The God of Covenants

One of my favorite parts of being a pastor is officiating weddings. As a married man, I’m a big fan of marriage. I think it is one of the greatest and most sacred relationships on the face of the earth. Soon to be married couples are required to sit down with me for several sessions to help me get to know them, ensure they understand the commitment they are making, have conversations regarding the combining of their lives into one, but most of all understanding that marriage is a covenant relationship. It’s so much more than simply living together and having kids.

Throughout the Bible, God doesn't deal with His creation randomly or distantly. He demonstrates that he is a God of order and consistency. God does not change. He chooses to establish a relationship with his creation, but that relationship is not without structure. He chooses covenant as his way of relating to people.

As Christians, we still relate to God through a covenantal relationship. Understanding how our relationship with God works requires an understanding of covenants. Today, we’ll look at God’s covenant with Noah. In it we will see the basic blueprint for a covenant and understand what this means for us under Christ and the new covenant.

Last week we took a sweeping view of the flood narrative and saw how the story of the flood foreshadowed the even greater story of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The flood was God’s judgment on the earth for humanity’s wickedness. Noah was the person whom salvation was attained through, and the ark was the vehicle for that salvation. Noah’s obedience is a foreshadowing of Christ’s obedience, and the story of rescue from the flood is an example of the even greater story of rescue from eternal judgment through Christ’s sacrifice for us.

The word covenant, which first appeared in chapter 6, now appears in chapter 9 seven times. God said to Noah that he would establish his covenant with him prior to the flood. Chapter 9 is the fulfillment of that promise. What we will understand today is what a covenant is, how God uses it to relate to his people, and understand how we relate to God today.

Genesis 9:1–17 NASB95

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. “The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. “Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man. “As for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.” Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “Now behold, I Myself do 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 comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. “I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. “It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. “When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon 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.”

We are going to break this down today and understand what a covenant is, how this relationship is defined, and use that to understand how the new covenant shapes our relationship with God today.

While the word covenant first appears in chapter 6, many scholars see the pattern of covenant with Adam in chapters 1-2. The covenant with Noah takes on more formality. But let’s first start with a definition of what a covenant is. A covenant can be defined as,

“An arrangement between two parties involving mutual obligations.”

This means that God can enter into covenants with people and people can enter into covenants with each other. God has always existed in covenantal relationship with his creation. To understand how, we are going to take a look at the characteristics of a covenant.

God invites us into a relationship he initiates.

As created beings, we do not initiate a relationship with God. From the very foundation of our existence, God has initiated a relationship with us. Adam didn’t ask to be created. Noah didn’t give God the plan for the flood. God gave the plan to Noah. God initiated his covenant relationship with Noah by his own choice. Because Noah and his family were the only ones left, every person alive today is in a covenant relationship with God, whether they realize it or not.

The relationship God establishes with Noah is personal. God is a personal God. While there are times he feels far off, a covenant relationship reminds us that he is closer than he seems. In the covenant with Noah, God enters into a relationship not just with Noah, but with all of creation. Every animal, every bird, every sea creature is a part of this covenant. Noah is the new representative to the rest of creation. As Moses is the representative of Israel, Noah is the representative for all of creation.

The new covenant is also initiated by God, and the invitation is extended to all who will believe. John 3:16 tells us that God chose to send his Son. He chose this from Genesis 3:15. God chose to include us. We did not choose Christ before Christ chose us. This is important because it means that you and I don’t have to earn God’s favor. He reaches out to us.

God initiated the covenant with Noah. He didn’t wait for humanity to get things right. This is important because we often feel like we have to get things right before we can approach God. We feel like we have to clean up our lives before God will listen to us, when in reality, it is God who enters into our mess and helps us clean it up.

Application: You are not a stranger to God. You are a beloved child. He chose you. He adopted you. He does not wait to involve himself in your life until you have performed well enough to deserve it. Walk with confidence not fearing whether God loves you. He has always loved you.

God’s covenant with us provides purpose.

This passage begins with a renewal of the original command God issued to humans: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” This command was originally given to Adam, and now God is renewing the command with Noah. Thought now there is a difference in how things work. A fear of man is put into every beast. They have also become food for us. A new system of justice has been established. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” The concept of capital punishment is formed through this covenant.

God's covenant includes expectations for how humans are to live. They always have, and they always will. There is an emphasis on human dignity and justice—life is sacred because it's made in God's image. God’s call is for us to live in harmony with his design. That’s the way it was in Eden, and that is what he is reclaiming as we enter into relationship with him.

Bridge to Christ: Under the new covenant, believers are called to live holy lives empowered by the Spirit. Quoting Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10 says,

Hebrews 8:10 NASB95

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds, And I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall be My people.

