Again in verse 7 God gave the command to Noah about being fruitful and multiplying. I believe most of my lifetime there has been the evolutionary lie taught that man is one of the greatest dangers to the world. It was a lie then and still is a lie now. Man was created with intelligence. Man has developed some things like the atomic bomb, that are very destructive. Man’s evolutionary imaginations have given groups like the Muslims and other godless groups to multiply and become major players with their hatred of God.
God does not need an army to make His name known. Psalm 19 tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God. The few saints need to be bold and proclaim the truth in this dark hour in which we live. We should not be intimidated by the scoffers. Peter did not allow them to silence him. We have the same God today.
God had made a promise to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. He promised that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent. That did not happen in the flood. God’s timetable would unfold according to His plan. It would be a few thousand years yet before Jesus Christ would come in the flesh. Noah and his sons and many others needed to trust in the truth of God, just as we need to trust in the truth of God.
In verse 8 God revealed that He had more to say to Noah and his sons. God would establish His covenant with them and with their seed after them. The covenant was not just for man, but for all of God’s creatures that have life.
God promised that He would not cut off life with a flood ever again. God knew the heart of man could not be changed by fear of death. The fear of death can be a motivator, but no one is saved by fear. Man is saved by trusting in the promise of God. That promise is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Noah needed to trust God in the building of the ark and then in entering that ark. He now needed to trust God with life outside of the ark. The world was quite different after the flood than prior to the flood. The climate was also different. There would now be seasons which did not exist before.
God would give mankind a major sign to show His faithfulness. In verses12-13 God promised to place a bow in the cloud as a reminder to man that He would never send another worldwide flood. That bow is known as the rainbow. The rainbow is a token from God that did not exist prior to that time.
For hundreds of years that rainbow has appeared in the sky either during or after a rain. It could be a light rain or a heavy rain, but that rainbow has been there to remind man that there will never be another worldwide flood. In recent years, the sodomites have tried to claim the rainbow as a symbol of their wicked lifestyle. As with their corrupted lifestyle, their rainbow is also a corruption of the rainbow that God gave to man. Their efforts to try to legitimize their sin, will never change the mind of God. God has given very clear warnings and examples of what happens to those who choose to live as sodomites. It is a choice. No one is born a sodomite. Each person that pursues that ungodly lifestyle does so because they reject the true God.
God gave Noah and his sons a very clear and comforting promise. That promise was that there would never be another worldwide flood, regardless of how wicked man might be. God has used other judgments, but He has never sent a worldwide judgment upon the earth.
God is completely trustworthy. There is a future judgment coming known as the Tribulation time. Even during that time, there will not be a worldwide flood. There will be major catastrophes sent by God during that time. Many people will die due to those judgments from God. A few will be saved during that time. At the end of the Tribulation time, there will be the battle of Armageddon. At that battle, all the wicked of that time will die. Only the saved will enter the Millennium. At the end of the Millennium there will be one final judgment and then this current earth and heavens will be destroyed by fire. God will create new heavens and a new earth at that time.
God has given us much information on what is coming. Noah was given a warning regarding the flood. He listened to God and prepared the ark to the physical saving of his family. Noah’s faith in God was his spiritual salvation. God promised not to send another worldwide flood and He reminded Noah and his family of this several times in these verses. God has given every generation an opportunity to be saved and to know His peace. He has shown much mercy to humanity. Sadly, most have not appreciated God’s mercy. Most have chosen their own way and they refuse to know the truth.
This passage was recorded to remind us of God’s mercy and love and justice. No one who will stand at the great white throne judgment will be able to accuse God of being unjust. He has given the sign of His promise. He has warned of the danger of trusting in the flesh rather than in God. He has provided His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour of mankind. He has assigned the Holy Spirit to work in the heart of every lost person to see their need of a Saviour. However, most ignore these important opportunities granted to man. They foolishly push toward destruction.
Those who are saved today need to remind others that the rainbow is a sign of God’s mercy to mankind. Rain is a blessing. When God sends a massive storm, it is a warning, but it will never destroy all of mankind. This spring there have been some powerful storms in parts of the U.S. News reports have accused “mother nature” of unleashing these storms. Those who are saved need to remind people there is no mother nature. There is the devil, but he is limited in his abilities to inflict pain upon society. God is in charge and He wants people to be saved. The wise person listens to God and gets saved and then serves the Lord faithfully. As we are currently in the spring season of the year and the rains are coming, we need to be reminded of God’s mercy and grace as we see the rainbow in the sky. We can also use that precious sign, to remind people of the need to know the God of Creation as their own personal God and Saviour. Jesus Christ is the Only Saviour. He came to give His life for sinful mankind. He loves us and He desires to see man saved.
Pastor Bartel