From the Flood to Babel -- 1/18-09

Sunday, January 18, 2009

FROM THE FLOOD TO BABEL
Gen. 9:18-11:9

Last week we explored the theme: “What Happened After the Flood?” What a blessing it was to discover the very first act of that little band of eight who stepped off the ark. Though they had plenty of needs in that flood-devastated world, the very first thing they did was to build an altar and offer burnt offerings to the Lord. They recognized that they weren’t any better than the millions who perished in the flood; they deserved the same. But God had spared them. So they offered an offering as a substitute. And it was a burnt offering, symbolizing their whole-hearted devotion to the Lord. And yes, they were certainly full of gratitude for the fact that He had delivered them from the flood.

The great and merciful God whom they served did more than they could have imagined. Wasn’t it enough that He had spared their lives? Apparently not, for we immediately read that He blessed Noah and His family, giving them the opportunity to multiply upon the earth and have dominion over all living creatures. As icing on the cake, He told them that they could eat any animal for meat. At the same time, the Lord gave them His protection, warning them not to partake of the blood, also adding that if a man killed another man, he his blood too must be spilled. And finally, the Lord God established His covenant with Noah, with his descendants, and with all living creatures, assuring them that He would never again destroy the world with a flood. And what is God’s continuing token of that covenant? Yes, the rainbow. By the way, did anyone see a rainbow this week? Were you ready to worship Him, if you had?

This morning we must move on in the story. It’s almost like a replay of chapter one. Will they be able to replenish the population of the earth? Will they learn anything from the flood? In other words, will they shape up and be obedient to the Lord? What does the future hold? We are blessed to have the record of what happened, the record which comes from God Himself.

I. Noah’s Sin, a Curse, and a Blessing (9:18-29)

Let’s read Gen. 9:18-29…
And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. 19. These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. 20. And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21. And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. 24. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 26. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 27. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 28. And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

Noah drank of the wine he produced, became drunk, and was uncovered in his tent. That is all the text says. We can speculate about what else might have happened, but it is fruitless to do so, because we are not told. God gives us all we need to know. Noah sinned through his drunkenness. He lost all dignity and respect, as he lay naked in his tent.

Some might say, “But maybe Noah didn’t know about the qualities of wine.” I remind you that Noah was over 600 years old. He knew well. The fact is that he sinned before God. Yes, this is the same Noah who stood alone and faithfully obeyed the Lord’s command to build the ark. Yes, this is the same Noah who came off the ark and immediately offered burnt offerings to God, devoting himself completely to the Lord. This is righteous Noah, the man who walked with God. This ought to tell us something. A man who is righteous, even a man who has been clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, can still sin. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (I Cor. 10:12).

We are not going to do a study of wine and drunkenness this morning. However, I must say that Noah did not sin by drinking wine. The scripture talks both about the benefits of wine and the dangers of wine. In both the Old and New Testaments, leaders were especially warned against the dangers of wine and strong drink. Drunkenness, on the other hand, is always a sin. But is it a sin for the alcoholic? Drunkenness is always a sin. So we saw without question, that the man who walked with God sinned by his action.

Noah had three sons – Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The first to discover Noah’s condition was Ham. We read that Ham saw the nakedness of his father. The idea is most likely that he gazed upon his father’s nakedness. There was nothing to stop him. After all, Noah was drunk. He would never know or remember what Ham had done. So after seeing, looking upon, his drunken and naked father, what did he do next? He went out and told his brothers.

Now think about Ham and what he did. Was it wrong? Yes. Think about it. If you found your dad in some sinful and humiliating condition, what would you do? What should you do? Wouldn’t you want to protect your father? We read in Prov. 17:9, "He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends." Love covers. Surely Ham should have protected his father, not letting anyone else know of his shame and humiliation. Instead, he immediately goes out and tells his brothers. This shows a great lack of respect and honor for his father. Not only had Noah sinned, but so had his son Ham.

Shem and Japheth were more honorable than their brother. They carefully shielded their eyes from seeing their father’s nakedness and covered his shame. As God clothed Adam and Eve after their sin, so Shem and Japheth clothed their father after his sin. They certainly couldn’t excuse what their father had done, but they showed honor for him.

So what was the result of these actions? Concerning Noah, we are told nothing. We can assume that Noah, being a righteous man, repented before God and began to walk with him again. You may think that is a rather large assumption, but not really. That is what righteous people do. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). In light of the fact that nothing else is said in this passage, we assume the normal, that righteous Noah confessed his sin and repented before God.

But what about his sons? First of all, notice that when Noah sobered up, he knew what Ham had done. He knew that Ham had looked upon his nakedness and then gone out and told his brothers, showing no respect for his father. How did Noah know? We aren’t told, but we are sure that he knew. Verses 25-27 reveal the curse and the blessings pronounced by Noah. Let’s look at them.

Verse 25, “and he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.” Do you find that a bit strange? Ham sinned against his father, and Noah (as God’s representative) curses Canaan. And who is this Canaan? We read back in verse 22 that Ham was the father of Canaan. So the curse is pronounced not upon Ham, the one who was guilty, but upon Canaan his son. The big question is obvious: Why curse Canaan, when it was his father who was guilty of the sin? We are not told.

