Now today, Friends, we come to the 9th Chapter of the Book of Genesis.  And we have come through the Flood I trust and that we came through dry shod.  But we have attempted to lift out of this tremendous incident some great spiritual truths that we believe are for us.  

FIRST THINGS FIRST FOR NOAH

Now we have found out that when Noah came out of the ark, the first thing that he did was to build an altar to the Lord and offer a sacrifice to Him, which was a burnt offering as we’re told here, and that burnt offering speaks of the person of Christ.  It was offered on the basis of acceptance before God and a praise to God and a recognition of it.  May I say to you that this was without doubt one of the things that caused God to be pleased with Noah at this particular time.  

Because we’ve seen in the Flood—actually man there learned the three R’s.  (1) First was Rebellion of God realized; it came right out in the open.  And then (2) there was the Revelation from God, which was rejected.  Noah’s witness did not reach them.  And then (3) their Repentance was absolutely repudiated; no return to God at all.  And they refused the Refuge that God had provided and for 120 years Noah had no converts.  And so we have Rebellion, Revelation, and Repentance.  Those were the three R’s, and they led in that first, but the other two they rejected the revelation and there was no repentance on their part.

Now this man Noah comes forth from the ark.  And actually, Friends, he stands in a most unique position.  He stands in the position of being the head of the human race again; just in the same position Adam is.  A great many people say, well, we’re all related to Adam—may I say to you we’re closer kin than that.  All of us are related to Noah.  Noah is the father, in one sense, of all of us today.

NEW BEGINNINGS

Now we have here in Chapter 9 the New Beginning.  And you can’t imagine what a revolutionary beginning it is.  The dispensation of human conscience is over with.  Now God is putting man down now under government.  He’s to govern himself, and that is something we’ll see now in this covenant that God made with Noah.  And when He made it with Noah, He made it with you and me or He made it with all mankind.  And we all have a stake in it.

Now He said to Noah, first of all:

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.  (Genesis 9:1)

And, again, the word “replenish” is meaningful here because we know there was a civilization before the Flood.  Now there is to be a civilization after the Flood.  But Adam was told to replenish the earth also, so obviously there must have been here on the earth before Adam, creatures.  I don’t know what to call them, but creatures on this earth; living creatures; God’s creation.  And anything I say beyond that is speculation to be sure.

Now will you notice He says, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”  That’s Number One that God tells him to do.  This is the propagation of the race.  Now there comes a time when God does not give that.  I think we’re living in that period right now because of the fact that we see in our day that there’s over population.  We have a regular population explosion in our day that actually is quite dangerous.  But again, let me come back to Noah and say he’s in a unique position.  He’s the only one around.  Just imagine one day driving out on the freeway going to work in the morning, and there’s cars in the front of you, cars to the right of you; cars to the left of you, and cars behind you honking, and you’re just in a traffic snarl.  And then it’s not but about a year later, you drive out on the freeway, and there’s nobody there.  You are the only one on the freeway, and you just as well take down all the street lights because you won’t need them because you’re the only one driving through.  May I say that would be quite an unusual experience, would it not?  Well, Noah had an experience like that for his day.

Now notice the second thing God says to him.

And 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.  (Genesis 9:2)

Now we have man’s protection and ruler ship of animals given.  That’s part of the covenant.  And I take it before this that there were several things man, as we’re going see,, did not eat meat before.  And now he’s able to eat meat.  But before he couldn’t because all animals were tame, and you just don’t like to eat tame animals; that is, those that you’ve become attached to.  And so we find that the animals came to Noah.  There was no problem there at all.  And man, therefore, today is responsible for the animal world. And man’s treatment of the animal world is a brutal story.  The way that they’ve attempted to exterminate—well, you take the whale out around the Hawaiian Islands.  They had to stop; why man was going to slaughter all of them, of course, for money.  The buffalo have been largely killed out in the West, and at one time they went in great herds.  Why?  Well, man.  And they have game refuges today in order to protect animal and bird life.  And they do well to do that; the animals of Africa would all be exterminated.  Man’s a pretty brutal creature himself.  

