Does God Care?
A Sermon on Genesis 9:1-17
This morning we are continuing our series on Noah and the flood. Noah has been saved from the flood of destruction that the Lord brought on a wicked and disobedient world. He has floated on the ark for 150 days (Gen 7:24). And as Noah looked out on a world that had been devastated by a flood, the unknown was before him.
This world was in some ways the same as the old, and in some ways different. Noah’s life had been spared, along with his family and a ship full of animals. But as Noah looked out from the ark, there wasn’t a sign of life anywhere, other than on the ark itself. It would be easy to wonder at this juncture if God held life to be cheap. Was the taking of life a small matter to God?
As they disembarked, I imagine it was in fear, as well as gratitude, that they built an altar to God. And in His great mercy, God then told Noah what he could expect in this new world in which he finds himself. If you have your Bibles with you, I invite you to take them out and turn to the 9th chapter of the Book of Genesis. Beginning at chapter 9, verse 1, we read:
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 terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. 3 "Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. (Genesis 9:1-3, NAU)
Life is valuable to God
This hearkens back to Genesis chapter 1. Adam and Eve were also told to fill the earth and rule over the animals. While they are not explicitly told that they can eat animals, Adam and Eve are given the plants for food. It is possible that they were allowed to eat the animals, for at least after the fall, they did have flocks (Genesis 4:2).
But here with Noah, God’s purpose is not only to commission him to populate the earth and be a good ruler. God also wants to instill in Noah the understanding that life is anything but cheap. As we read on, we will see that more and more. Here, God is more explicit with Noah than He was with Adam. In addition to telling Noah that he has dominion, God explains more fully what that dominion is to look like. The animals will fear mankind, for they are given into his hand, and they will be food for mankind. But life is to be considered valuable to men, so Noah does not have free reign over the lives of the animals. There is a stipulation when it comes to killing them. In verse 4 we read:
4 "Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 "Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. 6 "Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man. 7 "As for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it." (Genesis 9:4-7, NAU)
An important point here is that God is now telling Noah that even in death life is not to be taken lightly. After a devastating flood, it would be easy to conclude otherwise. But Noah and the rest of mankind have the purpose of not only populating, but protecting, and not destroying. Noah is facing a new beginning, and some responsibilities haven’t changed. But now God defines that role more fully, to ensure that in his dominion, mankind does not succumb to the temptation to destroy life.
Destructive Tendencies
But even with a warning like this, men still turn to evil and destruction. When Jesus walked this earth, it didn’t take long before He was a wanted man. The Pharisees quickly sought his destruction. Why is that?
When Jesus cleared the temple, turning over the tables of the money-changers in rage, declaring it to be a den of robbers, His righteous anger and the peoples’ amazement put fear in the hearts of the religious leaders. We are told in Mark, chapter 11, that:
The chief priests and the scribes heard [what He had done], and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching. (Mark 11:18, NAU)
In Acts, chapter 5, we read about the miracles the apostles were performing, and all the sick they were healing. The high priest and the Sadducees were filled with jealousy and arrested them (Acts 5:17-18). And they probably would have done more than that if it wasn’t for God’s restraining hand.
Jealousy and fear, especially when they give rise to anger, can fuel our desire to destroy. We need only look at the world around us today to know that this is true. Sometimes we are the destructive force, and sometimes we are the recipient of another’s anger. How often in the Psalms does David cry out about those who seek his life to destroy it! In Psalm 69, verse 4, he writes:
Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies (Psalm 69:4a, NAU)[1]
And even David, who understands well what it is to be the prey, succumbs to annihilationist tendencies as he calls out to God for the destruction of his enemies.[2] In Psalm 35, he writes:
Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me. 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the LORD driving them on… 8 Let destruction come upon him unawares, And let the net which he hid catch himself; Into that very destruction let him fall. (Psalm 35:4b,5,8, NAU)
David knew his scriptures. He knew that life was of great value to God. And yet even he sought the destruction of life. Though most of the time he seems to have left the ultimate decision up to God, once out of fear that his sins would be uncovered, he even ordered the murder of one of his own men, Uriah the Hittite. This is king David, who is described in scripture as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22)
Whether we consider ourselves to be wicked or basically good, we all have evil tendencies and must be reminded of the value of life. And the life of man is held in even higher regard than that of the animals. If a man’s blood is shed, the one who shed it, whether that be man or animal, will lose its life by the hand of man. And so there is a place for the destruction of life – but only for food or as a just response to the shedding of man’s blood.
Mankind is lifted up, for he and she are made in the image of God. They are the ones who are charged with carrying out that justice. As important as it is to refrain from killing, God knows it will happen. So when it does, there must be the severest of all penalties. Again, this drives home the point that life is precious to God, and our actions need to flow from that same attitude. It was not by a mere whim that God destroyed so much of His creation. His justice is balanced with mercy and hope. And in both His justice and His mercy, God demonstrates the value of life.
