CONSTRAINTS For FRUITFULNESS(Success)—Gen. 9:1-7
Attention:
Each evening, Tom(a bird lover) stood in his backyard, hooting like an owl
Finally, one night, an owl finally called back to him.
For a year, the man and his feathered friend hooted back & forth. He kept a log of the "conversation."
He was convinced that he was on the verge of a breakthrough in interspecies communication.
However, his wife had a chat with her next door neighbor.
"My husband spends his nights ... calling out to owls," she said.
"That's odd," the neighbor replied. "So does my husband."
Tom’s Success at interspecies communication was limited because of his relationship to his neighbor.
Likewise there our Success as Christians is Constrained by certain relationships.
CONSTRAIN—To severely restrict the scope, extent, or activity of.
Need:
God blessed Noah’s family with a fruitfulness based on relationship.
Man’s fruitfulness is to be constrained/determined thru relationships.
How do relationships constrain/determine our fruitfulness?
3 relationships constraining/determining our fruitfulness.
1—Fruitfulness is constrained thru relationship with...
GOD(:1)
Explanation: (:1)
:1—“So God blessed Noah & his sons, & said to them: “Be fruitful & multiply, & fill the earth.”
This is a reinstatement of the original charge & blessing given to Adam & Eve(implied) in Gen. 1:26-28. There, God made it possible to fulfill the charge thru Adam but it became tainted with sin thru their son Cain(who murdered his brother Abel) establishing or rather propounding a legacy of wickedness, which God never intended.
These are the same words(phraseology) used in God’s original blessing of Adam & Eve:
Gen. 1:26-28—“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, & over the cattle, over all the earth & over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male & female He created them. Then God blessed them, & God said to them, “Be fruitful & multiply; fill the earth & subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, & over every living thing that moves on the earth.””
Noah & his family are the progenitors of all humanity in the same sense that Adam & Eve were. They are the ministers of a ‘clean slate,’ a changed life, & the confidence wrought in the privilege of God’s gracious Salvation lived out.
“Blessed”—Krb baw-rak'—Piel Imperfect—1) To bless, kneel; 2) (TWOT) To praise, salute, curse. Strong—a primitive root; To kneel; by implication--To bless God(as an act of adoration), & (vice-versa) man (as a benefit); also by euphemism--To curse (God or the king, as treason).
“Fruitful”(See :7)—hrp paw-raw'—Qal Imperative—1) to bear fruit, be fruitful, branch off. Strong—a primitive root; To bear fruit (literally or figuratively). Used 29X.
“Multiply/Increase”(See :7)—hbr raw-baw'—Qal Imperative—1) Be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To become many, become numerous, multiply (of people, animals, things), 1a2) To be or grow great 2) (Qal) To shoot. Strong—a primitive root; To increase (in whatever respect).
“Fill/Replenish”—alm maw-lay'—Qal Imperative—1) to fill, be full—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To be full—1a1a) Fulness, abundance (participle), 1a1b) To be full, be accomplished, be ended, 1a2) To consecrate, fill the hand.
“Earth”—Ura eh'-rets—1) Land, earth—1a) Earth—1a1) Whole earth (as opposed to a part), 1a2) Earth (as opposed to heaven), 1a3) Earth (inhabitants), 1b) Land—1b1) Country, territory, 1b2) District, region, 1b3) Tribal territory, 1b4) Piece of ground, 1b5) Land of Canaan, Israel, 1b6) Inhabitants of land, 1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world, 1b8) City (-state), 1c) Ground, surface of the earth—1c1) Ground, 1c2) Soil, 1d) (in phrases)—1d1) People of the land. Strong—from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; The earth (at large, or partitively a land)
Argumentation:
Rom. 6:5-7, 11, “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.”.....“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”.....“But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”
*Eph. 4:21-24—“if indeed you have heard Him & have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, & be renewed in the spirit of your mind, & that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness & holiness.”
Col. 3:8-14—“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, & have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all & in all. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy & beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, & forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”
Rom. 1:18-21—“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness & unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, & their foolish hearts were darkened.”
Deut 11:26-28—““Behold, I set before you today a blessing & a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; & the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.”
Deut. 13:1-3 ““If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, & he gives you a sign or a wonder, “& the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’--which you have not known--‘& let us serve them,’ “you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart & with all your soul.”