And then the third thing:

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.  (Genesis 9:3)

Now before God gave to man the green earth plant life to eat.  Now He tells him that he’ll be able to eat animal life.  And this is something that you need to take into consideration.  I’ve told the story many times about this woman who was a faddist on diet and was in a religion, of course, and that generally becomes a religion.  And she made a great deal of the fact when I told her one day that the antediluvians were all vegetarians.  And that’s what she was advocating and propagating was that we should just eat vegetables.  She had one of her assistants take it down, but I think it was erased later.  I told her, I said, I wouldn’t make too much of it, because you must remember it was a bunch of vegetarians that were destroyed in the Flood and if diet had anything to do it, then certainly they would not have been destroyed.  But now man is permitted to eat flesh.  Now Verse 4:

But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

In other words, the blood should be drained out.  That speaks of life and that would indicate that the animal was dead.  It indicates something else—that the animal might be killed in a merciful way rather than prolonging its suffering.  That is one of the reasons that I hate to hunt, and I ought not to put it like that.  I love to hunt, and I haven’t been able to now for a couple of years, I’ve been so busy at the fall season and was this year.  But the fact of the matter is that the reason is you don’t like to shoot certain birds—quail, for instance—is that sometimes you merely wound the little fellow, and he just crawls away and you can’t find it.  Now you don’t like to do that.  God says when you are going to eat animals, why the thing to do is to make sure you don’t eat them with the blood.  The blood should be drained out.  In other words, the animal should be killed in a merciful manner.  And He says:

And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.  (Genesis 9:5)

Now that’s an interesting statement, and not meaningful for us today because we do not live on a frontier, and most of the frontiers have gone today.  But up to the present hour, animals have been a danger to man.  They are still a danger to man.  There are certain animals that you do well to beware of.  Fact of the matter is if there’s a possum in your neighborhood, or a skunk, you’ll do well to beware of it.  Chances are it has rabies.  And animals are those that man is to beware of.  

Now we have the next statement that God gives, and this is the amazing one; the fifth and the last one (Genesis 9:6).

Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Now you have here, you see something that’s quite interesting:  The principle for government and protection for man.  And He gives to government capital punishment so that we have, first, the propagation of the race, protection and ruler ship of the animals, provision for food, and prohibition—that is, no blood is to be—and now the principle of government, and this is the basis of capital punishment.  

And may I say to you that it’s amazing the attitude that this generation as its gotten away from the Bible—you see, we do not have a Bible oriented population today.  They’re totally ignorant of the Word of God.  And that’s one reason we’re teaching the Bible, because we believe it’s very important to teach the Word of God.  And that it’s needed today.  And as a result, you find the judges and the lawyers and our politicians all wanting to get rid of capital punishment.  And they’ve done a pretty good job, and I think finally it will be totally eliminated.  

And at the same time we have the most horrible crimes that are taking place, and there is an increase in crime as many of us predicted. I have a little book; the title of it is Is Capital Punishment Christian?  You’d have to specify that in particular because we’re—we’re actually not offering it.  But I’ve dealt this very important subject.  I believe today that capital punishment is scriptural.  I think it’s the basis of government; that a government has the right to take a life when that individual, in turn, has taken a life.  Now why?  Well, it’s quite obvious, I think.  It’s in order that God might protect human life.  You’re not safe today to walk on the street.  That your life is not safe today.  Now I know that the officials would deny this, and believe me they are very quick to deny it.  But the reason your life is not safe in this land of ours today is because of the attitude toward capital punishment.  When a criminal knows that if he takes a life, his life is going to be sacrificed, then may I say to you he’ll think twice before he takes a life.

Then, the idea today—we’re trying to get a gun control law.  May I say to you the problem is not with the gun in the hand, it’s the heart that’s inside a man.  That’s where the problem is today.  And, therefore, you have to control man.  In this particular area, to make it safe for you and for other human beings to walk our streets and to step out of their home at night, why we’re finding many members of our church—that is, those that are single, women that are mature, that are single—they shut their door at night and they don’t dare open up until the morning light.  May I say to you we’d better get the law back on the statute books, let me tell you, and get rid of this sob-sister stuff.  “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for the image of God made he man.”  Now this is the basis of human government.  This is the area under which man and the Gentiles have moved.  This has not been changed as far as governments of the world are concerned.

Now, will you notice:

And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.  And God continues on here.

And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you…. That includes now the human race.  Now He says:

And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.  (Genesis 9:7-10)  

In other words, all of God’s creatures are included in this.  And there’s a very interesting statement made by Isaiah about the lion and the lamb someday will lie down together and that they’ll not hurt.  And then Paul says, “The whole creation is groaning and travailing in pain.”  May I say to you that God now has made this covenant for the protection of these until That Day comes for all of God’s creatures;  “…with every living creature that’s with you,” God says. 

