Senior Class Notes – June 9, 2024

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Summer 2024 Session 1 unit 2 – God’s Promise of Preservation; Genesis 9:1-13; PSG 28-37 PSG-CSB.

June 9, 2024

The Point: God promised to preserve His creation.

Inspirational verses: “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:28).

Genesis 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth.

Chapter 9 opens with a renewal of this blessing that fortifies the parallels between Noah and Adam (1:28), as both blessings began with the command to be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. However, in Noah’s day the blessing is altered.16 Like Adam, Noah and his sons are blessed and are commanded to reproduce and fill the earth.  The word bless is key in Genesis. It means “to confer benefit.”17 This the second time this has been given to Noah and his sons (Gen. 8:17 and 9:1).13 Their failure to fill the earth led to the tower of Bable and God changing their common language to multiple languages which at the time made everyone sound like they were babbling (Genesis 11:1-9).12 God established the institution of the family in Gen. 2:18-25; He establishes the institution of government here (9:1-17).32

Genesis 9:2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

Also like our first parents, the survivors were given dominion over the animal creatures, which would now fear mankind; plus people could now eat animal flesh, but not their blood.19 Mankind is still to take dominion over creation (1:28), but due to the presence of sin, the harmony that existed in the garden of Eden had forever ended; now animals are filled with the fear and dread of humans. Terrorized animals can be dangerous; even so, God delivered the animals into people’s hand, ensuring that humans would prevail over the animal kingdom.16 This re-established man’s dominion over the animal kingdom. This is a time of new beginnings, and thus, God deems it appropriate now to sanction the eating of meat as well as the green herb.13

Genesis 9:3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

The original dietary regulations given to Adam and Eve “And God said, behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” (1:29) were now expanded.16 God also makes a dietary concession from the original created order (1:29), allowing humans to eat Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you. Instead of just plants (Acts 10:9-16; Peter’s vision).32 Animal proteins would join green herb within the human diet. The phrase every moving thing referring to animal food sources can be understood to refer to smaller animals on land or sea, but it is usually understood here to mean every living creature. Israelites would later be limited to eating only clean animals (Leviticus 11).16 See attached listing55 The New Testament gives us a different view of foods we can eat. For example:16

  1. Mark 7:19 – “Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats.” What goes into a person’s stomach doesn’t defile because it is digested and eliminated. Purging all meats means that Jesus was “declaring all foods clean.” Recall that Mark was written under Peter’s influence and that Peter learned that all foods are clean. See Acts 10:10-16, Peter’s vision.
  2. Romans 14:14-15 – “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.”
  3. Colossians 2:16-17 – “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
  4. 1 Timothy 4:3-5 – “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”

Genesis 9:4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

Though meat would be permissible as food, blood would not. God required Noah and his offspring to drain the lifeblood from any animal before eating it. This guideline would be expanded and clarified in Israel’s Sinai law code (Lev. 7:26-27; 17:10-14; 19:26; Deut. 12:16, 24; 15:23). To avoid offending Jewish Christians, first-century Christian Gentiles were also encouraged not to eat blood (Acts 15:20, 29).16 What is the purpose of God’s restriction that Noah and his sons drain the blood of the animals they use for food? One reason is probably respect for life and the giver of life. In the centuries to come, as the Jewish laws were developed and documented, God’s people were again forbidden to consume the blood, which was considered the life of the creature.17 This restriction gets more attention in Leviticus (Lev. 17:10-12). Blood represents the animal’s life. It may be used in sacrifice, for all life belongs to the Lord.18

Genesis 9:5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.