Implied here is that God has personally revealed Himself to His people & that they, in turn, have potential to know their God.
Hos. 2:16-20—““And it shall be, in that day,” Says the LORD, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’ For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more. In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow & sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely. I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness & justice, In lovingkindness & mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the LORD.”
At one point, Paul put confidence in his flesh & in his religion but had no relationship with God!
Php. 3:7-14—“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, & count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ & be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him & the power of His resurrection, & the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind & reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Jn. 14:13-20—““And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, & He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you & will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. “A little while longer & the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, & you in Me, & I in you.”
1Jn. 2:1-6—“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, & not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” & does not keep His commandments, is a liar, & the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”
2Tim. 2:10-13—“Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
Mat. 7:21-23—““Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, & done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
1Cor. 13:11-12—“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”
Illustration:
Relationship with the boss pictures our relationship to God.
Relationship with employees pictures God’s relationship to us.
Sam held a job for a week/He hated it!/Had a great relationship with the store manager!/But the floor manager was constantly complaining & would never teach Sam his job—Sam constantly had to approach the floor manager about how to do something/Relationship with employees/Fruitfulness is constrained thru relationship with GOD
Application:
?Is Your Fruitfulness constrained thru Relationship with GOD?
? Is Your Fruitfulness determined by God’s desire...or your own?
2—Fruitfulness is constrained thru relationship with...
CREATION(:2-3)
Explanation: (:2-3)
:2—“And the fear of you & the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, & on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand.”
This is in answer to the original determination of God for Adam & Eve regarding their relation to animals.
My personal question regarding this statement is... ‘Is this a further description(explanation) of the implications of the original blessing, OR is this rather an explicit expansion of the original(Gen. 1:28)?’
Gen. 1:28—“Then God blessed them, & God said to them, “Be fruitful & multiply; fill the earth & subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, & over every living thing that moves on the earth.””
Regardless, Noah now is explicitly told that every animal’s kind on earth would possess a “fear” & “dread” of Noah. It is implied that this respect directed at Noah is in fact, extended to all succeeding generations of mankind. There is, from this point on in Scripture, never any recanting/reforming of this “blessing” or the following “covenant”(:9-17). It is universal & intended for all the earth for all the time “while the earth remains”(8:21-22).
Such a “fear” & “dread”(newfound or extended) is due to the fact that God has “given” all animals “into [Noah’s] hand.” In other words, the authority for the welfare of animal-kind is completely at Noah & his progeny’s disposal. The power of life &/or death is now in Noah’s control. Yet there is an implied respect with which Noah et al are expected to wield such responsibility. It is implied by the mere fact that God brought them all thru the Flood in order that they might “be fruitful & multiply on the earth.”
:3—“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.” ”
It explicitly states here that the previous rules of sustenance(1:29-30) will no longer hold true in this new post-diluvial world. God had formerly “given” green herbs, plants & seed for food for both mankind & animal-kind alike(1:29-30). At that time there was no provision made in which a person would take an animal’s life for food or vice-versa(implied). The only mention of the lives of animals being taken were in the context of worship(4:3-5).
With Noah now set as the second Adam(Jesus being the Last Adam(1Cor. 15:20-26, 45)), “all things,” including animals, are given to him “as” are/were “the green herbs”(1:29-30). There is now nothing to hinder Noah & his future generations(mankind) from gratefully accepting “all things” as gifts of the Lord for their survival, thriving & enjoyment(gladness of heart).
We must also realize that even with such food restrictions removed, there is also a very real recognition of “clean” as opposed to “not clean”(as opposed to “unclean”) as seen in Noah’s worship(8:20).
This is reminiscent of Paul’s statements in 1Tim. 4, where he writes...
1Tim. 4:1-5—“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits & doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, & commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe & know the truth. For every creature of God is good, & nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God & prayer.”
Likewise, Peter’s grasp of the universal application of the Gospel was pictured in his foregoing the severe limitations of ceremonial dietary Law for an acceptance of all things “God has cleansed.”
Acts 11:5 -18—““I[Peter] was in the city of Joppa praying; & in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; & it came to me. “When I observed it intently & considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, & birds of the air. “And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill & eat.’ “But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’ “But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ “Now this was done three times, & all were drawn up again into heaven. At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, & we entered the man’s house. And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, & call for Simon whose surname is Peter, ‘who will tell you words by which you & all your household will be saved.’ “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ “If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” When they heard these things they became silent; & they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.””
