GENESIS CHAPTER 9
VS 1 AND GOD BLESSED NOAH AND HIS SONS AND SAID TO THEM, "BE FRUITFUL
AND MULTIPLY, AND FILL THE EARTH.
VS 2 AND THE FEAR OF YOU AND THE TERROR OF YOU SHALL 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.
VS 3 EVERY MOVING THING THAT IS ALIVE SHALL BE FOOD FOR YOU; I GIVE ALL
TO YOU, AS I GAVE THE GREEN PLANT.
VS 4 ONLY YOU SHALL NOT EAT FLESH WITH ITS LIFE, THAT IS, ITS BLOOD."
SUMMARY VS 1-4
1. God has only spoken to Noah up until this point, but now He blesses
Noah's sons with sexual prosperity.
2. The blessing of God consists of doctrine in regard to their function
before God.
3. The command is comprised of three separate but related parts:
a. The command to have sex
b. The command to increase numerically
c. The command to repopulate the areas of the earth.
4. vs 2 introduces some drastic changes in the animal kingdom and mans
relationship to the lower creation.
5. Before the flood animals had no fear of mankind, but now aside from
domestic animals, lower creation has an inherent fear of man.
6. Two words are used to emphasize the way animals feel toward man:
a. The first is the fact that they hate to see man coming
b. The second denotes the fact that they experience abject fear or
terror upon contact with man.
7. This also is the point at which animals began to demonstrate
ferocity toward men and each other.
8. Man has been delegated authority over every aspect of the animal
kingdom, a reiteration of Gen. 1:28.
9. Hunting and fishing are bonafide functions and there is no reason to
oppose the use of animals for any purpose which man desires, eating,
research, clothing, etc.
10. In addition to an alteration in the relationship between man and
the lower creation, there is introduced an alteration in the diet of
man.
11. Before the flood mankind was strictly vegetarian, and this did not
in any way blunt or inhibit the STA as we have seen.
12. Due to the dissolution of the canopy, and changes in the environ-
ment, man needed an alteration in his diet for health purposes.
13. Man is free to eat anything on the planet, except other men.
14. From this verse and what is recorded in Acts 10:9-17 we may observe
that no food is considered evil by God, and what you eat or do not eat
does not commend you to God or hold you back spiritually.
15. The only exception in the new diet was that man was not free to eat
the blood, not because blood is evil, but to demonstrate a greater
reality.
16. The blood of the animal, which is the source of its life, was not
to be consumed by man for several reasons:
a. Health reasons--Food is to be properly dressed and prepared.
b. Spiritual reasons--Man is not to get the idea that his life or
vitality is in any way derived from animals.
c. Ritual reasons--the blood of the animal was going to illustrate
a far greater reality.
17. A careful study of the the WOG will demonstrate that the blood of
animals is not efficacious and never was. Heb. 10:1-4
VS 5 AND NOW I WILL REQUIRE BLOOD FOR YOUR LIVES; FROM EVERY BEAST I
WILL SEEK IT. AND FROM A DESIGNATED MAN, ONE WHO IS A HIS BROTHER, I
WILL REQUIRE THE LIFE OF THE MAN.
VS 6 WHOEVER SHEDS MAN'S BLOOD,
BY A MAN HIS BLOOD SHALL BE SHED,
FOR IN THE IMAGE OF GOD HE MADE MAN.
SUMMARY VS 5-6
1. The most radical change to be introduced after the flood is found in
these two verses.
2. These verses constitute the authority for and the expectation of
capital punishment.
3. God, as the giver and sustainer of life is the only one who has the
right of death in the human race.
4. If anyone, man or animal, is responsible for the death of another
human being, by intentionally taking a life, they must forfeit their
right to life.
5. This is the maximum violation of privacy and volition.
6. God personally requires an accounting in the event of murder.
7. He decrees that a designated member of the human race is responsible
to execute justice on His behalf, and so bestows the authority for
capital punishment to the human race.
8. Not just anyone is allowed to avenge a capital crime, there is a
designated person, and in our society it is supposed to be DI #4 the
nation.
9. The principle is restated in clear, concise terms in vs 6, and adds
that this is not just an attack on the man, but an attack on God.
10. Since God created man as a free moral agent, and volition is the
first and foremost DI, an attack on volition is an attack on God.
11. The delegation of authority to men over other men is the beginning
of DI#4, government, which is to execute justice for all and eliminate
the incorrigible from society.
12. It follows logically that if man was delegated authority in this
most serious of all areas, that government has authority also in lesser
areas.
13. This command has not been rescinded or modified, as seen in such
passages as Ex. 21:12; Rom. 13:4
14. Keep in mind that this is a continuance of the blessing which God
was giving to Noah and his sons, and therefore must be in the best
interests of mankind.
VS 7 "AND AS FOR YOU, BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY; POPULATE THE EARTH
ABUNDANTLY AND MULTIPLY ON IT."
SUMMARY VS 7
1. This verse repeats the Divine command from vs 1 with some notable
additions.
