The Covenant Of Grace Series

Genesis 9:8-17. [8] Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, [9]"Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, [10] and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. [11]I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." [12] And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: [13]I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. [14] When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, [15]I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. [16] When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." [17] God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth." (ESV)

One of the most extraordinary and beautiful natural wonders is the rainbow. It intrigues everybody. And rainbows have fascinated people throughout the ages. There are many things you could consider about rainbows. A rainbow is a bent or curved line in the sky composed or consisting of seven colors...red, orange, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Kids were sometimes taught to remember those colors by the name Roy G Biv, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Since only one color of light is observed from each raindrop because the sun hits each different raindrop at a different angle, an incredible number of raindrops is required to produce the magnificent spectrum of color as big as it is that is characteristic of a rainbow. Usually, a rainbow is seen when part of the sky is dark and there is rain in one part of the sky and the sun is shining in the other. And for the rainbow to be visible, the sun has to be behind the observer who is, in effect, facing the rainbow.

For Noah and his family, the tragedy of the flood is behind them, they are facing God and Genesis 9 presents a beautiful picture of God's grace. In effect, God's Son is behind the elements of the covenant promise that God gives. In Genesis 9:1-7, we see that the Flood is over. All around Noah and the inhabitants or the ark are the vestiges of a changed earth and death everywhere, of course, drowning all of humanity with the exception of eight people, and all the animals except those that were on the ark, devastating the earth. Noah comes out of the ark. He enters into the new world at the beginning of chapter 9. And in verses 1 to 7 of this chapter, Noah and his family are told what they were to do. They were to reproduce. They were to rule. They were to eat. And they were to execute those who took life, capital punishment. Now in verses 8 to 17, God says what He's going to do. The exhortation to Noah now becomes promise from God.

We read Genesis 9:8–17 in the context of a culture that leads us to believe that the world is mostly the result of our decisions, our actions, and our choices. We have the world and its future in our hands. It is up to us to make human history come out right, or right will not be done. God help us if this is our situation, for we have proved time and again that our hands are bloody and we cannot do the right, no matter how hard we try (Van Harn, R. (2001). The lectionary commentary : Theological exegesis for Sunday's texts (17). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans)

Therefore, in Genesis 9:8-17 God offers "The Covenant of Grace". In it we see: 1) The Stipulations of the Covenant (Genesis 9:8-11), 2) The Sign of the Covenant (Genesis 9:12-16), and finally, 3) The Summary of the Covenant (Genesis 9:17).

God offers “The Covenant of Grace” as seen through:

1) The Stipulations of the Covenant (Genesis 9:8-11)

Genesis 9:8-11. [8] Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, [9]"Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, [10] and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. [11]I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." (ESV)