Have you ever been away on a long trip and on your return, found it hard to get back to your former life? If you have been away for a year or more, many things can change and you may lack direction. Noah and his family had been away for a considerable length of time in the ark as floods ravaged the land, possibly making it unrecognisable when they finally stepped out of the ark. They were in a different location and the landscape would have looked very different after the flood. How strange to know that they were the only people left on earth!
"Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being. "Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind. As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it." Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.""
Genesis 9:1-17 NIV
In our reading today, we see how God helps Noah and his family and gives them some direction as they leave the ark. God repeated the instruction he had given to Adam in the beginning: 'be fruitful' and 'increase in number'. He blessed Noah and his sons and explained that now they would be given all living things as food. Prior to this, Adam had only been given plants to eat. Perhaps this was necessary because there would have been inadequate sources of plant food available until Noah and his sons worked the ground but whatever the reason, God was making provision for this family.
Then God made a covenant but not just with Noah and his family but with all living things. It is a covenant, a promise for all the generations to come: 'Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.' These words must have brought a great deal of comfort to this family who had lost their home and community. To seal this promise, God added: 'I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth'.
While various floods have affected parts of our world over the years, none have been so devastating as the flood that Noah and this family lived through. The reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in droplets of water, known as a rainbow, will always remind us of God's covenant. Whenever we admire the beauty and perfection of the colourful arc in the sky, we can be sure that God always keeps His promises!
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
I stand in awe of Your amazing provision for Noah and his family! A new start and a new covenant was made. How special that I can participate in the blessing of living under Your covenant too and be reminded of it each time I see a rainbow! May I also be reminded that You always keep Your promises and I can put my trust in Your Word! Thank You that Your promises still stand - great is Your faithfulness!
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV
Thank You too for the new covenant in Jesus' blood that has changed everything so much! Thank You that in Jesus, You see me as holy, pleasing and righteous - no longer under condemnation!
In His Name,
Amen.
"For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."
Psalms 36:9 NLT
YOU ARE READING
Light and Life for Today
DuchoweA daily devotional for your time alone with God. In an increasingly dark world, more than ever, we need to look beyond what we can see, past our present circumstances. In order to see the light and experience life as our Heavenly Father intended, I...
