God’s Covenant and the Call to Righteousness

February 23, 2025
Pastor Jack

a field with a full rainbow

Genesis 9

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. And fear of you and dread of you shall be upon every animal of the earth, and on every bird of heaven, and on everything that moves upon the ground, and on all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they shall be given. Every moving thing that lives shall be for you as food. As I gave the green plants to you, I now give you everything. Only you shall not eat raw flesh with blood in it. And your lifeblood I will require; from every animal I will require it. And from the hand of humankind, from the hand of each man to his brother I will require the life of humankind. “As for the one shedding the blood of humankind, by humankind his blood shall be shed, for God made humankind in his own image. “And you, be fruitful and multiply, swarm on the earth and multiply in it.” And God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, behold, I am establishing my covenant with you and with your seed after you, and with every living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and every animal of the earth with you, from all that came out of the ark to all the animals of the earth. I am establishing my covenant with you, that never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, nor will there ever be a flood that destroys the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you, and between every living creature that is with you for future generations. My bow I have set in the clouds, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between me and between the earth. And when I make clouds appear over the earth the bow shall be seen in the clouds. Then I will remember my covenant that is between me and you, and between every living creature, with all flesh. And the waters of a flood will never again cause the destruction of all flesh. The bow shall be in the clouds, and I will see it, so as to remember the everlasting covenant between God and between every living creature, with all flesh that is upon the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am establishing between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. And Noah began to be a man of the ground, and he planted a vineyard. And he drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he exposed himself in the midst of his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and he told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, and the two of them put it on their shoulders and, walking backward, they covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were turned backward, so that they did not see the nakedness of their father. Then Noah awoke from his drunkenness, and he knew what his youngest son had done to him. And he said, “Cursed be Canaan, a slave of slaves he shall be to his brothers.” Then he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be a slave to them. May God make space for Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be a slave for him.” And Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

Genesis 9:

Main Themes: Renewal, Covenant, Responsibility, and the Lasting Effects of Sin

Introduction: Genesis 9 marks a new beginning after the flood. God establishes His covenant with Noah, giving humanity a fresh start with new responsibilities. The rainbow serves as a sign of His promise, but the chapter also warns of sin’s lingering effects. Through this passage, we explore God’s faithfulness, human accountability, and the lasting impact of our choices.

Genesis 9:1–7 A Renewed Calling – God’s Blessing and Human Responsibility

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

  6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man,
  by man shall his blood be shed,
  for God made man in his own image.

7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

Summary: God speaks of His plan.

Discussion Questions:

  • How does God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply” (v. 1) connect to His original command in Genesis 1:28?
  • What has changed about man’s relationship the animals?
  • Why do you think God now gives permission to eat meat (v. 3)? What might this say about the post-flood world?
  • Verses 4-6 speaks about life and the value of human life.
    • How should this influence the way we treat others today?
    • What does this say about our relationship with God?

Genesis 9:8–11 The Covenant Established – God’s Promise of Mercy

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

Summary: God establishes an everlasting covenant with Noah and all living creatures, promising never to destroy the earth by flood again.

Discussion Questions:

  • What is the difference between a covenant and a contract?
  • What does it mean that this covenant is “unconditional” (not dependent on human actions)?
  • How does this promise reflect God’s mercy and faithfulness?
  • Why do you think God included animals in His covenant? What does this teach us about His care for all creation?

Facilitation Tip: Invite members to think about and share personal experiences of God’s mercy in their lives.

Genesis 9:12–16 The Sign of the Covenant – The Rainbow as a Symbol of Hope

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

Summary: The rainbow is given as a visible sign of God’s faithfulness, a reminder that He keeps His promises.

Discussion Questions:

  • What does it mean that the rainbow is a reminder “for God” as well as for us (v. 16)?
  • Can you think of other signs in Scripture that point to God’s faithfulness?
  • Jack said something like “God says ‘I got you!’“. What does that mean to you?

Facilitation Tip: Ask about personal stories about seeing a rainbow at meaningful moments. Invite members to reflect on times they have experienced reminders of God’s promises.

Genesis 9:17–29 A Troubling End – Sin’s Lingering Impact

God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” 18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed. 20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,

  “Cursed be Canaan;
  a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

26 He also said,

  “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem;
  and let Canaan be his servant.
  27 May God enlarge Japheth,
  and let him dwell in the tents of Shem,
  and let Canaan be his servant.”

28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

Summary: Despite the new beginning, Noah’s drunkenness and Ham’s actions reveal that sin still affects humanity, leading to consequences for future generations.

Discussion Questions:

  • What did Noah do (hobby/occupation) after the flood?
  • What does Noah’s failure (getting drunk and nakedness) teach us about human weakness?
  • What did Ham do?
  • What did Shem and Japheth do?
  • Why do you think Ham’s actions led to such a strong response?
  • How does this passage contrast with the earlier themes of renewal and blessing?
  • What possible foreshadowing can you see here in Noah’s blessing and curse?

Facilitation Tip: This section can be challenging, so encourage open discussion without rushing to easy conclusions. You might ask members to reflect on how they handle personal failures or difficult family dynamics.

Wrap it

God loves us. His covenant is not dependent on us. He will be with us forever. This story is a foreshadowing of the Passover; it looks forward to the cross and His blood shed for us. Ham talked/gossiped about his father. Shem and Japheth took action. God expects action. Repent and believe.

Church, how have you acted?

Church, how will you act?

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