New principles for a new world

Genesis 9:1-17

The ark grounded on the hills of Ararat. It is the exact day of the year when Jesus rose from the dead. It may yet be discovered, but our faith does not rest on sight. The whole world had changed. Now the flood is over, Noah and his family must start again. The world has changed, volcanoes have erupted, dead plants and animals are floating on the water or concealed in the mud. 99.75% of fossils are marine creatures, only 0.0375% are vertebrates which are mostly fish. Most mammals are represented by single bones, nearly all are buried out of sight.
Flood stories are found all around the world. 70% talk of survivors in a boat, 70% of a privileged family, 60% say that it was due to the actions of sinful men. 70% of the stories say that the boat was lodged on a mountain. Many say that birds were sent out. All confirm Noah’s account.
A NEW COMMISSION – PROCREATION
Noah has been in a secure environment. The world has changed, the were new landmarks etc. He faced an uncertain future as we often do. He had many unknowns in this new life.
a) God blessed Noah
God was going to be with him. Noah needed many things – the cooperation of his family, protection etc. We need God’s blessing – home, clothes, food etc. As God’s people we have the Bible, our sin’s forgiven and he comes to our aid. We have joy because we have a heavenly father. The Lord’s people have a multitude of divine blessings – pardon, adoption and greater still to come. Unbelievers have none of this. They do not know God. Geoff Thomas tells of the gospel of the Beatles – they rejected Christianity and tried drink, drugs, ‘spirituality’ etc. They formed Apple, an organisation that promoted the idea that man was ultimately good. The Apple shop closed because of staff pilfering, the Beatles split up at the height of their popularity, all of them divorced, one died of smoking, one became an alcoholic and another was shot dead. Was this ‘apple’ – perfection?, not at all. We need God’s blessing on us today, his peace, his joy, his hope. Nothing can take this away.
b) God commissioned them – verses 1 and 7
This meant spreading out and having children. Adam was head of the human race at the start, Noah is head of the reconstituted race after the flood. In all the trials and difficulties of life, God, to mitigate the effects of sin gives us intimate, fulfilling relationships. Christians in particular should rejoice in every child God adds to their family. The Bible says children are a blessing from the Lord. Today many people do not want children, they see children as a hindrance to their lives. Children cause us to become less selfish. Should we not all have very large families? We all limit God’s blessings – we limit the food we eat and our sleep etc. We limit our families as well so we can cope financially, emotionally and space wise. Are we playing God when we do this? No, we take medicine etc to keep well. Believers should have the number they can care for properly and bring them up to believe in the Lord. We should love and value them as God’s gifts. God commissioned Noah to pass on the knowledge of the old world and what happened in the ark, it was passed onto Moses who wrote it all down. The oral record passed on round the world. We must pass the knowledge on to succeeding generations.
A NEW PROVISION
Humans are given permission to eat animals. Before the flood animals and men lived in harmony. After the flood God gave animals the fear of men. Animals are given to men to meet our needs. We must not abuse them. It is a strange world where seals are saved and unborn babies destroyed and where sacred cows are fed alongside starving people. Vegetarianism is not commanded by Jesus. He ate meat. 1 Timothy 4:3-5.
A NEW PROHIBITION – verse 4
God says don’t drink blood. God says because there are all sorts of parasites and diseases in meat. This is for our good. God says don’t drink blood. Pagans drink blood to get the life force from it. All diseases are carried through the body by the blood. HIV can be passed on this way. He gave us fire and we can cook our food. We don’t have to eat uncooked food. Others think that this pointed ahead to the sacrificial system – Leviticus 17:10. The blood makes the atonement, it is drained and covered in earth. Blood = life = atonement, this is the connection. Life can be given as a substitute for another. Blood is symbolic of life. Blood is the pulse of life. Trapp says ‘blood, the organ of life, is holy to God, the author of life’. It speaks of God given life in the Old Testament and in the Jerusalem Council it is reiterated. The safest interpretation is to say that the prohibition still holds against blood being drunk but does not forbid transfusions. The Watchtower go far beyond what is written. Jehovah’s witnesses are not right – this prohibition does not cover transfusing human blood into our veins.
A NEW PROTECTION – verses 5 and 6
A life for a life is the golden rule because life is so precious. People are made in the image of God. The old world was so violent and life was so cheap that it is significant that one of the first things God confirmed to Noah was the sanctity of human life. We have here human accountability. God set this – a proper view of human life. We are rational beings with a mind, with a sense of right and wrong. God values human so highly that he orders its protection by human governments. This is not personal vengeance but lawful government and authority. Government does not develop morality but it expresses in its laws and powers the morality that is in its people, what most of us want. It needs the input of what God has revealed. Here God lays down the principle of what needs protecting so people fear to take a human life. If they do not make these laws they will have violence on the streets as we do today, abortion on demand, euthanasia etc. There is a drift away from the values set here in Genesis. When our legislators move away from these principles our society suffers.
a) Animals that take human life are to be put down – verse 5 and Exodus 21:28
b) Humans that deliberately take life are to face capital punishment. God delegates to human authority the right to take life in certain circumstances.
5. APPLICATION
a) God blessed Noah – it was in and for Noah. Many people had a deep and intense longing that God would bless them – such as Jacob, David etc. When we seek God’s blessing with all of our hearts we shall know God’s blessing. We must put God first. We cannot know God’s blessing if we do not put him first. If we do we will know his provision and blessing.
b) We must be aware of his blessing. We have woollen jumpers, leather shoes, silk ties. We have pets etc. We benefit from God’s enrichment of our world, so we can rejoice in him - see l Timothy 6, he provides us with everything for our enjoyment and well being. People have many good things but remain unhappy and depressed – they are not well inside and need inner healing. God fills our hearts with strength and hope when we put our hope in him, the Lord Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life, we can know life as it should be. Romans 8:32, he gave his son and all things.