Let’s review what has happened in Genesis 6-8. Genesis 6:5 “The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” How did God feel? What did God decide to do? Genesis 6:12 “God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.”

Let’s review what has happened in Genesis 6-8. Genesis 6:9b “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” Was Noah completely without sin--like Jesus? How did Noah fit into God’s plan? What made Noah righteous and blameless?

Let’s review what has happened in Genesis 6-8. Genesis 7:1 “The LORD then said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you…’ Genesis 7:15-16 “Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.”

Let’s review what has happened in Genesis 6-8. Who was in control? Why were they shut in? How long did the waters get higher and higher? How high did the waters get?

Let’s review what has happened in Genesis 6-8. Genesis 8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. How did Noah find out whether or not the ground was getting dry enough yet? How long were Noah and his family and the animals in the ark? Did Noah go out of the ark when he decided the ground was dry enough?

Let’s review what has happened in Genesis 6-8. What was the very first thing that Noah did when he and his family came out of the ark? What did God do?

Let’s review what has happened in Genesis 6-8. Genesis 8:21b-22 "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” What promises did God make?

Not only do we have this promise from God, but now we come to the first part of chapter 9 where we will find God’s blessing for Noah and his sons and God’s covenant with them and with all his creation. Genesis 9:1-17

Genesis 9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Does some of this sound familiar?

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28a God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; Genesis 9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. God has not given up on creation. God has not given up on man. God is giving creation and man a fresh start— a new chance to obey, a new chance to be what God intended them to be.

But there are some differences: --Because the sin of Adam and Eve really happened, sin is still in each person’s heart. --Man cannot go back to a totally sinless condition. --Man cannot go back to the Garden of Eden. (There will be a garden, but it will not be Eden.) --Man would still have dominion over the other creatures, but with a difference. (In the beginning, there was harmony and there was no fear, but now there is fear.)

Genesis 1:27 God said to them, “…Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 9:2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Dominion remains as before, but now there is fear and dread in our relationship with other creatures. In Genesis 2, Adam named the animals. He had a positive relationship with them and there was no hint of fear.

3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. 4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. 6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. What else is now different?

Genesis 1:29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. Genesis 9: 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. There is now a change in our diet. Genesis 2:16 "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. Now Noah and his family and the human beings who come after them can eat fruits and vegetables and meat. But there is still a command about one thing that they should not eat. With the command there is a requirement of obedience. Notice the word “lifeblood.” The Jews believed that life was in the blood, and the blood and the life it brings were a gift of God that should only be given back to God and not used for any other purpose.

Look at how one passage in the Old Testament gives more detailed instruction about “lifeblood,” “life” and “blood.” Leviticus 17:13 “Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, ‘You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.’" And the verses before this are very, very important.

Atonement: a sacrifice to repay for one’s sin; a sacrifice to bring one back into a right relationship with God. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, "None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood." Leviticus 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. In the Old Testament, the Jews did make such sacrifices for their sins whenever they realized they had sinned.

Atonement: a sacrifice to repay for one’s sin; a sacrifice to bring one back into a right relationship with God. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, "None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood." Leviticus 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. Then what happens in the New Testament?

In the New Testament, God provides the sacrifice. God provides the Sacrificial Lamb – Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, "None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood." Leviticus 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. Christ shed his blood to pay for our sins. Christ’s blood shed for us brings us reconciliation with God—brings us back into a right relationship with God.

In John chapter 6, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life” and then he goes on to say, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Then the Jews began to argue with each other about how Jesus could say that he would give them his flesh to eat. Then what response did Jesus give?

John 6:53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.

At the last supper as Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples, they ate the bread and drank the wine. Of the bread, Jesus said, "Take and eat; this is my body,“ and of the wine he said “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins…” (Matthew 26:26-28) When we celebrate the Lord’s supper, we do the same, remembering Jesus Christ’s great sacrifice for us.

And as we saw, in verse 4, God gave a command to Noah, “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it,” and Noah and his descendants were expected to obey God’s command. Of course, Noah did not know about God’s full plan for salvation in Christ Jesus at that time, but God had saved Noah from the flood and through him saved the human race, for if Noah and his family had died in the flood, too, there would be no life left on the earth. Lifeblood should be given back to God, the giver of life.

There was also another difference between the time when Adam and Eve first began their life in the Garden of Eden and the time of Noah. Between those two times, not only had Adam and Eve sinned by their disobedience to God and been removed from Eden, but Cain had also killed his brother Abel. Violence and murder had entered the world. Moreover that kind of violence and murder was clearly against God’s will, so God must speak against it again and God must speak for the true value of all life. Do you remember what God said to Noah in verses 5 and 6 that we read before talking for such a long time about lifeblood?

5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. 6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. Though man has sinned and still has a sinful nature, each human being has still been made in the image of God. Each one and his life is of great value in God’s eyes and should have the same great value in our eyes and our actions as well.

So now at this point we see that 1) God gave his promise not to destroy all living creatures as he had done in the flood and promised to provide the seasons and days that would provide for the needs of life, as we saw last week at the end of chapter 8. 2) Life had a new beginning, though man was still inclined to sin. 3) God blessed Noah and his sons. 4) God gave Noah and his sons provision and permission for more food to eat—plants & meat. 5) God gave Noah and his sons a command to obey. 6) God gave a teaching and warning about the value each one’s life.

7 “As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it." 7) Then in verse seven God returns to and repeats his blessing for Noah and his sons. The repetition confirms the blessing. The blessing is true. God really means it. It is God’s will.

A covenant is more than just an ordinary promise. A covenant is a formal, solemn and binding agreement. It is serious. It must not be broken. Then God returns to what he has said in his earlier promise. God will make a covenant with Noah and with all creation.

GE 9:8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you--the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you--every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."

If two countries sign a treaty, the treaty documents are a sign of what they must do to honor their agreement. I believe a covenant is even more important and more serious. Although God doesn’t sign a document or any other piece of paper, God does give Noah a sign that will always point to the covenant he has agreed to--for Noah and for all creation. If two companies make a contract, they normally sign some official and formal papers and those contract documents are a sign of and contain the explanation what they must do to honor their agreement.

12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

Notice how many times different parts are repeated: --the content of the promise and the covenant? --the words about making or establishing the covenant? --the sign of the covenant (the rainbow)? --how the rainbow will remind him? Why does God repeat these things so many times?

Who will the rainbow remind? What will the rainbow remind him of? If God’s purpose for the rainbow is to remind himself of his covenant with us, why might the rainbow be important to us? Should the rainbow remind us of anything? 17 So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."

And if you read on into Exodus, you will see his covenant established with Moses and the people of Israel. As we continue through Genesis, we will see that God continues to make, establish and reestablish his covenant with his people. Later we will see God establish his covenant with Abraham and with Isaac and then with Jacob. And finally in the New Testament God, in Christ Jesus, establishes a New Covenant to enable all who believe in him to be reconciled to him.