A Promise and a Problem
Genesis • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 16 viewsGod's promise to never flood the earth again and the problem of sin still plagues us
Notes
Transcript
A Promise and a Problem
A Promise and a Problem
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. 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.
We love drama. As humans we love good story telling, and we like details. We love to see and hear of dramatic things that help us remember the point of a story. In the text that was just read from we hear the final recap of the flood account.
And without spending too much time on it I would point out to you that the idea of a reset on creation is what we are meant to see. In we saw that the spirit hovered over the face of the waters in the original creation account. Here we hear about how God made the wind blow over the earth until the waters subsided. So what?
The Hebrew word for Spirit is the same word that is used for wind here in . It seems like is a re-creating of creation from . God is re-creating the ground out of the waters again, he is replacing the birds of the sky and the making the ground dry again. The animals are coming out of the ark much like he created them all in an instant. The earth goes from no life on it to an instant population of people and animals just like where we began in creation. And we will see another similarity in God blessing them now that the flood is over that will remind us of the first blessing God pronounced on Adam and Eve in the garden.
But for now look at the details in this story and see the deeper meaning in that God who opened the heavens and the depths of the seas to flood the earth, now closed the heavens and caused the waters to subside. God dries the ground and prepares the earth for his salvaged creation to go re-populate the earth.
This story gives us exact timelines and real positions of where the ark rested. With specific months and days god recounts through the author Moses exactly what happened, because it wasn’t just a fable or an oral tradition of some fantastic story that we should doubt… It was a specific events that will mean specific promises that we can look to in order to see our God being the gracious father he is for all time.
Noah and his family exit the Ark with all the animals and God gives the reset command...
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.
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.”
Here is the divine reset of creation, with the same words that Adam and Eve were instructed with… “Be fruitful and multiply on the earth”.
This will mark a new beginning for God’s created order. Sin had spun them out of control so bad that God decided to reset the whole thing, and yet he didn’t completely wipe it all out. God graciously saved this family and used them to save his creation for a divine reset. And because of the gratefulness Noah had for being spared he now realized why he had to bring with him some of every clean animal on top of the family pairs of animals that came into the ark with them. Let’s continue to see what happens after they come out of the Ark.
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.
gen8.
Noah was giving thanks to God by sacrificing these clean animals so as to say, “Thank you God for sparing us, I will not hold on to these precious animals but rather I offer them to you and acknowledge your kingship over all.”
You would think his building days are done after the 100 years it took to build the ark, but the first thing he does is build an altar for sacrifices. He was locked in that boat for a year with his family and all those animals… it had to be stinky and full of tense times… I do not think many of us would be thankful after emerging from those conditions, but Noah wants to worship God in a way that shows he is thankful.
And while this is not part of the text, I can’t help but think that this week as we all celebrate a holiday built around being thankful, that we all have so much to be thankful for. If you are alive and you are saved you have so much to thank God for. You could spend time thinking about what is wrong with your life or you could gather around a table and eat a meal and intentionally stop to think about what God has done in your life and give thanks! I pray that this small reminder will cause you to think of our brother Noah who emerged from the Ark and built an altar to offer sacrifices of praise to God. Can we be thankful that way this week? At your family meals can you stop and remember Noah, how he was spared and than think about how God spared you in Christ?! Just a thought.
Back to the story before us, God was pleased with this, look.
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.”
gen8.21-
The amazing thing to remember here is that Moses is the author of the first 5 books of the Bible. Meaning that God himself is giving Moses the account to write down for all of us. Who else would know what “God said in his own heart”??? Only God alone knows, because only God alone is the divine author of his word!
And what does he report? He is pleased by the aroma, which is a way to say God was happy with Noahs thankfulness and sacrifice. God didn’t tell Noah you better come out of that Ark and worship me, and yet that is exactly what he did, and it pleased God! If you want to please god, than worship him without having to be told to do so all the time!
The most amazing thing here though is what he says to himself and has Moses record for us to understand abut God. Never Again will he do this… Never again will he judge with a flood that washes all life away. He makes a Covenant promise.