2. While the first two commands are identical, to have sex and promote
a great numerical growth, it is added that they are to populate the
entire earth.
3. This means that the will of God for mankind is not to settle in one
geographic locale, but to "crawl" all over the face of the planet.
4. This will become significant in Gen. 11
5. If God commands man to do something He is responsible to provide all
that is necessary to fulfill His command, the land, food, etc.
6. Children are a blessing from the Lord, and each believer is to
determine what is appropriate for them, and not be swayed by the
propaganda that it is irresponsible to have too many children.
VS 8 THEN GOD SAID SPOKE TO NOAH AND TO HIS SONS WITH HIM, SAYING,
VS 9 "NOW BEHOLD, I MYSELF DO ESTABLISH MY COVENANT WITH YOU, AND WITH
YOUR DESCENDANTS AFTER YOU;
VS 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 IS GOING OUT
OF THE ARK, EVEN EVERY BEAST OF THE EARTH.
VS 11 AND 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."
SUMMARY VS 8-11
1. The events of Gen. 9 actually preceded the events of Gen. 8:15-22.
2. The covenant which had been promised to Noah in 6:18 is here spelled
out over 100 years later.
3. Once again we see the recurrent phrase, "to Noah, and his sons with
him", pointing out that Noah was the one who pleased God and his sons
were blessed by association with him.
4. In the economy of God, an adjusted, applying believer brings bles-
sing by association to those who are in his periphery. 9:8, 13:5, 39:5
5. God emphasizes here that the covenant or contract is originated,
established and sustained by Himself.
6. A covenant is a contract between two parties with stipulated obliga-
tions for each party.
7. In this particular covenant, God has all the responsibility and Noah
has zero responsibility.
8. It is established as a perpetual covenant and is limited only to the
descendants of Noah and his sons, which is all humanity. 9:19
9. This promise extends to the animal kingdom.
10. It is binding only on those who came out from the ark and their
descendants, another subtle proof of the universal nature of the flood.
11. vs 11 gives us the content of this covenant, which is essentially a
promise.
12. The promise is that a global flood will never occur in the entire
history of the human race, and this is based on the attributes of
veracity and immutability.
VS 12 AND 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.
VS 13 I GIVE MY BOW IN THE CLOUD, AND IT SHALL BE FOR A SIGN OF A
COVENANT BETWEEN ME AND THE EARTH.
SUMMARY VS 12-13
1. God continues to explain to Noah and his sons the covenant which He
is establishing with them and their descendants.
2. The isagogics of covenants:
a. Two parties agree to terms
b. both are bound by the agreement
c. covenant is concluded with an oath
d. confirmed by animal sacrifice
e. a witness or token of the covenant is given
3. This covenant is unconditional and God alone has bound Himself to
the requirements of the covenant.
4. A breach of a covenant was considered a heinous sin and the epitome
of unrighteousness. Ezk 17:12-20
5. The attributes of God which come into view in regard to covenants
are those of +R, Veracity, Immutability, and EL
6. The sign or token of the Noahic covenant is the rainbow, an entirely
new phenomenon after the flood.
7. While the rainbow is formed by light refraction and water vapor in
the natural realm, this phenomenon is a visible token of God's promise.
8. This covenant extends to humans and all animals in perpetuity.
VS 14 AND IT SHALL COME ABOUT, WHEN I BRING A CLOUD OVER THE EARTH,
THAT THE BOW SHALL BE SEEN IN THE CLOUD,
VS 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.
VS 16 WHEN THE BOW IS IN THE CLOUD, THEN I WILL LOOK UPON IT, TO
REMEMBER THE EVERLASTING COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND EVERY LIVING CREATURE
OF ALL FLESH, THAT IS ON THE EARTH."
VS 17 AND GOD SAID TO NOAH, "THIS IS THE SIGN OF THE COVENANT WHICH I
HAVE ESTABLISHED BETWEEN ME AND ALL FLESH THAT IS ON THE EARTH."
SUMMARY VS 14-17
1. While this is the first instance of rain on planet earth, and it
brought about tremendous death and destruction, God indicates that it
will rain again in the future.
2. The thinking believer would have to wonder each time it rained if
the results would be the same.
3. God makes this covenant and gives the token of the rainbow to
alleviate any fears that another universal flood would begin.
4. Rain will become a common weather feature, but it will never signal
the beginning of a universal flood.
5. This promise is given to comfort and reassure Noah and his family.
6. Like all principles of doctrine, this is not comforting to the one
who does not believe the WOG.
7. God indicates here that He is the one who controls the weather, and
men can only hazard guesses about the future conditions.
8. God uses the weather to bless or curse entire groups of people on
the planet. Ps. 107:33-43
9. The constant references to remembering are anthropopathic for
omniscience, since God cannot forget anything.
10. This promise of no more universal flood does not preclude local
deluges and floods on a local level, only a world wide flood.
11. God repeats that He establishes the covenant, He binds Himself by
the terms, and He provides a sign that He will not change His mind.
12. The covenant extends to all those who come out of the ark and their
descendants on planet earth.
