The Noahic Covenant พันธสัญญากับโนอาห์

The Noahic Covenant

Genesis 9:1-17

Introduction

What do I have in my hand? A bible. Do you know what the word “Bible” means? It comes from the Greek “ta biblia” (Bibblos บิ๊บบลอส) both of which means “books”. So the bible simply means “books” or “holy books”. If I were to give another name to the bible, what do you think it would be? “Book of Covenants”. Why? Covenants between God and man is a major thread that runs through the entire bible (ใจความสำคัญที่สอดแทรกอยู่ตลอดทั้งพระคัมภีร์) – from Genesis to Revelations. God relates with humanity through covenants. We have the Old Testament and New Testament, which is also called Old and New Covenant. Within the bible, there are several covenants God made but the major covenants are the Noahic Covenant, Abrahamic Covenant, Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant. Therefore to understand the bible, we need to understand the covenants. To know God’s amazing love of God for us, we need to know the covenants. Through the covenants, we see how God works powerfully throughout human history. The covenants lead us from creation to the cross of Christ on Good Friday and then to the New Creation when Jesus returns. Through the season of Lent, we will study the major covenants, and hopefully, it will help us understand and appreciate God’s love for all of us on Easter Sunday.

As we begin, what is a covenant? In simple terms, a covenant is simply an agreement, contract or promise ข้อตกลง คำสัญญา หนังสือสัญญา made between 2 or more people. In the covenant, the parties will list the conditions which needs to be fulfilled. Example, in a wedding, the couple makes promises to one another to be faithful to one another only, to love, care and cherish one another till death. Sometimes, contract, we list the consequences if either party fails to meet the conditions. Example, a home rental contract. If you fail to pay rent, you move out and if the has to provide the home and equipment as stipulated in the contract. Usually, covenants are conditional (มีเงื่อนไข)– and parties involved need to meet the conditions.

Turn to the story of Noah and the Noahic Covenant reveals to us 4 things: (1) The Wickedness of Man (2) The Graciousness of God (3) The Patience of God (4) Christ in the Covenant

I. Wickedness of Man เปิดเผย ความชั่วช้าของมนุษยชาติ

Genesis chapters 1-6 reveals the downward spiral ตกต่ำลงอย่างรวดเร็ว of humanity in their wickedness and sin. We know that in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit.ผลไม้ต้องห้าม ผลต้นไม้ของความรู้ถึงความดีและความชั่ว When God เผชิญหน้าconfronts Adam, he blames Eve. After that Adam and Eve were banished from the garden of Eden and the earth was cursed – meaning that the earth will and natural disasters ภัยพิบัติทางธรรมชาติ becomes the natural orderกลายเป็น สิ่งที่สามารถเกิดขึ้นได้ตามปกติ. In Chapter 4, Adam and Eve’s son, Cain kills his brother Abel out of jealousy. Then later, their great-grand son เหลน Lemech sins by committing bigamy (มีภรรยาสองคนในเวลาเดียวกัน) and murdering a man who hurt him.ฆาตกรรมชายคนหนึ่งที่ทำให้เขาบาดเจ็บ. It was an act of revenge and he even boasted โอ้อวด about it. By the time we reach chapter 6:5, the bible tells us that “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” “พระยาห์เวห์ทรงเห็นว่าความชั่วร้ายของมนุษย์มีมากบนแผ่นดิน และทรงเห็นว่าเค้าความคิดในใจทั้งหมดของเขาล้วนเป็นเรื่องชั่วร้ายตลอดเวลา” and 6:11 “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence… And the Lord was grieved to his heart. “คนทั้งโลกเสื่อมทรามไปเฉพาะพระพักตร์ของพระเจ้าและแผ่นดินก็เต็มด้วยความโหดร้าย (ความรุนแรง) ... พระยาห์เวห์เสียพระทัยที่ทรงสร้างมนุษย์ไว้บนแผ่นดินและโทมนัสยิ่งนัก” (ข้อ 6)

However, Noah was unlike the others. He was described a man who “walked with God”. “ดำเนินกับพระเจ้า” He was a righteous man and blameless ชอบธรรมและปราศตำหนิ in his generation. When God saw the wickedness that prevailed มีอยู่อย่างมากมาย in the world (Gen. 6:5), He told Noah of His intention to destroy the ancient world by a big flood. God instructed Noah to build an ark ต่อเรือ in which he and his family would survive the flood. Noah believed God and “did according to all that God commanded him" (Gen. 6:22). “พระเจ้าทรงบัญชาให้โนอาห์ทำอย่างไร โนอาห์ก็ทำอย่างนั้นทุกประการ”

I have seen story of Noah’s ark on many children’s bible stories, where cute animals 2 by 2เป็นคู่ๆ, walking up to the ark. Sometimes, it even looks like all the animals were having a big boat part. This is further than the truth. The story of Noah’s ark is a terrifying story! น่าสะพรึงกลัว Perhaps many of you have seen the horrors of the Tsunami that hit the South of Thailand in 2004 where over 5,000 people lost their lives. The story of Noah was in a much bigger and terrifying scale. Does this story reflect the harshness of God? No, rather it warns us on the seriousness of sin and that we must take our sins seriously. It reveals the holiness of God and that sin has no place before God. But out of His great mercy, the Lord saves a remnant เศษเหลือ of creation, but only a remnant. This teaches us that we can be confident of His grace but that we must never, ever take advantage of it.

II. The Graciousness of God เปิดเผย พระคุณของพระเจ้า

After the flood, God then made a covenant with Noah in chapter 9 and, establishing the rainbow รุ้งกินน้ำ as the sign of His promise สัญลักษณ์ของพระสัญญาของพระองค์ (Gen. 9:1-17). This covenant reveals the graciousness of God. How so?