It is interesting that Ham actually had four sons, with Canaan being the youngest (10:6), but it is Canaan who is singled out to receive the curse. Why? One writer says, “…It may be due to Canaan having been the most like his father of the sons, sensualistic in character… It may be that they [the other three sons] were not like their father, and God in this way prevented the effects of the curse coming on them through Ham, but not on Canaan” (Leon J. Wood, in Genesis, p. 51). That sounds nice, but it assumes that Ham was wicked. If we only look at this one incident, that assumption may be valid, but this is only one incident. We must remember that of the millions (if not billions) of people in the world, Ham was one of the eight whose life was spared. The overall picture is of a righteous Ham, not a wicked Ham. Just as righteous Noah sinned, so a righteous Ham sinned as well. But God doesn’t curse the righteous. Though the Lord cursed the ground for Adam’s sake, He did not curse Adam. Surely this is not a picture of Ham’s overall character. Rather than seeing Canaan as the son most like his father, perhaps it would be best to see Canaan as the son most unlike his father. While Ham and the three older sons were men who sought God, it may be that Canaan was a rebellious and wicked son. Nevertheless, it is difficult to be sure, because we are not told.

One thing we must learn is that our actions have consequences. What Ham did was sin, but it wasn’t the worst sin in the world. We can find far worse sins before Ham and after Ham. Nevertheless, it was sin and it did have serious consequences. When we take our eyes off the Lord, even as Noah and Ham did, we can create much grief for others and ourselves, while robbing God of the glory He deserves from our lives.

And what was the nature of the curse? Canaan would be a servant of servants to his brothers. We will talk more about how that curse was worked out, when we come to chapter 10. For now just note that Canaan was cursed to be a servant to his brothers.

Along with the curse upon Canaan, we find blessings in verses 26-27. “Blessed be the Lord God of Shem.” Noah actually blesses God, but it is clearly also a blessing upon Shem, for he then says that Canaan shall be his servant. Then Noah goes on to say in verse 27, “God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.” So it is stated from both sides. After saying that Canaan will be cursed as a servant to his brothers, he then says the brothers will be blessed to have Canaan serve them. While we don’t know anything of the immediate situation in Noah’s family after this, we know that the truth of these words are worked out in the descendants of these three brothers. Again, we will see more of that in chapter 10.

The greatest blessing is for Shem. “Blessed be the LORD God of Shem.” It is specifically stated that the LORD, Yahweh, the great I AM, is his God. Please turn to Matthew 1. Here we have the genealogy of our Lord Jesus. Let’s start in verse 1, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham began Isaac…” If you read all down through here, you will not find Noah. Was Noah in the lineage of Jesus? If he was, why do we not find him anywhere in this list? Because Matthew only goes back as far as Abraham. But now turn to Luke 3. The genealogy begins in verse 23, but it begins with Jesus and proceeds backward. To see how far back Luke traces the ancestors of Jesus, go to verse 38, “Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.” So Luke goes beyond Abraham all the way back to Adam. Do we find Noah in the list? Yes, in verse 36 (Noe). So through which of Noah’s sons was Jesus descended? Through Sem (= Shem). Though the LORD was indeed the God of Japheth and Ham, there was a unique blessing for Shem. Through him would come Abraham and ultimately the Lord Jesus Himself.

And what about Japheth? Not only are we told that Canaan would be his servant, but that God would enlarge him and that he himself would dwell in the tents of Shem. As chapter 10 will reveal, God did indeed enlarge Japheth. His descendants would occupy far more land than either Shem or Ham. The dwelling in the tents of Shem seems to indicate that he would be dependent upon what God would do through Shem. That is certainly true, because the Messiah would come through Shem, and there is no hope outside the Messiah.

So we see in these blessings, these promises, that God’s Messiah, His Redeemer, is always in view. We never have to look far to find Him. Remember that He was first introduced in Gen. 3:15, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." He has been pictured as a substitute in the sacrifices that have been offered. And though the details are not spelled out here, we can look back from this side of the cross and see that Shem was blessed to be the one through whom Jesus would come.

II. The Table of Nations = The Distribution of Noah’s Sons (10:1-32)

Chapter 10 begins: "Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood." I may not read every verse of chapter 10, but I trust that you have gone through it this week. This chapter is often referred to as “The Table of Nations,” because it tells us where Noah’s descendants settled and how the nations came from these. It also prepares the way for what we will find in chapter 11. Remember that God had commanded Noah and his family to populate the earth. Chapter 10 gives us a description of that repopulation, telling us who went where. It is not strictly a genealogy, in that it is selective rather than being complete and exhaustive. For example, in verse 2 we see that Japheth had seven sons. In an exhaustive genealogy, we would then read about the sons of each of those seven sons. But in this case, we are given the sons of only two of them (Gomer in verse 3 and Javan in verse 4).

The chapter is divided into three sections. In each section, the son is listed and then the descendants of the son are listed. So the first section is about Japheth and his sons, the second is about Ham and his sons, and the third is about Shem and his sons. Then each section concludes with a summary statement. Let’s read these briefly. Verse 5, "By these [the sons of Japheth] were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations." Verse 20, "These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations." Verse 31, "These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations." And then verse 32 sums up the entire chapter, “These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations; and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.”

So in verses 2-5 we have the sons of Japheth. This is by far the smallest section. The most definite identifications are these: Madai = Medes; Javan = Greeks (Ionians); Kittim = inhabitants of Cyprus. We aren’t going to try to track all the details this morning, but historians tell us that these people scattered widely across the European continent and through India. Of course, it was from this group that the Americas were populated. The Lord did indeed enlarge Japheth, as we read in 9:27.