VS 18 NOW THE SONS OF NOAH WHO CAME OUT OF THE ARK WERE SHEM AND HAM
AND JAPHETH; AND HAM WAS THE FATHER OF CANAAN.
VS 19 THESE THREE WERE SONS OF NOAH; AND FROM THESE THE WHOLE EARTH WAS
POPULATED.
SUMMARY VS 18-19
1. As this event draws to a close Moses reintroduces us to those who
will play the next significant part in the history of humanity.
2. By the standards of his day, Noah had a relatively small family,
comprised of only three sons, and apparently no daughters.
3. Noah did not have a black son, a white son, and a yellow son, they
were all genetically similar to their father.
4. Yet in these three men, the genetics of the human race as it exists
today were present.
5. After the dispersion from Babel, the races as we observe them today
have come into existence via adaptation and mutation.
6. During all this time, some 4500 years, man has not evolved into any-
thing more than homo sapiens.
7. Mathematically we may calculate back to a time when 8 people existed
on the planet. see previous notes
8. The first son mentioned is Shem, who was actually the second one
born to Noah, who became the father of the Semitic races, and his
descendants occupied the area of the Mideast.
9. The second son mentioned is Ham, who was actually the youngest, who
became the father of the Egyptians, Ethiopians, Libyans, and Canaanites,
who occupied the area from Canaan southward toward Africa and Arabia.
10. The third son mentioned is Japheth, who was the oldest, who became
the father of the Japhetic races.
11. His descendants, who include the Greeks, Ionians, Russians, Ger-
mans, occupied the largest territory, extending from Spain in the west,
to the Persian Gulf, to India, and north to Russia and Europe.
12. It is not mentioned that Noah had any further family, and it is
specifically stated that the whole earth was populated from these 3.
13. This explains why each continent has a record of the flood in their
history, except Antarctica.
VS 20 THEN NOAH BEGAN TO BE A FARMER AND PLANTED A VINEYARD. (NOAH--wc
+ Hiphil impf 3ms llx to pierce through, to lay open, in Hiphil =to
begin- m.s.n const. wyX--d.a. + hmdX a man of the ground, a farmer--wc
+Qal impf iun to set upright, to plant--m.s.n ,rK vineyard, 1st usage)
VS 21 AND HE DRANK OF THE WINE AND BECAME DRUNK, AND UNCOVERED HIMSELF
INSIDE HIS TENT. (wc +Qal impf htw to drink anything, mostly used
literally of physical drinking--prep ]m--d.a. +m.s.n ]yy wine, alcoholic
beverage, oldest known to man, this word does not mean grape juice in
its unfermented state--wc +Qal impf rkw 19X, to drink to the point of
drunkenness, disorientation, helplessness, loss of critical facilities
in terms of decision making. Almost always in the OT with a negative
connotation--wc +Hithpael impf hlG lit to be smooth or bald, to be
naked or uncovered, in the Hithpael to uncover or make oneself
naked--prep. fOtB in the midst of, in the middle of--m.s.n lhX a tent,
his house)
VS 22 AND HAM, THE FATHER OF CANAAN, SAW THE NAKEDNESS OF HIS FATHER,
AND TOLD HIS TWO BROTHERS OUTSIDE. (HAM--m.s.n const bX--CANAAN--wc
+Qal impf hXr to see or observe, used in a broad number of ways, to
experience, in the phrase "to see death", to see famine=experience
hunger--s.d.o + f.s.n const hvri to see the nakedness of someone =to
have sex with them, Lev. 20:17--to see the nakedness of his father= to
engage in sex with his mother, Lev. 18:6-8--wc +Hiph impf dgn to bring
to light or make known, to confess publicly, to brag or boast--2
brothers--pref b + d.a. +m.s.n /Vx on the outside)
SUMMARY VS 20-22
1. There is an unspecified lapse of time between the final words of God
to Noah and his sons in vs 17 and the events of verse 20.
2. Noah had begun to engage in agricultural pursuits, and specifically
had focused his attention on the cultivation of the grape.
3. Wine was not unknown before the flood, but is the oldest alcoholic
beverage mentioned in the Bible.
4. The idea that Noah was ignorant of the effects of alcohol is not
supported by the intelligence of Noah as demonstrated in the
construction of the most fabulous vessel of his time.
5. Noah plants a vineyard for the express purpose of cultivating the
grape and producing the final result, wine.
6. Noah began to enjoy the fruit of his labor, and as a result he drank
too much wine and became drunk.
7. Noah was not the first person to ever become drunk, he is merely the
first one mentioned in the WOG, and a mature believer at that.
8. Most intelligent commentators recognize that Noah's sin was
incidental and in no way detracts from his spiritual greatness.
9. As a matter of fact, there is no word of censure for Noah, only for
Canaan.
10. Noah, after having drank too much, decides to go to his tent and
engage in sex with Mrs. Noah.
11. This is expressed by the phrase uncovered himself in his tent.
12. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Noah's activity in regard to
his wife.
13. Whether Noah was able to consummate the intended activity or not,