OT Study: Genesis Pt. 3

3. Beginning on the Road to Redemption ()

A. Satan’s Plan: Murder the Seed (16)

“1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”

Now as life begins outside of the Garden we see Satan attempt to defeat God’s plan for redemption. Adam knew Eve in the most intimate way of knowing someone in marriage and this produced a son. What is interesting is that Eve names him Cain. The literal translation of her declaration reads that she has “gotten a man, the Lord” (literal translation - see note on verse 1 in NASB). Eve declares that her first born son will be the one who fulfill . He even follows in Adam’s footsteps and becomes a worker of the ground. However, instead of crushing Satan, Cain is overcome with sin and crushes his brother, committing the first murder. It seems as if Satan has won. Adam and Eve only had two sons. The one who was destined to be the hero of God’s plan ended up being a cold blooded murderer. God confronts him and just like Adam, Cain does not confess. Then, when God punishes him, he attempts to rebel against God.

B. The Wicked Seed of Cain (4:17-24)

“17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. 19 And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. 23 Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. 24 If Cain's revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech's is seventy-sevenfold.”

Cain has children that go on to rebel against God’s order. The genealogy of Cain ends with the terrible Lamech who rebels against God’s plan for a one-flesh union in marriage. Instead of knowing his wife, Lamech forcefully took two wives. Instead of writing songs celebrating marital love like Adam, Lamech wrote songs celebrating a time when he killed a child out of retaliation for hitting him. This is how far down the path of depravity man has fallen. 

C. God's plan Continues ()

“25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.”

In the midst of this great darkness God provides hope that His plan will continue. Adam knew his wife again. Satan thought he could eliminate one line of the seed and corrupt the other thus ending God’s plan. But God just gave Eve another seed. His name was Seth which means Appointed One. God’s plan cannot be defeated. 

III. Generations of Adam:

Context and Overview

In the last section we saw how sin entered the world, how the image of God was tarnished and how the relationship with God and man in the garden was lost. In the fall we witnessed the effort of Satan to reverse God’s created order and ultimately rule over God. God would not be defeated but instead cursed Satan to an ultimate doom at the hands of the Seed of the Woman, Eve. Adam and Eve’s sin did not come without a price and they both experienced just consequences that would be passed down through the human race. Moreover, the nature of sin began to manifest itself in Adam and Eve’s offspring. Satan attempted to use Cain and his offspring to destroy God’s plan for redemption. However, God would not be thwarted again. He allowed the evil of Cain’s murder of Abel to show His triumph over Satan in the birth of another seed, Seth. 

Admittedly this section raises complex questions and is difficult to explain clearly. There are many differing views on the reasons for the long lives of the pre-flood generations, the identity of the Nephilim, and the passage which tells of God’s regret over man. I will attempt to give you my opinion which follows in the most conservative of viewpoints for each of these. If questions arise feel free to ask after the study. 

In this section we will continue to see how God allows evil to manifest so that He can gloriously triumph over it. God has begun a plan for Redemption and He will complete it despite the evil plans of Satan. The Seed of will come into greater focus as we move through this section. 

Structure and Main Point

The main point of this text is that God acts to both preserve His plan and prepare for the continuation of His pan.

Preservation and Progress of God’s line ()

Progress Report of Mankind ()

Exposition

1. Preservation and Progress of God’s line ()

A. Introduction () “This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.”

Before studying this first geneology of Adam it is important to discuss a few distinctions of this genealogy. This genealogy is linear in nature which means that this is written in rapid fire with only two breaks to divert into a side story. This linear nature shows that God’s plan continues for generation after generation after generation. It also highlights the two side stories of this genealogy: Enoch and Lamech

B. Linear Genealogy Progressing to Noah () “3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 5 Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. 6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. 7 Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died. 9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. 10 Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died. 12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died. 15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared. 16 Mahalalel lived after he fathered Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died. 18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch. 19 Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died. 21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. 25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech. 26 Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died. 28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son 29 and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” 30 Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died. 32 After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

Remember that in , man was made in God’s image but after the fall man became just like God. The image of God had been tarnished. When we look at the account of Seth we see that Adam fathered him  after his image. This demonstrates what is called the Doctrine of Original Sin. After Adam sins, he becomes a sinner and his offspring are now born in his image. We are born as sinners with a sinful nature (for further reading on this doctrine of Scripture see ). 