Now imagine yourself as a vegetarian only...Not knowing any other way...Seeing animal life as a precious gift of God & a continual reminder of His manifold graces in creation. Now imagine how you would be impacted in your worship were you to be driven of the Holy Spirit to provide an animal sacrifice to cover your sin temporarily. I believe it is vastly more informative & humbling for us as sinners if we could grasp God’s intended respect for animal-kind & thereby the enormity, seriousness & atrociousness of our own sinfulness as seen thru God’s eyes.
We share the earth with creatures which our God has preserved & blessed for both His glory & our sustenance(:3). Realizing this, we are immediately driven to a respectful rather than an exploitive attitude toward them. We are also driven to examine the motives & manifold methods regarding involvement in such human-sustaining activities. Some questions we must ask ourselves...Are our actions necessary?...Are they humane?...Are they sustainable over time?...Do they glorify God?...Are they becoming to the children of God?
Expanding upon this concept...Isn’t much of the sense of God’s directive lost in supplanting an agrarian society with an industrialized one?
“Fear”—arwm mo-raw'—N. m.—1) Fear, reverence, terror. Strong—Fear; by implication, a fearful thing or deed. Used 13X.
“Dread”—tx khath—1) Fear, terror; 2) Shattered, dismayed. Strong—concretely--Crushed; also Afraid; abstractly--Terror. Used 4X.
“Beast”—yx khah'-ee—Adj.—1) Living, alive.
“Given”—Ntn naw-than'—Niphal Perfect—1) To give, put, set—1b) (Niphal)—1b1) To be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned, 1b2) To be set, be put, be made, be inflicted. Strong—a primitive root; To give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.).
“Hand”(See :5)—dy yawd—N. f.—1) Hand—1a) Hand (of man), 1b) Strength, power (fig.), 1c) Side (of land), part, portion (metaph.) (fig.), 1d) (various special, technical senses)—1d1) Sign, monument, 1d2) Part, fractional part, share, 1d3) Time, repetition, 1d4) Axle-trees, axle, 1d5) Stays, support (for laver), 1d6) Tenons (in tabernacle), 1d7) A phallus, a hand (meaning unsure), 1d8) Wrists. Strong—a primitive word; A hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from Pk kaph, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of applications, both literally & figuratively, both proximate & remote.
“Food”—hlka ok-law'—1) Food—1a) Food, eating, 1b) Object of devouring, consuming—1b1) By wild beasts (figurative), 1b2) In fire, 1b3) Of judgment (figurative). Used 18X.
“Green”—qry yeh'-req—1) Green, greenness, green plants, greenery. Strong—properly, Pallor, i.e. hence, The yellowish green of young & sickly vegetation; concretely--Verdure, i.e. Grass or vegetation.
From—qry yaw-raq'—a primitive root; To spit.
“Herb”—bse eh'seb—1) Herb, herbage, grass, green plants. Strong—from an unused root meaning to glisten (or be green); Grass (or any tender shoot).
“Given”—Ntn naw-than'—Qal Perfect—1) To give, put, set—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend, 1a2) To put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate, 1a3) To make, constitute. Strong—a primitive root; To give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.).
“All things”—lk kol—1) All, the whole. Strong—properly, The whole; hence, All, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense). Argumentation:
Rom. 8:18-22—“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans & labors with birth pangs together until now.”
Isa. 65:24-25—““It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf & the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,” Says the LORD.”
2Pet. 3:11-14—“Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct & godliness, looking for & hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, & the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens & a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot & blameless;”
Illustration:
People who torment innocent animals are involved in other similar & worse perversions/Relationship with CREATION
“Stats on animal abuse show a sharp correlation between animal abuse & other crimes, including rape, robbery, murder, sexual homicide, domestic abuse and more. E.G.: studies show 100% of sexual homicide [perpetrators] (like Jeffrey Dahmer) started by abusing animals. Even cops, prosecutors & social workers say show me an animal abuser and I'll show you someone with a long rap sheet.”—hg.org Global Legal Resources
We must fully consider our relationship with our natural world realizing that it is God’s creation & as such, must be appreciated for its sheer bounty, diversity, & wonder as well as its intent for mankind/NOT for mankind to abuse, or use selfishly, but to use according to God’s desire...with respect for it as being ‘a little lower’ than mankind—just as mankind has been made “a little lower than the angels”(Heb. 2:7)/Your God-ordained Fruitfulness is constrained thru Relationship with CREATION
Application:
? Is Your Fruitfulness constrained thru Relationship with CREATION?
