Genesis 9 – Covenant of the Rainbow
Timeline: Before 2500 BC
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Covenants are are the key to God’s redemptive plan to restore humanity to its divine calling. The covenantal story began with Adam and Eve. They could enjoy and reproduce blessings of eternal life as long as they continued to trust and partner with God. They failed their first test of covenant faithfulness. However, He promised to rescue humanity and creation through the “seed of the woman". Noahic Covenant: Then God entered into a one-way covenant with Noah and all living creatures, despite humanity’s corruption, to establish rules or laws for man. Abrahamic Covenant: God made a two-way covenant with Abraham to give him a family who will inherit the land and bless the world. In return, Abraham must train his family to do what is right, and practice circumcision in every generation. This covenant is both conditional and unconditional. Mosaic Covenant: God promised to make Israel into a holy kingdom of priests that will spread his blessing and glory to all the nations, if they obey all the laws given at Mount Sinai. He promised to bring blessings if they followed His commands and curses if they ignored them. Davidic Covenant: God's promise to David was to make his name great and raise up a descendant from his line, whose throne and kingdom will last forever. David and his descendants must remain faithful to God, following the covenantal laws. However, despite David and his sons’ failures, God kept his promise and fulfilled all of his covenants through Jesus who was descended from David.The New Everlasting Covenant: God preserved the world through Noah, initiated redemption through Abraham, established the nation of Israel through Moses, promised an eternal shepherd-king through David, and then fulfilled all of his covenants through Jesus. With each covenant, God’s promises and plans to save the world through the seed of the woman become clearer and clearer until we finally see that redemption can only come through King Jesus. 1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, When Noah got off the ark, vegetation was just starting to grow so there was a shortage of plant protein. God instructed man to eat meat but NOT blood of the animal. Blood is the life of the animal. (Don't worry, if you eat a rare steak, the processor has drained the blood before you eat it.) God blessed Noah and his family and told them to be fruitful and replenish the earth. He gave fear and dread of man to the wild animals since they were able to hunt and eat meat. Livestock, which man raises for eating and for sacrifices do not fear people. Sinful man was wiped out but not sin. God requires capital punishment for premeditated murder. Government is created when God said man was to regulate laws. Sin requires a life be given for our life of disobedience. Jesus gave his life to pay for our sins. God promised between Him and all flesh that is on the earth that there would never be another world wide flood that will destroy the earth. The rainbow is a token of the promise. However, God did not promise never to destroy the earth since Revelation tells he will destroy the earth with fire. 8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” This is the one-way covenant from God to every living creature on the earth. God instructed all to repopulate the earth. So what happened to the dinosaurs? They likely died out sometime after the flood due to a combination of extensive volcanic activity and warm oceans creating the Ice Age and being relentlessly hunted to extinction. 12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.” God made a promise between Him and all flesh that is on the earth that there would never be another world-wide flood that will destroy the earth. The rainbow is a token of the promise. He never promised not to bring local floods nor did He promise never to destroy the earth with fire. 18 Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. Ham's son was specifically meantioned here. It sets the stage for important events that would transpire in the future. The Canaanites were partly exterminated, and partly subjected to the lowest form of slavery, by the Israelites, who belonged to the family of Shem; and those who still remained were reduced by Solomon to the same condition. 20 And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. Noah became a husbandman (man of the ground) planted a vineyard. Wine is a symbol of blessings (Blessed by Jesus at Cana). While wine is beneficial, drunkenness is condemned since it overrides our conscience to avoid sin. When Noah became drunk and was in his tent naked, Ham saw him and told Shem and Japheth. Something happens but it is not clear. There are many views which are all contexture. Ham slept with his mother and Canaan was the offspring of that union. Ham was involved in a homosexual attack. Ham observed and ridiculed Noah. Whatever the crime, Ham should have used discretion. Noah cursed Canaan (forth son of Ham). 24 So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; And he said: “Blessed be the Lord, 28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died. Within this time also Noah saw the building of the tower of Babel, the horrid wickedness and idolatry of his children, and the bloody wars which even then began to arise between some of them. By this it appears, that he lived to the fifty eighth year of Abraham's life. Bible Study Questions 1. What did God tell Noah and his sons to do after they left the ark?
2. God told Noah he was free to eat any animal and plant except for what?
3. What covenant did God give Noah?
4. Why did God set a rainbow in the cloud? 5. What were the names of Noah's sons?
6. What was Noah's profession in the new world?
7. What caused Noah to place a curse on Canaan?
8. Whom did Noah bless?
9. How long after the flood did Noah live?
10. How long did Noah live?
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