Saturday, May 19, 2007

Genesis 9 - Noahic Covenant

Noahic Covenant

The LORD'S New World Order

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

God blessed them, and told them to be fruitful and multiply. God's blessing establishes the covenant and gives man a new start. The covenant was from God to man, not of man's work or doing. It is God's will for man and by following it, mankind would be blessed. It is important to note that every covenant begins, as did the covenant in the Garden, with God blessing man.

Animals were to fear mankind

Gen 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.

Adam was given dominion over the animals, now God has put fear in the animals towards mankind. God's spirit brings peace, whereas the spirit of the devil brings fear and confusion. Man was no longer as a shepherd to the animals, but as a terror to them. With the sin nature from Adam, the animals could not be at peace with man, not knowing what they would do.

Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Sin in man and dark demonic powers have brought the creation into bondage. The creation awaits our redemption in Christ Jesus, so that he will come and bring his peace to earth.

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

This is a change, for in the beginning the food was to be vegetables and fruit forman and beast. The fall brought meat, flesh to the diet and also of some animals. This would make animals prey to predators, seeking food; or killers, killing for the fun of it.

There were no restrictions as to diet until the law of Moses. Mankind could kill and eat anything they wanted. After Jesus came and the new covenant the dietary restrictions were once again removed.

Acts 10:13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
Acts 10:14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
Acts 10:15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

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

The blood is the life of the animal, it was not to be eaten. This prohibition continued in the New Testament .

Acts 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
Acts 15:29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

The shed blood was a picture of Jesus, who would have his blood shed for our sins.

Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Jesus is the redeemer of fallen mankind.

1 Cor 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Gen 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.

If an animal kills a human, it would be killed. If a human willfully kills another, he or she is to be put to death. This does not apply to a righteous war.

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

The LORD instituted Capital punishment as God's law; blood for blood. This is a command to mankind from God. He who murders, his blood will be shed, why? for in the image of Godmade he man. In this act of capital punishment, man would act on behalf of God—he would reflect the moral image of God, namely, His judgement and sentence upon the murderer.

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Rom 13:4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Rom 13:5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

Government acts in God’s behalf in punishing the evildoer and rewarding those who do good. Any society which loses its reverence for life cannot endure long. Criminals go unpunished and crime increases. Abortion is the shedding of innocent blood; God is not mocked.

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

The LORD repeats the command to be fruitful and multiply. Any time something is repeated, it is to be sure that it is heard.

Noahic Covenant

A covenant made by God for all humans

Gen 9:8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
Gen 9:9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

A Covenant made for all living creatures

Gen 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.

No longer will flesh be judged by an earth covering flood

Gen 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.

No longer a flood to cover the earth

Gen 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:

The rainbow is the sign or token of the covenant.

Gen 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.

Every covenant has its accompanying sign. The sign of the Abrahamic Covenant is circumcision (Genesis 17:15-27); that of the Mosaic Covenant is the observance of the Sabbath day (Exodus 20:8-11; 31:12-17).

Gen 9:14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
Gen 9:15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

An everlasting covenant. The rainbow comes at the end of a storm as a beautiful reminder to God and a sign to us of his faithfulness.

Gen 9:16 And 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.
Gen 9:17 And 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.

A rainbow also appears above the throne of God as a reminder of his faithfulness.

Rev 4:3 And 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.

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