Notice the promise of this covenant. God promised saying, “I will establish my covenant with you (and your descendants), 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” (9:11). “เราจะตั้งพันธสัญญาของเราได้กับพวกเจ้าว่าจะไม่ทำลายมนุษย์และสัตว์ทั้งปวงโดยให้น้ำท่วมอีก และจะไม่ให้มีน้ำมาท่วมทำลายโลกอีกต่อไป” Who made the promise? God. Did Noah need to do anything? No. This is called unconditional covenant. Our sins should be judged and punished, that’s what we deserve. But out of God’s grace and mercy, He chose not to destroy humanity.

Contracts exists today in all spheres of life, especially in business transactions. We do it often because our word is not enough, and we do not trust one another. And therefore, contracts and covenants are 2-ways, in which both parts have their responsibilities to fulfil. A dead person’s will (พินัยกรรม) is a one-way contract. The person who inherits does not need to do anything, except receive what is given. But this is not unconditional because, often the receiver inherits something because he or she is family or have been good to the deceased. The decease do not leave a will to his enemies. But God’s covenant is unconditional. Even if man continue to sin, will God continue to keep His promise? Yes. That is why it’s an unconditional covenant. It is a covenant of grace.

Following weeks, you will also notice that all the other covenants with Abraham, Moses, and David were unconditional and covenants of grace.

III. The Patience of God เปิดเผย ความอดกลั้นพระทัยของพระเจ้า

After the flood and as God covenanted with Noah, he already knew that Noah and his descendants will continue to sin. 8:21, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth” “เราจะไม่สาปแผ่นดินอีกต่อไป แม้ว่ามนุษย์ไม่ดี เพราะเค้าความคิดในใจของมนุษย์ล้วนแต่ร้ายมาตั้งแต่เด็ก”. True enough, later Noah sinned by getting drunk and falling asleep naked. Noah’s youngest son saw his naked father sinned against him. By the time we reach chapter 11, the descendants of Noah had multiplied all over the earth. They became proud and sinful and conspired together to build a tower that reaches to the heavens. It was to challenge God, be like God, and to be greater than God. After that God chose Abraham to kick off his redemption plan. But even so, the entire Old Testament reveals to us the stubbornness ความดื้อรั้น and sinfulness of man.

Knowing all this, God still covenanted with Noah that He will not destroy the whole world with a flood again. It’s God’s grace, but patience also. In the end, sin and wickedness will eventually needs to be unpunished. Indeed, there will be a final judgement by fire when Jesus returns. Where Satan, his demonic angels and sinners will be judged and destroyed. Before that, God will be patient for humanity to repent and turn to God.

Our generation is like the generation of Noah marked by corruption, sin and violence. God’s judgment is coming and will come. Unlike Noah, we do not need to build an ark to save ourselves, because God has provided us with an ark. Jesus Christ is our ark. We are saved from the floods and God’s judgement through him. But like Noah, we are to tell our generation of God’s salvation, and warn them of God’s judgement – a great and terrible day.

Next time when we see a beautiful rainbow in the sky – let it remind us of God’s graciousness, patience and love; and at the same time, warns us that the end is near, and judgement will come. John 9:4 “While it is daytime, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” “เราต้องทำพระราชกิจของผู้ทรงใช้เรามาเมื่อยังวันอยู่ กลางคืนอันเป็นเวลาที่ไม่มีใครทำงานนั้นกำลังใกล้เข้ามา”

IV. Christ in the Covenant เปิดเผย พระคริสต์ในพันธสัญญา

The story of Noah has always been focused on him building an ark. But there is something else very important he built too. After the flood subsided and he got off the boat, he would have seen the devastation on earth. 8:20 tells us that “Noah then built an altar to the Lord and sacrificed some clean animals and birds and offered a burn offering on the altar. “โนอาห์สร้างแท่นบูชาแด่พระยาห์เวห์และเลือกเอาสัตว์ใช้งานที่สะอาด และนกที่สะอาดมาเผาบูชาถวายที่แท่นนั้น” This was a sin offering. Despite having found favour with God and walking in righteousness, he acknowledged before God that he was a sinner, and if not for God’s grace and mercy, he too would have been destroyed.

Verse 21 goes on to say that “when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in His heart, “I will never destroy the earth with a flood again.” “พระยาห์เวห์ทรงได้กลิ่นที่พอพระทัยแล้ว ทรงดำริในพระทัยว่า เราจะไม่สาปแผ่นดินอีกต่อไป จะไม่ทำลายล้างโลกด้วยน้ำท่วม...”First, we have the acknowledgement of sin by Noah and then the appeasement of sin through the sacrificed animal. We need to acknowledge our sins, confess and repent. Appeasementthrough the sacrifice of Jesus instead

It is also interesting that the Hebrew word for “covenant” is “beyrit” and it means “to cut”. In English and Thai we say to “make a covenant” but in the Old Testament, the Jews would “cut a covenant” (karat berit). What happens in ancient Israel is when 2 parts make a covenant, they would sacrifice an animal and cut it in half. The 2 parties would then walk between the cut animal and make a contract or covenant together. The meaning is this: this animal has been sacrifice to make our covenant. If I break my promise than what happened to this animal, will also happen to me. It is that serious. All the covenants point to Jesus, because Jesus has been the animal that has been sacrificed in order that a holy God can make a covenant with sinful people. Only Christ. And after the 2 parties have finished making the covenant, they would go have a meal together. This is a beautiful picture. It is through Christ’s sacrifice that we now have fellowship with God and the bible tells us that when Christ returns, what awaits is a งานเลี้ยงใหญ่ banquet where we will feast ร่วมงานเลี้ยงtogether with God!