In verses 21-24 we see Moses’ first diversion in this genealogy to tell the story of Enoch. Enoch is known for walking with God, language reminiscent of the relationship Adam and Eve had in the Garden. What we see in this detail is that there is still hope for mankind for a relationship with God after the fall. On this side of the cross this seems like a minor truth but for the first readers that Moses is preaching to this would have been incredibly encouraging. Another significant detail about Enoch is that he was taken before death. Because of his godliness and his deep relationship with God he did not experience Adam’s consequence but instead was taken to be with God. The story of Enoch here acts as a foreshadowing of the future redemption of the relationship with God and man and the ultimate defeat of death that will be found in Christ. In the New Testament  book of Jude () Enoch is called a prophet and we can see in the name of his son Methuselah that he was prophesying about an impending judgement from God. Methuselah’s name means “after his death, it comes”. The “it” that Enoch is referring to is God’s judgment; Methuselah’s life is a countdown timer. 

In verses 28-30 we have the second diversion of this genealogy, this time focussing in on Lamech. Lamech is the father of Noah and he is weary of living in a world where there is no rest but only toil and pain. This is why he names his son Noah which means Rest. He is hoping that through his son God will finally bring mankind some rest on the earth.  As we will see in the next chapter, God hears Lamech’s cry. 

2. Progress Report of Mankind ()

A. The Perversion () “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”

After giving an overview of the geneology of Adam, Moses focuses in on a time period just before the flood. Here we see another attempt by Satan to destroy God’s promised seed. This time he uses fallen angels (i.e. demons)  to forcefully take women on the earth to be their wives in order to produce a half angel/half man being. There are many differing arguments on who the sons of God are referring to but traditionally these are interpreted to be fallen angels at the bidding of Satan (for further reading see , ). The result of this plot was not some superhuman but just a giant human, a nephilim. As Moses notes, they were on the earth in those days, and also afterward. In other words, Satan’s great scheme produced nothing out of the ordinary. There were giants in that time and there were giants after that time. However, God was greatly displeased and chose to end their existence after 120 years with his judgement of the earth. 

B. The Pain of God and His punishment of Man () “5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

God evaluates the earth and is grieved in His heart over the wickedness and evil that humans have committed and that Satan has instigated. The depravity of man is again on display here as every intention of man’s heart was exclusively evil. This depraved creature was not the man made in God’s image that he was supposed to be. God in no way regrets like we humans regret. He makes no mistakes, but here we see that He was filled with great sadness at the sight of how depraved his crown of creation had become. Because of His infinite holiness and justice He must judge sin and here we see that is what He resolves to do by blotting out man. 

Praise be to God that He chose to find favor in Noah. God will blot out all mankind but the man whom He has chosen so that His plan for redemption will continue. It will be through God’s work in Noah’s life that rest will come to the earth. 

IV. Generations of Noah:

Context, Structure and Main Point

God’s plan must continue but it can not coexist with the wickedness of the world in Noah’s time. The main point of this section is that God cleanses the world to set the stage for His plan to continue. This is seen in the following structure: 

Background ()

Preparations for Deliverance 6:13-22

Deliverance from the Destructive Flood ()

Continuation of God’s refining the chosen line ()

Completion of Noah’s life (9:28-29)

Exposition

1. Background () “9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence.12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth” 

See here how Noah was described as a righteous and blameless man. Like Adam and Enoch before him, Noah walked with God. He had an individual relationship with God. In contrast, the world around him was corrupt and filled with all sorts of evil. 

2. Preparations for Deliverance () “13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. 21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.”22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.”

As has been seen throughout the book of Genesis, God is in the act of revealing Himself and His will to His chosen people. God chose to speak to Noah and tell Him of His impending judgement. God looks upon the earth filled with the wickedness of man and decides to fill the earth with water so that it would be cleansed from the breath of life of the evil men of that generation. This term breath of life refers to the creation of Adam in order to highlight the sovereignty of God to create life and to end life per His just and holy will. 

