Genesis 9:8-17

March 20, 2013 Were going to pick back up on the story of Noah in Genesis chapter nine. Hes just come off the ark and made a sacrifice which God smells and is pleased. God makes a promise to never again curse the ground or to destroy the earth until the appointed time and then blesses Noah and his family. Here in verse eight were looking at not only a more comprehensive explanation of the promise in 8:21-22, but we see that God formally seals the deal with a covenant. Earlier, when God first commanded Noah to build the ark, He made a reference to this saying, With thee will I establish my covenant, and now that the waters have subsided and everyone is safely out of the ark its time for God to follow through with what Hes promised. And the focus of these ten verses is primarily on this covenant and its token. In the ancient world covenants 1 were promises verified by an oath, usually witnessed by some lasting power, and verified with a token. Were all familiar with this from just the Old Testament. There are several promises which are followed up with something like the Lord is witness this day or I call heaven and earth to record this day against you. Sometimes they made a pile of stones which would remain long after both parties died and they called it a witness (Josh. 24:27). And then a token was often exchanged as a sort of tangible reminder of the promises made. Youll remember that Abrahams servant placed his hand under Abrahams thigh to take an oath (Gen. 24:2) and that Boaz plucking off his shoe to redeem Ruth (Ruth 4:8). Sometimes the token was the sacrifice of an animal which graphically warned the promisor of the consequences of breaking his word. It was common for tribes or clans to covenant together offering a son or daughter in marriage to ensure the mutual survival of the unified people. Later groups like the Hittites formalized the process with elaborate ceremonies and documents literally written in metal or stone. These covenants were occasionally read aloud in public so that no one would forget about their responsibilities. Well, here in Genesis nine were reading about a token and its token. Noah offers a sweet smelling sacrifice to God, God blesses him and his family:
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And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9And I, behold, I establish my covenant

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First, and this is important, God is the origin of this covenant. He says, I, behold, I and so Hes drawing attention to Himself: Look at me; I am setting up this covenant. This is a one-way thing. Whatever comes next it doesnt matter how anyone responds because God is doing this Himself. with you, and with your seed after you; 10And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11And I will establish my covenant with you, Now, this is the scope of this covenant. It extends not only to Noah, but also to his sons and grandsons and great-grandsons and all the animals and everything living creature from that point in time all the way down to today. So this is a far reaching covenant: neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. Heres the content of the covenant. Some have called this common grace, and its true that God could and should just destroy everyone at once, and so this is a sort of universal benefit that He doesnt do that, but we have to remember that history and the Bible are all about the revelation of His glory. This is all building up to the Day of Judgment and to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. So essentially what God is saying is that Hell withhold judgment until the end and wont again give sinners all they deserve until then. I know its a fine line, but to me at least its an important distinction. Common grace seems to lack the deliberate purpose and determination of a sovereign God who oversees all things and works them according to His plan and purpose. So what we have here is a promise from God for the elect, and this promise helps us wait.
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And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. What is the tangible reminder of Gods promise? Its a rainbow. Now, what is the purpose of that? And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. 27And I saw as the colour of

amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. 28As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake (Ez. 1:26-28). And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 3And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald (Rev. 4:2-3). These two verses clearly speak of Christ, and so I cant help but see the rainbow as a sign of Him!
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And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; The language here throws some people off because it sounds like God is only reminded not to destroy everything because He sees the bow. But thats not the case at all. Remember that in ancient times they kept these tokens, not because they were forgetful, but because they were visible signs of the pledges they had made. and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. When God sees the token Hes reminded to withhold wrath. And of course, the bigger picture is that Gods wrath is satisfied by Christ. We can go back to Isaiah again and see that this whole promise of the gospel is more than just a simple promiseits a covenant! For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. 7For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. 8In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on

thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. 9For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. 10For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee (Isaiah 54:6-10). Praise God for His mercy to us. newgracebaptistchurch.wordpress.com