? Is Your Fruitfulness determined by God’s desire...or your own?
3—Fruitfulness is constrained thru relationship with...
MAN(:4-7)
Explanation: (:4-7)
:4—“But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”
Though animals are allowed to be killed for mankind’s sustenance, there is to be a continual reminder in such preparation for consumption. The provision to take of animal life in order to sustain Noah’s(& progeny) is a seeming paradox/contradiction seeing as all have been partakers in salvation. However, at the same time, this preserves a real distinction between animals & mankind—made in the image of God Himself.
The “blood” of those meal-bound animals is never to be eaten. The “blood” of an animal is considered as the very essence of its “life.”
“Respect for life & beyond that, respect for the giver of life, means abstaining from blood. This is a universal concept & anticipates the Jewish sacrificial Law.
Abstinence from blood is one of the very things which the Jerusalem Council wanted to ensure was shared with & secured among the Gentile Christians(Acts 15). Thus this is a timeless application which directly confronts paganism with a constant reminder of the perfect design of the One Creator God as well as the preciousness(to God) of the result of such design.
Acts 15:19-29—““Therefore I[James] judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, & from blood. For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath. Then it pleased the apostles & elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul & Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, & Silas, leading men among the brethren. They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, & the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, & Cilicia: Greetings. Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised & keep the law”--to whom we gave no such commandment-- it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas & Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas & Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, & to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, & from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
“Eat”—lka aw-kal'—Qal Imperfect—1) To eat, devour, burn up, feed—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To eat (human subject), 1a2) To eat, devour (of beasts & birds), 1a3) To devour, consume (of fire), 1a4) To devour, slay (of sword), 1a5) To devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought), 1a6) To devour (of oppression). Strong—a primitive root; To eat (literally or figuratively).
“Flesh”—rsb baw-sawr'—1) Flesh—1a) Of the body—1a1) Of humans, 1a2) Of animals, 1b) The body itself, 1c) Male organ of generation (euphemism), 1d) Kindred, blood-relations, 1e) Flesh as frail or erring (man against God), 1f) All living things, 1g) Animals, 1h) Mankind.
“Life”(See :5)—vpn neh'-fesh—1) Soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion. Strong—properly, A breathing creature, i.e. Animal of (abstractly)--Vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental).
“Blood”(See :5— “Lifeblood”)—Md dawm—1) Blood—1a) Of wine (fig.). Strong—Blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy--The juice of the grape; figuratively(especially in the plural)--Bloodshed (i.e. drops of blood). Strong—Flesh (from its freshness); by extension--Body, person; also (by euphemism)--The pudenda of a man.
:5—“Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, & from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.
Noah(& the reader) is given explicit direction concerning one particularly troubling aspect of man’s corruption by sin...Man(due to his sinful nature(Rom. 7:14—8:1)) without God is prone to violence(Gen. 6:11-12) even against his own kind.
Rom. 7:14-8:1—“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, & bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Such violence(pre-Flood) had become manifested generally in the extreme perversion of a wanton taking of human life(4:23). This had escalated before the Flood especially as those lacking respect for the word of God increased numerically. Such a proliferating legacy of wickedness had demanded/called for/earned judgment from man’s Originator & Creator.
Gen. 6:11-12—“The earth also was corrupt before God, & the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, & indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.”
Thus in order to avoid the same scenario, God placed a responsibility upon Noah’s, & succeeding generations. For such violence as that which had called for the response of the Flood, there will be a reckoning. God’s intent is to nip-it-in-the-bud before such destructive behaviors can pervert & limit mankind’s witness of God. If mankind would see fit to enforce such respect of human life, by Divine attitudes & demands, the problem of violence would be thwarted or at least hindered for future generations.
This word is thus a reminder for all generations concerning the worldliness of such violence.
Therefore from animal(Ex. 21:28-29) to neighbor to “brother,” “life” will be “required” of the one that takes it upon himself/itself to unrighteously take a life(See 4:8, 23-24).