Every beast or man who killed another human being, his own blood would be shed by man as a just punishment.16 The sanctity of blood as a life principle will be protected and avenged. God will hold accountable animals and people who take human life. This indicates the high value God places on human beings since they bear His image.19 The God-given right of executing murderers involves the establishment of human government following the Flood. This right of capital punishment has not been rescinded during the Christian era (Acts 25:11; Rom, 13:4). The really terrible thing about murder is that it strikes at the very image of God in man, which makes man of vital importance to God.14

Genesis 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Because in the image of God made he man, the taking of a human life either by an animal or by another person was not treated like the death of an animal. This verse establishes that unauthorized taking of a human life is a capital offense, and it implicitly authorizes properly credentialed authorities to execute murderers (Exod. 20:13; 21:23; Deut. 19:21). No such law exists for the killing of animals; the Bible consistently teaches that human beings are of superior worth to animals.16 This verse upholds the sanctity of human life and human responsibility before God to protect that life. It is the acknowledgment of God’s image borne by every person.17 Sin did not destroy man as the image of God. God values human life more highly than animal life because only humankind possesses God’s image.18 Murder is a terrible crime because God made human beings in His image. It shows an utter contempt for God and the life He has given mankind. Jesus later emphasized that treating others with malice and unforgiveness is just as great an offense (Matt. 5:22).2 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed invokes capital punishment as just retribution for murder under certain conditions – a mandate that has not been rescinded.32

Genesis 9:7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

God’s blessing of humanity in Noah’s day begins (v. 9:1) and ends with the command to be fruitful, and multiply. This repetition underscores the sacredness and desirability of human reproduction within God’s plan.16

Genesis 9:8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

These verses (8-11) are the formal conclusion of the covenant first mentioned in 6:18. “But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.” (Gen. 6:18)16

Genesis 9:9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

The initial expression of the covenant unconditionally offered safety in the ark to Noah’s family and many classes of animals.16 God established a covenant with Noah and his descendants (seed) after him. The first mention of the term covenant in the Bible (Gen. 6:18) initiates a new beginning in salvation history that includes a divine promise: never again will God destroy all life on the earth by the waters of a flood. God’s promise to Noah – Only when we think of God as Creator, as well as Redeemer, can we begin to understand His covenant of redemption as being related to the covenant of creation (Gen. 1:26-30; 2:15-17). God doesn’t abandon His creation. On the contrary, though evil has corrupted it, He graciously (for it is undeserved) establishes a covenantal relationship with Noah’s descendants as well as with every beast of the earth. God promised that He would establish His covenant with Noah and here He accomplished this great work. This note of universality is given further expression by Hosea (2:18) and Jonah (4:11).18

Genesis 9:10 And 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.

We learn from Genesis 7:2-3 that while one male and one female of every species of air and land animals were to be taken aboard the ark, of every clean beast – both those of the land and the fowls also of the air – Noah was to have seven pairs of males and females onboard. “Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beast that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.” (Genesis 7:2-3).16

Genesis 9:11 And I will establish my covenant with you; 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.

In the style of a royal grant or unilateral agreement, this portion of the Noahic covenant unconditionally promises that there will never again be a flood of the same destructive scale.16 This covenant involved the dispensation of human government, with humanity governing itself. Man was responsible to govern the world for God. The governing covenant of this era was the Noahic covenant. Under it, man’s relationship to the earth and to the order of nature was confirmed (vv. 2-11), human government was established, and God promised never again to use a universal flood to judge the world (vv. 11-17). The failure of man under this dispensation culminated in the building of the tower of Babel and resulted in the judgment of the confusion of tongues (cf. 11:1-3,7).14

Genesis 9:12 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:

Accompanying the covenant was a visible token of the agreement between God and the earth that would continue for perpetual generations:16 The Rainbow.12 When God makes a promise, He does not want us to forget it. Therefore, He often gives us some tangible sign to memorialize His promise.2 God does not forget, but the sinful man tends to forget. So therefore, God gives the sign for us to remember His promise.12

Genesis 9:13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

God’s bow in the cloud represented His promise that He would never again send a flood to destroy all flesh. From this point forward the rainbow would have profound significance as an affirmation of God’s grace and peace. Elsewhere in the Bible the rainbow is associated with the presence of God or His angelic representative (Ezek. 1:28; Rev. 4:3; 10:1). This covenant is one of three in the Bible that were accompanied by a sign; the other signs were circumcision (Gen. 17:11) and the Sabbath (Exod. 31:16-17).16 God clearly makes this promise an eternal promise and marks it with the sign of the rainbow.17

 

References: Summer 2024, June 2, 2024 – August 25, 2024

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  2. (CFSLPB) – The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible Copyright © 2017 by Thomas Nelson. Text from the Holy Bible, New International Version copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
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