Genesis 9:1-7

March 13, 2013 As I studied this week I couldnt help but think of the hymn, I Love to Tell the Story. The last lines say, And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song, 'twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long. Genesis nine may seem like the same old story, and that really is just what it is. Its old, but its not worn. Its a story of grace and forgiveness, and a story of atonement and salvation and constant failure and more grace. Its the story of my life and your life. Its the story of Christ! Before we start reading it, though, I want to show you just how old it is. Go back and look at Genesis 1:26-30: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. Now lets go back over to Genesis 9 and read the first seven verses: And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 4But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 5And surely your

blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, 1 and at the hand of man; at the hand of every mans brother will I require the life of man. 6Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. 7And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. Its not hard to see the similarities is it? Its almost like were hearing the same old story all over again, and maybe theres even a temptation to skip on past it in search of something new. But maybe thats kind of the point: there really is nothing new under the sun. The thing that has been, it is that which shall be. (Eccl. 1:9). The Bible is a story Gods immeasurable love for His people and the lengths to which He goes to save us. He created Adam and blessed him. He gave him everything he would need to survive and gave him dominion over all the earth. We know without doubt that Adam is a type and shadow of the Son of God who would come thousands of years latersubmissive to the Father yet Lord over all creation (Ps. 8:5). Adams story points us toward the promised Redeemer. And now here comes Noahthe first man in the new world. He too is blessed by God and given dominion over all these things. He too is given all he needs for sustenance, and He too points us toward the Redeemer. The biggest difference between these two sections is the last few verses on blood. Adam was given herbs, fruits, and vegetables to eat, but Noah was also given flesh: But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. The life of an animal is in its blood. The life of a man is in his blood, and anyone who sheds mans blood will also have his own blood shed. We could talk about murder and abortion and euthanasia, and these arent off-topic, but it seems to me the real point here is in tying together blood and life. Now, this is the gospel: And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul (Lev. 17:10-11). Early on God puts special emphasis on blood. Later Jesus comes and says, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you (Jn. 6:53). Imagine how this must have shocked those Jews! Since the time of Noah they had avoided drinking blood; this was something for the pagans. But now heres this man claiming they must drink His blood to have life. Whats the
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Possibly to be understood with Exodus 21:28?

significance? Well, keep in mind that the life is in the blood. Human and animal bloods are types of thisbut in Christ is the real and true atoning blood: Not all the blood of beasts On Jewish altars slain Could give the guilty conscience peace, Or wash away the stain. But Christ, the heavenly Lamb Takes all our sins away, A sacrifice of nobler name And richer blood than they Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors (Is. 53:4-12). newgracebaptistchurch.wordpress.com