Sermon Notes

8 13 In the six hundred first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth, and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked and saw that the face of the ground was drying. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—so that they may abound on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”18 So Noah went out with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. 19 And every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out of the ark by families. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing odor, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of humans, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. 22 As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease.”
9 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
(New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NRSVue)
8 13-14 In the six-hundred-first year of Noah’s life, on the first day of the first month, the flood had dried up. Noah opened the hatch of the ship and saw dry ground. By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the Earth was completely dry. 15-17 God spoke to Noah: “Leave the ship, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives. And take all the animals with you, the whole menagerie of birds and mammals and crawling creatures, all that swarming extravagance of life, so they can reproduce and flourish on the Earth.” 18-19 Noah disembarked with his sons and wife and his sons’ wives. Then all the animals, crawling creatures, birds—every creature on the face of the Earth—left the ship family by family. 20-21 Noah built an altar to God. He selected clean animals and birds from every species and offered them as burnt offerings on the altar. God smelled the sweet fragrance and thought to himself, “I’ll never again curse the ground because of people. I know they have this bent toward evil from an early age, but I’ll never again kill off everything living as I’ve just done. 22 For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, day and night will never stop.”
9 11I’m setting up my covenant with you that never again will everything living be destroyed by floodwaters; no, never again will a flood destroy the Earth.” 12-13 God continued, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I’m putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. (The Message, MSG)

One of the predominant theological themes of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and New Testament) is the idea of covenant. Berit, is the Hebrew word for covenant and it means “bond-fetter,” signifying a binding relationship, or the idea of binding and putting something together. The Greek work syntheke suggests the same idea of binding some things or some ones together. In the bible, a covenant indicates a formal committed relationship between God and particular individuals based on promises and obligations. Covenant is essential to biblical theology because it is the primary method by which God discloses God’s self to God’s people. According to the scriptures, God chooses to be in relationship with Israel/Judah and they become the vehicle through which the world comes to know God.
Exodus 6:7; Leviticus 26:12; Isaiah 40:1 and Jeremiah 31:33 are just a few of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament scriptures that use the language “covenant” to describe God’s relationship with God’s people. The covenant is sealed by a religious rite—an oath, sacred meal, the invocation of blessings and curses, or blood sacrifice—which makes the relationship binding. In this week’s lesson, Noah’s builds an altar after he comes out of the ark and offers a burnt sacrifice. His offering is accepted by God, who then provides a rainbow to seal what becomes a universal covenant between God and the world. Even now, every time people see a rainbow in the sky after a storm, we are reminded of the biblical Noachic covenant—a promise that God will never destroy the world by water again.

Stories of a great and epic flood unleashed to decimate the world in primordial times abound in Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) literature. ANE literature such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, and Atrahasis highlight how almost every major civilization on earth shares some facets of the biblical story of the flood, lending support to its historical and theological importance. The flood stories—there are two versions of the flood story, from two different biblical writers (J Writer and the P Writer) nestled together—in Genesis are the culmination of the primeval history which recounts the beginning of the world, the creation of humanity, its development and fall, and its near annihilation and renewal through Noah and his descendants.
Of key importance to the biblical flood story is Genesis chapter 6, which lists human wickedness and depravity as the reason that God sends the flood to destroy humanity. Because God created humans with free will—to choose good or evil—it is clear that these inclinations toward depravity are present at the beginning. This chapter is also key because Genesis 6:18 is the first mention of covenant in the bible. In fact, the Noachic Covenant is the first of a series of covenants in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament between God and humans. There are at least five distinct covenants in the Bible: the Noachic, the Abrahamic, the Davidic, the Sinaitic, and the New Covenant. The New Testament draws upon each of the major Hebrew Bbile/Old Testament covenants to interpret the saving work of Jesus Christ. For the New Testament writers, Jesus is a fulfillment of all of the covenant traditions that preceded him.
The covenant between God and Noah is cemented in Genesis 9. Since Noah and his family are the only survivors of the flood, the Noachic Covenant is understood to be a universal one, extending from Noah to the whole world. Essentially, this lesson is about the covenantal promises of God to the whole world, not the genesis of altars and sacrifices.

