Genesis
8
Every animal, person, and bird has now died except for those in
the safety of the Ark. The Ark comes to rest on the mountain
of Ararat. The people and the animals
must stay in the Ark for a couple more months, over a year in total. As they leave the Ark, Noah is now 601 years of age. Noah makes a sacrifice to the Lord. God
makes a covenant with all the Earth:
“I will never again curse the earth, destroying all living things, even though people’s
thoughts and actions are bent toward evil from childhood.” Genesis 8:21 (NLT). “While the earth remains, there will be seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer
and winter, day and nigh, shall not cease..” Genesis
8:22 (Amp)
“Seedtime and harvest”
is an eternal principal established here in the beginning. First we plant a seed through our behavior and actions. Then
time passes by. The harvest of our
actions comes later, sometimes much later. We reap what we sow, either for good
or bad.
Genesis
9
God blesses Noah and his sons and puts a fear of man into all
wild animals. God tells Noah not to eat the blood of living creatures but gives
vegetables and the flesh of all living creatures as appropriate food. “Life
blood” is important to God. “Yes,
you must execute anyone who murders another person, for to kill a person is to kill a living being made in God’s image.” Genesis 9:6 (NLT) This verse is from the
Old Testament. Does the New Testament nullify Genesis 9:6?
The rainbow is deemed the sign of this everlasting covenant. We are to value all life just as God
does as each person is created in the image of God.
Noah
& his three sons:
Noah’s three sons are Shem,
Japheth and Ham. All of the races descend from these three sons. Noah plants a vineyard. He harvests the
grapes and becomes drunk. The Bible is always honest about the good and bad behavior
of people, even it’s Saints. Consider Moses (a murderer), Peter the Apostle
(who dened Jesus three times), and King David (adulterer & murderer). Genesis
6:9 stated Noah was “perfect in his generation.” “But this
is meant of sincerity, not of sinless perfection.” (Matthew Henry, p. 20)
Ham sees his father Noah “naked
and uncovered.” And Ham (Noah’s youngest son), who is
the father of Canaan, ran and told his two older brothers.
“When Noah awoke from his wine, and knew the thing which his youngest son had done to him.” Genesis 9:24 (Amp)
Shem and Japheth take a
garment and cover their father walking in backwards so as to not see his nakedness.
Shem and Japheth respect their father and protect his honor, deserved or otherwise.
Noah cursed Ham’s son Canaan. This was a
generational curse and we see the effects of this curse through the years that follow.
The Bible does not specify why Noah was so angry or exactly what Ham did. Perhaps
this was the first recorded case of sexual abuse. Perhaps it is only because
Ham does not honor him and runs to gossip about him. Noah then stated:
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem! And
blessed by the Lord my God be Shem. And let Canaan be his servant.
May God enlarge Japheth; and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” Genesis 9:26-27
The lines of descent are detailed in chapter 10. The Jews descend from Shem. The gentiles descend from Japheth. We run into the descendants of Ham later when the Israelites destroy the people of
the land of Canaan (Book of Joshua) where
many of Ham’s descendants reside. There and in Egypt
and to the South. Matthew Henry (p. 21) suggests this curse and blessing
unfolds into the Jews and gentiles (Christians) ultimately being united under Christ.
I have heard a number of sermons on these verses suggest fathers have great spiritual authority over their children. So it follows that we fathers should pray for and bless our children.
The New Testament comments on
the faith of Noah and others we have considered in the book of Hebrews. We will read much more about faith when
we come to the history of the patriach Abraham.
By
faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned
the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."
HebrewsChapter 11:7 NIV
Peter speaks about the flood and Noah's faith and God's mercy.
"those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his
boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. And
this is a picture of baptism, which now saves you by the power of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Baptism is not a removal
of dirt from your body; it is an appeal to God from a clean conscience."
1 Peter 3:20-21 (NLT).
The flood ended the Age
of Conscience.
