Genesis 9
Finally, after leaving the ark, a new life begins.
While it must have been a relief to be able to leave the ark after being cooped up for such a long period of time, I’m pretty sure Noah and his family would have felt uncertain and even fearful when faced with this new life and new earth.
Imagine the whole world laid out before you. Your eyes see stretches and stretches of land from the mountains of Ararat; the Earth feels so vast and wide.
And you realise you and your small family are the only people in this vast and empty land.
Wouldn’t you feel strange and worried?
However, God, being the God who knows the needs of man and cares for him gives His assurance and promise to Noah as he begins his new life outside the ark. What did He say? What did He do?
Bible Passage: Genesis 9
God’s Protection and Promise
And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. (Gen 9:2-3)
And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. (Gen 9:12-15)
The protection of God was seen in how He put the fear of man in all the animals. Can you imagine if God had not done so? Noah and his small family would probably have been killed by the larger and fiercer animals before they could repopulate the Earth. This is truly a great protection from God considering we really are slower and weaker than a lot of these animals.
Besides protecting them physically, God was also concerned for the mental and emotional well-being of Noah and his family. Having witnessed the fearsome flood that wiped out all life from the face of the earth, Noah and his family would be predictably nervous each time it rains, not knowing if it would be the onset of another flood. In fact, they might not dare to venture too far from the ark.
God knows this fear that they face and did not want them to be hindered by their fear for His will for them was to lead joyful, fulfilling, fruitful lives and to fill the earth. Therefore, He assures them of the fact that He will not flood the Earth again by letting them see the beautiful sign of this covenant each time it rains. Don’t you think our God is really wonderful yet so caring at the same time?
Next time you see a rainbow, do remember God’s promise and His loving-kindness while you admire His beautiful handiwork.
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PS
Gen 7:23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those with him in the ark remained alive.
Among the first set of instruction to Noah, God said:
“…From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.
Whoever sheds man’s blood,
By man his blood shall be shed;
For in the image of God
He made man.” (Gen 9:5-6)
Cain killed Abel. Then the history of man was filled with increased decadence and violence.
Gen 9:5 “Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require of it, and from the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.”
(for your lifeblood: 流你们血、害你们命的 ie shed your blood and take your life)
Man is created in the image of God.
Esteem God by living a life worthy of His salvation grace to arrive home in heaven.
Esteem God by feeding His lambs, tending His sheep and feeding His sheep.
Esteem God by preaching His gospel to those wondering in the world.
May be, like Paul, we can account to God that “i am innocent of the blood of all men.” (Acts 20:26)
biblereadingcompanion
The rainbow.
Nothing cheers the heart like a rainbow.
I do not know about you but I love rainbows. Ever since I saw my first rainbow, I was captivated by it. And all the more so when I heard the story of Noah and the Flood and how God promised to never destroy the world again through the flood by giving the rainbow as a covenant between man and Him.
In life, it is inevitable that we will have to face rainstorms. But God, being the Faithful One, shows us His love, mercy and care.
I like this quote very much…
“And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.”
We must remember the promises of God in the midst of our problems. Learn to look UP and focus our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith!
Here’s another poem about rainbows (:
Somewhere There’s A Rainbow
Even when storm-clouds
Are filling the air,
We know there’s a rainbow
Just waiting somewhere,
And when the storm’s over
Our rainbow will be
Shining brightly in glory
For both you and me.
This covenant of promise – the rainbow – is for eternity. I did not notice this till I read Rev 4:2-3…
“Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was[a] like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.”
There is a rainbow around the throne of God!
Wow! I can’t wait to see that! (:
This adds another perspective for me for the next rainbow I see.
thechosen
I love rainbows too!
I feel similar to aquilofgod, that if I were Noah, to think of getting out of the ark to a world where all other men are no more, is actually quite a fearful n lonely thought. I tend to wonder where all the corpses went, haa. But BRC assured me that God would had taken care of the cleanup job too. It is indeed comforting to have his family around though. I believe it is the trust in God’s righteousness n faithfulness that’ll pull one through.
Beng Huat
I love rainbows too!
My most memorable one is the one on 25 February 2009 in the evening. I even took a 10 second video in order to capture the entire rainbow (how big is that???)…
I had this thought about rainbows then, from the verses:
Gen 9:11-17
2 Peter 3:5-7
The rainbow is a promise that God will not destroy the world again with water, and a reminder that He will destroy the world again with fire.
Incidentally, I had the impression that I was seeing rainbows more frequently than normal in that period, as if God is sending many reminders that the world is going to be destroyed soon.
PS
i saw the rainbow too. i was waiting for bus to go to adam for service when i saw the rainbow.
The rainbow was reported in the evening news.
“The rainbow is a promise that God will not destroy the world again with water, and a reminder that He will destroy the world again with fire.”
Hallelujah. Bro Shen Zhou spoke at adam this evening. His sermon on Luke 14:25-35 was simple yet insightful. Like Bro Beng Huat’s comment.
i keep hovering in my mind that as salt i have not brought goodness to those around me. i have not been good company. i fail in perserving the precious spiritual life of those around me.