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When Noach
comes out of the Ark a new dispensation, a new
period of time in salvation history, begins. This
age begins with Noach and the Flood and ends with
Abraham. It is a time of rest from God's wrath,
which is what Noach means - rest or comfort.
At the
beginning of this new age there is a new covenant
- a new way in which God will relate to humanity.
This covenant, with its obligations that the Lord
made with mankind, is still in effect; it's still
binding on all people to this day, which means
that we should know it and follow it.
Let's
start with chapter 8, verse 20: the first thing
that Noach does after the Lord saved him from
this world-wide Flood, that brought death to every
living creature that was on Earth, was to build
an altar and offer burnt offerings on it. That
tells us that Noach was not angry with God for
destroying the world with the Flood. Noach accepted
God's judgment.
In the
same way, when the good Lord helps us out of a
difficult circumstance, the first thing we should
do is to acknowledge our Creator, and thank the
God who spared us.
This is
the first mention of an altar in the Scriptures,
and also the first mention of a burnt offering.
Noach knew the principle that true worship must
be based on the blood of a sacrifice. That is
how we come closer to God. The burnt offering
represents dedication, so Noach, who already was
a man who did the right things, and had a close
personal relationship with God, re-dedicates himself
to serve God. And, there are times when we will
want to re-dedicate ourselves to serve the Living
God, and that our lives would be like a living
sacrifice to Him.
It is
only clean animals that were killed and burned
on the altar. Already there was some knowledge
that certain animals were clean and fit for sacrifice,
and others weren't.
The Lord
sees righteous Noach, and his small family, who
are the only human beings alive on Earth, and
the sacrifices they offer, and He is pleased.
And, He is even more pleased with the ultimate
sacrifice with offered by His Son - with whom
He is very pleased. And, this same Lord is pleased
with us when we embrace the sacrifice provided
by Messiah.
But, even
though this is a fresh start for humanity, man's
basic nature remains the same - yetzer lev haAdam
rah mee-nu-rav -the intent of man's heart is evil
from his youth. Our species is fallen, sinful,
with a natural propensity to go astray from God's
commands, to disobey God, to ignore the Creator.
It takes more than judgment, even one as devastating
as a worldwide Flood, to change man's nature.
It takes the transforming work of the indwelling
Spirit of God. But, not all are indwelt and transformed
by the Spirit, and so God will implement some
new measures to ensure that man's evil nature
is restrained, some laws that will hold back the
corruption within us.
But in
spite of this, the Lord promises not to destroy
the world again as He did with the Flood. There
will never again be a world-destroying Flood.
From this point forward, there will be regular,
uninterrupted seasons.
This is
a new genesis, a new beginning for humanity, and
it starts off with a virtual repetition of the
blessing God gave to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28.
A blessing is an expression of the desire that
good things would happen, and the Creator wants
humanity, which has been reduced to 8 human beings,
to increase, so that we can populate the planet,
and rule over the Earth with its various kinds
of life, and fulfill the good purposes He has
for Earth and for us.
In the
next section, starting with chapter 9 verse 2,
we have the covenant that God is making with Noach,
and with all human beings. This covenant is a
"brit olam" - an everlasting covenant, meant for
"dorot olam" - all succeeding generations throughout
the ages." It contains 7 laws that are applicable
to all human beings. They are:
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The first law establishes
human government. As we have seen, in the
age after the Flood, the intent of man's heart
was still evil from his youth, and so human
courts of justice must be established, and
governments established, to restrain the evil
within us. That will help prevent a situation
from developing like what happened before
the Flood - one of violence and unrestrained
evil.
One of the basic purposes of government is
to promote what is right, and restrain what
is evil. To restrain evil, capital punishment
by man is instituted by God for the first
time. Executing a murderer is ordained by
God. In fact, not killing the murderer pollutes
the land. I believe that our increasingly
violent culture would be better off if we
don't ignore this provision given by God for
the protection of society.
Murder is not only a crime against the victim,
and his loved ones, but also a crime against
God, because we, fallen and twisted though
we are, nevertheless still carry the image
of God. The image of God is not completely
lost in us. We are still like God, with the
God-like abilities to think, reason, love
and make choices. To carry the image of God
means that every human being, no matter how
poor, how tragic, how confused, is valuable,
important, weighty. To destroy the works of
an artists is an insult and an attack on the
artist. To murder a human being is to attack
the One whose likeness we bear.
