Genesis Chapter 9

 

In this chapter we continue to learn about Noah and his sons after the flood.

Verses 1-7

God told Noah and his sons to have children and repopulate the earth.

Verses 2-3 is similar to the Covenant God gave Adam in Genesis 1:26 & 28 when he gave man dominion over all the animals. But in these verses it’s a bit more forceful using the words in verse 2 that animals are going to have fear and dread of man. God did that for the animals preservation. It’s a God given fear. Verse 3 God gives the animals to us for food. Before this man ate plants.

God told them not to eat meat that contained blood. Blood was to be respected because it gave life to humans and to animals.

In verse 6 murder was forbidden and a serious crime because God made humans in His image. This is where capital punishment originated.

Verses 8-17

God’s Covenant (a promise) to all people is in verses 8-9 I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you.

 We are all descendants of either Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s three sons. 

God promised never to flood the earth again and destroy every living creature.

Noah is not Jewish. The Jewish people will not begin for hundreds of years in the future. This Covenant is given before the Law of Moses and this Covenant is in effect for all time and for all generations.  Verse 16 says, everlasting Covenant. In verse 17, The sign of this Covenant is a rainbow.

Verses 18-29

Noah became drunk on the wine  and lay naked in his tent. Ham saw his father naked and told his two brothers. Shem and Japheth took a garment and covered their father without looking at him.

Noah woke up realizing what his son Ham did and cursed Ham’s son Canaan. The ancient Hebrew says that Ham “told with delight” what he saw undermining his authority as a man from God. 

He said that Ham’s offspring would be servants to his brother’s offspring. He blessed Japheth and Shem for covering him up.

Noah’s son Shem will become the ancestor to the Jewish nation. The Jewish people will come from Shem. Shem is a follower of God.

Ham will live a life of evil and it will get worse because he had seen the wickedness of those before the flood.

I have a difficult time watching the news because it is a reminder of the corruption and evil of this world. We always say or think that the corruption and evil of this world is getting worse but according to these scriptures it has always been this way since the beginning of time. God doesn’t have to watch the news to see what is going on in this world because He can see it all. God’s Covenant with Noah shows his mercy and grace all these thousands of years. Instead of obliterating this evil world God extends love and forgiveness to all who will take it. Now that is Amazing Grace!

Genesis Chapter 8

 

In this chapter we are continuing the story of Noah and his family. Only 8 people exist at this time, Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives.

Verses 1-5

God began to remove the flood waters by creating a wind which stopped the water level from increasing and began to decrease. 

The ark came to rest on the top of the mountains of Ararat. Some believe that because the ark was made with pitch (which is a sealer) on the inside and the outside that it is well preserved somewhere in the snow and ice of those mountains.

In the 10th month on the ark, the tops of the mountains became visible.

Verses 6-12

Noah releases a raven and it went to and fro until the waters dried up from the earth. Then Noah sent a dove, but it returned. 7 more days and it returned with an olive leaf. 7 more days and it did not return.

Verses 13-22

Noah and his family were on the ark 377 days according to verse 14. God told Noah, his family and the animals that they could leave the ark. 

Noah worshiped God. God promised Noah that He would never again strike down every living creature.

There is still judgement just like in the day of Noah but Revelation 3:20 says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me. 

Everything that God does is for His purpose and according to I Peter 5:10, we serve the God of all grace.

God gave grace to Noah and his family and he continues to give grace to us as well.

Genesis Chapter 7

  

This chapter tells the story of the flood the entire earth and that only 8 people were safe in the ark. (Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives) Also, a pair of each of the animals were also safe in the ark.

Verses 1-5

God told Noah the flood was going to begin in 7 days and it would rain continually for 40 days and 40 nights.

Verses 6-24

Noah was 600 years old when the earth was flooded. 

In verse 9 it says that the animals went in two and two unto Noah. They came to him. He didn’t have to go after the animals. There were animals that normally kill or eat other species and they lived in harmony on the ark.

Once Noah and the animals were on the ark, God shut and sealed the door. Noah knew that he could not save himself and relied on God to save him and his family. John 10:9 in the New Testament says, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.” In God’s plan the door always represents Jesus.

The flood represents judgement to all mankind and all living creatures that died in this flood.

The waters remained on the earth for 150 days. This is an explanation of fossils that have been found all over the earth. Fossils are the remains of plants and animals whose bodies were buried in sand and mud under ancient seas, lakes and rivers.

We see in this chapter that God is love in His protection of Noah and his family but He is also a God of justice when it comes to disobedience. Just like any parent would be with their child. But God offers us a way to be saved from our own sin through Jesus Christ. 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.

Because of our sin God sent us a way of escaping just like He did Noah and his family through His son on the cross, who paid for all our sin. All these events that we are studying in these books of the Bible will eventually lead to the cross.