Ex. 21:28-29—““If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then the ox shall surely be stoned, & its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be acquitted. But if the ox tended to thrust with its horn in times past, & it has been made known to his owner, & he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned & its owner also shall be put to death.”
Human life is so precious to God that even animals are held to account for their interfering in human affairs with violence.
“Surely”—Ka 'ak—Adv.—1) Indeed, surely (emphatic); 2) Howbeit, only, but, yet (restrictive). Strong—A particle of affirmation, Surely; hence(by limitation)--Only. Used 22X.
“Lifeblood/Blood of your lives”(See :4—“Blood”)—Mkytvpnl Mkmd—Md dawm—1) Blood—1a) Of wine (fig.). Strong—Blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy--The juice of the grape; figuratively(especially in the plural)--Bloodshed (i.e. drops of blood). Strong—Flesh (from its freshness); by extension--Body, person; also (by euphemism)--The pudenda of a man.—+—vpn neh'-fesh(See :5)—1) Soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion. Strong—properly, A breathing creature, i.e. Animal of (abstractly)--Vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental).
“Hand”(See :2)—dy yawd—N. f.—1) Hand—1a) Hand (of man), 1b) Strength, power (fig.), 1c) Side (of land), part, portion (metaph.) (fig.), 1d) (various special, technical senses)—1d1) Sign, monument, 1d2) Part, fractional part, share, 1d3) Time, repetition, 1d4) Axle-trees, axle, 1d5) Stays, support (for laver), 1d6) Tenons (in tabernacle), 1d7) A phallus, a hand (meaning unsure), 1d8) Wrists. Strong—a primitive word; A hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from Pk kaph, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of applications, both literally & figuratively, both proximate & remote.
“Beast”—yx khah'-ee—N. f.—4) Living thing, animal—4a) Animal, 4b) Life, 4c) Appetite, 4d) Revival, renewal; 5) Community. Strong—Alive; hence, Raw(flesh); Fresh(plant, water, year), Strong; also(as noun, especially in the feminine singular & masculine plural)--Life(or living thing), whether literally or figuratively.
“Require”—vrd daw-rash'—Qal Imperfect—1) To resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To resort to, frequent (a place), (tread a place), 1a2) To consult, enquire of, seek—1a2a) of God, 1a2b) of heathen gods, necromancers, 1a3) To seek deity in prayer & worship—1a3a) God, 1a3b) heathen deities, 1a4) To seek (with a demand), demand, require, 1a5) To investigate, enquire, 1a6) To ask for, require, demand, 1a7) To practice, study, follow, seek with application, 1a8) To seek with care, care for. Strong—a primitive root; properly, To tread or frequent; usually--To follow (for pursuit or search); by implication--To seek or ask; specifically--To worship.
“Man”—Mda aw-dawm'—1) Man, mankind. Strong—Ruddy i.e. A human being(an individual or the species, mankind, etc.).
From—Mda aw-dam'—To show blood(in the face), i.e. Flush or turn rosy.
“Man’s”—vya ‘iysh—1) Man—1a) Man, male (in contrast to woman, female), 1b) Husband, 1c) Human being, person (in contrast to God), 1d) Servant, 1e) Mankind, 1f) Champion, 1g) Great man; 2) Whosoever; 3) Each(adjective). Strong—A man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term(& in such cases frequently not expressed in translation).
“Brother”—xa awkh—1) Brother—1a) Brother of same parents, 1b) Half-brother (same father), 1c) Relative, kinship, same tribe, 1d) Each to the other(reciprocal relationship), 1e) (fig.) Of resemblance. Strong—a primitive word; A brother(used in the widest sense of literal relationship & metaphorical affinity or resemblance.
:6—“Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.”
Man’s unique status as having been made in God’s image, is the very reason bloodshed against him is forbidden & condemnatory.
Mankind’s new progeny(thru Noah) is to operate very differently from that of his former world(Gen. 6:5, 11-12—Wicked, Evil, Violent, Corrupted). They are to respect the life of their fellow man, that is graciously given by God.
By this verse, righteously governed mankind is justified in establishing civil punishment for homicide. This is stated even though there are only eight people, of the same family, upon which civic ‘government’ can be established. This anticipates the fulfillment of the twin directives to be fruitful & multiply(:1, 7).
