Genesis 8:21 “And the Lord smelled a soothing
aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for
man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his
youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.”
Throughout the Bible, there are plenty of examples where God
changes His plans when we please Him. One person’s obedience, sacrifice,
worship or prayer had successfully influenced God Almighty to execute things
favorably to us or to subside His wrath. It was not Noah’s obedience or
sacrifices. Sacrifices were offered earlier by Abel and Cain but they did not please
God as an aroma. This time it was the complete repentance and men’s
understanding of how huge God’s wrath is that made this sacrifice worthy and acceptable
to the Creator. God does not accept sacrifices alone. If we read Isaiah 1: 11,
16, 17 and 18 we can see that unless there is cleansing, sacrifices become
abominable to God. It is like presenting food to important guests in dirty vessels.
To God it was pleasing because the repentance was true. This true worship is
what God expects as in John 4:23.
God saw an important reason in us to avoid destruction. This
reason is that from childhood our imagination is evil. This imagination gives
us no choice but to fall into sin. God says imagination from youth (childhood)
because that’s where goodness should start. But evil gets a head start in man’s
life. So, we see God’s decision that destruction is no solution to mankind, but
salvation is. The curse on the ground that was given to Adam & Cain was
taken away so that we could seed and reap.
True sacrifices helps God reason with us. God could have
seen this before Noah building the ark. But the fury of the Almighty did not
allow Him to see any goodness in man. Both sacrifices and deeds are required to
have God’s attention. Otherwise, sin is so hated by God that He does not see
any reason to save us. But Grace is a different gift from God which was given
to us at the right time while we were sinners (Romans 5:8) and in sin. This
was the only time God had shed His love to an undeserving audience. We are living
in this love by promising God that we will become perfect through this grace.
But if that promise does not happen in due time, it becomes even more
abominable like a client or servant who uses the grace period just for fun and does
not even think about the task given.
In verse 22, we read God replacing his curse on the ground
with variable seasons. This changing behavior of the earth is given so that man
could escape the evil imagination in his heart. Harvest, heat, summer and day
is hoped for during seedtime, cold, winter and night. This constant change is
given to us so that we understand that God is in control and not let these
thoughts drag us further into sin. Every weakness and trouble is allowed to us so
that we come closer with God.
Further on in Genesis 9:4, God gives to Noah all the animals
as food. Hunting was allowed so that the animals would fear man. But we have to
be compassionate with these animals so that they are gracefully handled by
ensuring their life being shed completely before consumption. Just after this
instruction, God further adds that man’s blood is very precious and He will avenge
for it because man has God’s likeness. And God clearly mentions that He
requires the blood and that the blood belongs to Him. But Christ had to suffer
without receiving this compassion from us. That is why we are asked to eat the
body and the blood has to be drunk to be saved. This symbolizes that our sins
are so severe that the sacrifice has to be without any mercy. Many translations
of verse 5 say that God requires an accounting for man’s blood. But this was
God’s precious blood and it needs proper accounting for its shedding. A proper
answer to this incident is our perfect salvation. The verse also says that from
every man’s brother the accounting will be required which shows the need of evangelizing.
In verses 1 and 7, God clearly explains Noah to be fruitful
and then multiply. This is why Christ uses the term “bear fruit” throughout the
New Testament. (Example John 15:16) God’s instruction is clearly that we would
produce good attitudes and transform into His image and then bring forth a
generation that would again imitate us. We seek to multiply first by filling
churches faster and bringing people to Christ with a wrong motive. These are
dangerous and will produce bad fruits which become weeds and needs to be
plucked out in the right time.
The need for a covenant is not that God’s motive may change,
but our deeds will be so deadly to provoke His anger. God mentions that He
keeps His rainbow on the clouds so that whenever it appears, it makes God
remember this covenant. It is God’s message to us that in spite of our sins,
God is still patient and kind. The words His covenant and His rainbow explain
that it is God who initiates love and we are still in the receiving end only.
But this covenant has a purpose that we should be fruitful and multiply.
Amen.
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