Genesis Chapter 9
I think it would be helpful this morning if we dealt with this chapter on a topic by topic basis, and so we will begin with verse 1. In this verse God blesses Noah and commands him to have many children and to go out and spread over all the earth. We have here if you like a fresh statement of the command already given to Adam in the pre fall days and here it is simply stated again. In the second verse we read, "All the animals, birds and fish will live in fear of you. They are all place under your power.". Do you see the change that has taken place. How this contrasts with the picture we are given of the Garden of Eden. There there is no fear of between man and the animal kingdom. But now man is to be feared. And we are given power over the animal kingdom. Power to do what we like them. But with power comes responsibility. This is not a licence to be brutal and cruel. And here there is a change coming for in verse 3 Noah is now told that from now on we can eat animals for food. Do you see how it has all changed. How our relationship with God and with the animals and indeed with the ground has all changed. Fear and difficulty have replaced love and ease. Here we see God acknowledging the change that has been brought about by man and he works for our sake within that framework. Here he makes it easier for us to find food for our mortal bodies now that tilling the ground brings such heartache and such potential for failure.
Now verse four may cause us a few problems particularly if we like our steaks rare. For it reads, "the one thing you must not eat it meat with blood still in it." Now we know that under the covenant of grace in which we live such prohibitions are done away with. And so we might think we can leave this verse behind. But to do so would be a pity because it would be then to ignore the issue that underlies this verse. Many commentators are of the opinion that this is a rule about how we eat animals. They draw their conclusions from other societies where it is not unknown for an animal to be brought down and then consumed raw sometimes while it still lives. It is so they argue that is forbidden. We are rather to behave in the more civilised manner to which we are well accustomed in our society.
There then follows the command that murderers are to be put to death. Now this does cause some problems for us. But rather than get into the capital punishment debate and the whole business of crime and punishment. We must rather reflect a little on why our society has departed from this norm. Let me place these ideas before you so that you might give them some thought. Let me put it as simply as I can.
God says we are a unique creation quite separate from the animal kingdom. Our lives are precious and we are made in his image. Therefore our lives are so valuable that any who takes it away from us must forfeit their own existence. This is a law about the valuableness of human life rather than one about punishment.
Now if we take this away and say as many do today that we are simply some advanced animal rather than a unique creation then we are reduced to being no more than some kind of monkey. If further we take away all notion of God and allow rather te devil to reign in our societies then life becomes cheapened. We become more beastlike. We value life less and less. So killing becomes less of a crime, life is worth less, punishment is diminished. Euthanasia becomes a real possibility (after all don't we put animals to sleep). Abortion becomes the norm for many. The more we turn away from God the more beast like we become. Perhaps there is food for thought there for us all.
The remainder of the verse here through to verse 17 are concerned with if you like the sign and the seal of the covenant made with Noah and the promise that there would never again be a universal flood. As sign we have the rainbow. Now it is plain foolishness to think that before this time there were no rainbows. Rather what God is doing is taking an already existing and beautiful natural event and changing its significance. In the same way that Lord took bread and wine and changed the significance of its meaning for us. And this was sign made to all peoples everywhere for all time.
In moving on to verses 18 to 28 we find that Noah falls into sin. Now we cannot know from this account the full extent of Noah's sin. But we do know that he became very drunk. And in that drunkenness he behaved very badly. We may suspect some lewd behaviour. Certainly we know he stripped himself naked. And we have all witnessed the absurd and silly behaviour of those who drink themselves into stupidity. it would appear that HAM made some mileage out of this and brought further problems into the family unit, while his brothers acted with some decency and decorum. We can only guess at what actually went on here but it must have been pretty serious to warrant the curse that followed. So even the good people saved from the flood were less than perfect.
It isn't a popular message today in our drink and pub orientated culture but the underlying message here is one of sobriety. Not for us the ways of drunkenness. This is not the way of God. When we lose control of our senses to alcohol we let the evil that dwells within us loose. This is the single biggest cause of problems in our society. And I am not just thinking of the health problems but rather of the fact that our prisons are full of those who committed some criminal act while under the influence of alcohol.
This is as good a place as any to make it plain what the Bible says about alcohol and its use. Nowhere is it condemned. Indeed the exact opposite is the case. What is condemned is drunkenness and the whole culture that goes with it. We need to be aware of that. It is not acceptable in the sight of God for Christians to lose control of themselves to drink. And if that is a danger you think you face then as a Christian the only road open to you is that of total abstinence.
Now enough of that, you should know these things already although this may be news to some of our young folk who of course find themselves in particular danger.
Now what have we seen this morning. We have seen in these verses the absolute faithfulness of Our God. We have witnessed his fairness. We have seen his graciousness in action. But we have also seen the ease with which the godly can slip into ungodliness. The Lord has also challenged us to think carefully about how we view human and animal life and how we must treat the two. And when we next cast our eyes on a rainbow then let it be a reminder to us of God's graciousness.