Sometimes we think that we would like a life that was sunshine all the time. We’d like to forget about the people who attack us, do what we feel like doing, and let go of the difficult justice we are commissioned to carry out. Why can’t life be simpler than this? But a lack of troubles doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of consequence. Imagine telling a two year old that they can do anything they want without consequence. If you do that, then you don’t really value the life of that two-year-old. Odds are, they’ll kill themselves trying something.
Eternal sunshine is barren
I understand that there is a place in northern Chile where it never storms. The sun shines all the time. Storms can be seen off in the distance, but there is one spot that they never strike. It is bright in the day and clear at night. The sunsets are amazing! But this corner of the earth is anything but a paradise. Because there are no storms, there is no life. The land is completely barren. Absolutely nothing lives there.
I think God put this place there as an illustration for us, to help us understand that if God did not balance justice with mercy, our world would be a desolate place - and just maybe, to help us understand that His justice is His mercy.
If all we ever experienced with God was mercy and miracles, we would be devoid of commitment, and character. Without justice, I doubt we would appreciate the mercy on the same level. Too much of either can test our limits.
Fridays and Mondays
I heard a story about a lady who retired. She was complaining to her daughter, who was a stay-at-home mom. She said, “You know, when you retire, you don’t look forward to the weekends anymore – because every day is Friday.” Her daughter tried to be sympathetic. “I know what you mean, Mom. When you’re a stay at home mom, every day is Monday.”
Whether our days are all Fridays, or all Mondays, or something in between - whether we are seeing God’s mercy or His justice in our lives - we must know that our lives are valuable to Him. God gives us opportunities every day to rebuild according to His directions. He extends His mercy to us as we do. But He also requires justice when we choose to walk away from His plan.
Just as Noah started over, we too start over when we enter our new life in Christ. And whether we are watching the flood waters rise or watching the waters recede, we too must expect a balance between God’s justice and His mercy. And that balance is there because our lives are so very precious to Him. God wanted Noah to understand this. And He wants you and me to understand this too. As Jesus told His disciples: the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them." (Luke 9:56a, NAU)
God restrains His wrath.
To confirm this fact even further, God made a covenant with Noah, all his descendants, and every living creature on earth. Reading from verse 8 and following:
Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9 "Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. 11 "I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth." (Genesis 9:8-11, NAU)
As God gave Noah this promise, I’m sure Noah breathed a sigh of relief. Noah knew that he and his sons had been saved by God’s grace. To hear this promise that it would never happen again revealed God’s goodness and faithfulness despite our expectations.
It is still true, as it says in Romans 1:18, that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness… But that wrath will have its limits until our Lord returns. And I am truly grateful that our God does not act the way we expect. Especially glad that He does not act the way some of us do.
Starbucks
Back in August, Starbucks sent out an email promotion with a coupon for a free iced coffee. It got out of hand as the email spread to the inboxes of people everywhere. Starbucks finally had to announce that it would no longer honor the coupons – there were simply too many of them.
Enter a young ambitious paralegal from New York. Kelly Coakley felt ‘betrayed’ by Starbucks and filed a lawsuit for $114 million. Her lawyer stated that this was a conservative figure – based on one cup of coffee per day for all who were turned away during the promotion. The intent now is to turn this into a huge class-action lawsuit. The wrath of the legal community is united against Starbucks. Heaven help them if they had committed a serious sin.
And isn’t there irony in that phrase? “Heaven help them.” When the lawyers push what they call justice, it is to heaven that we turn for help. For we know that God does not deal with us entirely according to our sins. Yes, he destroyed many of the wicked in Noah’s day, but if we read on in chapter 9, we will see that Noah’s sons still had wickedness in them. We won’t turn there right now, but it is recorded that Ham committed a terrible sin not too long after the flood subsided. And we see that legacy of wickedness in our world today too.
But God’s covenant with mankind didn’t have anything to do with our righteousness and had everything to do with God’s mercy. God’s covenants with man are of His own making. We know what lawyers are capable of in their wrath. And that is nothing in comparison to God. The flood showed what God was capable of in His wrath. The flood was in many ways a testimony to His justice. Yet because our lives are still precious to God, through His covenant He chooses to restrain His wrath. The earth we stand on today remains as a tribute to this great mercy.
Knowing that God will restrain His fury should not cause us to delve deeper into our sins. Instead, it ought to instill in us gratitude and a willing obedience. No matter how hard we try, we are still sinners, outside of the mercy of Christ. In His restraint and his love for us, God gives us a chance at a better life. He gives us time turn away from sin and to build a relationship with Him. And He does it because we are valuable to Him.
God assures us of His mercy
It is wonderful to hear the words from our God that He will never send a flood of this magnitude again. If we’ve ever lived through a hurricane or a tsunami, we might wonder what God is up to. Yet God knows how important a continued reassurance is for His people. So not only did God declare His covenant with Noah and all living creatures, but He also provided an enduring sign as a reminder of the covenant. Reading from verse 12 and following:
God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; 13 I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 "It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. (Genesis 9:12-15, NAU)
God set His bow in the cloud. We call it a rainbow, and we generally see it after the rain. What I find interesting about this sign of the covenant is that its purpose is to remind God of the covenant that He has made with the living creatures of the earth.
