OT
Genesis 9:1-19
wlc
9 1 וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת ־ נֹ֖חַ וְאֶת ־ בָּנָ֑יו וַיֹּ֧אמֶר לָהֶ֛ם פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֖וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת ־ הָאָֽרֶץ ׃ 2 וּמוֹרַאֲכֶ֤ם וְחִתְּכֶם֙ יִֽהְיֶ֔ה עַ֚ל כָּל ־ חַיַּ֣ת הָאָ֔רֶץ וְעַ֖ל כָּל ־ ע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם בְּכֹל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּרְמֹ֧שׂ הָֽאֲדָמָ֛ה וּֽבְכָל ־ דְּגֵ֥י הַיָּ֖ם בְּיֶדְכֶ֥ם נִתָּֽנוּ ׃ 3 כָּל ־ רֶ֙מֶשׂ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הוּא ־ חַ֔י לָכֶ֥ם יִהְיֶ֖ה לְאָכְלָ֑ה כְּיֶ֣רֶק עֵ֔שֶׂב נָתַ֥תִּי לָכֶ֖ם אֶת ־ כֹּֽל ׃ 4 אַךְ ־ בָּשָׂ֕ר בְּנַפְשׁ֥וֹ דָמ֖וֹ לֹ֥א תֹאכֵֽלוּ ׃ 5 וְאַ֨ךְ אֶת ־ דִּמְכֶ֤ם לְנַפְשֹֽׁתֵיכֶם֙ אֶדְרֹ֔שׁ מִיַּ֥ד כָּל ־ חַיָּ֖ה אֶדְרְשֶׁ֑נּוּ וּמִיַּ֣ד הָֽאָדָ֗ם מִיַּד֙ אִ֣ישׁ אָחִ֔יו אֶדְרֹ֖שׁ אֶת ־ נֶ֥פֶשׁ הָֽאָדָֽם ׃ 6 שֹׁפֵךְ֙ דַּ֣ם הָֽאָדָ֔ם בָּֽאָדָ֖ם דָּמ֣וֹ יִשָּׁפֵ֑ךְ כִּ֚י בְּצֶ֣לֶם אֱלֹהִ֔ים עָשָׂ֖ה אֶת ־ הָאָדָֽם ׃ 7 וְאַתֶּ֖ם פְּר֣וּ וּרְב֑וּ שִׁרְצ֥וּ בָאָ֖רֶץ וּרְבוּ ־ בָֽהּ ׃ ס 8 וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל ־ נֹ֔חַ וְאֶל ־ בָּנָ֥יו אִתּ֖וֹ לֵאמֹֽר ׃ 9 וַאֲנִ֕י הִנְנִ֥י מֵקִ֛ים אֶת ־ בְּרִיתִ֖י אִתְּכֶ֑ם וְאֶֽת ־ זַרְעֲכֶ֖ם אַֽחֲרֵיכֶֽם ׃ 10 וְאֵ֨ת כָּל ־ נֶ֤פֶשׁ הַֽחַיָּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתְּכֶ֔ם בָּע֧וֹף בַּבְּהֵמָ֛ה וּֽבְכָל ־ חַיַּ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ אִתְּכֶ֑ם מִכֹּל֙ יֹצְאֵ֣י הַתֵּבָ֔ה לְכֹ֖ל חַיַּ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ ׃ 11 וַהֲקִמֹתִ֤י אֶת ־ בְּרִיתִי֙ אִתְּכֶ֔ם וְלֹֽא ־ יִכָּרֵ֧ת כָּל ־ בָּשָׂ֛ר ע֖וֹד מִמֵּ֣י הַמַּבּ֑וּל וְלֹֽא ־ יִהְיֶ֥ה ע֛וֹד מַבּ֖וּל לְשַׁחֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ ׃ 12 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים זֹ֤את אֽוֹת ־ הַבְּרִית֙ אֲשֶׁר ־ אֲנִ֣י נֹתֵ֗ן בֵּינִי֙ וּבֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם וּבֵ֛ין כָּל ־ נֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתְּכֶ֑ם לְדֹרֹ֖ת עוֹלָֽם ׃ 13 אֶת ־ קַשְׁתִּ֕י נָתַ֖תִּי בֶּֽעָנָ֑ן וְהָֽיְתָה֙ לְא֣וֹת בְּרִ֔ית בֵּינִ֖י וּבֵ֥ין הָאָֽרֶץ ׃ 14 וְהָיָ֕ה בְּעַֽנְנִ֥י עָנָ֖ן עַל ־ הָאָ֑רֶץ וְנִרְאֲתָ֥ה הַקֶּ֖שֶׁת בֶּעָנָֽן ׃ 15 וְזָכַרְתִּ֣י אֶת ־ בְּרִיתִ֗י אֲשֶׁ֤ר בֵּינִי֙ וּבֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם וּבֵ֛ין כָּל ־ נֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּ֖ה בְּכָל ־ בָּשָׂ֑ר וְלֹֽא ־ יִֽהְיֶ֨ה ע֤וֹד הַמַּ֙יִם֙ לְמַבּ֔וּל לְשַׁחֵ֖ת כָּל ־ בָּשָֽׂר ׃ 16 וְהָיְתָ֥ה הַקֶּ֖שֶׁת בֶּֽעָנָ֑ן וּרְאִיתִ֗יהָ לִזְכֹּר֙ בְּרִ֣ית עוֹלָ֔ם בֵּ֣ין אֱלֹהִ֔ים וּבֵין֙ כָּל ־ נֶ֣פֶשׁ חַיָּ֔ה בְּכָל ־ בָּשָׂ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר עַל ־ הָאָֽרֶץ ׃ 17 וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל ־ נֹ֑חַ זֹ֤את אֽוֹת ־ הַבְּרִית֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֲקִמֹ֔תִי בֵּינִ֕י וּבֵ֥ין כָּל ־ בָּשָׂ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר עַל ־ הָאָֽרֶץ ׃ פ 18 וַיִּֽהְי֣וּ בְנֵי ־ נֹ֗חַ הַיֹּֽצְאִים֙ מִן ־ הַתֵּבָ֔ה שֵׁ֖ם וְחָ֣ם וָיָ֑פֶת וְחָ֕ם ה֖וּא אֲבִ֥י כְנָֽעַן ׃ 19 שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה אֵ֖לֶּה בְּנֵי ־ נֹ֑חַ וּמֵאֵ֖לֶּה נָֽפְצָ֥ה כָל ־ הָאָֽרֶץ ׃
Genesis 9:1-19
esv
9 1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, q “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 r The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 s Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And t as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its u life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: v from every beast I will require it and w from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 x “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, y for God made man in his own image. 7 And you, 1 be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.” 8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, z I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 a I establish my covenant with you, 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.” 12 And God said, b “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set c my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 d I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember e the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” Noah’s Descendants 18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were f Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and g from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed. 1