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The second law outlaws
blasphemy. Blasphemy is speaking ill of the
glorious Creator. He is our Creator, who made
us in His image, who endowed us with life
and meaning. And, He is our Savior and Redeemer.
He has been so gracious to humanity. He provided
a way of atonement after the Fall. He allowed
humanity to survive through the Flood. It
is criminal to speak against such a good God,
or speak improperly about Him or the things
connected to Him.
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The third law forbids idolatry.
It was the true God, the Living God, the Maker
of Heaven and Earth, who made this agreement
with us. It was to the invisible Lord that
Noach offered sacrifices. It was the God of
Israel who made this covenant with us. To
worship or serve any other higher power violates
this covenant.
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The fourth law forbids
incest - not just sexual activity between
members of a family, but also marriages between
relatives that are too close. Leviticus 18
will delineate the specifics.
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The fifth law changes the
diet of man. It permits killing and eating
animals, but outlaws eating their blood. Blood
is special. It is to be used for special purposes.
Blood gives life. Without blood there is no
life. Blood cleanses, blood atones. It is
not meant for ordinary purposes like eating.
So, no blood pudding, or blood soup. Since
the animals are now fair game, the Lord changes
their relationship to man. Fear and caution
supplant the previous harmony between man
and the animals.
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The sixth law forbids eating
the a limb from a living animal. If you had
an animal, and couldn't eat all of it at once,
you could not cut off a leg, and eat it, and
keep the animal alive until more of it was
wanted. The animal must be killed quickly
and as painlessly as possible. Cruelty to
animals is evil and not allowed.
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The seventh law is a prohibition
against robbery. The private ownership of
property is allowed, and must be respected.
The basic
laws of the covenant of Noach are reiterated in
the New Testament, and understood to be applicable
to all Believers. Acts 15 records the decision
of First Jerusalem Council. It was convened to
decide what relationship Gentile Christians have
to the 613 laws of the Torah. Some were saying
that Gentiles have to observe all the commandments
in order to be saved. Paul and others said no,
that faith Messiah Yeshua was enough. The Apostles
and the Elders of the Jerusalem Congregation met
to decide this issue.
Under
the direction of the Holy Spirit they decided
that Gentiles weren't obligated to follow all
the laws of the Torah, but only these essentials:
to abstain from things sacrificed to idols and
from eating blood and from eating things strangled
and from fornication; if they have faith in God
and Messiah, and keep themselves free from such
things, they will do well (see Acts 15:28-29).
The New Testament makes it clear that these basic
provisions of the covenant made with Noach are
still binding upon all peoples to this day.
The rainbow
is the sign of this covenant. Most bows are used
to kill, the rainbow is a symbol of peace between
God and man. The rainbow touches the Earth, ascends
up to Heaven, and then comes down and touches
the Earth again. It like a bridge that joins the
Heavens and the Earth. It is made of a sevenfold
radiance of light. Three is the number of God,
four is the number of the world. The rainbow with
its sevenfold light reminds us of the union of
God and the world. A rainbow surrounds the throne
of God, because God is the source of all light
and knowledge, beauty, salvation, and covenant
faithfulness (Revelation 4:3).
Whenever
we see a beautiful rainbow it is a reminder that
humanity has an agreement with the Creator, to
live by these laws found in Genesis 9. Whenever
the Lord looks down from His Heaven, and sees
a rainbow, it reminds Him that He needs to limit
the amount of rain, and not destroy the Earth
by a flood. Whenever you see a rainbow remember
that the Creator is a covenant keeping God, the
source of knowledge, beauty and salvation, and
He promised never to destroy the Earth again by
a flood. The rainbow is a wonderful Biblical symbol.
It's ours! We shouldn't avoid it just because
New Agers or homosexuals try to appropriate it.
Verses
20-24 describe a horrible event. Noach got drunk,
and during his drunken state, was uncovered by
Cham, the father of Canaan. Why would righteous
and blameless Noach, who walked with God, get
drunk? I suggest that this is additional evidence
that the Earth's atmosphere was radically changed
after the Flood.
Genesis
testifies to the fact that before the Flood there
was a vastly different atmosphere from the one
we have today. In Genesis 1:6-8 Moses told us
that God created the atmosphere and separated
the waters which were below the atmosphere from
the waters which were above the atmosphere. In
fact, the Hebrew word for "Heaven" may contain
the idea of water. Shamayim can mean "waters there."