Then we come to the sons of Ham in verses 6-20. This list is very interesting. We recognize many more of the names in this list. Mizraim is another name for Egypt, Cush for Ethiopia (or slightly farther north)d, and Phut has traditionally been known as Lybia. Notice also Philistia in verse 14. This, of course, would become a great enemy of Israel. But perhaps the most interesting name is that of Canaan in verse 15. As we have seen, this was the youngest son of Ham. Notice the sons of Canaan – Sidon, the Sidonites; Heth, the Hittites; the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgasites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. That’s a lot of –ites, and we recognize many of them as the various divisions of the land of Canaan. These were the people that God would command His people to drive out of the land of Canaan. They are all descended from Canaan, the son of Ham.

Some people think God was harsh to send His people Israel in to root these people out of their land, but we must remember two things. First of all, we must remember the curse upon Canaan. Through Noah, God has said that they would be the servants of Shem and Japheth. Secondly, we must understand that there was very good reason for God to send His people into conquer them. Go over to Genesis 15, where we read that much quoted statement in 15:6, “And he believed the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Then notice Gen. 15:7-8, "And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 8. And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" At that point, God put Abraham (Abram) to sleep and made a solemn covenant with him. As a part of that covenant, the Lord spoke these words in 15:13-18…

And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14. And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.

In this context, “Amorites” is a synonym for “Canaanites.” Although these were sinful, idolatrous people, the Lord didn’t immediately destroy them. He gave them plenty of time to repent, while He let His people linger in Egypt for over 400 years. But rather than repent, these Amorites (Canaanites) became more and more sinful. Their iniquity became full. That is, they became worse and worse until they were ripe for the judgment of God. That judgment came through Joshua and the people of Israel, who marched in and conquered them. It was then that the Canaanites became the servants of Shem, although there were previews much earlier (as in Gen. 14, when Abram was victorious against many kings who were descendants of Canaan).

One commentator (John MacArthur) notes that the words of Gen. 9:26, along with what we read in chapter 15, would have been very comforting and encouraging to the Israelites before they entered the land. He argues convincingly that Moses must have written Genesis during the 40 year wandering in the wilderness and that the first reading of Genesis would have been when they were gathered in Moab, waiting to invade the land.

The other interesting thing about the descendants of Ham is found in Gen. 10:8-12…
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. 9. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. 10. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Gen 10:11-12 "Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, 12. And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

This man Nimrod was a grandson of Ham and great grandson of Noah. He began to be a mighty man. Other translations say that he was the first on earth to be a mighty man (ESV). Then we are told that he was a mighty hunter before the Lord. We must understand the meaning of that statement from the context. Don’t look for the meaning in the context of the Sacramento Mountains, where men kill deer and elk. Look in the context of this passage. He was a mighty man, even the first mighty man. Verse 10, “And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel.” Nimrod was a conqueror, a king, an empire builder. He didn’t hunt animals; he hunted men. He was a great warrior and conqueror. We might say that he was the first king. Keep in mind that the beginning of his kingdom was Babel and the surrounding area. The meaning of verse 11 seems to be that Nimrod went into Asshur (Assyria) and built the great city of Nineveh, as well as other cities. His kingdom stretched from southern Mesopotamia all the way to Ninveveh. Make no mistake about it – Nimrod was not a godly man. The Lord gave men dominion over plants and animals, but not over men whom they could conquer and subjugate. In his thirst for power, Nimrod took this authority upon himself.

Now this brings us to the descendants of Shem, which are listed in verses 22-31. Shem is not placed last because he is the youngest. Notice verse 21, “Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.” The language isn’t crystal clear. It is uncertain whether “elder” refers to Shem or Japheth (translations are divided). However, it is interesting that every time the names of Noah’s three sons occur together in the Bible (six times) it is always in the same order – Shem, Ham, Japheth. It was most common that sons were listed in order of age. So it seems most likely that Shem was the oldest. If so, why is he placed last of the three sons? It is in preparation for the end of chapter 11 and chapter 12, when God will choose a man out of which He will make a people. And who is that man? Yes, it is Abraham. And from which of the three sons is Abraham descended? Yes, from Shem. We get the word “Semites” from Shem.

Six generations are listed, if we follow it down like this – Shem, Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Joktan, and his 13 sons. Peleg and Joktan were brothers, but none of the sons of Peleg are listed. That is reserved for chapter 11, where a more precise genealogy will be presented. We will see that the line of descent from Noah to Abraham goes through Peleg.

There is also an interesting note in verse 25, “And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.” This dividing of the earth most likely refers to what occurred at Babel, which will be described in the very next passage (11:1-9).

III. Man’s Disobedience and God’s Judgment (11:1-9)

Now remember where we have traveled. Noah got off the ark and offered burnt offerings to the Lord. But then he sinned against God. Perhaps that incident is recorded to simply remind us that men were still sinners. We cannot forget that God had destroyed the earth because man’s sin had multiplied until the very imaginations of his heart were only evil continually (6:5). Surely Noah’s descendants would remember well and would seek the Lord. But we see in Nimrod a move toward greater and greater iniquity. Surely he was a proud man who defied God. Now in chapter 11 we come to another sad climax of man’s sinfulness.
Let’s read it in Gen. 11:1-9…
And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. 4. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

So what is so bad about building a tower? Shouldn’t these men be applauded for their ingenuity and teamwork? Why was the Lord so hard on them? Good questions, and I believe our text will supply us with good answers. Before we look at those answers, let’s look at the setting. Remember the history of man from Adam to Noah, a period of about 16 and a half centuries. Man became so wicked that God destroyed the world with a flood. Only Noah and his family, along with representatives of the animals, were spared. Now look at the history of man from Noah to this account in chapter 11, where man built the tower of Babel. John Cross, in his book The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, says that this took place centuries after the flood (p. 94). However, surely it was only a couple of centuries at the most. The key to the timing is in Gen. 10:25, "And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan." Notice that it was during the days of Peleg that the earth was divided. Peleg’s name means “division.” Surely this note about the earth being divided is referring to the division recorded in the account of 11:1-9. So how long was that after the flood. The genealogies of chapter 11 indicate that Peleg was born 101 years after the flood. He lived to be 239 years old. So this event took place somewhere between 100 and 340 years after the flood.

