Noahic Covenant

Noah’s Worship ()

Noah and his family received God’s grace.

Noah responded by building an altar to the Lord and sacrificing clean animals/birds on it. Worship. How did he know what was clean?

Moses' audience is Israel who knows about the rules of sacrifice, and the difference between clean and unclean animals.

God made Noah aware of clean vs. unclean animals, though that specific conversation is not recorded for us. The larger number of clean animals vs. unclean had a purpose. Look at . Clean animals were brought into the ark in seven pairs of each, while unclean animals only came on board in a single pair. Some were needed for the sacrifice while others were not.

Prior to the flood there was no sacrifice, and God’s judgment consumed all living things. After the flood, sins could be paid for by the shedding of the blood of animals.

The people of God were to be a worshiping people.

- The intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth. People are natural born sinners. Prior to the flood there was no sacrifice, and God’s judgment consumed all living things. After the flood, Noah offers a sacrifice and God responds in mercy.

God answered Noah’s worship at the altar with the promise to never again curse the earth or destroy every living thing on the earth due to man’s wickedness.

In God repeats that the covenant is with Noah and his descendents

Instructions to Noah ()

9:1,7: Be fruitful and multiply. Make babies!

9:2-3: Animals will be afraid of humans and mankind will be at the top of the food chain. Animals will be food for man.

Eating blood was forbidden, however, because blood is the life of every living being, and the life belongs to God.

9:5-6: Capital punishment established. The BKC makes an interesting point that because God destroyed all life that people might begin to think that life is cheap. God is telling Noah here that life is sacred. Man is not to commit murder. Men are made in the image of God. To anyone who would violate this, God would require their death, whether by beast or another man.

God allowed man to go on to create systems of government that would keep this type of order to things. Murderers generally get the death penalty here in the US.

The Rainbow

God establishes the covenant with Noah and his descendants to never again flood the whole earth. ()

Five times in this passage God declares that his covenant is between Himself and Noah, and all flesh.

One time in 9:13 God says the covenant is between Him and the Earth.

When something is repeated in the Bible, it is for emphasis. God is getting a point across.

The covenant is everlasting: 9:16. God does not break His promises.

The sign of the covenant was the rainbow.

It is a reminder to God. (9:15, 16) Interesting choice of words, since God is perfect and does not need to be reminded.

It is a symbol for Noah and his descendants to reflect on (9:12)

Sunlight when passed through a spray of water, refracts on the water droplets and the light is broken into a spectrum. God created this prismatic effect as the sign of the Noahic covenant. Remember prior to the flood, people had never seen rain before. Now, rain would be a common occurrence, but it would never again flood the earth.

Isn’t it sad that the symbol of God’s promise to never destroy the whole earth again because of man’s wickedness, has been adopted by people celebrating perversion?