Romans 12:1–2 calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Romans 12:1–2 NASB95

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

God has a plan for who he wants you to become. We enter into relationship with him by covenant. He helps us recover and pursue his plan for our lives. Noah’s purpose was simple—to fill the earth, to honor life, and to reflect God’s image in how he lived. The responsibilities of man under this covenant are real and for his good. Covenant relationship provides structure. It points us in a direction that gives us purpose.

Application: Let’s embrace the purpose God has given us—to reflect His character, value human life, and live for His glory.

God seals his covenant with a sacrifice.

We need to jump back to the last verses in chapter 8 to see it, but remember that Noah’s first act getting off the ark was a sacrifice. As we examine covenants in the Bible, we see that they are all ratified through ritual sacrifice. We will see it more clearly in the covenant with Abraham, but ancient people used to enter into covenants with each other and there was always a sacrifice that would seal the deal. Rather than a paper with signatures on it, they would use sacrifices to serve that purpose.

You and I enter into a relationship with God through what is called the new covenant, which is ratified not with animal sacrifice, but with the sacrifice of Christ. His death is the decisive act that establishes the covenant. The sacrifice of animals was costly. It was how ancient people put some skin in the game. In the new covenant, God put his own skin in the game...literally! God became flesh and made his dwelling among us. He anchored the promises of his covenant on the blood of his own son.

Application: Let’s trust in the greater sacrifice that sealed the new covenant—Jesus gave His life to guarantee that God will never forsake us. The flood is more than a story of God’s judgment. It is a story of God upholding his promise. There was his promise to save Noah and his family, and there was the promise to never flood the earth again. The sacrifice of Jesus is the anchor of God’s promise of salvation for anyone who believes. Another day of judgment is coming, but God promises that anyone who looks to Christ and asks for forgiveness will be saved.

All covenants are accompanied with a sign.

God’s sign for the covenant with Noah is the rainbow. He says in verse 13,

Genesis 9:13 NASB95

I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.

The rainbow is a sign of God's mercy and faithfulness—a visible reminder. When it rains and we look up in the sky and see a rainbow, it is a reminder of God’s covenant with Noah that is still in effect today. Noah passed away a long time ago, but verse 16 says this is an everlasting covenant. Everlasting means forever. There is no expiration date. The rainbow is a visual sign of this covenant.

The sign for Abraham’s covenant was circumcision. One of the signs of the covenant with Moses is Sabbath. What is the sign of the new covenant? That’s an interesting question. There is no visible sign like a rainbow. Jesus’ body is not on display in perpetuity to look to. God did not tell the church the cross had to be the symbol that represented Christianity. But as we look into the New Testament, we can see that the signs are not one, but many.

First, there is the sign of baptism. Before there is baptism by water, there is baptism of the Holy Spirit. Paul calls this the circumcision of the heart. The covenant relationship we have begins internally as we enter into relationship with Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, there is believer’s baptism. That is the public act of being submerged in water as we commemorate the inward baptism of another person. Thirdly, there is the Lord’s Supper. Jesus says that the new covenant is of his blood. Every time we take communion, we remember Jesus’ covenant-keeping love.

We are engulfed in a spiritual war. As I have said before, I believe the most effective weapon in Satan’s arsenal today is distraction. If he is successful in keeping us distracted from what truly matters, he won’t have to give up much ground. We often need to reorient ourselves, our thinking, our values, and our priorities. The rainbow was a reminder that God remembers and keeps His covenant. I wonder if the people who survived the flood got nervous when the next thunderstorm hit. Under the new covenant, the cross serves as a reminder that the covenant has been ratified. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper make visible the invisible reality that we have entered into his covenant.

Application: Let’s keep returning to those signs. When we see the cross or take communion, let’s remember that God is still faithful.

God has always related to His people through covenants—from Noah to Abraham to Moses to David to Christ. Your relationship with Christ today is rooted in a covenant relationship where God promises to adopt you as his child, to provide the blessings that come with that new relationship, to help you recover and pursue his design for your life, to transform you into the likeness of his Son, to give you eternal life, to raise you from the dead on the last day. This is an everlasting covenant that is not based on our own merit. Eternal life is a free gift. You can do nothing to earn it. But when you truly understand it, you will reorient your life in gratitude for it.

Action Step:

Remember the nature of God’s covenant: relational, moral, sacred, and enduring.

Respond to the new covenant by trusting in Christ and living as His covenant people.

Call to Action:

Let’s remember the covenant—God has claimed us as His people.

Let’s respond with trust, obedience, and worship—living as those who belong to the Covenant Keeper.