Review of Genesis 9

by Victor Fawole

Welcome to Genesis 9, an interesting chapter to study. The earth now needs to be repopulated. Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives will be God’s vehicle for repopulating the earth. Let’s explore the blessings of God in this chapter:

1. The Blessing of PROPAGATION

Genesis 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. God gave Noah the same kind of mandate He gave Adam in the beginning of creation (Gen. 1:28) since Noah essentially began all over again.

After the Flood, God showed His desire to restore mankind. He blessed Noah and his sons. Be fruitful! Multiply! Replenish the earth! This has a spiritual meaning for us as believers. Jesus gave us the Great Commission to fill the earth with believers (Matt. 28:18-20). We must not relent in our propagation of the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24). It is not an option, it is the Great Commission.

2. The Blessing of PROVISION

Genesis 9:2-3 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. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

God is the Provider, and He has always been very interested in our physical welfare, even to the small details like our feeding. He was interested in Adam’s feeding, and now, He’s giving Noah instructions about feeding.

Like we noted in the review of Genesis 2, we should not focus on the prohibition as though God’s instructions are grievous. He should rather focus on the provision, for our God is gracious and generous. He provides food for all animals (Psa. 136:25, Psa. 147:9, Psa. 104:27). If God provides for animals, you can trust Him as well (Matt. 6:26-27).

3. The Blessing of PROPITIATION

Genesis 9:4-6 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 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. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

God commanded that man should respect the value of all God-given life. He placed a prohibition against consuming blood and against murder. However, we should note that God used the blood as a symbol for three things.

• It reminds us of the life that only God could create (Lev. 3:17).
• It reminds us of the sin that separates man from God (Isa. 1:18).
• It reminds us of Christ’s blood that was shed for the propitiation of our sins (Heb. 9:2, 2 1John 2:2, Rom. 3:25, 1John 4:10, 1John 1:7).

It is this propitiation that serves as a blessing for us. We are allowed to “drink” only the blood of Christ. (John 6:54-56). Unbelievers drink damnation upon themselves (Heb. 10:29). When we drink the “cup of blessing” during communion, we celebrate the propitiation for our sins.

4. The Blessing of PRESERVATION (Gen. 9:8-17)
As we saw when we studied Genesis 8 yesterday, God promised to never again destroy the earth with flood. He gave a rainbow as a sign for this covenant. This is a blessing of preservation for Noah and his sons. This “Noahic Covenant” has some notable features.

• First, it is an unconditional covenant. It does not depend on anything Noah or his descendants had to do.
• Second, it was a universal covenant. It was made to not only Noah and all his descendants, but also to “every living creature” and the earth in general.
• Third, it was sealed with a sign, the rainbow.

This rainbow kind of points to Christ. All the colours of nature are in the rainbow. All the promises of God are in Christ. Seven colours appear with the rainbow. Divine perfection is manifested in the resurrection glory of Jesus. The rainbow is:

A. A Sign of God’s Goodness
In His kindness, God gave a visible expression of His love and favour. It gives Noah an assurance in his heart. Same for us. The resurrection of Christ is our assurance (1Cor. 15:17-20).

B. A Sign of God’s Fullness
There is fullness of colour and beauty in the rainbow, in sweetest harmony. The fullness of the Godhead is in Jesus Christ. He is for us, and all in perfect harmony with a just and holy God. Rich and glorious grace! Hallelujah.

C. A Sign of God’s Faithfulness
The rainbow reminds us of God’s faithfulness to His covenant. Also, the setting of Christ at God’s right hand is a guarantee of our eternal security. (Phil. 1:6, 1Thess. 5:23-24, Heb. 10:23)

5. The Blessing of PURIFICATION

Genesis 9:26-27 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.

In this chapter, we read of Noah’s drunkenness and Ham’s sin. There have been different views as to the intent and extent of Ham’s actions. Let me mention three:

Most believe that Ham “sodomized” Noah. That is, he had homsexual relations with his father. When the Bible speaks of “uncovering nakedness”, it is connected to sexual sin or perversion.

Some Jews believe that Ham castrated Noah to prevent him from having more children who could share in the blessings.

Some others believe that he saw his father in his nakedness, and “told others with delight” what he saw in his father’s tent, mocking his father.

What is clear is that: Whatever Ham did, he dishonoured Noah. Although Noah was saved by grace, his sin (drunkenness) opened him up for dishonour. It is a reminder that even those saved by the grace of God are prone to sin. It’s also a warning about how just one careless decision can bring dishonour to believers. I recommend that you read this article by Pastor Dammy titled: “Is It A Sin For A Christian To Drink Alcohol?”

The Bible makes clear that Noah knew what Ham had done to him when he woke up. Some Bible scholars argue that there would be no way for Noah to know what Ham did if he had merely looked at Noah. They also argue that there was no way Noah would have slept through a castration. Even in a drunken state, he would have woken up and screamed out in pain. They lean towards “the sexual sin” view, as Ham’s curse included Canaan (his son). The Canaanites were known to engage in the worst possible sexual sins.

Away from Ham, we read that Shem and Japheth received Noah’s blessing for honouring their father. Shem and Japheth received Noah’s blessing because they turned the other way and covered Noah in his nakedness (Gen. 9:23). Remember how God clothed Adam and Eve when they felt shame from their nakedness (Gen. 3:21)? In like manner, God has clothed us in His righteousness (Isa. 61:10).

Note that this blessing is for both Jews and Gentiles. Shem was the ancestor of the Jews. The promise to dwell within the “tents of Shem” is a prophecy of God dwelling with the Jews (Exo. 25:8, Lev. 16:16). The prophecy that Canaan would be Shem’s servant refers to Joshua’s conquest and the reign of King David when the Jews finally subjugated the Canaanites and made them servants. Japheth (who represents Gentiles) was also blessed. God promised to “enlarge Japheth”. And that he would “dwell in the tents of Shem”. This is the “Blessing of Abraham” that extends to Gentiles, and it is found in Christ alone.

Both Jews and Gentiles share in the blessings of Abraham when they believe in Christ (Gal. 3:14). In Christ, in this dispensation salvation by grace through faith, there is salvation for all, including the cursed Canaan too. We remember the Canaanite woman who believed in Jesus the “son of David” (Messiah) and asked for his mercy and grace, even as little as “crumbs” for an undeserving “dog” like herself. Jesus rewarded her faith by healing her daughter.

Dear Gogolights, let us continue to proclaim the good news unto everyone. Jesus is the propitiation for our sins. He is our purification. For anyone who believes in Him is saved and sanctified. Amen.

Grace to you, Church!