This passage (11:1-9) can be divided into three sections: the actions of man (1-4), the actions of God (5-8), the summary statement of Moses (9). It is introduced with the statement: “And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.” We don’t know what the population was at this time. It would depend upon whether it was 100 years after the flood or 300 years after the flood. It might have been a few thousand, or it might have been considerably more. What we do know is that they spoke one language. Someone has suggested that the further note that they were of one speech suggests that they used the same vocabulary. In other words, they understood each other very well; they were able to clearly communicate.

You will notice that these people desired a city, a tower, and a name. What I want you to see is that these desires were not from God. Let’s read verse 4 again, “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” Their fear was that they would be scattered all over the earth. But wait a minute. When Noah got off the ark, what had God told them? “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish (fill up) the earth” (9:1). But they didn’t want to fill the earth; they wanted to stay together, to all congregate in this large city.

And they desired a tower. What kind of tower? Now it is understandable that people building a city would want to build a tower, so that they could look out over the land and see when their enemies were coming. But these people didn’t have any enemies. They were together. So what was the purpose of the tower? They wanted to build a tower unto heaven. You can look at this in one of two ways. You might say that they wanted to reach God by their own ability and ingenuity. Or, you could say that they had abandoned the true God and that they were building a tower which symbolized their union with false gods. Either way, the building of the tower was a religious endeavor. But God had never told them to build a tower. This was their own doing. All “religion” is man’s doing, his own attempts to reach God in his own way.

And they desired to make a name for themselves. They had no intention of making a name for their God, for the God who had created them and spared their fathers during the flood. By the way, don’t miss the fact that Noah was still alive while all this was going on. Even if it happened toward the end of Peleg’s life time, Noah outlived Peleg by 10 years (Noah lived 350 years after the flood – Gen. 9:28). Though they no doubt had heard the testimony of God’s mercy and grace, they had no desire to honor Noah’s God. No, they would make a name for themselves. They were filled with pride and arrogance.

And they also had a leader. Did you wonder about that? Surely there must have been someone who took the lead in these endeavors. Surely it is no accident that we were introduced to Nimrod in chapter 10. We have seen that he was a mighty man on the earth and that he was mighty hunter before the Lord. Even the Lord took note of his conquering ability. And what was the beginning of his kingdom? Babel (10:10). Surely it was Nimrod who was the architect and executor of this plan. In defiance of the God who made him, he lived up to the meaning of his name, which was “rebel.”

If you want to find more about the attitude of these people at Babel, go and explore the second half of Romans chapter 1. It began with the attitude of Rom. 1:21, "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." The people of Babel did not glorify Him as God; neither were they thankful.

Before we look at God’s actions, let’s look at one other thing. Unity is not always a good thing. These people were unified. Apparently any enemies to their actions had been snuffed out by Nimrod. Three times in verses 3-4 we read the phrase, “Let us…” Beware of unity which isn’t from God, which isn’t based upon God’s truth. Remember that there is a great unity coming, in which the Anti-Christ and his forces will unite the world against God and His Son. The unity we seek is from God, for the Lord our God is one Lord (Dt. 6:4). Though they were unified, the tower they were constructing was of man, through man, and to man (see Rom. 11:36). There was nothing of God in it.

Guess what. Their actions did not take God by surprise. We read in verse 5, “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.” The writer is using language that is easily understood, but don’t get the idea that God had to come down to see. The Lord sees all. He is simply saying that the Lord who knows the thoughts of every man knew all about it. In verse 6, we see that the key strength of these people was indeed their unity, which was aided by the fact that they had one common language. It is amazing what can be done when people communicate with one another. With their common goals and common language, they would be able to do anything they wanted to do.

The people of Babel had a plan, but God also had a plan. The language the Lord uses is not accidental. “Go to (come), let us go down and confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” The Lord uses the same language they had used. The Lord was mocking them. Don’t tell me the Lord never mocks man, for we read of a similar situation in Ps. 2:1-5…
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3. Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

But the Lord did more than speak; He took action. He did two things. He confused their language and He scattered them abroad over the face of the earth (7-8). They were unable to continue building because they could not understand each other and because the Lord scattered them.

In chapter 10 we read about this scattering of Noah’s descendants over the face of the earth. And now we read about HOW they were scattered. The Lord Himself scattered them. How did He do it? We aren’t told, but we are told that He did it. Notice the summary statement we read from Gen. 9:5, “By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.” Notice the reference to languages. Surely this is a reference to what would happen here in chapter 11. Chapter 10 tells of the results of the scattering and confusion of language; chapter 11 tells us of the event that brought it about.

Now educated people will tell us that all the languages of the world developed very slowly over thousands of years. But here we have a very different explanation. This is not saying that no two of the people understood one another. Rather, they were splintered into smaller groups which spoke a common language. God enabled people of the group to understand one another, but the groups could not understand one another. In other words, it is a picture of what we have in the world today. Man is always looking for a human explanation of everything, from the creation of the universe to the languages of men. In great simplicity, as God spoke the universe into existence, He now scattered those who lived on planet earth and gave them many different languages. As Moses put it in verse 9, "Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth." The origin of the nations and languages are to be found in this one definitive action of God.