Now will you notice He says in Verse 11:

And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

Now here is God’s promise, and His purpose is that He’ll no longer destroy the earth with a flood.  The next judgment on the earth is a judgment by fire.  We find that in Second Peter the third chapter.

Now we come down here to verse 12, and you have here the picture of the covenant, and I think really a spiritual meaning of the covenant.  It’s sort of a sacrament, if you please.  Now, the thing that makes it that; the visible signs to which are annexed promises, and here you have it.  Now let me read this particular section here beginning with Verse 12.

And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:   I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.  

The rainbow is more or less a sacrament; that is, it’s a token of a covenant.

And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall 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 the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.  And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.  (Genesis 9:14-16)

Now will you notice God says I WILL LOOK UPON IT and that I MAY REMEMBER!  You see, God didn’t say you’d see it; He said He’d see it.  He didn’t say you’d look up it; He’d look it, if you please.  And it would be an “everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.”  That ought to be an encouragement when you look at a rainbow.  Verse 17:

And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Now this is God’s covenant, not just with Noah, but all flesh that is upon the earth.  You see, what you have here is actually almost a sacrament.  As we said, a sacrament is a visible sign to which are annexed certain promises; the Passover, they ate the Passover, the brazen serpent was put up, and there was Gideon’s fleece, and there’s baptism today, and the Lord’s Supper.  Dr. Lang puts it like this:  “God’s eye of grace, and our eye of faith meet in the sacraments.”  And that’s what happens here when man looks at the rainbow.  Faith lays hold of the promise attached to the sign.  You see the merit is in what the sign speaks of.  There’s no faith in a promise, and there’s no assurance in a sign.  The Word and the sign go together, you see.  God makes a promise and attaches a sign to it.  Now the rainbow is God’s answer to Noah’s altar!  God says, “I’ll remember, and I’ll look upon it.”  A friend of mine told me he was traveling by plane across the country, and they were going over a storm and, all of a sudden, they saw a rainbow; and he says it was the first time in his life he’d ever seen a rainbow that went all the way around.  

Now this is something that’s very disappointing in the rest of this chapter.  The question arises, “Well, when man came out after the flood and all the sinners are dead, then there’s no more sin in the earth, is that right?”  Well, let’s look and see.

And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.  (Genesis 9:18)

Now why does he say that?   Well, for two reasons we’ll see in a moment.  And the second is that they are going right now, traveling to the land of Canaan.  It’s nice for them to know this.  It’ll be an encouragement.

These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.  And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:  And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.  (Genesis 9:19-21)

My Friend, may I say to you, here you have Noah’s sin.  And the hard fact of the matter is that Noah got drunk, and this is sin.  There’s actually no satisfactory excuse—many have been made.  One is that he was ignorant of the effect of wines since no one had been drunk before.  And you’ll notice back before the Flood drunkenness is not mentioned as one of the sins.  

Then there are those who hold a canopy theory about the Flood.  There are many things I did not mention.  The canopy theory is that there was ice covering over, the sunlight filtered through, and that grapes would not ferment before, and this was something new for this man, Noah.  Well, all I can say is that it’s a new beginning and a new world, but it’s old sin that’s still there.  And this reveals that.  That’s the reason this is given.  That’s the big question; why did God give it?  Well, He gave it for a very definite reason.  Let me drop down and read Verse 22.  We are told he was drunken and uncovered within his tent….

And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.    And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.  And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.    (Genesis 9:22-24)

And then we’re told Shem and Japheth covered him, and Noah woke from his wine and knew what his younger son had done to him.  And notice what he does: 

And he said, Cursed be Canaan…. (Not Ham.  And I’d have you note that.) 

And I’d like to answer; this is something that always comes up.  Isn’t the curse of Ham upon the dark races?  That is not true!  That is absolutely absurd, and the Scripture does not teach that to begin with.  The coloration of the skin, the pigment that’s in the epidermis of the human family has come there not because of sin within, but because of sunlight on the outside.  And He says:

And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.    (Now these people are going to the Land of Canaan; that’s the reason it’s mentioned here.)  And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.  God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.  (Genesis 9:25-27)

You must remember that the first two great civilizations were Hamitic civilizations.  The Egyptian and the Babylonian, they were both that, if you please.  Now this is the great covenant God made then with Noah.  We’ll leave off right there today.