“Shed”—Kpv shaw-fak'—Qal Participle Active(The participle represents an action or condition in its unbroken continuity... It may be used of present, past or future time)—1) To pour, pour out, spill—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To pour, pour out, 1a2) To shed (blood), 1a3) To pour out (anger or heart) (fig). Strong—a primitive root; To spill forth(blood, a libation, liquid metal; or even a solid, i.e. to mound up); also figuratively--To expend(life, soul, complaint, money, etc.); intensively--To sprawl out.
“Image”—Mlu tseh'-lem—1) Image—1a) Images (of tumours, mice, heathen gods), 1b) Image, likeness (of resemblance), 1c) Mere, empty, image, semblance (fig.). Strong—from an unused root meaning to shade; A phantom, i.e. figuratively--Illusion, resemblance; hence, A representative figure, especially--An idol.
“Made”—hse aw-saw'—Qal Perfect—1) To do, fashion, accomplish, make. Strong—To do or make, in the broadest sense & widest application.
:7—“And as for you, be fruitful & multiply; Bring forth abundantly in the earth And multiply in it.””
Only after having stated the guidelines for hindering homicidal violence(:4-6), Noah & his family are told to fulfill the mandate previously stated(:1).
With an explicitly stated respect for 1)God & His creation, 2)Animals, but especially 3)Mankind, Noah & his family are now ready to begin living as the founders of a new age free of wickedness. However it must be remembered that there is a fatal flaw with mankind as has been stated in 8:21—“the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” There is the tendency for mankind to slip away from God ‘s desire & into his own violence. Perhaps these will be able to “rule over”(4:7) the sin that so easily besets them(Heb. .
Heb 12:1-2—“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, & the sin which so easily ensnares us, & let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author & finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Mankind’s fruitfulness & multiplication is commanded & expected of His newly established creation, particularly with its explicit directives.
The call to “bring forth abundantly” is the same wording used of the sea creature’s directive to make the waters “abound”(‘teem’) with living creatures in 1:20.
Mankind’s fruitfulness is to mimic that of even the miniscule creatures of the sea. He has that which is needed to superabound physically as well as righteously.
“Fruitful”(See :7)—hrp paw-raw'—Qal Imperative—1) To bear fruit, be fruitful, branch off. Strong—a primitive root; To bear fruit (literally or figuratively). Used 29X.
“Multiply/Increase”2X(See :7)—hbr raw-baw'—Qal Imperative—1) Be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To become many, become numerous, multiply (of people, animals, things), 1a2) To be or grow great 2) (Qal) To shoot. Strong—a primitive root; To increase (in whatever respect).
“Bring forth abundantly”—Urv shaw-rats'—1) (Qal) To teem, swarm, multiply—1a) To swarm, teem, 1b2) To swarm. Strong—a primitive root; To wriggle, i.e. (by implication) Swarm or abound. used 14X.
Argumentation:
Lev. 19:9-18—“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. ‘And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor & the stranger: I am the LORD your God. ‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. ‘And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. ‘You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning. ‘You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the LORD. ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. ‘You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD. ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, & not bear sin because of him. ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”
Mat. 5:43-48—““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor & hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, & pray for those who spitefully use you & persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil & on the good, & sends rain on the just & on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Rom. 13:8-11—“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” & if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”
Jn. 15:9-17—““As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments & abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, & that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you & appointed you that you should go & bear fruit, & that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.”
Jn. 13:34-35—““A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.””
1Jn. 4:7-19—“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; & everyone who loves is born of God & knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us & sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, & His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, & He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen & testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, & he in God. And we have known & believed the love that God has for us. God is love, & he who abides in love abides in God, & God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.”
Illustration:
Why do nations go to war?/
Imagine a vineyard which borders another man’s property/Every year the rows closest to the neighbor are unfruitful/Revealed that the neighbor is stealing the fruit & using it for his own ends/
1)Disrespect for the neighbor’s property/Fruitfulness is constrained thru relationship with MAN
2)Disrespect at being abused/Fruitfulness is constrained thru relationship with MAN
Both say much about one’s fruitfulness in God’s eyes!
Application:
? Is Your Fruitfulness constrained thru Relationship with MAN?
? Is Your Fruitfulness determined by God’s desire...or your own?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Tom’s interspecies communication hopes dashed.
Action:
Our Fruitfulness is constrained thru relationship with...
1. GOD(:1)
2. CREATION(:2-3)
3. MAN(:4-7)
Presented 05/20/2012pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
