Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Reading

Introduction

We continue our study in the covenants in Scripture this evening.

Last week, we paid particular attention to the fact that the fall of man in the Garden of Eden did not take God by surprise.

It was not something that shocked Him.

Salvation of mankind was God’s plan from all eternity.

But as we continue in our study through the covenants, we come to the covenant that God entered into with Noah.

And what we will see through this covenant is just how deep the need was for a Saviour.

Let us delve right into the significance of this covenant, then.

1.

The Problem Preceding the Covenant

As we come to considering the covenant that God entered into with Noah, it is important that we look at the context that gave rise to the need for such a covenant.

Since the fall of man in Genesis 3 until the place in which we find the first mention of Noah, there are only two brief chapters.

Not all that much has been said and stated in terms of the workings of man and the workings of God in the world.

What we do find however is that wickedness was abounding in the world.

That wickedness could be seen from his early on as Genesis 4 where Cain put his brother Abel to death out of jealousy.

The first murder took place in the world.

But this would not be the end of the wickedness and evil that would continue to abound and to grow in the world.

By the time we reach Genesis 6, we find that there was this exceptional increase in wickedness on the face of the earth.

One particular verse stands out as it describes the extent of the sinfulness of man in God’s eyes.

The one thing that should strike us from this verse is the fact that the heart of man was evil.

It was the inclination of the thoughts of his heart that were evil.

In other words, that which drove and motivated man was utterly affected by sin.

Man’s orientation was to do that which was contrary to the ways of God.

That is an important aspect to see, and I’ll point this out a little bit later on again.

But for now, let us just keep in mind that it was because of this wickedness that was abounding in the world that God would take action.

What did this wickedness and evil on the face of the earth lead God to do?

We find God’s reponse in the next few verses of Genesis 6.

God’s response to the wickedness was that he would bring about a catastrophic disaster that would wipe out mankind from the face of the earth.

The corruption and evil in the face of the earth was so bad, that God found it necessary to bring about a great destruction.

We see a further description of the extent of this wickedness in verses eleven and twelve.

What a sorry picture of the sinful state of man in the world, even so soon after the creation of mankind.

Sin was indeed part of humanity.

The consequences of sin abounded and were clearly evident.

We do note however that God sets his favor upon one particular man.

In verse eight it says that Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

I would argue that this favor was not because of Noah’s righteousness in so much as it was because of God’s grace and mercy.

I’ll explain a bit later on why I say that.

With that said, we must consider secondly the purpose of the covenant.

2. The Purpose of the Covenant

As we continue to look at what unfolds from this context, what we will find is that God brings this destruction upon the earth through a catastrophic flood, all the while keeping and protecting one man and his family along with at least two of every kind of animal.

What God is doing over here is he is destroying the entire created world in order to bring about somethings similar to a re-creation.

In order to do this, we read that God calls Noah to make a wooden ark through which he will bring deliverance to Noah, his family and a the animals on the face of the earth.

Then in verses 17-18 we read…

It’s important to see the emphasis that God is placing here on the destruction of the created world.

In verse seventeen God says that he is going to destroy ALL life under the heavens.

He’s going to destroy every creature that has the breath of life it.

Everything on earth will perish.

But there is a promise of the covenant then given, which will be entered into with Noah and his family and those that are with him in the ark.

I’ll come to those in more detail in a moment, but for now want us to just see that picture of the destruction and then the newness of the establishment of a covenant with a particular people.

In the picture here is one of a new beginning, a new start.

Links to Creation

I want us to draw some links between what God was doing through Adam and what he now continues to do through Noah in this covenant that he will establish with Noah.

Turn in your Bibles to Genesis 1:2 while keeping a finger at Genesis 8.

In Genesis 1:2, we read…

If we then look at Genesis 8:1, we read this...

In the Hebrew language the word that is used for Spirit in Genesis 1:2 is the same as the word that is used for wind in Genesis 8:1.

