Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
Genesis 9:8–15 LSB
“As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you* and with your seed after you;
and with every living creature that is with you,
the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you;
of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth.
Indeed I establish my covenant with you;
and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood,
and there shall never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
Then God said,
“This is the sign of the covenant which I am giving to be between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations;
I put my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.
And it will be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh;
and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.
* The “you” and “your” pronouns are all plural in this passage. Americans in the South have a great word for this: “y’all”. If that word was in the wider dictionary, it would be a great bit of translation here.
This passage in Genesis 9 is the closing half of the covenant bookend begun in chapter 6. “As for Me, behold I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall breathe its last. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.” (6:17–18) The world was then a huge earth-sized mess of war, bloodshed, abuse and violence. Humanity had entirely bailed on its responsibilities given in Eden to serve and preserve life on the earth. God didn’t make the mess, but he was going to clean it up, and provide the way forward.
The Re-Creator’s Hand
Destroying every last single living thing was not in the plan, despite the rhetoric of “all flesh”. God was not going to totally end the project of cosmic life and its redemption, but instead restart it with a remnant: a faithful family made up of one husband-wife pair, who lead three more husband-wife pairs, who altogether lead the rest of the animal male-female pairs to a place of refuge and preservation. We hear the repeated language of Genesis 1 male-female, and Genesis 2 husband-wife, and understand this to be a recreation event.
Jump forward to our passage in Genesis 9 and the deed is done. Humanity’s worldwide destruction, violence and bloodshed have been washed away by allowing the cosmic waters of chaos to collapse in on the land and its rebellious inhabitants. The war is over, the suffering ended. Once again clean, dry ground has emerged from the deep waters. Once again humans and animals are living amidst a pristine garden-like environment of trees, fruit and green plants in abundance. Once again, they are vocally blessed by God.
And God makes a promise: “all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood”. This is a very important statement in that it cues up lots of language that will be recycled at key points later in the story.
Not to allow God an easy out, but did you notice that he said “by the water of the flood”? He didn’t say that he would never again address “all flesh” (Heb. בָּשָׂר basar) in some significant way. He didn’t say that he would never again “cut off” (Heb. כָּרַת karat) promise-breakers and chaos-makers.
He just won’t do it by a flood of cosmic chaos-water, a collapse of the entire created order. Perhaps that is why the word used for “flood” (Heb. מַבּוּל mabbul) is never again used in the Old Testament in narrative setting. After this episode in Genesis, the word is used only once, in Psalm 29, in an expression of the LORD’s overwhelming greatness and glory.
The attentive reader will hear the reserved language, and observe that God has allowed himself some kind of loophole through which he will continue to bring about guidance and justice in ways that are appropriate and necessary. Sometimes it will be on a small personal or family level; sometimes on a larger tribal and national level; and sometimes the “all flesh” part of it may again encompass the whole of creation. He will call and include people in his redemptive plan, as well as exclude or “cut off” people, families and nations who break faith with shared promises.
The Teacher’s Voice
Leading up to the flood, Genesis chapters 4–6 tell of a world spiralling out of moral control. This is also a section where God is largely silent, without much visible presence or interaction. “Where there is no vision, the people are out of control, But how blessed is he who keeps instruction.” (Prov 29:18) The LORD knows what is needed, and begins to bring about his promised restoration first through personal contact with Noah’s family. God then makes contact with Abraham’s family, then his sons and grandsons and great-grandsons and their wives, and their sons and daughters after them.
There’s no substitute for a hands-on mentor, a teacher who can instruct when the moment of instruction (torah) is needed. Psalm 25 is written by the poet who identifies this way of personal guidance. The LORD can be a local source of wisdom nearer at hand than just long-ago commands now forgotten in time.
Make me know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
Psalm 25:4–5, 8–9
Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;
In you I hope all day long.
Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
May he lead the humble in justice, and may he teach the humble his way.
Peter mentions the patience of God in the times of Noah (1 Peter 3:20). I think about the (much-tried) patience of Jesus as he worked to teach people the way of his Father. Jesus called and included some unlikely families while he travelled the land. You could say he led a humble tribe. He also excluded and threatened to cut off those who presumed too much about their place in God’s world. And he urged personal action while the option to act was still in hand.
Through Jesus, God is still clearly committed to this cosmic project of his, a project of salvation from sin, the defeat of death, the cutting-off of all hindrances to holiness, and the washing clean of conscience by the outpouring of his Spirit upon all flesh.
Lord Jesus Christ, flood us with your own humility. Cut away our pride. Make us a people of patience and justice. We receive your instruction and desire to know your way. Lead us on a journey of truthfulness, hope and ultimate salvation. For us, our world, and for the overwhelming greatness and glory of your Name.