The Noahic Covenant

As we come to the conclusion of the story of Noah and the Flood, its important for us to remember that the Bible was not naturally a segmented and sectioned book. If we’re reading about the Noahic Covenant, we have to read it within the context of the entire flood narrative, and then ultimately, God’s redemption story. Take some time this morning to read the entire flood story but focus on Genesis 8:20-9:17.

Read Genesis 6-9

So often we hear the assumption that God changes from the Old Testament to the New Testament. People incorrectly assume that God in the Old Testament is all about wrath and anger, who destroys people for their disobedience, while God in the New Testament is full of mercy and grace and loves people. Neither of those assertions is completely correct. God the Father is both perfectly just, dealing out righteous judgment on the disobedient, but at the same time he is full of mercy and compassion. We see such a clear picture of this in both the Old and New Testament, but we are given a microcosm of God’s full character here in the Flood narrative.

At the start, we see God’s righteous judgment and wrath poured out on humanity because of their disobedience. And yet, God is faithful to those who are obedient. He has compassion on Noah and his family because Noah was righteous and blameless in his generation (he stood out from the crowd, just like Enoch) Its true that without getting a clear picture of God’s righteous judgment (the Flood) you can’t fully understand his mercy and compassion either (Noah’s family).

Likewise at the end of the narrative, we see the covenant that God makes with Noah. A covenant was an agreement made between to parties, and God makes a covenant with Noah (and ultimately humanity) that He would never again so completely wipe out the living creatures on the earth. Once again, we see God’s righteous judgment side by side with God’s mercy on us. These things aren’t contradictory. They work side by side to give us a clear view of God’s character.

Take some time this morning and praise God for the fullness of His character. Read through Psalm 145 outloud as a praise to God who is both just and merciful, righteous and compassionate.