New Beginnings

Genesis 9:1-17The Covenant to Noah

Created by David Turnerwww.BibleStudies-Online.com

Genesis 9:1–17 (NET)1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to

them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. 3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. As I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.4 But you must not eat meat with its life (that is, its blood) in it.

Genesis 9:1–17 (NET)5 For your lifeblood I will surely exact punishment,

from every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person I will exact punishment for the life of the individual since the man was his relative.6 “Whoever sheds human blood, by other humans must his blood be shed; for in God’s image God has made humankind.”7 But as for you, be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”

Genesis 9:1–17 (cont.)8 God said to Noah and his sons, 9 “Look! I now

confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature of the earth. 11 I confirm my covenant with you: Never again will all living things be wiped out by the waters of a flood; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”12 And God said, “This is the guarantee of the covenant I am making with you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all subsequent generations:

Genesis 9:1–17 (cont.)13 I will place my rainbow in the clouds, and it will

become a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 then I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures of all kinds. Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy all living things. 16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.” 17 So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things that are on the earth.”

God Blesses In The Midst of Change

There is a change ruleBefore the Flood

Gen. 9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

After the Flood

Gen. 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.”

There is a change relationship and diet

Before the Flood

Genesis 9:2–3 2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. 3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. As I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

After the Flood

Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

A change in restrictions on food

Before the FallGenesis 9:4 But you must not

eat meat with its life (that is, its blood) in it.

After the FloodGenesis 2:16–17 16 …, “You may

freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”

Changes are universal

Universal CommandGenesis 9:4 But you must not eat

meat with its life (that is, its blood) in it.

In the Jewish Law

Leviticus 17:10–12 10 “‘Any man from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who reside in their midst who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, 11 for the life of every living thing is in the blood. So I myself have assigned it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes atonement by means of the life. 12 Therefore, I have said to the Israelites: No person among you is to eat blood, and no resident foreigner who lives among you is to eat blood.

Dietary command universal (cont.)

Universal CommandGenesis 9:4 But you must not eat

meat with its life (that is, its blood) in it.

Stated by Apostles for GentilesActs 15:29 29 that you abstain

from meat that has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what has been strangled and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from doing these things, you will do well. Farewell.

A Change in the response to Murder

Before the FloodGenesis 9:5 5 For your lifeblood I

will surely exact punishment, from every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person I will exact punishment for the life of the individual since the man was his relative.

After the FloodGen. 4:15 But the Lord said to him, “All

right then, if anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times as much.” Then the Lord put a special mark on Cain so that no one who found him would strike him down.

Gen. 4:23–24 23 Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah! Listen to me! You wives of Lamech, hear my words! I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for hurting me. 24 If Cain is to be avenged seven times as much, then Lamech seventy-seven times!”

The Image Remains the same, but God demands justice

Before the Flood

Genesis 9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, by other humans must his blood be shed; for in God’s image God has made humankind.”

Romans 13:4 for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be in fear, for it does not bear the sword in vain. It is God’s servant to administer retribution on the wrongdoer.

After the Flood

Gen. 1:27 God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.

dam adam

Some Things Remain the SameBefore the Flood

Gen. 9:7 But as for you, be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”

After the Flood

Gen. 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.”

God’s promise is to All

Gen. 9:8–10 8 God said to Noah and his sons, 9 “Look! I now confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature of the earth.

His Promise Is Eternal

Genesis 9:11 11 I confirm my covenant with you: Never again will all living things be wiped out by the waters of a flood; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

He Hangs His Bow Before the Flood

Genesis 9:12–15 12 And God said, “This is the guarantee of the covenant I am making with you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all subsequent generations: 13 I will place my rainbow in the clouds, and it will become a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 then I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures of all kinds. Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy all living things.

After the FloodGenesis 2:5–6 5 Now no shrub of

the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 Springs would well up from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

God doesn’t Change or ForgetGenesis 9:16–17 16 When the rainbow is in the

clouds, I will notice it and remember the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.” 17 So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things that are on the earth.”

The World May ChangeOur Circumstances May ChangeBut God’s Promises and Love is

Forever