Noah is commanded to build an ark with specific dimensions in order to have enough room to fit all the creatures that God would save as well as prevent the ark from flipping over while at sea. Notice the clear reference back to . Noah two of each kind of creature, male and female according to their kinds into the ark.. Noah here is continuing on the line of the Seed of Adam and Eve. He is acting as another Adam.

Now, many attempt to debunk the story of the flood. However, as with creation, when you begin to try and explain away stories in the book of  Genesis you undermine the truth of the entire Scripture. First of all, the flood must be a global catastrophe for several reasons. If the flood was merely regional, God could have just told Noah to take his family and walk to the dry region. He had hundreds of years to make such a journey. Moreover, for a flood to be so vast that it covered mountaintops for over 40 days it would have had to cover the entire earth. That’s basic physics. If you can not accept that the flood happened based on the proof of scripture, the logic of physics and myriads of geological evidence then you must believe that Genesis and all of the Bible is not 100% truth. As Christians, we know and we believe that God can not lie, that His Word is truth and it is co-authored by the Third Person of the Trinity. 

3. Deliverance from the Destructive Flood ()

A. Final Preparation () “Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.”5 And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.” 

B. The Flood Commences ()

“6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth.7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, 9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, 14 they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature.15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.

After faithful obedience to God for years the time for Noah to enter the ark with his family and the animals had come. See how the water rains from above, and bursts forth from the deep parts of the earth. The earth is flooded in every direction. After all were in the ark Moses writes that the door was closed from the outside in by God. 

Imagine the scene. For years Noah had been building this ark. All those around him mocked the coming judgement of God. Then one day the rain begins to fall and the water began to rise. Now all those who mocked and doubted and continued in their sin are rushing to the ark but the door has been closed. As the ark begins to lift off the ground there is pounding on the door and screams of fear. But the time for repentance had come and gone. The judgement of God had arrived. 

C. Flood Continues ()”17 The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.”

The waters flooded the earth for 40 days straight. Imagine being in a hurricane like storm for 40 straight days. There was so much water that the highest mountain was covered by more than 15 cubits (around 23 feet) of water. All the creatures who roamed the earth that were not in the ark had died. The breath of life had been snuffed out.

D. Flood Comes Down () “1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. 6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7 and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11 And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.

Notice the phrase in verse 1, God remembered Noah. God wasn’t just too busy flooding the earth that He forgot about Noah. No, this language brings the idea of placing special thought and care upon a person. God had a special focus on Noah and He now moves from judging the world to re-establishing it with His servant. 

Throughout this account of the flood, Moses makes it clear that God was sovereignly in control of all things. This was not an out-of-control disaster. God made a wind to blow the waters away. God closed the fountains of the deep and He restrained the rain. The God of the Bible is in complete control over His creation. He has the power and the prerogative to do as He wills and this is made clear by Moses’ language in the story of the flood. 

E. Flood Ceases () “13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.” 

Moses details the age of Noah in his account of the flood so that the readers might truly understand the vast nature of God’s judgement. Noah and his family were on the ark for a total of 1 year and 10 days. Finally after this long time the earth was dry and it was cleansed of the wickedness of the generations before. 

There are clear connections throughout the story of the flood back to the creation story. Just like day 2, the earth was covered with the water, and there was nothing but sky and sea. Similar to day 3 the waters were separated to form dry land. LIke on day 5 the birds of the air were made and inhabited the sky, just like the raven and the dove. Lastly similar to day 6 all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and every living thing was created, including man were created; and in the story of the flood all these were released from the ark. Furthermore, God even blessed them as He did during creation to be fruitful and multiply on the earth. 

F. Conclusion () “20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

Noah responds by worshiping God for His deliverance by sacrificing the clean animals that God commanded him to bring on the ark. Filled with love in His heart for Noah, God sets out to restrain the curse on the ground that was Adam’s consequence in the garden. God makes a promise to provide stability with the ground, Prior to the flood there was only curse, hardship and toil. But God decides to institute seasons and order to the land. There is now stability with nature which allows for planned farming. This is something that we take for granted. Prior to the flood, the weather and the seasons were irregular. For us, we live in a world where this is restrained and we enjoy the fruits and blessing of the seasons. What  Noah’s father, Lamech, had prayed for was now true. God brought the world to rest through the faithfulness of Noah

G. Blessing () “1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. 7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.” 

