Genesis 9 – January 18

Today we conclude our study of Noah and his incredible deliverance from the flood waters. Here are five aspects of this chapter to meditate upon today.

The Creation Mandate

If you have been paying close attention, you will notice an interesting connection between Adam and Noah. Both of them were the beginning of a new world that needed to be populated and filled. In Genesis 1:28, the Lord told Adam, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…” In Genesis 9:1 He repeats that command to Noah.

Carnivore Diet

Up to this point in history, there is no evidence that the Lord had ever given the OK to eat anything but vegetation. When God created the world, He told Adam, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.” (Gen. 1:29) But now, God has expanded the options to include animals. This concept of God making changes regarding dietary restrictions is helpful as we will later see the Lord make a similar expansion from the Mosaic Law’s limitations to the Church’s freedom. Personally, I am thankful that I can enjoy bacon and the occasional steak.

The Death Penalty

There is no evidence that there was any form of government that had ever been set up from the time of Adam to Noah. It appears from Genesis 6 that the world was functioning as chaotic anarchy. When Cain killed Abel, the Lord did not permit anyone to carry out vengeance or pursue justice for his crime. After the flood, however, the Lord instituted a system of justice that included capital punishment against murderers. This is the de facto origin of political structures. In order to enact justice, there must be an earthly judge. As we will see next week, the government that grew out of this command was corrupt. Even so, with this first civil law, we see the natural outgrowth of civil society. This law of just retribution was therefore an incredible gift of God. Even a corrupt government is better than the anarchy that preceded the flood. I encourage you to be thankful for the common grace of our government, even if you are not always pleased with the individuals who have been placed in authority over you. 

The Rainbow

God’s covenant was established with all of creation and was marked by the appearance of the rainbow. The Lord gave this as a reminder to all of us that God is patient and longsuffering. The imagery is that of a bow aiming the arrow upward, away from the earth. It is a picture of the incredible mercy of God.

Sin

Sadly, sin survived the flood. All of the people in that boat brought the pandemic of sin into the reset-created order. Noah’s sin was displayed in drunkenness. His son, Ham, displayed his sin by dishonoring his father’s nakedness. (There is debate about what actually happened here. To ‘look’ upon someone’s nakedness in the Bible is typically soft language to speak of sexual action of some kind. This is likely considering that when Noah woke up he “knew what his youngest son had done to him.” (Gen. 9:24) Already the sins of the pre-flood world were seeping back into practice. For this particularly egregious sin, Ham and his line were cursed.