Noah's Ark Series - Part 4 (Genesis 9)

​Hi friends,

     How are you today?  I hope you are enjoying the Noah’s Ark Series.  Today is the last post of the series.  I will be highlighting verses and information in Genesis 9.



     I have seen and heard of Noah being compared to Adam theologically.  After all, they were both “firsts” as far as men go. Adam was the first man created and Noah was the first or eldest of men to survive the flood.  God spoke to both of these men in the Bible.  As a matter of fact, God told both men very similar things.  There have been times when I have even heard of Noah as “the new Adam” in a way.

     As a matter of fact, God’s message to Noah in Genesis 9:1-3 is very similar to God’s message to Adam in Genesis 1:28-30.  The latter seems like it may be a little different in that, as I understand it God gives Adam plants and fruit to eat and in Genesis 9:3, God includes animals as food too.  What is your understanding between the two passages?

     Although, in Genesis 9:4-6, God adds to his message to Noah.  God tells Noah not to eat animals with lifeblood still in it. God stresses the importance of life to Noah.  It is my understanding that God is saying not to be violent and hurt or kill others, because God and others will require accountability for your actions for it. Not only that, but I think God is also telling him that if a person kills another person the death penalty will be given on earth.  What are your thoughts?

     This is different than in Genesis 1, because in Genesis 1:31 we see where God looks at all that He has created and sees that it is good.  There is no reason to warn Adam about violence or killing others. No violence has occurred. 

     In verses 8-17, God tells Noah and his sons about His covenant.  He tells how never again will He destroy the earth and all people with a flood and how the bow in the clouds will be the token of that covenant.
  
    Maybe this is why so many people get enjoyment out of seeing a rainbow in the sky. Sometimes, I just seem to enjoy the beauty of it and the awe of it.  However, there are times when I see it and I remember God’s words in Genesis 9 about His covenant with all mankind and the earth.  Either way, seeing a rainbow often makes me smile.

     In preparing for writing this post and rereading Genesis 9, this seemed to have been where most of my memory of reading Genesis 9 before ended.  However, there is more to the chapter.  God has more to His message and more lessons for us to learn within Genesis 9.  How much do you remember of the rest of the chapter?

     I seem to have more questions than answers for the verses in Genesis 9:18-29.  We see sin in these verses, even after being recently saved from a flood in which everyone else perished.  It may be easy to feel that Noah and his family should be so thankful from being saved and having a new beginning that they shouldn’t sin, especially so soon after the flood.
 
     Noah plants a vineyard.  That sounds great.  Fruit is good for you.  However, as a result, Noah ends up making wine from the fruit of the vineyard and gets drunk.  Not only does he get drunk, but also he lies around naked and not covered up.
 
     I wonder why Noah drinks wine.  I wonder if he drank before the flood.  I wonder why he got drunk.  I wonder if he had stress from the flood that had sort of caught up with him, now that he was safe and out of the ark.  The Bible doesn’t say and maybe it is none of my business.  LOL!  The important part is learning the lessons God wants us to learn from the passage and being thankful that God has given us the passage from which to learn.
  
     Then, to make things worse, so to speak, Noah’s youngest son Ham sees him naked and instead of covering Noah up himself, he goes and tells his brothers about it. Again, it may be easy to judge the inappropriateness and the sinfulness of dishonoring his father by telling others of his sin or by not covering him up so that others don’t see him that way. Yet, I don’t believe we are called to judge others in that way, especially if they are not neighbors or friends or part of our church family.  Then, we may be called to point out the wrongdoing and encourage better behavior and repentance.  I don’t believe we are called to gossip about others though.  What are your thoughts?

     It may seem surprising that Noah and Ham can sin so soon after the flood and after being saved.  It may seem like the only thing that they should have in their hearts is thankfulness. However, don’t we do the same? Don’t we sin when all we should have in our hearts is thankfulness?  I wonder if that is part of God’s lesson for us in this passage.

     I find it interesting that the Bible doesn’t say anything about Noah saying anything bad to or about Ham as a result of the indiscretions.  Noah does curse Canaan, Ham’s son.  I wonder why.  I wonder if Canaan was in on it in any way.  Or, I wonder if Noah knew that cursing a child is more often painful for a parent than cursing the parent his or herself. (Parents would often rather go through pain than see his or her child go through the pain.)  Maybe Noah couldn’t bring himself to curse his own child because of that same way of thinking.  I don’t know.  What are your thoughts?
  
     I also wonder if there is a connection of Ham’s son being named Canaan and the land that God wants to give the Israelites in Numbers 13, when God tells Moses to send people out to search the land which I will give you. (Numbers 13:1-2)  The symbolism seems to fit to me.  What do you think?
 
Heavenly Father,
     Thank you for sharing with us the words in Genesis 9.  Thank you for giving us this resource so we can read and gain knowledge. Thank you for teaching us and showing us what is right and wrong.  Thank you for giving us rules to live by.  Help us to learn from your Word and to walk in the way of righteousness according to your will for us.  I ask you this through your Son, Jesus.  Amen.
 
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Reflective questions for Genesis 9:
*What does Genesis 9 mean to me?
*What can I learn from the message in Genesis 9?
*Did I judge Noah and Ham when I read about their sins in this chapter?
*Do I have the right to judge Noah and Ham or should I just learn from their
 experiences?
*How do I feel when I see a rainbow and why?
*Do I compare Noah to Adam in anyway?  Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
*What does God’s covenant in Genesis 9 mean to me?
 
Now, it is your turn.
     Thank you for being here.  I hope you have enjoyed the Noah's Ark Series by DUO Inspirations.  What are your thoughts?  Do you have any requests for other topics?  (Feel free to comment or contact me.)  If you are finding value in what I write, please share with friends and family.  Also, if you haven't already, please consider signing up to get the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. (Sometimes, I even send treats.  For example, those who are currently signed up as of the writing and sending of the email for this post, four word searches will be sent on the subject of Noah's Ark/Genesis 6-9.)
 

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