The same phenomenon is found in Greek. The Greek
word for Heaven - "Ouranos," may possibly be derived
from "ou" - "there" and raino "to sprinkle."
Genesis
2:5-6 states that God had not sent rain upon the
Earth, but that a mist used to rise from the Earth
and water the whole surface of the ground. This
indicates that the Earth was watered differently.
"The rainbow might have been a new phenomenon,
due to the changed atmospheric and cloud conditions
after the Flood" (Charles Ryrie). Rainbows can
only form when water droplets in the atmosphere
approach the size of raindrops. Without rain you
don't normally have rainbows (from The Waters
Above, Joseph Dillow, Moody Press, 1981, p. 98).
These
waters above the atmosphere formed a water canopy
surrounding the Earth. This water canopy would
have resulted in a worldwide greenhouse effect.
It would have produced a climate that was uniformly
warm. This water canopy would have protected life
on the surface, shielding out much of the harmful
radiation to which we are now exposed. That would
have resulted in longer lifespans, which is what
the book of Genesis describes for lifespans before
the Flood. Dinosaur size could also indicate long
lifespans since reptiles generally keep on growing
until they die. Gigantism in the fossil records
indicate that things must have been somewhat different
than today. Plants, lizards, insects all grew
to huge sizes in the past.
Evidences
of a uniform worldwide temperature that further
strengthen the idea of a water canopy which resulted
in a greenhouse effect are Palm tree fossils which
have been found in Alaska. Crocodiles used to
be prolific in New Jersey and in England. Explorer
Edward Toll reported finding a fallen ninety foot
fruit tree with ripe fruit and green leaves in
the frozen ground of the New Siberian Islands.
The only trees that grow there now is the one
inch high willow. In Antarctica large fossil leaves
of tropical plants have been found 250 miles from
the South Pole (from The Waters Above pp. 141-2).
Greater
atmospheric pressure caused by the water canopy
would also explain how animals like the Pteranodon
could have flown. Under the present atmospheric
conditions it would have been very difficult if
not impossible for them to have flown. But a greater
atmospheric pressure would have made it easier
for the creature to fly and help explain the phenomena
(from The Waters Above pp. 147-157).
This new
atmosphere helps explains how Noach could have
gotten caught off guard and gotten drunk. In the
post Flood atmosphere there would have been less
atmospheric pressure. Under those conditions more
alcohol would be produced in fermenting wine in
a shorter time. The rate of the formation of alcohol
would have increased with less pressure in the
atmosphere. Also, drunkenness occurs much more
rapidly at lower pressures (from The Waters Above
p. 103).
Young
man, young woman, don't get drunk! Bad things,
shameful things can happen because of drunkenness,
even to someone as good and righteous as Noach,
who otherwise was blameless before God. What happened
to Noach is a warning to all of us about the consequences
of drinking too much.
While
he is drunk, Noach uncovered himself inside his
tent. Cham, the father of Canaan saw his father
naked. In some way Noach was dishonored by what
took place, and when he woke up, Noach utters
inspired blessings and curses that give us the
outline of God's prophetic program for the races.
For 4500 years world history has demonstrated
the accuracy of this amazing ancient prophecy.
The following is taken from The Dawn Of World
Redemption by Erich Sauer:
Noach
said,"Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants
he shall be to his brothers." He also said,
"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let
Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Yafet,
and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and
let Canaan be his servant."
This prophetic
utterance starts with Canaan and Cham: The Chamites
generally settled in the hot lands like Egypt,
Africa, and Phoenicia, as Cham (hot) implies.
Cham was the father of Canaan, who became the
father of the Phoenicians and Canaanites. Noach
said, "Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants
he shall be to his brothers." It's not surprising
that a wicked people like the Canaanites came
from a father who acted indecently like Cham.
Canaan, whose name means low or subdued, was cursed
with being a servant of servants, which means
he was the lowest of people. They became servants
to Israel under Joshua and Solomon (Joshua 9:27,
1 Kings 9:20-21). However, becoming servants was
both a punishment and a blessing to the Canaanites.
Joshua made them hewers of wood for the altar
of the Lord. Serving at the Temple enabled the
Canaanites to learn about God and redemption.
Redemption is still possible even for the lowest
element of humanity!
This curse
cannot refer to modern Africans or Afro-Americans
like some racists and bigots have used it. This
curse is not directed towards all the Chamites
but only to the Canaanites. The curse isn't applicable
to anyone living today since the Canaanites died
out long ago. There are no special blessings given
to the other Chamites even though they prospered
immediately following the Flood.