Conclusion

When we began, we asked some questions. Yes, they did repopulate the earth. No, they did not learn from the flood. No, they did not shape up and obey the Lord. Instead, they became more and more wicked, just as their forefathers had done before the flood. In reality, there was very little difference between the people of Noah’s day and the people who assembled at Babel. Those latter people deserved to be destroyed, just as the people of Noah’s day. Why weren’t they? Because of the merciful and gracious God. While He judged the people of Noah’s day with destruction, He judged the people of Babel with division.

When we really stop and think about it, the situation isn’t much different than today, is it? Romans 1 doesn’t describe a particular time in history. Rather, it describes many situations down through the history of man. Today, as a whole, man does not glorify God as God and he is not thankful. And when we read of the terrible things that follow, we must conclude that it describes our society quite well.

So is judgment coming? Judgment has already come. What is the judgment of Rom. 1? It is stated three times in these words, “God gave them up…” or “God gave them over to…” In other words, God allowed them to do what they wanted. Isn’t that what we see today. As a result of God giving them up, they engaged in homosexuality; they did not like to retain God in their knowledge; they were “filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; (they became) whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful” (Rom. 1:29-31). What a description of our day. Why is it like this? Because man did not glorify God nor thank him, and as a result God has judged him by letting him do what he wants.

But praise God that He still calls individuals to Himself, even in the chaos of this world. You can respond to the gospel that Justin shared earlier. Throw yourself upon the Jesus who came into this ugly world, who bore your sins on the cross, and took upon Himself the punishment you so richly deserved. Admit that there isn’t a thing you can do and cry out for His mercy. The Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save (Is. 59:2). No one who comes to Him will be cast out. Hear the Lord say: “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else” (Is. 45:22).

What Happened After the Flood? -- 1/11/09

Sunday, January 11, 2009

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE FLOOD?

This morning we are coming back to Genesis. Genesis is rich. It is often called “the book of beginnings.” When you read it, you quickly realize why it is so called. We find the beginning of so many things in Genesis. Just think of where we have been so far. We have seen the beginning of the universe, of mankind, of sin, of sacrifice, and so many more.

Most recently we have looked at Noah and the great flood that God sent upon the earth. While many people scoff at the idea that a flood could cover the entire world, Genesis tells us repeatedly that this is exactly what happened. Not only does God tell us in Gen. 6:17 that He will bring a flood of waters upon the earth, but He also says repeatedly that He will destroy
everything living upon the earth (6:7,13,17; 7:4), which reinforces the necessity for a worldwide flood.

When we come to Genesis 8:14 we find that the earth has dried and it is time for the eight living human beings to leave the ark and resume life. So the big question becomes: “So what happened after the flood?” Don’t take the flood lightly. We must understand that this is in reality a new start for the human race. Every person alive is descended from Noah. From that little band of eight comes the current population of the earth today.

What we must also understand is that when Noah and his family left the ark, they encountered a very different world from what they had known. Can you imagine what the earth looked like after being covered with water for roughly a year? Have you ever seen a river bed after a big flood? What destruction. But that was nothing compared to that time when the whole earth was completely covered with water for months and months. Things had to be very difficult for those survivors. Imagine the simple task of building a fire. Maybe they had to tear some pieces off the ark to even get a fire going. I suspect there was a certain feeling of loneliness. They had been surrounded by a thriving population, but now it was only the eight of them. The only animals were the ones that had been preserved on the ark. We aren’t told because it isn’t of vital importance, but don’t you imagine they encountered more than few dead bodies of both people and animals? I’m simply saying that life would not be easy for Noah and his family.

Rather than reading this entire passage (Gen. 8:14-9:17), we will read portions of it as we go along. We are going to try to get hold of this passage by summarizing it under four terms…

I. Sacrifice – Sacrifices unto God (8:14-20)

Read Gen. 8:14-20...
And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. 15. And God spake unto Noah, saying, 16. Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. 17. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. 18. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: 19. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. 20. And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Gen. 8:14-19 gives us the account of the emptying of the ark. God told Noah to be sure and bring all of the animals out of the ark, so that they could “breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth” (8:17). Noah did exactly what God had told him – he took his family and all the creatures and left the ark. But what would Noah do then? Would he immediately start making preparations to build a house? Surely they were all tired of living in the ark? Would he start plowing a field to start a garden? What would be the first act of this man who had faithfully walked with God and obeyed Him in building the ark?
Verse 20, “And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took o
f every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burn offerings on the altar.” First of all, notice the reference to clean animals and birds. This takes us back to the beginning of chapter 7, where we read in 7:2-3, "Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. 3. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth." Here in chapter 7 we have the first reference to clean animals and unclean animals. That does not mean that some animals are literally dirty, while others are not. Nevertheless, there is a distinction between clean and unclean.

This raises some questions. First of all, we generally don’t think of clean and unclean animals until we get into the law of Moses, particularly in the book of Leviticus. In chapters 11-15 there are very detailed instructions which help a person distinguish between a clean and an unclean animal. But Noah obviously lived hundreds of years before Moses and the law. How did he know which animals were clean and unclean? Well, consider this. Where do we go to find out about sacrifices? We go to the law of Moses, particularly the book of Leviticus. Nevertheless, we have already encountered sacrifices. Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. It was God Himself who offered the first sacrifice, when He killed an animal and used the skin to clothe Adam and Eve. How did Noah know which animals were clean and unclean? The same way that Abel knew to offer sacrifices to God? Surely God told them. Remember that Noah walked with God. God was fully capable of communicating this distinction to Noah.

It is impossible to talk about the clean and unclean animals without asking this question: “What was the purpose of God making this distinction? Was it for health reasons?” We won’t spend a lot of time with this, but let me just come straight to the point. God’s basic purpose was in teaching man to distinguish between God’s ways and all other ways. Later, in Leviticus, He would tell them to make a distinction in the kind of clothes they wore, in the kind of seed they planted in the fields. It is the principle of separation. The whole theme of Leviticus is “holiness,” and what does the term “holy” mean? It means “set apart.” There have always been two ways – God’s way and every other way. This is true from the Garden of Eden, where there were two special trees, to the end where people will be in one of two places, either heaven or hell. There are two ways – the narrow way and the broad way. We could go on and on. God’s basic purpose in making this distinction between clean and unclean animals was to teach them (and us) that there was, is, and will be in this life two ways and that we must heed what God says about those two ways. It did not mean that some animals were better than others. A hog was not inferior to a cow. People were to eat the cow and not the hog to be reminded that God makes vital distinctions in life.

I am well aware that there is a great movement today to return to the dietary laws of the Old Testament. Some very well meaning Christians would tell us that we should follow the dietary laws so that we will be healthier. To do so is to emphasize the physical over the spiritual. Paul wrote to Timothy about those in the latter times who would “depart from the faith and give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons… forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats” (I Tim. 4:1,3). But Paul tells Timothy and us that these animals were created by God “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” (4:3-5). But is there no longer any need to reinforce these distinctions? Today that role is fulfilled primarily by the Holy Spirit, the “setting apart” Spirit. The Christian is not separate from the world because he eats clean animals or because he wears certain fabrics, but because the Holy Spirit lives within him.

Now come back to 8:20. Noah took of the clean animals and birds and offered burnt offerings to the Lord. Now we see why the Lord told him to take seven pairs of the clean animals. It wasn’t so they could eat meat while they were on the ark; it was so Noah would have animals for sacrifices. If he hadn’t taken the extra clean animals and had offered sacrifices, entire species of animals would have become extinct. When God told Noah to take seven pairs of the clean animals and birds, He was making adequate preparations for what we find here in 8:20.

So why did Noah offer these burnt offerings? On the surface, we might get the idea that Noah was simply saying “Thank you” to God for saving him and his family. While we can’t rule out that factor, there is more to it than that. Notice what is stated here: “Noah… offered burnt offerings on the altar.” Speaking of firsts, this is the first time the word “altar” is used in the Bible. Though Abel offered an animal sacrifice, there is no specific mention of an altar (though he may have built one). But what I want us to see is that this was a burnt offering. Later, in the specifications of the law, burnt offerings signified much more than gratitude. The burnt offering, as seen in Leviticus 1, was completely burned on the altar. When some offerings were presented, the worshipper could eat a portion of it. Of others, the priest could eat a portion of it. But the burnt offering was completely consumed. The Hebrew word for “burnt offering” literally means “ascending,” speaking of the smoke that ascended from the burning of the offering. This offering was symbolic of total and complete devotion. As no part of the animal was held back, so the worshipper was declaring that he was holding nothing back from the Lord.

But surely this was also a sin offering, in which the animal was also sacrificed on the altar. Try to get this picture in your mind. Noah and his family stepped off the boat to view a world of destruction and death. Typical pictures of the scene often portray it as a bright sunny day with a beautiful landscape. You’ve seen pictures of the aftermath of floods, and those floods were nothing in comparison to what happened in this case. Noah was keenly aware that all men and animals who weren’t on that ark died. Don’t you know he also realized that he and his family deserved the same death. The handiwork of the God of wrath was all around him. Can you hear Noah offering the sacrifices, bowing before God, and saying, “Lord, we know what we deserve. You could crush us in an instant, and there is no reason that you shouldn’t, because we are sinners in your sight. We offer these sacrifices as a substitute. Please accept them in our place.”

There was repentance as they offered those sacrifices. Out of their firm confidence that God accepted their repentance, they devoted themselves totally to the Lord. In the midst of all of it was the note of thanksgiving, gratitude to the God who had preserved their lives. This wasn’t about some great deed they had done; it was about their humble response to the salvation God had provided.

We’ve taken a lot of time on this verse, but it is very important. The first thing Noah did when he got off the ark was to offer these burnt offerings to God. Yes, he had many needs, but his greatest need was to look to his God and Creator. Now let’s look at the other side of the coin. We have looked at Noah’s response to God; now let’s look at what God did for Noah and for mankind.

II. Blessing – God Blessed Noah Richly (8:21-9:3; + 8:17 & 9:7)

Read Gen. 8:21-22…
And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

The Lord smelled a sweet savor. No, that does not mean that God has a nose. This is anthropomorphic language, indicating that God was pleased with Noah’s offering. To express His pleasure, He made a promise, stating that He would never again curse the ground for man’s sake or kill every living thing as He had done on this occasion. Don’t you know that was comforting for Noah and his family.

Notice the words between the two provisions of that promise – “for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Literally, “because” the imagination of man’s heart is evil. It seems to be upside down. We would expect God to say, “Because man is so evil, I am ready to again destroy the earth with a flood,” but we find the opposite. “Because man is so evil, I will not destroy the earth with a flood.” Because this is so unexpected, some translations change the “for” to “though” or “although.” “Though man is so wicked, I will not destroy him again in this manner.” But there is no reason to change the text. I understand him to be saying something like this: “If I destroyed the earth every time man’s wickedness increased, I would have to do it again and again. For that reason, I am telling you now that I will not destroy the earth like this again.”

