When we see the sign, “Under New Management” on a business that was less than stellar in their former practices; we utter a sigh of relief.  We hope and wonder if the new management will deliver on their promise to be better…

Genesis 9

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. ² 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. ³ Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

⁴ “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. ⁵ 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.

⁶ “Whoever sheds human blood,
    by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
    has God made mankind.

⁷ As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”

⁸ Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: ⁹ “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ 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.”

¹² 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: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ 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.”

¹⁷ So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

The Sons of Noah

¹⁸ The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) ¹⁹ These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.

²⁰ Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. ²¹ When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. ²² Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. ²³ But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

²⁴ When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, ²⁵ he said,

“Cursed be Canaan!
    The lowest of slaves
    will he be to his brothers.”

²⁶ He also said,

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!
    May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
²⁷ May God extend Japheth’s territory;
    may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
    and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”

²⁸ After the flood Noah lived 350 years. ²⁹ Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We were all created in the image of God.  We are given minds with the ability to make decisions.  We are given freedom to make choices.   However, whatever we choose, we are held accountable and will live with the consequences of our choice.  We do not live alone in the world.  We live with many other humans also made in the image of God. The choices we make no only affect us but all those around us.  God told those He had saved in The Cleansing; “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.” 

This assignment comes with great responsibility and accountability.  We forget sometimes as we live and respond to the tasks before us that God created all.  As the Creator, God is also the Owner of all He has created.  We are the managers of His Creation as pointed out to Noah in this passage.  It is the same message given to Adam and Eve. 

The world has been given a “do over” in the Cleansing and is now “under new management.”  Noah is not perfect, but faithful as he seeks to do what is right in his walk with God.  When Noah came out of the boat, he was like a second Adam about to usher in a new beginning on earth for the human race. Our knowledge of God and His ways will expand as we read the story of God in the lives of those who will follow God by faith through subsequent generations. Some managed well, some did not.  But everyone will be held accountable.

Concerning human life, those who decide to kill their fellow human beings will have to answer to God for their deeds, for men and women are made in the image of God. To attack a human being is to attack God, and the Lord will bring judgment on the offender. All life is the gift of God, and to take away life means to take the place of God. 

God promised that he would never again destroy the earth with a flood. The first rainbow would follow the first rain that served to cleanse the earth and is a reminder that God keeps his promises. Rainbows are made when the sun shines at just the right angle through the final droplets showing the spectrum of color.  What a demonstration of God’s promise and majesty!  

How did you feel when you saw a rainbow for the very first time?

Mankind is reminded to care for all God has created and generously given to us to manage as part of the covenant. This covenant is a contract between two parties—God and man. God created a special covenant with humans that gave them dominance over the earth yet made them accountable to God for each action.  God promised to never destroy the earth with a flood again.

God makes and never breaks his promises. His irrevocable covenant is “iron-clad”, as lawyers say in the judicial world, and runs like a scarlet thread through the tapestry of Scripture.  That’s why we trust God for all of life because God is Life!

When we look at the rainbow, we know that our Father is also looking at the rainbow, and therefore it becomes a bridge that brings us together.  Jesus is new covenant between God and man that brings us into the Presence of God as a redeemed people “under the new management” of His Holy Spirit!  Believe, repent, and be saved!  Live an abundant life that is full of promise with His glory and grace!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Amen!

Lord,

Thank you for your message of promise and care for us. Thank you for reminding us of our part of the covenant with mankind to be responsible caretakers of all you have given to us to manage on earth.  Thank you, Jesus, for saving our souls by your sacrifice once and for all. Thank you, Holy Spirit for teaching us and guiding us to all that is the Truth.

In Jesus Name, Amen