Genesis 16
The last time we were in Genesis we looked at when the flood waters were subsiding from the earth and how everything received some rest.
- The ark rested from its floating.
- The dove rested from its searching.
- Noah rested from his waiting.
- The Lord rested from His wrath.
Chapter eight is the chapter of rest. But now that the ark, the earth, Noah and his
family and all the animals can get some rest from the flood, its time for life to once again fill the earth. Humanity gets a second chance to live.
You know, there’s some things in life that you just don’t get a second chance to do, like first impressions. You never get a chance to re-do your first impression.
[Herzog wearing giant cowboy hat story.]
You never get a second chance at a first impression.
But some things in life you do get a second chance at. In tonight’s passage we see humanity getting a second chance. Remember, mankind had gotten so bad, so sinful, that the Lord wiped everyone out except Noah and His family. But, mankind would get a second chance to live. A second chance to fill the earth. A second chance to live as God had created him to live. And this second chance entirely rests upon the power of God.
I. God was the source of man’s new life on the earth
[Read Genesis 9:1, 1:28a.]
Just like He did with Adam and Eve, God charged Noah to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Now while that’s a wonderful task to be trusted with, it must have been somewhat daunting. I mean, all that’s left is eight people and it’s up to them to repopulate the entire earth. Do you think the questions could have come into Noah’s head? Noah was 600 years old at this point, and no doubt his wife was about the same age. They weren’t going to have any more kids, so it would be up to three couples to fill the earth with humanity.
- What if one of the couples couldn’t have kids?
- What if someone got sick and died?
- What if they ran out of food?
- What if? What if? What if?
But you know what, when you get down to it, the fate of humanity didn’t rest upon the
shoulders of Noah’s son’s and their wives. The fate of humanity rested in the power of God.
[Read Genesis 9:1.]
God “blessed” Noah and his sons in the task that He’d given them. It was like He was giving them the ability to do what He’d asked them to do. His blessing was upon their lives and their life’s purpose.
We get the English word ‘bless’ from the Hebrew word “barak” and it shows that God is pronouncing His blessing upon Noah and his sons. God blesses them just like He blessed Adam and Eve and gave them the ability to be fruitful and multiply.
I think sometimes we take for granted the ability to have children. I mean, when you really think about the biological process of becoming pregnant and how it’s such a miracle when it happens, it really is amazing. Only God can make life happen. And that’s because He’s the power source of life as we know it upon the earth.
[Read Psalm 104:27-30.]
The earth and life itself relies on the power of God to continue to exist. God is the source of life as we know it. And in Noah’s day, God blessed them and gave them the ability to be fruitful and fill the earth with humanity. God was the source of man’s new life upon the earth.
II. God provides the sustenance of man’s new life on earth
[Read Genesis 9:2-4, 1:28-29.]
Now in this new civilization, things would be a little different than they were before.
In the beginning the animals respected man and was submissive to him. But now the animals lived in fear and even in terror of man. Their relationship had changed. And let’s not try and over-spiritualize this. After all, when God first created man he was created to be a vegetarian. Now he’s eating meat. No wonder the animals would live in fear of man. Word would get around to all the animals that the big shiny sharp thing that man had in his hand wasn’t going to be used to clean under their hoofs. “They’re chopping our heads off with it!” No wonder animals are scared of us.
But anyway, this was God’s way of providing sustenance for man. Remember, Noah is walking out onto a land that had been decimated by the flood. Crops would have to be replanted. Fruit trees would have to grow into fruit-bearing maturity. And I believe that because the protective covering of the firmament wasn’t in place any more crops wouldn’t grow as quickly and as large as they used to.
You know the fossil record is full of impressions of giant animals and plants. Science doesn’t know why roaches were the size of a cat in the fossil record. But we understand that because of the perfect atmospheric conditions on earth because of the protective shield of the firmament everything was bigger, healthier, and lived longer.
But man is starting over in a post-flood world that would be harder to live in. So God provided sustenance for man through the animals. As long as they didn’t drink raw blood, they were free to eat the animals.
You know, it reminds me of how the Lord provided clothes for man through animal skins in the beginning. Remember Adam and Eve, embarrassed by their nakedness before God, were provided clothes of animal skins by God. It wasn’t something that the Lord wanted to do, but He would provide clothes, and eventually food for mankind through the animal kingdom.
And it’s basically because man is a special creation of God. We are made in His image.
We aren’t just more sophisticated animals. We were made in the image of God. And as we’re going to see:
III. God declares the sanctity of man’s new life on earth
[Read Genesis 9:5-7.]
Capitol punishment was declared the law of the land by God for any animal or any man that took another man’s life unlawfully. This concept is further defined throughout the Scriptures.
[Read Exodus 21:28-19, Romans 13:4.]
God takes human life seriously and expects us to do the same! This life that He’s the source of, this life that He sustains, this life that was created in His image is precious and special to the Lord. Therefore, when a human life is taken unlawfully, God expects that murderer to be put to death. Through this principle God declares the sanctity of man’s new life on the earth.
Murder was something that pre-flood man knew all too well. The first brothers experienced it and it continued all the way until the flood waters came. God wanted this new civilization to know and fully understand that life was precious and needed to be preserved at all costs. The punishment for murderers was severe as a deterrent for those that might want to kill another human being.
Boy have we come a long way in our culture from this haven’t we? But tonight’s message isn’t about the legitimacy of capitol punishment. It goes without saying that God is for capitol punishment because all life is sacred – even life in the womb!
Tonight’s message is about man’s second chance to live. Humanity had totally turned away from the Lord, God wiped them all out except for eight, and gave us another chance to live. Sounds a lot like our individual lives today doesn’t it?
We live these sinful lives, realize our need for the Lord and the ability to be saved by Him. And the ability to have a new life in Him! We can all have a second chance at life!
And just like with the post-flood world:
- God is the source of our new life in Him. (Holy Spirit)
- God provides the sustenance of our new life in Him. (Holy Spirit, Scriptures)
- God declares the sanctity of our new life in Him. (Sanctification)
[Read II Corinthians 5:17.]
Isn’t God good? Just like He gave humanity a second chance to exist and reflect His image He gives us a second chance to live and reflect His image.
Let’s do our best to remember that God is the source and sustenance of our new lives in Him and that our new lives are precious in His sight. We are sacred to Him. And we are to definitely reflect His image with our new lives in everything we do.