Now let’s read Gen 9:1-2, "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 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." What does this sound like? It sounds very similar to what God told Adam in chapter 1. Again, God tells man to be fruitful and multiply and that he will have dominion over all every living thing on the earth.

In verse 3 we find something new: “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you…” In chapter one, God told Adam that He would give him all the plants for food, but now God gives him every moving thing for food. He is obviously talking about the animals. God has given to mankind all sorts of plants and animals to enjoy for food.

I don’t think it is necessary to make a huge point of this truth here in La Luz, New Mexico, but neither should we ignore it. Man is the pinnacle of all God’s creation. Yes, we should have an appreciation for animal life, but we must realize that we are living in a world where everything is out of balance. A man who drives drunk and endangers the lives of hundreds of people will sometimes receive a lighter sentence that a man who demonstrates cruelty to animals. That is wrong. No matter what animal we consider, it is only a beast and cannot compare with a human beings, into whose nostrils the Lord breathed the breath of life. The life of one unburned human baby is worth more than the lives of all the animals on this planet. That doesn’t give us the license to abuse our stewardship of the earth’s resources, but we must understand that difference between human life and all other life. That is God’s design.

God has blessed man.

III. Protection – God Provides Protection for All Mankind (9:4-6)

Now let’s read verse 4, “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.” While it is true that God gave the meat of animals to man for food, He specifically forbids him from eating the blood of an animal. Why is that? Though we are not told explicitly, it seems that there are two very good reasons. First of all, this may have something to do with health. God warned them to stay away from the blood. All kinds of diseases are carried in the blood. When we kill a deer or an elk, we slit the throat and drain the blood. While it is a blessing to have meat to eat, there are certain precautions that must be taken. That is why people are rightly concerned about meat that hasn’t been cooked thoroughly. There are many health hazards that go along with the eating of meat, if it is not properly prepared.

But there is another reason God commands them not to eat meat with the blood, that He warns them to stay away from the blood. He tells us that the blood is the life. Blood symbolizes the life of man. That is tied up with the fact that they were to offer the blood of animals in sacrifice. We read in Heb. 9:22, “…and without shedding of blood is no remission (forgiveness).” The meat of animals is given to man to eat, but the blood symbolizing his life was to be sacrificed on the altar. What was sacrificed to God was to be counted common; man was not to partake of it any form.

So we see that God was protecting man from endangering his health and from defiling his conscience. But we find something else in verses 5-6…
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. 6. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

God places great value upon human life. For that reason, whoever kills a man will be killed by man. If an animal kills a man, that animal must die. If a man kills another man, that man must die. Later, in the details of the Mosaic law, we are given further instructions. In those details God acknowledges that there is a great difference between killing someone accidentally and deliberately. But at this point, God is providing a deterrent against killing people. Do you see how this is another form of protection. It kind of reminds of the mark that God put on Cain, to protect him against the retaliation of those who knew and loved his brother Abel.

Notice the end of verse 6, “for in the image of God made he man.” God made man in His own image. We have already seen this in Gen. 1:26-27. A few weeks ago when we were in the first part of Genesis 5, I made the comment that Seth was not created in the image of God, but in the image of Adam his father, who had sinned against God. I implied that we as human beings were not created in the image of God. I fear that what I said may be a bit misleading. More than one person also pointed out the statement of James, as he taught about the power of the tongue. James 3:9, "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God."

I am not saying that man is no longer in the image of God. Rather, I am saying that we are not created in the image of God in the same way that Adam was created in the image of God. The difference is in the fact that we are descended from a fallen Adam. This difference comes out in Gen. 5:3, where we are told that Seth was made in Adam’s image. It has long been said, and rightly so, that man is in the image of God, but that image has been marred. It has been messed up by sin. But praise God that the image of God is being restored to those who are in Jesus Christ. For those of us who are the children of God, we have been predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son.

As I have already mentioned in relation to man’s dominion over the animal kingdom, human life has been greatly cheapened in our society. We see the same thing in the lack of punishment against serious crimes, even murder. I’m not on a campaign to convince you that we should have capital punishment. Without doubt, God’s Old Testament commands included capital punishment, but some would say that there is no place for it in the New Testament. Personally, I don’t think the New Testament speaks to the issue of capital punishment, either for or against. One thing we must consider is that the abandonment of capital punishment has taken away the restraints upon the one who would contemplate murdering another human being.

This much we can see without question: God was gracious to protect Noah, his family, and those who would come after them. As God protected them, down through the centuries He has been protecting the people He created. It isn’t that we deserve it; it is simply that He is gracious.

IV. Covenant – God Made a Covenant with Noah that Extends to All His Creatures (9:8-17)

Now let’s read Gen. 9:8-17…
And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9. And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 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. 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. 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: 13. I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 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. 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. 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.

Listen again to what God said to Noah in verse 9, “And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you.” God says that He is going to establish a covenant with Noah. What is a covenant? It is an agreement, but it is stronger than what we normally think of as an agreement. A covenant is a very binding agreement into which one enters. From this one verse we find out a couple of very important things about this covenant agreement. First of all, it is God who establishes the covenant. As we read through these verses, you probably noticed that there is lots of repetition. God makes this basic statement several times. But throughout the whole passage, there is nothing said about Noah’s part of the covenant. When we think of an agreement, we normally think of the responsibilities of two parties. Party A must do this; Party B must do this. But God says, “I will establish my covenant with you.” He doesn’t call on Noah to do anything. God takes all the responsibility for the keeping of this covenant.

