City Life Starter

Written by Nate Warren

The Word

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.”

Genesis 9:8-11 (ESV)

20 And likewise [He took] the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Luke 22:20 (ESV)

Reflection

Noah and his family, together with the only animals on earth, just left the ark. Noah creates an altar outside the door of the ark and sacrifices some of the animals to Yahweh, in the same way that Abel did in Genesis 4. Just as God regarded Abel’s sacrifice, he also regards Noah’s sacrifice; responding with a covenant to him which extends to all generations and to the animals and birds that humanity has dominion over. For the first time in the text, we witness a covenantal ceremony. Despite the reality that humanity will remain with its “great wickedness” (6:5), God commits never to repeat the destruction by releasing the chaos-laden waters.

Application

Noah’s obedience to God’s command resulted in his salvation from the flood. His sacrifice and God’s covenantal promise form the basis of a relationship between the remnant of humanity, creation and the divine. Neither Noah and his lineage nor the beasts and their lineage need be concerned that they will be washed into forgetfulness as they almost once were.

Of course, this is not the last covenant. Jesus, the God-man has been obedient to God via the cross, rescuing humanity from its reign of wickedness. By His own sacrifice, Jesus has established a covenant relationship between humanity and God: now Jesus, a homo-sapien, sits next to God the Father, where he rules the universe. Jesus invites all who will trust in Him to eternally reign with Him in an Eden-like fellowship – God, humanity, and creation.

Prayer

Father God,

May you open my eyes to see the powerful, cosmic ramifications of Your covenants with me. Let me commune today in Your provision, the rest that Jesus offers, and the comfort of Your Spirit within me.
Amen