Just as God did with Adam at creation, God blesses Noah and his sons with a charge to be fruitful and multiply. These allusions to the creation story or written to demonstrate that God’s plan in the Garden was not lost. God had not judged the whole world without first protecting His purpose of redemption. Just as in creation, Noah was given authority over the beasts of creation. Now after the flood, there was a fear of man that was placed in animals. This fear coupled with the stability of the seasons mentioned in the last section would have provided some much needed rest for Noah and his sons as they set out to work the ground and repopulate the earth. 

H. Covenant ()

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

The story of the flood ends with the first Covenant in the Bible. God makes a covenant not just with Noah and his offspring but with every living creature. He promises to never again destroy the earth with a flood. Just as a warrior would hang his weapon above the fireplace in his home after battle, God hangs his bow in the sky as a sign of His faithfulness to uphold this covenant. This is a unilateral covenant which means that there are no conditions that man or beast must meet to maintain this covenant. God acts on His own to maintain this promise. 

4. Continuation of God’s refining the chosen line ()

A. Foundational Family (9:18-19) “18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.” 

As we move past the flood the attention of the story turns to Noah’s sons. The identity of the line of the promised  Seed from must be distinguished. Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japeth.  From these sons came all men who would populate the whole earth.

B. Noah’s Farming and Folly (9:20-21) “20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.” 

Notice here how God’s  restraint of the curse on the land is evident in that Noah just plants a vineyard and it bears fruit. Unlike Cain and all the other descendants of Adam who were workers of the ground, Noah was a man of the soil. The distinction becomes clear when we see that Noah’s work was immediately fruitful and that he enjoyed the fruits of his labor. Sadly, Noah’s enjoyment was tarnished by the sin of drunkenness. The sin and depravity that existed before the flood continues on. 

It is important to mention that starting with Noah there is great importance placed on the growth of the vine in the Bible. Noah, a man in the line of the Seed, plants a vine demonstrating both fruitfulness and a glimpse of the rest that Adam experienced in the garden. Later in Genesis there is a promise of a man named Shiloh who will be a descendant of Judah. This Shiloh is a reference to the Seed of the Woman who will crush the head of Satan. When Shiloh comes He will tie his donkey to a vine and in His land people will drink wine instead of water because it will be more abundant than water itself. Later on in Scripture, Solomon, the son of David, a descendant of Judah, has a kingdom that is so fruitful that the people in his kingdom sit under their own vines for rest. Think about that, the vines in their vineyards were so massive that they provided shade. Lastly, another Son of David, a descendent of Judah, declares Himself to be both God and the true vine.

, “5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

This man was Jesus, the promised Seed, the Shiloh prophesied of old. This messianic symbol of the vine and its connection to Edenic rest starts all the way in with Noah.

C. Ham’s Folly but Shem and Japheth's Wisdom (9:22-23) “22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness.” 

As we return to our story we see that sinfulness of Noah is exceeded by the sinfulness of his son Ham. It is not clear in Scripture what Ham did exactly but what we do know is that he acted shamefully at the sight of his father’s nakedness. In contrast Shem and Japeth cover the shame of their father and act with honor and respect.

E. Noah’s Prophetic Proclamation (9:24-27) “24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.” 26 He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. 27 May God enlarge Japheth and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant. “28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.” 

Ham had no respect for the authority of his father and this singled him out for cursing. After he awakes Noah gives a prophecy of the future of his sons.  Because of his sin, Ham and his descendants would be the servants of his brothers and their descendents. Ham’s sin sets the course of future nations. Canaan is both the son of Ham and the future father of the people group the Canaanites who will eventually be conquered by the Israelites in the conquest of Joseph. The cursed offspring of the serpent of has been identified which then sets up for the next section of Scripture where we will see God’s plan for all the nations who will come from Noah’s three sons. 

Questions for Application

What do we learn about God’s character and nature from His actions in this section of scripture?  

What can we learn about the nature of God’s judgement from the story of the Flood? 

The story of the flood is usually taught as a sweet story of Noah in a boat with a bunch of animals ending in happiness and rainbows. What is lost when this section in scripture is taught like this?