It was, in a sense, a whole new world when Noah, his family and the animals came out of the ark. With that new world came some new relationships.
First, the animals were now given to Noah and his family as food. Before this they were vegetarians. It may be that people ate animals before the flood, but if they did it was against God’s will. Now He gives permission to eat meat, except that He is clear that Noah and his family were not to eat the blood of the animal, stating that the life is in the blood. Life is still God’s business, and when Noah and his family took the life of an animal in order to eat it, it was to be done with respect for the amazing gift of life.
Second, God established capital punishment in the case of murder. Murder is an affront to the giver of life, and God dictated that if a person murders another person they were to be put to death. Why? Because God is the God of life, and this is to protect the living. (Notice that immediately after this new command, God once again tells the family, “be fruitful and multiply.” God loves life.)
Finally, God places his bow in the sky as a sign of a covenant that He will never flood the whole earth again. It may be that this was the first time a rainbow was seen on earth, I don’t know. But what is certain is God attached a significant meaning to it. Also, it is important to remember that in Noah’s day a bow was a weapon, and God is saying, “I have stopped fighting. I’m hanging up my bow.”
For us, we’ve been given even more freedom on our eating, and we have even been given the power to give forgiveness to the murderer (although Christians can still properly support capital punishment.) And we are can be even more certain the God has hung up his bow and does not fight against us because He, “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Jesus took our sin to Himself and became, in a sense, the world’s greatest sinner so that all of God’s punishment for sin could be poured out on Him, and we receive His righteousness. Much as the rainbow reminds us God is no longer at war with people, whenever we see a cross we can know that God loves us and has given us salvation.
That doesn’t mean we’ve become perfect. We still live lives of repentance. We read what Noah did after he experienced God’s salvation, how he got drunk and then cursed his son. (What would the neighbors think? Oh, wait . . . there weren’t any! That curse was all about Noah’s foolish pride.) We, too, sin in our foolish pride. But much as Ham and Japheth covered their father, our sin is covered too. Not with a garment, but covered with Jesus’ blood which hides and takes away our shame.
This leaves me thinking about how we handle others when we find them in sin. Do we point it out in mockery, derision, and judgment? Or can we find a way to extend a covering of forgiveness that helps them know God’s love? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we “cover up” sin, but when sin is seen we seek to “cover” the sinner with Jesus’ forgiveness, the same way we have been covered.
Father in Heaven, You are just and merciful and I praise you. Sometimes I go through this world unaware of the amazing things you do for me. Show me how much You do for me and let me worship you for it! Empower me to show your mercy and tell others of Your love for them, too. Amen.
First, the animals were now given to Noah and his family as food. Before this they were vegetarians. It may be that people ate animals before the flood, but if they did it was against God’s will. Now He gives permission to eat meat, except that He is clear that Noah and his family were not to eat the blood of the animal, stating that the life is in the blood. Life is still God’s business, and when Noah and his family took the life of an animal in order to eat it, it was to be done with respect for the amazing gift of life.
Second, God established capital punishment in the case of murder. Murder is an affront to the giver of life, and God dictated that if a person murders another person they were to be put to death. Why? Because God is the God of life, and this is to protect the living. (Notice that immediately after this new command, God once again tells the family, “be fruitful and multiply.” God loves life.)
Finally, God places his bow in the sky as a sign of a covenant that He will never flood the whole earth again. It may be that this was the first time a rainbow was seen on earth, I don’t know. But what is certain is God attached a significant meaning to it. Also, it is important to remember that in Noah’s day a bow was a weapon, and God is saying, “I have stopped fighting. I’m hanging up my bow.”
For us, we’ve been given even more freedom on our eating, and we have even been given the power to give forgiveness to the murderer (although Christians can still properly support capital punishment.) And we are can be even more certain the God has hung up his bow and does not fight against us because He, “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Jesus took our sin to Himself and became, in a sense, the world’s greatest sinner so that all of God’s punishment for sin could be poured out on Him, and we receive His righteousness. Much as the rainbow reminds us God is no longer at war with people, whenever we see a cross we can know that God loves us and has given us salvation.
That doesn’t mean we’ve become perfect. We still live lives of repentance. We read what Noah did after he experienced God’s salvation, how he got drunk and then cursed his son. (What would the neighbors think? Oh, wait . . . there weren’t any! That curse was all about Noah’s foolish pride.) We, too, sin in our foolish pride. But much as Ham and Japheth covered their father, our sin is covered too. Not with a garment, but covered with Jesus’ blood which hides and takes away our shame.
This leaves me thinking about how we handle others when we find them in sin. Do we point it out in mockery, derision, and judgment? Or can we find a way to extend a covering of forgiveness that helps them know God’s love? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we “cover up” sin, but when sin is seen we seek to “cover” the sinner with Jesus’ forgiveness, the same way we have been covered.
Father in Heaven, You are just and merciful and I praise you. Sometimes I go through this world unaware of the amazing things you do for me. Show me how much You do for me and let me worship you for it! Empower me to show your mercy and tell others of Your love for them, too. Amen.
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