Next comes
the most glorious blessing, which was given to
Shem, whose name means "name." Shem is the father
of all the Shemites, like the Jewish people, many
of the Arab people, and the Chaldeans. "Blessed
be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be
his servant." God associates Himself with Shem.
The Shemites are the ones who are entrusted with
"HaShem," which means "the Name" - God Himself.
This was fulfilled through the Jewish people,
those special Shemites chosen to represent God
and bring the revelation of God to the rest of
the world.
From Israel
came the Torah and the New Testament, the Prophets,
the Apostles and Messiah Yeshua, the ultimate
Shemite and the perfect manifestation of "HaShem."
The New Testament reaffirms this special blessing
entrusted to the Shemites. Messiah Yeshua testified
that "salvation is of the Jews." The olive tree
of salvation and blessing into which Gentiles
are grafted is "their (Israel's) own olive tree"
(Romans 11:24). In light of these divine realities,
for anyone to be anti-Shemetic - against the Jewish
people, is to be against God and far from this
blessing.
Finally
comes the blessing to Yafet, the father of the
Indo-European peoples. "May God enlarge Yafet
- the enlarged one, and let him dwell in the tents
of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant." The greatest
enlargement of political and intellectual influence
is the privilege of the Yafetic peoples. Yafet's
blessings are threefold:
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First, there is physical
enlargement: May God enlarge the enlarged
one. Yafet was the father of the Greeks, Romans,
Medes, Persians, Indians and Germans. In general
the sons of Yafet are the Indo-European peoples.
World history has brought about the fulfillment
of this prophecy in an overwhelming manner.
For centuries after this prophecy was given
the ruling civilized peoples in the Middle
East were the Chamites and the Shemites, not
the Yafetites. In the Nile Valley the Chamitic
Egyptians ruled. In ancient Mesopotamia Nimrod,
a descendant of Cham, became the first man
to found a world empire.
For the next 2,000 years the Middle East continued
to be ruled by Chamites and Shemites. The
decisive hour of the sons of Yafet came in
538 B.C. Under Cyrus the Persian the sons
of Yafet conquered Shemitic Babylon and became
the lords of the Middle East. Since that time
no Shemitic or Chamitic people has succeeded
in overcoming the world supremacy of the Yafetites.
The Persian world empire was followed by the
Greek, then by the Roman - all sons of Yafet.
The sons of Yafet carried their culture across
the Earth and have dominated the world politically
and intellectually.
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Second, there is political
enlargement, specifically lordship over the
Canaanites: "Let Canaan be his servant." The
Phoenicians were Canaanites. They founded
colonies around the Mediterranean, especially
in Carthage in North Africa. At the same time
Yafetic Rome was flourishing. Collision between
these two powers was unavoidable. There was
war between them until 202 B.C. when the two
armies met and Rome vanquished Carthage. The
Romans became the lords of the Mediterranean
world and Carthage became Rome's servant.
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Third, there is spiritual
enlargement: "let him dwell in the tents of
Shem." Spiritual blessings would come to the
sons of Yafet through association with the
Shemites. Dwelling in the tents of Shem means
having fellowship with the Jewish people in
their knowledge of God.
The spread of the knowledge of the One True
and Living God to the Yafetic peoples took
place throughout Israel's history, but dramatically
increased when Cornelius, a Roman, was allowed
to dwell in the tents of Shem without joining
the nation of Israel. Another milestone was
Paul's vision in Troas when he saw a man of
Macedonia who called to him, "Come over to
Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:8 10). Who
knows what direction the history of the world
might have taken if that great apostle had
gone east to India or China instead of west
to Yafetic Greece and Rome!
The world
is destined to remain under Yafetic influence
until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Then the ultimate son of Shem, Messiah Yeshua,
will return to Earth and rule the nations from
the kingdom of Israel. Then, all the nations of
the world will go up to Jerusalem, and dwell in
the tents of Shem!
In the
meantime, until Messiah returns, the sons of Yafet
should continue to dwell in the tents of Shem.
And, we welcome the sons of Cham to join us as
well! There's plenty of room in the tents of Shem
for everyone! The rediscovery of the Jewish roots
of the Messianic Faith by many today is very much
in keeping with this ancient prophetic blessing
of dwelling in the tents of Shem!
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