties cloud our sky, but the promises are there and are secure. When God believes it is necessary, He lets us see the rainbow of promise to remind us that he never leaves or forsakes us.
Look at the rainbow with faith in every trial and discouragement.
Let the pledge that the Lord God made, assure, encourage and guide you to look upward and onward.
Then let “the path of the just be as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

HUMAN NATURE/A BELIEVER’S FALL Gen.9:18-29 The Sons. Noah’s three sons are described as the three divisions of the human race. Their actions affected others. The Sins. Noah’s daily occupation was legitimate. There was nothing wrong with planting a vineyard, but in the normal occupations of life, there will be occasions to do wrong if we so choose. The sin of drunkenness has become prevalent throughout the whole world. The sin of immodesty follows in the footsteps of drunkenness. Intemperance and impurity are closely linked. The Shame. To think that one who spent years walking with God, preaching righteousness, building the ark, and being in the ark with God for a whole year through the flood, and then failed in a simple thing, is both sad and shameful. Ham didn’t seem to be a grateful son who loved his father, nor did he have the decency that was in his brothers. Sin against the honor and respect of a father has a particularly bad connotation. The Sorrow. Shem and Japheth, with love for their father and sorrow for his sin, took steps to cover his shame. With love and meekness knowing that such sins could happen to them, they would not look at his shame. Noah’s sorrow would have been great when he became aware of the dishonor, he brought on himself and the Lord. He would have been conscious of the sorrow it brought on himself, his son Ham, and his whole house. The Retribution. A curse came on Canaan, Ham’s son because of the mockery of Noah he was likely aware of. What Ham saw Canaan must have known about. Ham sinned as a son and was punished as his own son. The reward. Shem’s descendants were blessed in having Jehovah God to be their God. He chose that insignificant tribe of people to be a blessing to the whole world. The Gospel of Christ was first preached and began to spread through the descendants of Shem. The descendants of Japheth prospered materially and multiplied greatly. The spiritual blessing came through Shem. The material blessing came through Japheth and Ham was a servant to them. Lessons.

A believer is never immune from sin. The evil principle of sin remains in us.
A believer often finds small temptations the most dangerous. Little things may be the biggest test.
A believer is liable to experience new temptations. New things arise against us to test our weaknesses.

A believer may cause others to sin. Other people are affected by what we say and do.
A believer will experience bitter suffering for sin. A shadow would have been on Noah’s life for the rest of his days. “Whom the Lord loves, He chastens.”
A believer is conscious of God being impartial. Nothing is hidden from God. He has no favorites. “God is no respecter of persons.”
A believer does not have to fall into sin. Grace is greater than our sin or the sin principle that is in us. The Spirit of God indwells believers and still convicts us of sin.