Friday, September 1, 2017

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday September 3, 2017

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THE RAINBOW COVENANT
(We can depend on GOD’s eternal promises)
(Genesis 8:20 and 9:8-17)
  
   The historical writings in the Book of Genesis, not only tells the story of a “chosen people of GOD”, and how GOD acted upon the lives of the Jews (Genesis 12-50), but it also actually begins by telling the story of how GOD acted upon the lives of all mankind and all living creatures in general, as our Holy and sovereign CREATOR (Genesis 1-11).
    In the Old Testament, GOD is attempting to show us just how far we are from HIS high and holy standards. And in the New Testament, GOD sends us JESUS to try and show us just how we can move closer to that high and holy standard. The Old Testament also contains the stories of the many men and women of deep and powerful unbending faith such as Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, and the like, who all clung to their belief in the Almighty GOD.
    In this day and age, we too, can build, and embody the same measures of faith that those people exhibited in their lifetimes, but we, like them, must sincerely seek and honor GOD just as they did, in all that we do. We will never be required by GOD to come up with any ground-breaking methods, by way of our considerable “human ingenuity”, of serving HIM, but rather, we will always be expected by GOD to worship and obey HIM HIS way, not ours. And all of GOD’s ways, in which HE wants us to serve HIM, are already laid out in Scripture.
    Genesis is the first book of the Holy Bible, and, the first of five books accredited to the authorship of Moses. Moses is one of the most towering figures in Jewish history, and, the one who came to be known simply, as “The Law Giver”. He begins his writings with the telling of the “Creation Account” of all things, “the fall of man at the hands of Adam and Eve”, and “the subsequent intolerable wickedness of mankind”, which led to the “Great Flood” method of destruction by GOD.
    However, just as GOD always replaced the darkness of our ancestors existence, with the light of HIS presence in those days, so it is too, in these days of the twenty-first century. Over the next few lessons, we will focus on, and trace GOD’s covenant promises to HIS people, through, the annals of Old Testament biblical history, and we’ll began with this first account of GOD’s “Rainbow Covenant” with Noah. Noah is the first man in Scripture to be called “righteous” (Genesis 6:9), and he was the only righteous man on earth at the time of the flood!
    Finally, some 10 ½ months after the great Flood had begun (Genesis 8:20), Noah lifted the cover of the ark back, and saw that the waters had gone down considerably. And after two more months went by, the earth had completely dried up from the excesses of water that was left as a result of GOD’s judgment on the earth, and, on sinful man.
    It was then that GOD told Noah and his family to leave the ark, and to set the animal and wildlife cargo free so that they could perform their roles in the replenishment of the earth. And so 377 days after they boarded the ark, Noah and his family were now able to, once again, stand on dry land, this time as the recipients of GOD’s great Salvation from a sinful atmosphere and environment. Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and used the animals and birds that had earlier been earmarked by the LORD for sacrifice, and the LORD was very pleased with him.
    There at the altar, the LORD made a solemn promise to Noah that HE would never again curse the earth, destroying all living things, even though HE knew man would quickly return to his sinful state of being, and, that their every thought and action would eventually be geared toward evil from the time of their childhood forward.
    Nevertheless, GOD promised that as long as HE decides to allow the earth to remain, it will always enjoy the seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter), and the days, and the nights, will refresh themselves at the appointed space in time (every 24 hours), in perpetual intervals until GOD says, it is enough again. However, HE would never again cause total destruction upon the earth, and all living things.   
    In Genesis chapter 9, verses 1-15, we take up this great man’s story at a time, immediately following the world-ending Flood. Here Noah and his sons are instructed by GOD, just as Adam and Eve were, in the beginning, to be fruitful and multiply (“male”-pronounced “maw-lay”, which means to “replenish”) and fill the earth with human life.
    In the beginning, we must remember that, GOD also instructed Adam and Eve to eat only the vegetation of the land. However, this order came with one restriction, “Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, and after their disobedience to this command from GOD, HE quickly had to remove them from the “Garden of Eden” before they had a chance to eat from the other tree at the center of the garden, the eternal “Tree of Life”.
    Once again, here GOD gives man dominion over the animals of the earth, but this time, HE allows man the use of all animals for food. This is not a contradiction to Deuteronomy 14:3-21, because man in those days did not live under the “Law of Moses”, which did not exist at that time, and was put in place much later on, to distinguish the Jewish lifestyle, which started with Abraham, from the rest of human society.
    Some believe that the stipulations that were placed on the Gentiles during the “Acts 15 Council” in the first century (Acts 15), by the Church leaders at Jerusalem, find their origins comprised here within the Rainbow Covenant. Despite the fact that the distinction between “clean” and “unclean” animals already existed (Genesis 7:2), GOD, nevertheless, here allows for the consumption of all plants and animals, by man. However, GOD did issued one restriction, and that was, that, man not eat an animal with its “lifeblood” still in it.
    Because we bear GOD’s “spiritual image” (GOD’s Nature), in HIS eyes, every human being is irreplaceable. In verses 5-7, it is important that we clearly understand that, the “Death sentence” which GOD imposes upon those who kill other human beings, is neither “retribution”, and nor, is it a “preventative measure” to guard against murder itself.
    Each and every human life is so significant to GOD that no penalty less than death, provides an adequate measure of value. It is the only way to impress upon man, the ultimate worth of an individual, in the eyes of GOD. Apparently GOD saw the necessity for a covenant that not only came in the form of a promise from HIM, but HE also reasoned that, there must be an obligation from man that he not take life lightly after seeing the devastation of the flood.
    GOD did not want the example of the flood’s destruction to be taken as a sign that HE placed a “cheap value” on human life. This covenant was to show that life is sacred, and that man must not destroy that which is “made in the spiritual image of GOD”. Man also needed to learn how to govern himself with “human laws” that would ensure the stability of nature, and, that wickedness would not run amok like it had before the flood. And so here we see, quite literally, “the birth of government into human society”.
    In verses 8-17 GOD makes a covenant with Noah that has come to be known as the “Rainbow Covenant”. Unlike the “Abrahamic Covenant” (Genesis 15), and the “Davidic Covenant” (2 Samuel 7) that would come later, it is a covenant that concerns all mankind forever, and not just the Jews. Throughout the history of the world, GOD has always dealt with man through various covenants, and here in this passage, we find the very first one.
    The next time we look up in the sky and see a Rainbow that spans to connect the Heavens to the earth, remember GOD’s promise of security to Noah, that comes across the spans of time to lend to us also, that same assurance of security. It is reminiscent of the security that CHRIST JESUS gives us, when we accept the covenant that was ushered in to us by HIM many years later, and signed in HIS OWN blood. It is a superior covenant that, unlike the Rainbow Covenant with Noah, reconnects us with GOD, and secures our future in Heaven.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander





                                 
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