A Covenant Promise
A Covenant Promise
God’s covenant promise is to never again flood the earth in judgement. but there is more to the Noahic covenant. He specifically says never again will he Curse the ground, meaning he will not destroy the earth with a flood, but he does not reverse the curse of sin found in .
God goes on to explain that man’s intentions are still evil.. the problem still exists and God knows that, but he is declaring Grace upon his creation in this covenant. And God’s grace in this covenant is not just to not flood the earth again, but also to not wipe out all the other living creatures. But not just animals, humans too. God will not flood the earth to kill all life, meaning he will share with us all common grace. This is a sign of Common Grace for every living thing, animal and human, believer and unbelievers alike. What a gracious God we serve!
And how long will this covenant promise last??? While the earth remains…seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease.
God is making a covenant that we can be sure is still in effect because it is getting cold out and changing to winter around here. It is daytime but we know in a few hours it will be nighttime, and if you plant something you will need to harvest it. The earth remains and so this covenant of common grace is still in effect. But there will come a point when that will change.
7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
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.
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?
1pete
13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
2peter3
Peter is telling us that there will come a day when the heavens and earth will be judged, a day of fire instead of a flood. A fearsome day when the ungodly will be judged, and yet there is another promise from God that he will give us a new heavens and a new earth.
So with this Noahic covenant we see God promise not to destroy us all with a flood ever again, but scripture does warn of a day when judgement will come. it seems as though we are living between two promises. This first covenant promise that God makes to Noah now comes with specifics instructions.
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.” 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.”
There is a lot here. There is a blessing and specific instructions, mandates if you will…
First notice the blessing pronounced over Noah and his sons… “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth”… Does anyone remember where we have heard this before? How about ? When God Created man and blessed him and gave him dominion, the same day he said it was VERY GOOD!
The Blessing that God pronounces over his people here points back to that moment, a moment of hope for the human race when the father takes pleasure in his creation.But God get more detailed and gives covenant mandates...
And this blessing turns into a Mandate of commissioning for a “special grace” that God chose for Noah to be the family line to preserve his promised seed to come and deliver us all. This Noahic covenant reminds us of Adams role but has more specifics included in it.
Covenant mandates
Covenant mandates
And this blessing turns into a Mandate of commissioning for a “special grace” that God chose for Noah to be the family line to preserve his promised seed to come and deliver us all. This Noahic covenant reminds us of Adams role but has more specifics included in it.
First the “fear of you” will be on every creature… Not just have dominion and subdue the earth but literally rule over the rest of creation as they will fear you. and this changes even mankind's understanding of food rites.
in verse 3 we see “every moving thing shall be food… I give you everything” This is significant because some have argued that pre-flood the eating of meat would’ve been prohibited. Yet some others like John Calvin say that man was never prohibited from eating meat even before the fall. Either way, now it is being established that God is giving expressed permission, but not without distinction… in verse 4 he drills down deeper.
4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
The reformation study bible explains this verse this way...
This requirement points to the symbolic connection between blood and life, a concept also basic to the sacrificial system (Lev. 17:11) and the atoning work of Christ (Heb. 9:14, 22). All life belongs to God, and people must acknowledge this by not eating blood. See Lev. 3:17; 7:27; 19:26; Deut. 12:16; 1 Sam. 14:32–34.
I think it is obvious that God is making a distinction for his people for years to come. Knowing that they will one day live in a land with people who will not have rules like this will set them apart from others in worship of their God.
But the mandates of this covenant doesn’t just end there with what they eat, but a value on human life is now placed higher than before, because sin had run so rampant without people having explicit understanding of this prohibition. So, look at verse 5 and 6.
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.
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.
Notice here God says the word Require 3 times… I will require, I will require, I will require. As God is resetting humanity he is reaffirming that we are made in his image and to kill his image will require atonement. This is the beginning of the sacrificial system that we all love to skip over in reading through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Starting right here with Noah God is spelling out the sanctity of human life. This is not a new argument that we must deal with now, it was a covenant mandate starting with Noah.
In verse 7 - right in the middle of the mandates he again commissions them to be fruitful and multiply.
But he tells them to increase greatly on the earth… Why? Because there is a plan.
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,
Notice two important words here. Covenant and Offspring.
