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BIBLE
STUDY LESSON
For
the week beginning Sunday July 22, 2018
GOD’S
COVENANT WITH NOAH
Genesis
9:1-17
The historical writings in the Book of Genesis, not only tells
the story of a “chosen people of GOD”, and how GOD acted upon the lives of the
Jews (Genesis 12-50), but it also actually begins by telling the story of how
GOD acted upon the lives of all mankind and all living creatures in general, as
our Holy and sovereign CREATOR (Genesis 1-11).
In the Old Testament, GOD is attempting to
show us just how far we are from HIS high and holy standards. And in the New
Testament, GOD sends us JESUS to try and show us just how we can move closer to
that high and holy standard. The Old Testament also contains the stories of the
many men and women of deep and powerful unbending faith such as Abraham, Moses,
Joshua, David, and the like, who all clung to their belief in the Almighty GOD.
In this day and age, we too, can build, and
embody the same measures of faith that those people exhibited in their
lifetimes, but we, like them, must sincerely seek and honor GOD just as they
did, in all that we do. We will never be required by GOD to come up with any
ground-breaking methods, by way of our considerable “human ingenuity”, of
serving HIM, but rather, we will always be expected by GOD to worship and obey
HIM HIS way, not ours. And all of GOD’s ways, in which HE wants us to serve HIM,
are already laid out in Scripture.
Genesis is the first book of the Holy
Bible, and, the first of five books accredited to the authorship of Moses.
Moses is one of the most towering figures in Jewish history, and, the one who
came to be known simply, as “The Law Giver”. He begins his writings with the
telling of the “Creation Account” of all things, “the fall of man at the hands
of Adam and Eve”, and “the subsequent intolerable wickedness of mankind”, which
led to the “Great Flood” method of destruction by GOD.
However, just as GOD always replaced the
darkness of our ancestors existence, with the light of HIS presence in those
days, so it is too, in these days of the twenty-first century. Over the next
few lessons, we will focus on, and trace GOD’s covenant promises to HIS people,
through, the annals of Old Testament biblical history, and we’ll began with
this first account of GOD’s “Rainbow Covenant” with Noah. Noah is the first man
in Scripture to be called “righteous” (Genesis 6:9), and he was the only
righteous man on earth at the time of the flood!
In Genesis chapter 9, verses 1-15, we take
up this great man’s story at a time, immediately following the world-ending
Flood. Here Noah and his sons are instructed by GOD, just as Adam and Eve were,
in the beginning, to be fruitful and multiply (“male”-pronounced “maw-lay”, which
means to “replenish”) and fill the earth with human life.
In the beginning, we must remember that,
GOD also instructed Adam and Eve to eat only the vegetation of the land.
However, this order came with one restriction, “Do not eat of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil”, and after their disobedience to this command from
GOD, HE quickly had to remove them from the “Garden of Eden” before they had a
chance to eat from the other tree at the center of the garden, the eternal
“Tree of Life”.
Once again, here GOD gives man dominion
over the animals of the earth, but this time, HE allows man the use of all animals
for food. This is not a contradiction to Deuteronomy 14:3-21, because man in
those days did not live under the “Law of Moses”, which did not exist at that
time, and was put in place much later on, to distinguish the Jewish lifestyle,
which started with Abraham, from the rest of human society.
Some believe that the stipulations that
were placed on the Gentiles during the “Acts 15 Council” in the first century (Acts
15), by the Church leaders at Jerusalem, find their origins comprised here
within the Rainbow Covenant. Despite the fact that the distinction between
“clean” and “unclean” animals already existed (Genesis 7:2), GOD, nevertheless,
here allows for the consumption of all plants and animals, by man. However, GOD
did issued one restriction, and that was, that, man not eat an animal with its
“lifeblood” still in it.
Because we bear GOD’s “spiritual image”
(GOD’s Nature), in HIS eyes, every human being is irreplaceable. In verses 5-7,
it is important that we clearly understand that, the “Death sentence” which GOD
imposes upon those who kill other human beings, is neither “retribution”, and
nor, is it a “preventative measure” to guard against murder itself.