In other words, as the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters before God formed and shaped the earth, so there is this wind over the earth in Genesis 8:1.

In addition to this, there are a number of parallels that come out in Genesis chapter 1 and Genesis chapter eight.

In Genesis 1:6-8 we read of God separating the waters and the sky.

In Genesis 8:2 we also find the mention of the waters of the deep and the waters of the sky as God closed the floodgates.

In Genesis 1:9 we read of the dry ground appearing out from the waters as God gathered the waters to one place making this dry ground appear.

In Genesis 8:3-5, we read of the waters receding and the tops of the mountains appearing out of the water.

In Genesis 1:20-23, we read of the birds that God set above the earth to fly above the ground.

In Genesis 8:6-12, God tells Noah to send out the Raven and the dove to fly over the earth.

In Genesis 1:24-25, God creates the creatures in the livestock and all of these creatures move along the ground in the face of the earth.

In Genesis 8:17-19, we read about the creatures in the birds and the animals coming out of the ark and going and moving across the along the ground.

In Genesis 1:26-28, read of man being created in the image of God, being made male and female.

In Genesis 8:16, 18, we read of Noah and his wife coming out of the ark, and in Genesis 9:6, we read of man made in the image of God.

In all of these there are very clear parallels that are being drawn between the original creation account in Genesis chapter 1, and the new mandate that will be given to Noah under this new covenant.

We must not miss the connection over here.

The Terms of the Covenant

Continuing on with this thought, will find that much of what God spoke to Adam in the garden of Eden will be repeated now to Noah.

In other words, Noah is presented in the text as a new Adam.

This comes out in the terms of the covenant that are presented to Noah.

These terms are what we saw as we read in Genesis 9:1-17.

Let us consider them briefly.

The first thing we find is that Noah is told to be fruitful and increase in number (Gen.9:1).

He is told to fill the earth.

I scarcely need to go back to Genesis 1:28 and remind you that this is precisely what God had told Adam to do in the garden of Eden.

Secondly, we find that God says to Noah in Genesis 9:2 that the fear of man and dread will be upon every living creature in terms of the animals and the birds and the fish in the sea.

This links back to where God said to Adam in Genesis 1:28 that he was to rule over the animals and the birds of the fish.

Thirdly, we find that God gives food to Noah in a similar way to what he gave food to Adam in the garden.

In the case of Noah, God extends this food to include animals, rather than limiting it to the plants that were given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

The fourth aspect of the terms of the covenant with Noah, and one that really is very critical, is that human life is priceless.

God very clearly indicates here that humanity is one family, and that we as humans are to care for one another and not allow the life of another person to be taken.

Look with me at Genesis 9:5-6…

This is a very important aspect in terms of God’s covenant with Noah.

Essentially, God was instituting a system of justice that was to mark humanity.

Many people have suggested that this is the key mark of the covenant with Noah… the institution of civil justice.

While it certainly is a very key aspect, it is not the only one (as we’ve already been considering).

What I do want to note is that the wording in the original language makes it clear that mankind has a responsibility towards his fellow man.

This is not a case of an individual carrying out personal justice against another person.

Rather it was a matter of society, particularly as Scripture more fully develops it, government institution, to ensure that where life was taken, that person’s life was to be taken in order for justice to prevail for the one that was murdered in the image of God.

As we finalize our considerations under this point, I just want us to note again the fact that God, through the flood that destroyed the world, brought forth a new world, almost with a new Adam in Noah, and entered into a covenant with a view to preserving and keeping his creation in order to demonstrate his mercy and grace toward mankind.

I will touch on this little bit later on again.

With that in mind let us consider our third main point.

3. The Parties to the Covenant

when we looked at Genesis 6:18, we saw that God had initially promised his covenant to Noah and his family.

But as you come to the post-flood narrative in Genesis 9, we find that God broadens that application to not only include Noah and his family, but also all of the created order.

In other words, God is entering into his covenant with the entirety of creation.