Covenant of Mercy and Grace

Genesis 9:8-17 

8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. 11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15 and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

God’s covenant was to Noah and his sons, but also to all their descendants,which means the entire human race.  This includes you and I.  It also includes all the animals, every living creature God fashioned for us.  The covenant, the agreement of God’s promise to us, is that He will never flood the earth to wipe out sinful man who corrupted all the world in his disobedience to His commands, yet there will be a final judgement on those continuing in sin and rejecting His grace and mercy; it will be a consuming fire instead of a deadening deluge (2 Peter 3:5-7).  God’s covenant shows His mercy and grace to not wipe us out and start over, but does not negate His intolerance of sin and His wrath which requires payment.  He paid the price for His chosen people through Jesus Christ, and the water of our immersion in Him is the flood of undeserved goodness and mercy given us.  The proof of the everlasting covenant to us and to the earth and all living things on it in not flooding the earth is the rainbow resulting from the waters drying up after the forty days of rain.  The proof of the eternal covenant in Christ is the cross and empty tomb.  We look to each to remind ourselves of God’s great grace and forgiving mercy, none of which we deserve.  The blood of Abel shed by Cain was answered by God’s sacrifice to seal the covenant forever in washing away our sin’s power and punishment in Christ’s blood (Hebrews 12:24), baptizing us into His righteousness of the new covenant.  How much greater is this covenant to deliver us!