The next thing we learn is that the Lord is not only establishing this covenant with Noah, but also with his seed after him. That is, God establishes this covenant with all the descendants of Noah. Are you a descendant of Noah? Indeed, you are. We all are. When God made this covenant with Noah, He was also making it with us. Whatever this covenant is, it is God’s covenant with us. And not only is this covenant with all mankind, but it is also with the rest of God’s creatures, yes, with every living creature.

That brings us to the most important question: What is this covenant? What is the substance of this binding agreement? We find the content of the covenant in verse 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." God says clearly that He will never again destroy the earth and man and all living creatures with a flood. He has already said this at the end of 8:21, but now He is more explicit, stating it as a formal covenant. Let there be absolutely no question about what God will never do again.

Again, let’s remember what a great comfort this must have been to Noah and his family. They were well aware that their Creator was a God of indescribable power and wrath. But now they knew that He would never again express His wrath through a worldwide flood. It is also a comfort to us. God is as capable of bringing that same flood again, but we have His promise that He will not.

Do not miss how clearly God speaks. He doesn’t speak in riddles, but in words that clearly communicate His plan. And to make sure that no one misses the point, He repeats it again and again. Verse 9, “I will establish my covenant with you.” Verse 11, “And I will establish my covenant with you…” And now verse 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.” He repeats again the fact that this covenant is with every living creature down through the generations.

In the midst of this repetition, we find something new here in verse 12. Now the Lord speaks of “the token of the covenant.” Not only will He establish His covenant, but He will give a sign to accompany the covenant. Just in case anyone doubts that God has spoken, He will provide an explanation point for a reminder. And what will be the sign of the covenant? He tells us in verse 13, “I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token (a sign) of a covenant between me and the earth.” The Lord speaks of His bow in the cloud. Okay, you young ones, what is He talking about? That’s right; it’s the rainbow. Anyone ever see a rainbow?

Can anyone explain how a rainbow is formed? Anyone? If you know the scientific explanation of how the rainbow is formed, that’s fine, but it is a thousand times more important that you know this: “God made the rainbow.” When you are asked to explain how the rainbow is formed, just say, “God does it every time.” That’s the truth. The important thing is not how He does it, but the fact that He does it. God said, “I do set my bow in the cloud.” He makes it; He owns it; it is His sign of the covenant.

If I am calling a great deal of attention to repetition involved here, it is deliberate. We find little that is new in verses 15-17, but the Lord thinks it important to emphasize what He is saying. Verses 15-17…
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. 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. 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.

Are you getting the picture. God is going to establish His covenant between Himself and every living creature and He is going to place a rainbow in the sky to remind Him and all His creatures that He will never again destroy the earth with a flood. This was especially meaningful to Noah and his family, as well as all the other living creatures. The time would come when the storm clouds would form and it would begin to rain. Can you imagine the fear that would come upon them? “Here we go again. We better run for higher ground. The flood is coming.” But God had a way of calming their fears. He would put His rainbow in the cloud, assuring them that though He would bring much needed rain, He would not flood the earth again. We have that same assurance today every time we see the rainbow.

You probably noticed the word “everlasting” in verse 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.” Now, of course, God Himself didn’t need a reminder. He doesn’t have any trouble remembering. He uses this language to assure man that He won’t forget. But He refers to this as an everlasting covenant. What does He mean by “everlasting”? You may say, “He means just what He says – everlasting, forever.” Okay, but how long does this “everlasting” last? Does He mean to say that this covenant will last through all eternity? I think not. Surely the Lord is saying that this covenant will endure as long as this earth endures. It is everlasting in that sense. This is similar to the Lord’s command to Israel concerning the Passover: "And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever" (Ex. 12:14). The command is to keep the feast forever, but we know from the New Testament that Christ is our Passover. I don’t expect to see people keeping this physical feast throughout eternity, because we will be feasting on a far greater spiritual fellowship with the Lamb of God.

Conclusion

So what did happen after the flood? Very simply, through repentance and faith Noah offered sacrifices to God. Out of a heart of thanksgiving, he and his family expressed their complete devotion to the God who created them and delivered then from the destruction they deserved. In response to them, and simply out of His love and goodness, the Lord blessed them richly, offered His protection, and established a covenant with them.

There is significance in the fact that much more is said about what God did than what man did. There really isn’t much we can do to expand on Noah’s response to God. We recognize that He and He alone has done something to save us. Then out of a heart of thanksgiving, we offer ourselves to Him. That’s it. But God gives so much more. He continues to bless us with all the blessings that Noah received, and with so much more.

There are many blessings which are only available to the children of God. Those blessings are best summarized in Eph. 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” The natural man cannot claim those blessings. But the blessings and promises God gave Noah are for all humanity. God still blesses man. He continues to provide protection. And He keeps His covenant. After all these centuries, He has never flooded the earth as He did on that occasion.

Let’s close with a question: “Do you ever look at a rainbow and fail to remember God’s covenant?” May I suggest that to do so is sin. I didn’t say it is deliberate sin, but it is sin. Why? Because God gave the rainbow as a sign of His covenant. In other words, when He sets His rainbow in the sky, He does it for the very purpose of providing a reminder of His covenant. May God give us a holy anticipation of the next rainbow. And when we see it, may we be powerfully reminded of what God did for Noah, his family, and for all of us. May God guard us from making everything so commonplace. That rainbow is not an arc of concentric colored bands that develops when sunlight interacts with raindrops. That rainbow is the token of God’s covenant. It is nothing less than God speaking to you and me, reminding us of what a wonderful and merciful God He is. What a time to praise Him and thank Him.