December 3

“And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.’” Genesis 9:1 ESV

Here we see an opportunity for humanity to begin again in union with God. The first thing Noah did after his family and the animals left the ark was build an altar to the LORD God and make a burnt offering from every clean animal. “And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of man…”

We see many similarities between the situation Noah is in and the one we read about with Adam and Eve. For example: they were both blessed by God and told to “be fruitful and multiply.” They were also given instruction of what was good to eat, and what was forbidden.

The main difference with Noah is that sin has already entered into creation and God knows that “the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” It doesn’t take too long for the sinful nature of man to reappear. Even knowing this, the LORD makes a covenant to never destroy the world again by flood. We have the rainbow in the sky as a reminder of this everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh on the earth.

While we are thankful for this new covenant, we must remember that God is already revealing the plan of salvation to save humanity from their sins. Of Noah’s sons, Shem is the one from whose line Jesus will ultimately come. The promise of the Child who would bruise the head of the serpent is one step closer to completion.

Prayer for today:

Heavenly Father, thank you for being a God of mercy. You keep giving your creation opportunities to turn to you. Remind me of your everlasting covenant when I see your rainbow in the sky—knowing that you will not fail to complete that which you have promised. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.