8 13-14 In the six-hundred-first year of Noah’s life, on the first day of the first month, the flood had dried up. Noah opened the hatch of the ship and saw dry ground. By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the Earth was completely dry. 15-17 God spoke to Noah: “Leave the ship, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives. And take all the animals with you, the whole menagerie of birds and mammals and crawling creatures, all that swarming extravagance of life, so they can reproduce and flourish on the Earth.” 18-19 Noah disembarked with his sons and wife and his sons’ wives. Then all the animals, crawling creatures, birds—every creature on the face of the Earth—left the ship family by family. 20-21 Noah built an altar to God. He selected clean animals and birds from every species and offered them as burnt offerings on the altar. God smelled the sweet fragrance and thought to himself, “I’ll never again curse the ground because of people. I know they have this bent toward evil from an early age, but I’ll never again kill off everything living as I’ve just done. 22 For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, day and night will never stop.”
In the opening verses of the lesson text, once forty days have passed from the ceasing of the rain, Noah looks out of the ark and notices the dry ground (adamah in Hebrew.) By using this particular word the writer/editors of Genesis are invoking Genesis giving hearers/readers a clue that humans will once again be connected to the earth as opposed to clinging to life while floating on the water.
Once Noah and his family leave the ark, he builds an altar to God and offers a burnt offering of every type of living animal. His sacrifice is an act of thanksgiving for being delivered through the great flood, and it signifies the reestablishment of humanity’s relationship with God. Across the Ancient Near Eastern world, it was customary for worshippers to offer a sacrificial offerings in thanksgiving for divine protection as Noah does here. Likewise, the idea of a worshipper offering sweet-smelling sacrifices to God also occurs across the ancient Near East.
In response to Noah’s sacrifice, the Lord promises to not destroy the world with water again and to sustain the natural world and earthly ecosystems. This is an insightful inclusion by the writers of Genesis underscoring an ecological theology that is embedded in the bible. God essentially guarantees that God will not allow human sin and human evil to be the cause of the natural world suffering at the hands of humans.
God’s acceptance of Noah’s offering, and the Divine internal conversation, reveals God’s intention to love and steadfastly parent humanity despite its evil inclinations. God knows that humans are wicked, prone to depravity and will always have the opportunity to choose evil. However, God decides to be in relationship with humanity and to love us regardless.
This is the ultimate expression of Divine kesed (in Hebrew) often translated in English as lovingkindness. Regardless of the evil inclinations of our hearts, God loves us no matter what. The Hebrew word kesed can best be described as the mother-like “womb-love” that God demonstrates for humanity and the earth. The Divine charge and blessing of Genesis 8:15-19 is theologically linked to Divine blessing to “be fruitful and multiply,” recounted in Genesis 1:22, 28. With the release from the ark, humanity is renewed and replenished.
9 11I’m setting up my covenant with you that never again will everything living be destroyed by floodwaters; no, never again will a flood destroy the Earth.” 12-13 God continued, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I’m putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth.
In the final verses of the lesson, God formally establishes the covenant with Noah that was promised in 6:18. As evidenced by the covenant language, “I’m setting up my covenant…,” God cements a universal covenant with Noah, and by extension, and the whole world, that is essentially a Divine promise to never again destroy the world by water. God commits to redeem and restore a fallen and flawed world. The story of the great flood, for all its death and destruction, ends on a hopeful note as God marks Divine commitment to the covenantal relationship by setting the rainbow in the sky.
In the Ancient Near East, the “war bow” was originally understood as a symbol of a warrior’s killing activity. However, when the war bow was hung up, it symbolized the cessation of hostilities. In chapter 9, the writers of Genesis have transformed the bow from a weapon of war into a symbol of covenant love. Every time God and humans see the rainbow in the sky, they will remember how they are bound to each another in loving covenant—a covenant initiated by God’s faithful promise.

i Warren Carter, “The Gospel of Matthew,” in Gale A. Yee’s Fortress Commentary on the Bible: Two Volume Set (Kindle Edition), p. 2446.
ii Christology is a theological term that means the study of who Jesus is as the Christ. It is closely aligned with the theological term Soteriology, which is the study of how Jesus saves.
iii Barbara Rossing, “Revelation,” in Gale A. Yee’s Fortress Commentary on the Bible: Two Volume Set (Kindle Edition), p. 3486.