Usually we think of the rainbow as something that reassures us that God will restrain His wrath. And as I think about it, maybe we aren’t so far off in our understanding. God says, “The bow will be seen in the cloud and I will remember My covenant.” What greater reassurance can we have than knowing that God will remember His promises?
And what a great symbol He has chosen. God set His bow in the cloud. It has the curve of a hunting bow, but it has no string and no arrow. Without a string, it cannot be fired, and without an arrow, it is no longer a weapon of warfare. And just in case we fear that God can quickly string His bow and knock His arrow, He has pointed it upward toward heaven. Even if it were fitted with an arrow, it would not be aimed at us. At every turn, God seals His covenant with a symbol of comfort, and not distress. He wants to remind us of His mercy.
Our Personal Rainbow
And did you know that God gives each of us our own personal rainbow? No two people will see the same rainbow. A rainbow is formed by a raindrop that acts like a prism, separating sunlight into its individual color components. If you stand looking at a rainbow, and someone is standing right next to you, each of you is actually looking at a rainbow generated by a different set of raindrops.
So not only does God set His bow in the clouds, but He puts a different one there for each and every one of us. In His mercy, God reaches all of His children.
Rainbows in the Streets
The story is told of Professor Migliore who worked with inner-city kids in Trenton, New Jersey. One day, after telling the story of Noah to some of the children, he asked, “Now then, boys and girls, where do you see rainbows?” Several replied, “In the street!”
The professor thought they had misunderstood his question, but eventually discovered the truth. Consigned to the asphalt jungles and high-rise tenements, the only place these kids had seen a rainbow was in the puddles on the street that had become slicked with oil from a car with a leaky engine.
While that may seem a sad story, truly it is a story of hope and grace as well. For these children, God’s sign of mercy and hope was right in the middle of their otherwise hopeless world. God’s promise of mercy was right where they needed it most - in the greasy puddles of their everyday lives. And that is where God’s mercy finds each of us too.
Have you ever doubted that God values you? Look at the rainbow and know that He does. He cares enough to give you your own personal rainbow – whether it is in the sky or in the street. If God did not have love and patience for the wicked of this world, He would not have made that covenant with Noah and sealed it with a rainbow.
Have you ever thought that the trials and troubles you face are coming your way just because you deserve them? That mercy and hope won’t come your way because God gives people what they deserve? While it is true that God’s justice will stand, all it takes is a rainbow to remind us that even so, in His wrath God extends mercy and hope for our futures. Even though we may experience His anger from time to time, through His Son He offers us a way out of what we really deserve.
The Son of Man did not come to destroy, but to save (Luke 9:56). Jesus came because God doesn’t want to destroy us, and His rainbow reminds us of that every time it arcs across the sky – or shows up in a grease puddle in the street.
Conclusion
In Matthew’s gospel (24:37), we are told that the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. While the great flood of Noah’s day certainly foreshadows the great judgment at the end of the age, it is true also that His covenant with Noah and all living creatures foreshadows the future peace when swords will be beaten into plowshares (Isaiah 2:2-4).
There is a time for every purpose under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) - a time kill and a time to heal; a time for war and a time for peace; a time for flooding and time for rebuilding. But one day, all things will be made new (Revelation 21:5).
In John’s Revelation (Revelation 21), he saw a time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth, a time when the tabernacle of God is among men, a time when there will no longer be any death, or mourning, or crying, or pain. Those who overcome, those who believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, will see this day. Their inheritance will be this kingdom. But even John tells us that not all will take part in this rejoicing.
…the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)
Whether now or later, there is a divine balance between justice and mercy. But always there is worth and value to the life that God has given us, and always there is the divine desire that the one who thirsts will come (Revelation 21:6, 22:17). Until our Lord returns, that invitation stands, and His mercy is extended into our world and into our time.
© Susan Blader, 11/26/06, from the Sermon Series, ‘Starting Over’
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Sources:
1) Bible Works 5, Revision 2, (Bigfork, Montana: Hermeneutika Computer Bible Research Software), 2001.
2) Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Volume I: Genesis to Deuteronomy, (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company).
3) Derek Kidner, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Volume 1: Genesis, An Introduction and Commentary, (Downer’s Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press), 1967.
4) Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House Company), 1988.
5) http://www.nnedaog.org/SERMONS/SERCAL1.HTM = eternal sunshine
6) http://Calvincrc.org - rainbows in the streets
7) http://science.enotes.com/earth-science/rainbow (11-21-06) - personal rainbow
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[1] see also Psalm 40:14 Let those be ashamed and humiliated together Who seek my life to destroy it; Let those be turned back and dishonored Who delight in my hurt.
Psalm 63:8-10 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. 9 But those who seek my life to destroy it, Will go into the depths of the earth. 10 They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes.
Psalm 119:95 The wicked wait for me to destroy me; I shall diligently consider Your testimonies.
[2] See Also Psalm 68:3 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish before God.
Psalm 143:12 And in Your lovingkindness, cut off my enemies And destroy all those who afflict my soul, For I am Your servant.