What is a covenant? Some would say it is like a contract, where two parties make an agreement about a relationship and how they will treat each other in their dealings. And while that is very close to a covenant it is different in that a covenant is usually between two parties that are not equal in what they bring to the table like a business arraignment. In a covenant there is a weaker party and a stronger party, and usually the stronger nation have conquered the weaker.
When nations would make covenants with each other, the stronger would usually swear to protect and provide for the weaker, as long as the weaker agreed to continue to support the stronger, and allow them to have safe passage through their nation, or pay them some monetary compensation.
In fact in the Sinai Covenant, or Mosaic covenant, when Moses was up on Mount Sinai with God receiving the law… It sounded more like a conquering nation covenant. It starts with “I am the Lord your God”… And continues with a declaration of what the stronger party has done to receive the loyalty from the weaker party. in this case God brought them out of Egypt. it then continues with specific commands to be upheld by those who receive this covenant.
Finally any covenant has a list of blessings for fulfilling it and curses for denying it.
We see this basic pattern in every Covenant in the Bible. With Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Israel, and ultimately between Jesus and his Church. As Dr. Horton pointed out last week some covenants are made for both parties to work at keeping and some are solely dependent on one party to uphold. In God declares that he is establishing his Covenant with Noah, but not just for him also his offspring.
It would be easy to see this and think Noah’s kids. But the term offspring shows up so often in scripture in such specific ways that it means more than just Noah’s kids. In fact the same term “offspring” is used for the Abrahamic covenant. And the Bible explains what is meant by this. See the nation os Israel would take this to mean it was for them specifically, which is partially true, but it means more and less… look at Galatians 3...
gal3.15
15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
Well we can see the exact same language was used in the Noahic covenant… a promise to Noah and his offspring… and this mirrors the language given in curse on the devil after the fall with the promise of a savior in .
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Every time we see this word, God is declaring the end from the beginning, he is telling of his savior in the midst of hopeless pain.And to Noah he is giving a hint to what will come and why he saved Noah’s family, why he gave them a special grace. He tells them about his covenant and what was only in his heart he now declares to Noah...
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.”
gen9.
God’s promise is for an offspring and never to destroy flesh with a worldwide flood again.
But How would Noah know that this would be kept? Because even though God doesn’t have anything to prove he gracious offers a sign.
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.”
gen9.12-
God picks something that no man can manufacture from the earth, a sign that would be high above our heads and give us hope when we look to it. this is his covenant sign.
The Covenant Sign
The Covenant Sign
He calls it His bow in the clouds, we call it a rainbow.
And while every Christian should look upon a rainbow and be reminded of this story and how God gave special grace to Noah and ultimately all of us who believe that in Jesus Christ he preserved a family line to bring his son to save his people from their sins, we also need to see more love than just a God who saves his people… We need to see the love of God that gives common grace to all, including those who reject him and hate him. He gives this sign as a reminder of common grace to his enemies even.
The covenant sign needs to be more than just, God will never flood the earth again, but a reminder that even those who rightfully deserve to be judged as those who were alive in Noahs days were judged, God is giving grace to us… And thank God he is because there was a time when we didn’t believe but he made good on all his promises and he saved us and there is hope for others who currently hate him and reject him, because he is restraining the full effects of sin and his judgement until it is time to reset the heavens and the earth.
A rainbow shouldn’t just remind us of the story of Noah but it should give us hope that God is restraining so much in order to save more people.
What a glorious promise we have, and what a glorious promise did Noah have when it was just him and his family on the earth. Of all people you would think he would now be the holiest man to ever live… You would think… Until you realize there is still a problem.
Sin is not an external dirt that can be simply washed off. Sin is not so much what you do as it is who you are now because of the fall. And so even Noah had to come to grips with this tension. Oh how I wish this story would’ve ended right here with the sign of his covenant… but it doesn’t. This chapter doesn’t end with the promise, it ends with a problem...
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. 20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.
gen9.
Well that seems ok? We are getting an explanation of who this family is and where they are headed.
And we even get a clear picture of Noah enjoying life and planting a vineyard… What could possible go wrong? Remember back in chapter 6 God chose Noah because he was blameless and righteous. Remember God who knows everything chose Noah specifically.
