The Noahic Covenant

Turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 8. We will be reading verses 20 through verse 17 of chapter 9.

This is the word of the Lord

READ GENESIS 8:20-9:17

This is the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

PRAYER: Father, what we know not, teach us; what we have not, give us; what we are not, make us; for the sake of your Son, our Savior. Amen.

Introduction

Have you ever been asked the question: “Why do Christians obey the Biblical commands like “don’t murder or steal” but don’t obey other commands like “don’t eat shellfish” or “don’t wear clothing with mixed fabric”? I remember being initially stumped the first time I was asked such a thing. Then I remember giving an answer such as “Well that was in the Old Testament, but Christians obey the New Testament.” This answer of mine was partly right and partly wrong, as you will soon see.

My problem was that I didn’t understand how the whole story of the Bible fit together, and I imagine at least some of you are in a similar position as I once was. In this sermon, I hope to help you do just that. And I will tell you right up front what the key to understanding the story of the Bible is: understanding how the covenants work through the Bible’s story line.

What is a covenant?

Simply put, a covenant is a pact or agreements between two or more parties. There is more to it than that, but this definition will suffice for our purposes. It is not simply a “contract”—it is more relational than that. More like a marriage than a business agreement, for example.

God Generally Deals with Humanity by way of Covenant

God uses covenants as the legal basis by which he relates to humanity.

In other words, the Biblical covenants are the key to understanding how we relate to God and God relates to us.

Covenants in the Bible

When we read through the bible, we find six major covenants:

Covenant of Adam (Sometimes called the covenant of works, covenant of life, or covenant of creation)

This covenant is between God, Adam and his posterity.

Though the word “covenant” is not used in Genesis 1-3, there is undoubtedly a covenant present.

This can be seen in Hosea chapter 6:

Hosea 6:4-7 “What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away. 5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light. 6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. 7 But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.”

In this covenant, God promised Adam glorification if he passed the test of obedience. Of course, along side the blessing of keeping the covenant was the curse of death if he broke covenant, which we know he did.

Because the covenant was made with Adam and we were all in Adam still, the covenant curse we passed on to us.

Covenant of Noah

This is the covenant we will look at today, so I will not comment on it at this point.

Covenant of Abraham

This covenant is between God, Abraham and his offspring.

It promised blessings to the nations

Covenant of Moses

This covenant is between God and the people of Israel.

Covenant of David

This covenant is between God, David and his offspring.

Covenant of Christ (sometimes called the new covenant, the eternal covenant or the covenant of grace)

This covenant is between Christ and his chosen people: all those who are united to him by faith

Covenants Correspond to Certain Realms or Kingdoms

The Adamic Covenant and the Noahic Covenant correspond to the kingdom of creation.

The Abrahamic, Mosaic and Davidic Covenant correspond to the kingdom of Israel.

The New Covenant corresponds to the kingdom of Christ.

The Contents of the Noahic Covenant

Covenant Promises

God will not curse the ground again (8.21.a)

God will not destroy all creatures again (8.21.b)

The Seasons will continue (8.22)

God will make the animals fear humans (9.2)

God will give the animals to humans for food (9.3)

God will never destroy the world with a flood again (9.11)

Covenant Commands

Continue marrying and having children (9.1; 9.7)

Do not eat an animal while it is alive or still has blood in it (9.4)

Execute Murderers (9.5-6)

The principle here is to enact punishments that fit the crime

Equal weights and measures

Covenant Parties

God (9.12.a)

Noah (9.12.b)

Every Living Thing (9.12.c)

Is It Still In Force, Even though Jesus Fulfilled the Old Covenant?

Yes, because the Noahic Covenant is not the “Old Covenant”

The Noahic Covenant deals with the realm of creation

The “Old Covenant” deals with the kingdom of Israel, and in the New Testament, usually refers to the Mosaic Covenant, sometimes including the Abrahamic ad Davidic covenants.

Yes, because Covenants are Fulfilled when their Terms are Fulfilled

The Mosaic Covenant, for example, was made with Israel, not the whole world, and was fulfilled in Jesus Christ’s obedience in life and death. He himself is the truest Israelite there ever was.

The Noahic Covenant, was made will all humanity and all creation. Its terms are that it shall continue until the present created order is now more (i.e. the final judgement and new creation).

Thus the Noahic Covenant is still In Force

Implications for Today

Do not fear the destruction of all life on earth as God has promised that will not occur

Humans are above animals and God has given us the right to use them for whatever purposes we need them for

This includes for food, meaning we don’t have to be vegetarians

Humans should continue to marry and raise children

We still shouldn’t eat meat without draining the blood first

Human governments should punish murderers by execution and by further implication, all humans laws should be fair in the sense that the punishment fits the crime

The Noahic Covenant’s Role in Redemption

Preserving the Earth for Redemption

The created order is doomed for destruction. It will one day pass away. However, in this covenant, God promises to sustain the created order so that God’s redemptive purposes can be carried out on earth.

In fact, through this covenant, God is protecting humanity from three things:

God protects humans from animals by causing them to fear humans

God protects humans from themselves by instituting capital punishment

God protects humans from himself by restraining his judgement by way of covenant. No matter how much wickedness is in the world, he will not destroy it until his plan to redeem creation has been fulfilled.

Picturing the Future New Creation

Listen to how Saint Peter puts it in his second letter:

2 Peter 3:1–10 ESV

1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Just as Noah led those in the ark through the destruction of the earth by water into a new creation, so will Jesus lead those in him through the destruction of the earth by fire into a new creation.

CONCLUSION: A Warning Like the Days of Noah

A few verses later in Peter’s second letter, he says this:

2 Peter 3:1–12 ESV

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!

A storm of water was vast approaching humanity in the days of Noah. For us, it is a storm of fire.

A wooden boat saved people from the judgement of water

A wooden cross saves people from the judgement of fire

Jesus is the true and better ark. Only if you are in him will you be saved from the coming wrath.

What sort of people should we be then? Should we live selfishly, indulging our flesh and sinful passions like the people of Noah’s day did? Certainly not! For if we do, we will surely perish in a flood of fire! No, we must live lives of holiness and godliness. We must live lives of repentance and faith. We must serve God, not ourselves.

Illustration of God using one hand to hold back his wrath and offering his other hand to sinners to be rescued.

Just as the door of the ark was eventually shut, so shall the door to salvation be shut.

Today is the day of salvation.