*Genesis 9:1-17
God establishes a covenant with Noah and all living things, symbolized by the rainbow.
- God Blesses Noah and His Sons:
- Following the flood, God blesses Noah and his sons, encouraging them to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
- Establishment of Human Authority Over Animals:
- God establishes human dominion over all animals, declaring that all living creatures are now given into human hands.
- He specifies that, along with plants, every moving creature will serve as food for humans, but with the stipulation that blood, which represents life, must not be consumed.
- Prohibition Against Murder and the Sanctity of Human Life:
- God commands that human life is sacred and must be respected; whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed.
- This command underscores the value of human life and introduces a basic form of justice.
- God’s Covenant with Noah and All Living Creatures:
- God establishes a covenant not only with Noah and his descendants but with every living creature that was on the ark.
- He promises never again to destroy all life with a flood, regardless of human behavior.
- The Sign of the Covenant – The Rainbow:
- God sets a rainbow in the clouds as a sign of His covenant.
- This rainbow will serve as a reminder to God Himself of His promise to never again destroy the earth with floodwaters.
- Permanence of the Covenant:
- The covenant is described as everlasting, applicable to all future generations and every living creature on earth.
- This marks the rainbow as a universal symbol of God’s mercy and the stability of creation post-flood.
Genesis 9:1-17 teaches us about God’s promises, responsibility, and the value of life. God blessed Noah and his family, reminding us that He provides new opportunities and wants us to live with purpose. He also gave a rainbow as a sign of His promise never to destroy the earth by flood again, showing us that God is faithful and keeps His word. This passage encourages us to respect life, care for the world around us, and trust in God’s promises. No matter what challenges we face, we can find hope in His faithfulness.
Genesis 9:1-17 (WEB)
9:1 God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that moves along the ground, and all the fish of the sea, are delivered into your hand. 3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As I gave you the green herb, I have given everything to you. 4 But flesh with its life, that is, its blood, you shall not eat. 5 I will surely require accounting for your life’s blood. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother, I will require the life of man. 6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image. 7 Be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it.”8 God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9 “As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth. 11 I will establish my covenant with you: All flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood. There will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud, 15 I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may 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 token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”