Title Noah's Curse and Blessing (Genesis 09:1)
Content The term covenant first appears in Genesis 6:18, when God says, "I will establish my covenant with you." Then God commands Noah to go into the ark. This command includes not only Noah, but all of his family. “You shall go into the ark with your son, your wife, and your wives” (6:18). From this verse onward, Noah's family is naturally included in God's deliverance of Noah.
What does this mean when God says, "I will establish my covenant with you" Does it mean that God will make a covenant with Noah to save Noah at the very time He says so, or He will say, "The flood Will he make a covenant with Noah later? The answer to this question can be found by understanding the structure of God's covenants. There are often instances in the history of salvation where God foresees or presupposes the covenant relationship before the official establishment of the covenant. In light of the pattern of God's covenants with humans, God's deliverance of Noah and his family in advance of the official establishment of the covenant after the flood must be regarded as the work of God foreseeing the Noahic covenant. It would be justified. So the word of God in Genesis 6:18 clearly means that He will make a covenant with Noah after the flood.
In order to properly understand the covenant established with Noah in Genesis 9:8-17, the following three questions should be considered.
1. With whom does God make a covenant?
Behold, I make my covenant with you and with your seed after you... Verse 9 clearly mentions that the covenant was made not only with Noah but also with his descendants. God's intention to include Noah's family cannot be explained without understanding the concept of God's covenant. In other words, the fact that the righteousness of the head of a family served as the basis for the inclusion of all his children in salvation was due to the principle inherent in the covenant with Noah. This covenant includes Noah's family as well as their descendants. This covenant is not a covenant that will expire after a few generations. This is called the eternal covenant by God Himself (9:16). This covenant includes all descendants of Noah's family forever.
2. What is the content of that covenant?
It means, in a word, that God will never again use the flood as an instrument of judgment to destroy the world. At first glance, the covenant seems to just proclaim that there will never be another universal judgment like the Flood. However, the unique content of the covenant can only be discovered when viewed from a positive aspect, which is the preservation of life. Because of this positive content, God's covenant with Noah can be characterized as a covenant of preservation.
In Genesis 8:21, God declares that He will never again curse the earth or destroy living things. Because sin is so deeply ingrained in the human heart that judgment cannot cure it. God knew that evil was endemic to man, and that man needed God's long-suffering. Now, by grace and mercy, God decides to preserve human life. For this purpose, God allows the regularity of nature to continue until the last days of history.
God's zeal to preserve mankind is evident even after the flood in Genesis 9:1-7. God's intention to preserve human life is evident in the multiplication of human descendants. The things mentioned in verses 4-6 are entirely provided by God and he intends to preserve human life so that his promise of the woman's seed may be fulfilled in due time.
Taken as a whole, this paragraph shows that God's intention to preserve life deals with the whole of human life, including the social and cultural realms.
As such, Noah's covenant is basically about the preservation of life. For this purpose, God is long-suffering with the world and has bestowed the grace that he has determined to include the whole of human life in salvation.
3. What is the sign of Noah's Covenant
God placed a rainbow in the cloud as a token of His covenant (9:13). As the seal of that covenant, the token is a seal of the absolute certainty of God's promise. This token is God's guarantee to man and at the same time a reminder to God that he has dedicated himself as the protector of the world.
Strictly speaking, the token was not given to remind man of God's covenant, but to remind God of His covenant (assuming He could forget it) (verses 14-15). . The continuity of the covenant rests solely on the faithfulness of God, anthropomorphically speaking, on the memory of God.
The fundamental principle revealed in God's salvation of Noah and his family is the principle of God's sovereign grace. This principle is the basis of God's covenant with Noah. But in Noah's Covenant, the principle reveals unique characteristics. The preservation of life for salvation and the universality of His plan of salvation are the unique characteristics of the Noahic Covenant.
God's salvation of Noah and his family should be understood as an act of presupposing the covenant to be officially established after the flood. God is always with His people in the whole process of salvation. He initiates, guarantees, and accomplishes the work for the salvation of his people. This truth is emphasized in God's dealings with Noah in the context of the Flood. God's compassionate and gracious dealings with Noah provided the historical framework for us to understand how He worked out the salvation of His people through all generations. His actions toward Noah clearly foreshadowed God's greater and more glorious salvation through Christ. Only by salvation through Christ, by the sovereign grace of God, the entire universe will be saved, and His people will enjoy eternal life.
In summary, the Noahic Covenant provides a historical basis for the full realization of Immanuel's principles. God brought judgment, but also provided the framework of preservation so that the saving grace may be exercised. From the Noahic Covenant, God's being "with us" includes giving grace to his people as well as bringing woe to Satan's descendants.
4. Noah's prophetic statements (vv. 20-27) These prophecies are a curse to Canaan (Ham) and a blessing to Jabeb and Shem. It is noteworthy that the criterion for the distinction between blessing and curse lies in the ethical realm. Ham's shameless sensuality, along with the modesty of Jabeb and Shem, shows the difference in general morality. This occurred in a period of transition that had a very broad impact on the entire course of the history of redemption.
It's not about why he actually sinned, but about why his son Canaan was cursed. It should be noted that all the descendants of Ham were not cursed, only Canaan was cursed.
The following has to do with Shem. The use of the name Jehovah here is significant. In fact, the name itself is already a blessing to Shem. The underlying meaning is that by the power of Jehovah, the God of redemption, God Himself becomes the religious possession and joy of this particular people group. This is more of a covenant form than that the Semites will worship the Lord.
And this is the first time in the Bible that God is called the God of any particular group of mankind. This is such a marvel that the patriarch made the following salute: "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem" = "Blessed be the LORD, for you have become the God of Shem."