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God emphasises his commitment to the world he has made Intro We've seen that the new world emerging after the flood is like a new creation of Genesis 1. And just as God spoke to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1, what God now says to Noah and his family emphasises that humans are his image bearers, and that God is concerned for all creation. 1. God is deeply concerned for his own image (v1-7) He wants his image bearers to fill the earth (v1 and bookends at 7) v1 cf Genesis 1 blessing again He will hold to account those who harm his image bearers (v5-6). Sanctity of human life. cf Cain and Abel. The embryonic beginnings of legitimate human justice within societies. Humans are still given dominion over all (v2-4). How to understand fear, dread? into your hand they are delivered? v3 everything given for food now. Why? v4 but not the blood. cf Acts 15. Why? 2. God established his covenant with every living thing (v8-17) 'Established' rather than 'cut' or 'make' a covenant. I.e., this is a restatement, an emphasis and strengthening of his (implied) covenant with creation through Adam at the very beginning. v9 establish - ie the covenant already existed. The parties are God, Noah/humanity, and every living creature of the earth! Never again a flood to destroy the earth. Every living thing benefits from this covenant, whether they know it or not. Bow - like, warrior's bow. Covenants always come with a 'sign' (cf Lord's supper) 'I will remember my covenant' - twice. 'Everlasting' covenant. Emphatic, repeated language. Glory of God: he initiates a covenant to hold himself to mercy and patience. He has made humans in his image and so underwrites and sees their value. He blesses his creation to multiply again. FCF: We don't uphold the image of God and the sanctity of life. We don't see people simply and purely as people, neighbours. Instead we define by colour, upbringing etc. Tragedy of sexuality/gender movements today is to define identity upon that, and thus insist that others do too. It's the foundation of ethics - eg when a man mistreats a woman or fantasises about someone, not only is he forgetting in that moment that she is (or was) someone's daughter, but that she is a divine image bearer, to be treated with respect, dignity, honour. 5th commandment, honour your father and mother (from whom you were given the image of God); and then do not murder. And the rest unpack how we honour the image of God. Person of Jesus: he is the exact image of God in human flesh. And, he perfectly loves others - honours the image of God. Work of Jesus: the lifeblood God requires of us was reckoned from him in our place. Just as the terrible bow of the warrior is now a sign of mercy and assurance, the terrible cross of death is now a sign of life and love. [The Lord's supper a sign of this greater New Covenant. The Father looks upon the blood of the Son and assures his love for his people] Union with Jesus: I know that what I needed to pay, he paid. My death has been died. The weekly meal with Jesus and his people the repeating sign of God's favour towards me. In him I see people as just what they are - people. In Jesus the whole creation is going to be filled - through his people - with the knowledge of the glory of God. Wrap-up Ephesians 1.19-23. Jesus is the true Adam, the true Noah. The one through whoom God fills all things with the knowledge of his glory: ... what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:19-23 ESV
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