Yesterday, we returned to Genesis and to the middle of chapter 9, where God expounds the covenant he had spoken in his heart at the end of chapter 8. After reviewing the whole sweep of the story so far—creation, the fall, the flood, and Noah standing as a kind of second Adam in a reborn world—Pastor Mike walked us through the Noahic covenant under three headings: its parties, its content, and its sign. At the heart of the passage is a definition worth keeping: a covenant is “a bond in blood, sovereignly administered.” God does not negotiate its terms or ask whether they suit us. The opening words of verse 9 are emphatic—”Now I, behold I, I establish my covenant”—the very phrase that introduced the flood in Genesis 6. Just as surely as God brought the judgment, he now brings, and will keep, this covenant.
The parties are striking in their breadth. God makes this covenant with Noah and his sons, with all their offspring after them—which means every human being alive is a party to it—and, remarkably, with every living creature that came out of the ark. Eight times the passage refers to “all flesh” or “every living creature.” Creation itself was dragged under the curse by Adam’s fall, and so creation itself, as Romans 8 tells us, waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. The content of the covenant is pure promise: never again will God destroy all flesh by a flood. It is unconditional—no stipulations, no “if you obey”—and it is subservient, given not to save but to sustain, holding the world stable so that redemptive history can run its course until the Seed of the woman comes to crush the serpent.
Then comes the sign — the rainbow, set in the cloud for all creation to see. When Scripture says God “remembers” his covenant, it does not mean he had forgotten; it means he acts in faithfulness. And the stress falls on God, seeing the bow and remembering, choosing to look at the sign of his promise rather than at the wickedness of man. In a month when the world has taken this very symbol and made it a banner of human pride, the rainbow remains what God declared it to be—a banner of divine patience. That patience is not permission, and common grace is not saving grace; the world spared from water will one day be judged by fire. So when we see the bow, we should let it do three things: humble us, since we are spared only because God is patient; steady us, since history will not spin out of God’s control; and awaken urgency in us, since every day of God’s forbearance is a day for the gospel to be preached and for sinners to repent. The covenant’s signs in our own day—baptism and the Lord’s Supper—point further still to the God who looks not at our sin but at the sacrifice of his Son.
- The parties of the covenant (9:8–10) — God takes the initiative and emphatically establishes his covenant with Noah, with all his offspring (including us), and with every living creature, embracing the whole of creation.
- The content of the covenant (9:11) — A pure, unconditional promise that God will never again destroy all flesh by flood; a subservient, common-grace covenant that sustains the world so redemption can unfold.
- The sign of the covenant (9:12–17) — The rainbow, set in the sky for all to see, by which God “remembers” — that is, faithfully keeps — his everlasting promise; a banner of divine patience that should humble, steady, and stir us to mission.
Key line to remember: The rainbow is not a banner for human pride; it is a banner of divine patience.
Reflection and Preparation
Day 1 — God Initiates the Covenant
Read: Genesis 9:8–11; Hebrews 6:13–20
Adults:
- A covenant, according to O. Palmer Robertson, is “a bond in blood, sovereignly administered.” Why does it matter that God establishes his covenant rather than negotiating its terms with us?
- The same emphatic phrase that introduced the flood now introduces the covenant. What comfort is there in knowing God keeps his promises as surely as he brings his judgments?
- We cannot bind God by anything we offer him. How does that truth shape the way you pray and the way you rest in his promises?
Children:
- Who decided to make this promise — God or Noah?
- Can you think of a promise God has made that he always keeps?
Day 2 — A Covenant for All Creation
Read: Genesis 9:9–10; Romans 8:18–25
Adults:
- God makes this covenant not only with Noah’s family but with every living creature. What does this tell us about the God who made and cares for them?
- Romans 8 says creation “waits with eager longing” for the revealing of the sons of God. How does it change your view of the natural world to know it groans for redemption alongside us?
- Adam’s fall brought the animals under the curse, and our redemption will bring their freedom. How does this enlarge your sense of what Christ’s work accomplishes?
Children:
- Besides people, who else did God include in his rainbow promise?
- Why do you think God cares about the animals he made?
Day 3 — Pure Promise
Read: Genesis 9:11; 2 Peter 3:3–13
Adults:
- The Noahic covenant is unconditional — God simply says “I will never again,” with no “if you obey.” How is this pure promise a picture of grace?
- Pastor Mike warned that “God’s patience is not permission.” How do you guard against mistaking God’s forbearance for his approval?
- 2 Peter 3 tells us the world is now reserved not for water but for fire. How should the certainty of a final judgment shape the way you live today?
Children:
- Did God say “I’ll keep my promise only if you are good,” or did he promise no matter what?
- The rainbow means no more floods like that one — but what does the Bible say will happen to the world one day instead?
Day 4 — The Sign of the Covenant
Read: Genesis 9:12–17; Revelation 4:1–3
Adults:
- When the Bible says God “remembers” his covenant, it means he acts in faithfulness, not that he ever forgot. Where do you need to be reassured of God’s faithfulness this week?
- The rainbow stretches across the whole sky for all creation to see. How is it different from signs like baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and how is it similar?
- The world has taken God’s rainbow and made it a banner of human pride. How can you receive it rightly—as a banner of divine patience—when you see it?
Children:
- What is the special sign God put in the sky to remember his promise?
- When you see a rainbow, what can you remember about God?
Day 5 — Preparing for the Lord’s Day:
Read: Genesis 9:18–27; 1 Corinthians 10:11–13
Adults:
- Noah—the righteous man who walked with God and survived the flood—falls into drunkenness and shame. What does his fall teach us about the persistence of sin, even in the most faithful believers?
- The scene echoes Eden: a garden, fruit, nakedness, shame, and a curse. Why is it significant that even after the flood, sin reasserts itself so quickly?
- Shem and Japheth walk backward to cover their father rather than expose him. How does their action picture the way love covers sin, and how does it differ from Ham’s response?
Children:
- Noah loved God and obeyed him, but he still did something wrong. What does that teach us about everyone—even grown-ups we look up to?
- When someone we love makes a mistake, should we laugh at them or help them? What did Shem and Japheth choose to do for their father?
Next Lord’s Day Preview
The Fall of Noah — Genesis 9:18–27
Having seen God establish his gracious covenant with all creation, we come now to a sobering scene. Noah—the righteous man who walked with God, who built the ark, who stood as a second Adam in a world washed clean—plants a vineyard, drinks of its fruit, and falls into drunkenness and shame. The flood destroyed a world of sinners, but it did not destroy sin, and here that truth comes home in the life of the very man God preserved. The passage echoes Eden at every turn: a garden, fruit, nakedness, shame, and a curse pronounced. Yet grace is present too, as Shem and Japheth move to cover their father’s shame, and the line of blessing and the line of the curse begin to come into view—the same antithesis between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent that runs through the whole of our series.
Come ready to consider:
- why even righteous Noah’s fall is recorded for us, and what it warns us about ourselves
- how this scene deliberately echoes the fall in Eden
- how the blessing of Shem and the curse of Canaan advance the unfolding story of redemption
Hymns for Next Lord’s Day
- 36 — All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
- 61 — This Is My Father’s World
- Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns
- 52 — Crown Him With Many Crowns
Blessings,
Pastor Mike