The Way to Life: The Noahic Covenant

The next covenant we encounter in Scripture is the Noahic covenant. We find these promises in Gen. 8:20-9:17. They include the following:

1.      I will not again curse the ground because of man

2.      I will not again strike down every living creature

3.      The seasons will continue while the earth remains

4.      The entire earth will never again be destroyed by a flood

5.      The command to be fruitful and multiply will be blessed

6.      The destruction or consumption of the lifeblood will be judged

The backdrop for this passage must have been terrifying. The earth had grown increasingly wicked since creation and the fall. Murder, polygamy, licentiousness, hatred, unfaithfulness, and most importantly, unbelief. The original sin was the culprit here as well. All outward sin is simply a manifestation of what is in the heart. If we do not believe that God’s way and plans are best, we will do what we feel is right or will bring us the greatest pleasure.

People were gathered in much closer proximity, and some have even argued that the world was one large land mass at this time (you can do some additional reading about the flood through the links below). Noah spends decades (probably around 75-100 years, but the Bible doesn’t specify) building the ark. He carefully followed God’s directions, committing to years of backbreaking labor, all while preaching the Gospel to a group of people who did not believe. In Hebrews 11:7, we gain special insight regarding Noah’s motivation. It says, “In reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household.” I’m sure he would have welcomed others into the ark if they repented and God said let them come. However, he built the ark for his family.

This is a beautiful truth that I think is sometimes missed in Noah’s story. He built (obeyed) because he feared God and because he wanted to rescue his family from coming judgment. Now, that doesn’t mean he didn’t share about the promised Messiah to anyone who would listen, but his motivation was never based on the world’s approval. If he based his surrender on man’s applause, there would have been no ark, no escape, no covenant. Now, would God have used someone else? Yes. God is not bound by man’s actions. However, he does choose to use mankind to accomplish his purposes.

Still, back to the moment of disembarkation from the ark. They’ve been in an enclosed space for about a year. They leave as the only humans left on earth. They exit to a world that has been completely reshaped. Mountains, rivers, downed trees, devastation – a transformed world. Their first recorded act upon leaving the literal location of their deliverance was worship. Noah built an altar. I’m sure much of the offering was out of gratitude. However, I would imagine there was also some holy awe at the power of God, some fear regarding how he had judged and maybe some confusion regarding what came next.

We read, “And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, 'I will never again curse the ground'…” God was pleased with their worship, and in chapter nine, God communicates his covenant promise to Noah and his sons. He gives them purpose. He protects them, provides for them, and gives them parameters (Gen. 9:1-5). He could have instituted dozens of laws. He could have let them fend for themselves. He could have been distant. However, he drew near. Certainly, the level of fellowship that was experienced in the garden when Adam walked with God would never again be obtained (until heaven). Yet, God expressed himself as the LORD: the self-sufficient, all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful, holy, guiding God.

So what does Noah have to do with Christmas? We find that connection in Gen. 6:16, “Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side.” Notice, the door – not doors. Not only was there only one door, but in the end, God was the one who shut it (Gen. 7:16). The ark represented physical salvation and foreshadowed spiritual redemption. In the midst of a wicked world, there is only one way to salvation. In John 10:9, Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” He then goes on to claim, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6).

The door. There has always been one way to reunite with the Father – placing our faith and trust in the promised Messiah of Gen. 3:15. Surrender to the one who ordered an ark to be built when it had never rained. Obedience in the midst of people who would not believe. Peter reminds us that, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

However, there will be a day of judgment. Just like the flood in Genesis, one day God will judge the earth with fire and a variety of other horrors. However, he will never again judge with a global flood – because of his covenant promise. If you read Revelation, several of the judgments relate to water (turning it to blood, being poisoned, but no global floods). We have to decide ahead of time if we will enter through the way. I’m sure some who rejected God (and the ark) wished they had made a different choice as the flood started. (A whole other blog could be written about if any genuinely experienced repentance.) Still, the picture is both beautiful (the provision of salvation) and tragic (the majority rejecting the provided redemption).

Entering through the door, through Jesus’ provision, involves surrender and obedience. It involves admitting that we are not righteous or right. We do not get to decide when the door will be shut – we never know when our last opportunity for repentance will be. Please do not delay. Seek him while he can be found (Is. 55:6). He is so gracious and will meet us at the point of our surrender. He draws us to himself, and he is sufficient to deal with our past while giving us purpose for our future.

He provided a sign to Noah to seal the covenant, a rainbow. He took something that likely would have caused Noah and his family anxiety (rain/water) and turned it into an opportunity to demonstrate his faithfulness. Five times between Gen. 9:12-17, God discusses the rainbow as a sign or guarantee of his promise. Out of his tool of judgment (water), he brought beauty and hope. Most people love rainbows, and the symbol has bled its way into culture at many different levels. However, people often fail to understand the promise behind them. It isn’t just that God wouldn’t flood the earth. It is a sign of his faithfulness, hope, and purpose after judgment. He wasn’t done with his eternal plan. He hadn’t abandoned his people. The promised Messiah was still coming. Beauty can come from destruction if it is met with obedience and worship.

The Noahic covenant is unconditional. Regardless of what people do, God will never judge in that way again. However, there will be judgment. There is still only one way to peace and a relationship with God. What legacy are we building for our families and those around us? Have we trusted in Jesus’ provision for salvation? Christmas isn’t necessarily a time when we want to think about judgment and separation. However, Jesus came to provide the only way to redemption and will return again for judgment. May we enter at the door and listen to the Shepherd’s voice when he calls…and if you’re feeling a little lost this Christmas, worship. God will always be pleased with our praise and sacrifice. It is a pleasing aroma to him as he provides direction, purpose, and pasture for his sheep.

You can read more about the flood and evidence for it here if desired.