Each and every human life is so significant
to GOD that no penalty less than death, provides an adequate measure of value.
It is the only way to impress upon man, the ultimate worth of an individual, in
the eyes of GOD. Apparently GOD saw the necessity for a covenant that not only
came in the form of a promise from HIM, but HE also reasoned that, there must
be an obligation from man that he not take life lightly after seeing the
devastation of the flood.
GOD did not want the example of the flood’s
destruction to be taken as a sign that HE placed a “cheap value” on human life.
This covenant was to show that life is sacred, and that man must not destroy
that which is “made in the spiritual image of GOD”. Man also needed to learn
how to govern himself with “human laws” that would ensure the stability of
nature, and, that wickedness would not run amok like it had before the flood.
And so here we see, quite literally, “the birth of government into human society”.
In verses 8-17 GOD makes a covenant with
Noah that has come to be known as the “Rainbow Covenant”. Unlike the “Abrahamic
Covenant” (Genesis 15), and the “Davidic Covenant” (2 Samuel 7) that would come
later, it is a covenant that concerns all mankind forever, and not just the
Jews. Throughout the history of the world, GOD has always dealt with man
through various covenants, and here in this passage, we find the very first one.
The next time we look up in the sky and see
a Rainbow that spans to connect the Heavens to the earth, remember GOD’s
promise of security to Noah, that comes across the spans of time to lend to us
also, that same assurance of security. It is reminiscent of the security that
CHRIST JESUS gives us, when we accept the covenant that was ushered in to us by
HIM many years later, and signed in HIS OWN blood. It is a superior covenant
that, unlike the Rainbow Covenant with Noah, reconnects us with GOD, and
secures our future in Heaven.
NOAH’S SONS
Genesis 9:18-28
Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah who
survived the Flood with him, became the progenitors of all people who are on
the earth today. Ham is the original ancestor of the infamous “Canaanite Nation”,
whose curse is pronounced here in this passage by Noah, because of his boastful
mocking of Noah’s nakedness, while he was in a drunken state.
After the Flood Noah became a farmer and he
planted a vineyard. One day he decided to test some of the wine he had made,
and as a result of too much testing, he became drunk and lay naked in his tent.
His son Ham came in and saw him drunk and naked, and went out and, the original
Hebrew suggests that, he may have been mocking or making fond of his father to
his older brothers.
In those days it was considered to be a
serious breach of family ethics for a child to see either of his parent’s
nakedness, and so apparently, his brothers did not share with Ham in his amusement.
Instead, Shem and Japheth took a robe and walked backwards with it into the
tent, so that they would not see their father’s nakedness, and with it, they covered
up Noah’s body.
When
Noah woke up from his drunken stupor, his two oldest sons told him what Ham had
done. In his anger and disappointment, Noah prophesied a curse that would soon
come upon the descendants of Ham’s son, Canaan, that they will forever be
servants to the descendants of Shem and Japheth. Then he blessed Shem and
Japheth with growth and prosperity because of their obedient and respectful
behavior toward him. Noah lived another 350 years after the Flood and he died
at the ripe old age of 950 years old.
The Bible teaches us, and we also learn
from life experiences that the consequences of the sins of the parents,
oftentimes carries over, to the children of the next generation. Here in this
passage, Noah, through inspired prophetic foresight, pronounces the kind of
impact Ham’s sinful behavior would have on his children, for generations to
come. Since Ham showed such disrespect toward his father, here Noah is saying
that Ham’s attitude would soon be passed on, or, had already been carried over
to the next generation of his offspring. Then he prophesied that the obedient
and respectful behavior exhibited by Shem and Japheth would be passed on to
their offspring and be rewarded by GOD. Right reactions and attitudes brings
blessings, while unrighteous actions and attitudes bring curses. We all have
the same opportunities to make the right or wrong choices in life, and our
choices always affect someone else either positively, or negatively.
A
Sunday school lesson by,
Larry
D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER-
Official Website
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