God Gave Men a Sign of the Covenant

God Gave Men a Sign of the Covenant

Date: Jan. 16, 2025

Passage

Genesis 9:1-17 (ESV)

1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

6   “Whoever sheds the blood of man,
    by man shall his blood be shed,
  for God made man in his own image.

7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

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Daily Bread

Key Verse: 9:17

God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

God's blessing to Noah and his sons appears to be the same one given to Adam in the beginning of creation (Gen 1:28-30). However, there are some changes. After the flood, the environment changed, and mankind needed to consume the meat of animals in addition to plants for food. God allowed them to eat meat for their physical needs but on one condition: they were not to consume the blood that represented life. Also, shedding human blood was prohibited because the image of God—life itself—in each person belongs to God.

Through the flood, God demonstrated his power and authority as the author of all lives and judge. God deserves our absolute respect and submission. Yet, he does not want to have a relationship based on fear. God also made a covenant with Noah, promising not to destroy the earth with a flood again, and gave the sign of the rainbow. God's covenant does not mean the world, as we know it, will last forever (2Co 4:18). Rather, the covenant is God's commitment to his creatures that he will endure, patiently guide, and be faithful to his words. It is God's grace to commit and hold to his promises. Do you also want to commit your life to God and follow his words?

Prayer: Father, you are gracious and faithful. I want to be faithful to you and obey your will. Would you be with me today to have the strength to be right with you?

One Word: God made a covenant

“he Has Risen!”

Mark 16:1-20

Key Verse: 16:6

And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.

Today's Question

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