Noah is the guy who works for 100 yrs to be obedient to God and build a boat when it had never rained. Noahs family went from being not so sure Dad was ok to being the most thankful people on the planet because they became the only people left on the planet. God is now blessing them and telling them to re-populate the earth. What could go wrong.
The problem is Sin
The problem is Sin
See we tend to think its other people that have problems and cause us to sin. They cause us stress, and if I could just get away from certain people, I would be fine. But this is going to show us that the problem is not someone else… the problem is us… We are broken. Noah and his family could experience arguably one of the most intense experiences with God that any human being could ever face outside of being resurrected from the dead. And still this story has to go on… it has to show a problem that is inescapable… it shows that ugly sin in us that finds a way out. keep reading.
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. 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. 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.
gen9.
Broken. Hurting. Shameful. Drunk. Embarrassed. Dysfunctional family.
Noah had no one people coming to him causing stress, he had no outside or external motivation to do what he did. No reason to get drunk. But his drunkeness isn’t the worst of the problem… He is also naked and passed out. thats a special kind of drunk.
And to make matters worse, look at his son Ham. He has a son who is all too eager to expose his father and point out to his brothers that Dad isn’t so perfect after all.
Did Noah sin,? Yes. Did his son Ham sin? Yes. Both of these men did not have any of the reasons we try to use for an excuse for our sin. and the reason that is important is that it helps us see the depth of sin IN us, as opposed to the idea of it being something we do.
Sin becomes ways in which we defy God and break his laws or fail to obey him… But Sin is in us… it is us… Which is why we need a transformation and a change.
And this is why Jesus the true offspring had to come and do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. Because even Noah couldn’t fix himself and he experienced more of God’s miracles than most others in scripture.
And so the story of Noah ends on this strange picture of brokenness. Noah is drunk and passed out completely naked. Ham is acting immorally towards his father, and when Noah finds out this family becomes divided by him giving a curse on Ham and a blessing for Shem and Japheth.
And this is where God chose to leave the story of the flood epic...
Even a great man like Noah needed mercy from God. Even Noah was riddled with sin, and it ruined his family. The great reset was not off to a great start.
But the promise of God for an offspring was found in Jesus Christ. The true offspring of Noah on whom the flood of divine judgement passed. Jesus secured mercy from God for all who would call on his name and by Faith look to him as our only true savior.
And here is why understanding Genesis is so important to understanding Jesus.
Just as Adam sinned through eating, Noah sinned through drinking, we also see Ham sinning through publicly scorning Noahs nakedness.
In Jesus Christ we receive forgiveness of our sins by reminding ourselves of his sacrifice where he was publicly scorned and lay naked and bleeding on a cross. And Jesus tells us to eat and drink and remind ourselves of his sacrifice which reverses the curse of sin that is in us, by having those of us who are now IN him remind ourselves as often as we get together to do this in remembrance of him...
The promise pointed to Christ and the problem is solved only in Christ.
3 questions to consider -
3 questions to consider -
Question 1 - Does God ever break his promises?
Question 1 - Does God ever break his promises?
What would the implications be if God was to go back on his promises. If God was like us there is no way he would keep his promises, and yet he is not like us. We are meant to look at this covenant Promise and see a faithfulness that we cannot even imagine. What is the importance of knowing this truth in keeping us from losing sight of his goodness?
Question 2 - What should the sign of this Covenant mean to us?
Question 2 - What should the sign of this Covenant mean to us?
Is a rainbow simply a scientifically explained prism of color that happens when it rains because it is random? Is it something that belongs to only Christians? Does the religious crowd see a rainbow and think of how loved they are by God, and yet fail to see Common Grace for all life? How Big is our God and his Love?
Question 3 - How does understanding Genesis point us to Christ?
Question 3 - How does understanding Genesis point us to Christ?
As we bring this session of Genesis to a close till next Fall. What have you learned from Genesis that points you to Christ and gives you Hope? From , can you find hope? Do you see how this is all about God and how he has always loved us and always planned to save us from Sin? In what specific ways has this time in Genesis pointed you to Christ?
