Week 13 The Post Diluvian World

The Post-Diluvian World

Recap

-  In the first nine chapters of Genesis we have seen themes that will be prominent throughout the rest of the Bible.

-  Fall, Increasing Sin, Remnant, Judgment, Redemption through Judgment, New Heavens & New Earth.

-  In the Noah story, Noah functions as a picture of Christ, who through his obedience saves his family and sacrifices in faith bringing about a new heaven and new earth.

-  So already at the very beginning of the Bible, we see a picture of God’s ultimate plan for judgment and redemption.  

-  This is why when Peter looks back on the history of the world, he divides it at the flood and describes the time before the flood as “the world that then was” and the time now “the heavens and earth than now exist.”  

Introduction

-  God repeats much of the original commission God had given to humanity in the garden.

-  Humanity is told both in verse 1 and verse 7 to be fruitful and multiply

-  Humanity’s role as having rule and dominion over earth is repeated all be it with an emphasis on fear.

-  In Genesis 1:29 every plant yielding seed and every tree bearing fruit was given to humanity as food.  In 9:3 every moving thing that lives and the green plants are given as food.

-  Verse 6 states that man is still made in the image of God.

-  The language of blood in verse 5 & 6 seems to echo Genesis 4 where Abel’s blood cries out.

Q. What does this repetition of themes tell us?

-  God is continuing His plan for humanity despite the flood and despite sin.  

-  Capital punishment for murder because man is the image of God

-  It is significant that despite sin, humanity is still considered made in the image of God.  

Noaich Covenant

-  As humanity repopulates the earth, God will not inhibit humanity’s efforts with another flood. 

-  The rainbow is given as a sign.  Signs were a physical reminder of God’s promises just like circumcision was given as a sign of the covenant with Abraham and the sabbath was given as a sign of the Mosaic covenant.  

-  The word for rainbow is the same word for a bow that a warrior would use.  The image is that God has hung up His bow and will not continually attack humanity.  Think of a gunfighter who retires and hangs up his pistols for the last time. 

-  God’s wrath is abated and the natural order of the world will continue until the final judgment.

Q.  Who does God make this covenant with?

-  Everyone, it applies to those who are His people and those who are not

-  The covenant is with Noah and and all his descendants after him for all future generations.  It also with every living creature and even the earth.  

-  This is one reason I think it is a distinct covenant from the one mentioned in Genesis 6:18 which is only between Noah and his family.  

Q.  What are the conditions of this covenant?

-  There are no stipulations.  This is not a suzerain-vassal treaty but a royal grant.  God unconditionally gives the promise to humanity.  Included are those who are God’s people and those who are not so it common and theologians refer to this as common grace.

Fall 

-  The flood involved a decreation and recreation.  After the flood we have a new earth but we see sin creeps into this world as well.

-  Just as the fall of Eden involved fruit and nakedness, so Noah’s fall involves the same.  

-   Ham by his exploitation of Noah’s shameful nakedness shows himself to be the seed of serpent who had led Adam and Eve to a state of shameful nakedness.  

-  Shem and Japeth by contrast emulate God who clothed Adam and Eve’s nakedness in animal skins by covering their father.  

-  It is unclear what exactly is going on.  Its probably best not to speculate but to understand that by taking advantage of his father’s situation, Ham’s actions are disapproved.

-  The phrase “uncover nakedness” is used in Leviticus as a euphemism for sexual intercourse.  It is possible though it was not intercourse between Ham and Noah, but between Ham and Noah’s wife since the “the nakedness of the father” is equated with the father’s wife.

Leviticus 18:7-8

- Elsewhere in the Old Testament, having intercourse with a man’s wife was seen as usurping his position.  For example, Absalom sleeps with David’s concubines, Reuben sleeps with Jacob’s concubine Billah, and Adonijah tries to marry David’s wife Abishag in an attempt to show they and not their father was in charge.

-  Perhaps Ham was trying to establish himself as ruler of the new heaven and new earth by supplanting Noah.  

Post-Fall Revelation

-  Noah pronounces curses and blessings on his three sons.  These curses and blessings are in poetic form indicating their importance.  

-  God’s creation of man, Adam’s naming of the woman, the post-fall judgment, and Lamech’s boast are in the form of poetry.

-  This is the first time a man utters a curse or a blessing.  The words are given divine force and a spoken as though they have authority.  

-  At the fall of Adam and Eve it was God that pronounced curses and blessings.  Humanity’s role seems to be somewhat expanded after the flood.  God was the one who punished Cain  and promised vengeance if Cain were harmed.  Now after the flood, humanity is given the power to address murder.  

-  The flood has changed other things as well.  Before the flood, humanity’s depravity was the basis for judgment by God.  However, because of the sacrifice of Noah, humanity’s depravity is the basis for God’s mercy. Noah and Ham’s actions do not lead to another flood, but instead they have been given God’s graceful assurance of security.  

-  Ham’s descendants are condemned to servitude just as the serpent is cursed to crawl on its' belly and eat dust.

-  The big question is if Ham is at fault why is Ham’s son Canaan the one cursed.  Two points make sense of this:

1.  Though Shem and Japeth are blessed directly the blessings seem to really be about their descendants.  

2.  If the fall of Noah is parallel to the fall of Adam and Eve, then there should also be a parallel to the seed of woman and seed of the serpent. 

-  So it would make sense that the seeds receive the curses and blessings. 

-  The meaning of the names of the three sons is also important.  Canaan sounds like the Hebrew word for subdue.  The word is even used in Deuteronomy 9:3 to describe the defeat of the Canaanites by the Israelites.  

-  Shem is the Hebrew word  for name.  Remember that name is a recurring word in these chapters pointing to its significance.  Earlier the Godly line of Seth is known as the people “who call upon the name of the Lord.”  Shem’s descendants will be also people who call upon the name of the Lord, which explains why “The Lord, the God of Shem” is blessed and not Shem himself.

-  Japeth sounds like the Hebrew for open.  The text literally reads yapath japeth.  This verb for open is rarely used in the rest of the Old Testament.  

-  We are set up for this, before the flood there was the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent with Noah representing the righteous line and the rest of humanity the unrighteous line that brought violence and corruption to the earth.  Just after the flood, before any of the above events, the three sons on Noah are listed and the text specifically mentions that Ham was the father of Canaan.  

-  The Canaanites are clearly outside of the line of promise and so the text has already set us up to see these two groups reemerging.  

-  There are some differences, whereas there were two camps, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent after the fall of Adam and Eve, now there are three camps, the descendants of Canaan who are cursed, the descendants of Shem who are blessed because of their association with YHWH and the descendants of Japeth who are incorporated into the family of Shem.  

-  Later Isaiah will pick up this prophecy concerning Japeth concerning the incorporation of non-Jews into God’s kingdom.

1.  Isaiah 26:1-2 “In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

        We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. 

        Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.

2.  Isaiah 60:11-12 “Your gates shall be open continually; day and night they shall not be shut that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession.  For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste.”

3.  Isaiah 54:1-3 "Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor!  For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married," says the Lord.  Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.  For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities."