Verses 1-2 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 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.
Genesis 1:28 stated, “And God blessed them (Adam and Eve), and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” This was God’s directions to the two people He had created that would populate the Earth.
The verses in chapter 9 above are similar in that the eight people that are alive on the Earth after the flood are blessed by God and instructed to, “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” But there is a difference now. Adam and Eve were given free reign to control or “bring into subjection” the Earth and to have dominion or to rule over the critters God had created. This was because, at the time of these instructions, Adam and Eve did not know sin and would therefore keep and manage the Earth and the critters in it in a manner that would be pleasing to the LORD. There would be no killing of the animals and merchandising of them for profit or entertainment. There would be no stripping of the land for timber or minerals, again for profit. After Adam and Eve disobeyed the LORD, this sin free situation was no longer possible on the Earth. So the dominion over the critters and the right to subdue the Earth was not given to Noah, to his family, or to any descendants as God knew sinful man would not and could not manage and handle His creation respectfully, properly, righteously and in any manner that would be pleasing to the LORD. Man (in general) down through history has exploited the things of the Earth and exhibited cruelty towards God’s critters. Usually behind this behavior is greed and the love of money and power, and a lack of reverence towards other living things.
To protect the animals, God made them afraid of people so that they would flee away and keep their distance. It is the same situation today as most animals are considered “wild” and do not live in human communities. They have a God given fear of man.
Application: Many people, (including this writer), love the things God created and live lives that conserve and protect the land, the plants and the animals. Unfortunately, these people are not in the majority. Many people rescue abused and neglected critters, rehabilitate them and find forever homes for them. But the very fact that these people and/or organizations exist is testimony to the disgraceful manner that God’s things are being treated by other people around the World. The believer needs to remember that the LORD owns and cares about the things He has made. He called them “good.” Therefore, the believer needs to treat the environment with respect and care because it belongs to God. He still has the ownership. Treat everything with love and respect and the LORD will be pleased. And the believer will be demonstrating a Christian witness to the unbelieving world.
Verse 3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
Now man has the LORD’s permission to kill and eat meat. At this time, there were no restrictions on the kinds of critters that could be eaten or that should be avoided. Dietary laws will be examined when the law of Moses is studied.
Verse 4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
Here is God’s prohibition against eating blood. From His perspective, the blood is related to what gives a body life. Medically this is true. Without the circulating blood, oxygen and nutrients could not be taken to the cells of the body and that would cause death. It is the circulating blood that carries away the waste products of cellular metabolism to the liver and kidneys so that the body does not become toxic and die. So without blood, the flesh is dead. From a disease perspective, microorganisms travel in the blood, so eating diseased blood is a great way to contract the disease and die.
Application: It is not this writers desire to discuss the societal ills that present themselves in cultures today. However, let it be said that exposure to blood or blood products can lead to disease and death. On the rise today is the eating of blood products, both animal and human. Much of this behavior is associated with the occult and its ritualistic practices. The believer needs to be aware of this fact and take the situation to the LORD in prayer. The believer also needs to establish the habit of reading the labels on garden fertilizers and on the food products and supplements that he/she may be purchasing. God’s commandment needs to be obeyed.
Verses 5-6 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. 6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
The Ten Commandments had not been given to mankind yet, but when they were given to Moses in Exodus 20, “Thou shalt not kill” was the sixth one. There is the number 6 again, which is the number of man. In the verses above, the LORD is saying to the people who are going to start over after the flood and establish man and beast back on the Earth, that if anyone is killed and their blood is shed, God will require restitution through the shedding of the blood of the perpetrator, be it an animal or a person. This was the establishment of what is know today as, “capital punishment”. Furthermore, according to verse 6, God expected man to carry out the punishment or death sentence.
Verse 7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
God is not the author of birth control. The reader will see as they go through the Bible that God’s commandments to mankind regarding reproduction is to be fruitful. The Hebrew word translated as “fruitful” is “para” and it just means to bear fruit or be fruitful. There is no ambiguity or confusion as to what the written Word of God is saying. You, the reader, will have to decide if today’s birth control methods, which includes abortion on demand, are scriptural and in line with God’s commandments or not. Psalms 127:3-5 states, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” Think about this.
Verses 8-11 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
This is the first covenant that God formed with man. He first mentions it in Genesis 6:18 and then elaborates on it here in chapter nine. Notice that the covenant in not just with mankind, but also with all the critters on the Earth. It is God’s promise to both man and beast not to ever again destroy all living things by flood.
Application: Many scholars and scientists debate whether Noah’s flood was just regional or if indeed it did cover the entire Earth. Well the debate is rather ridiculous when God’s own words verify that in the future, “neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.“ The word “all” means all. If the flood was only local or regional, there would be no reason to build an ark. Righteous Noah and his family could have simply relocated to a safe place. If the flood was only regional, the earth would not have been destroyed. To claim that the flood did not involve the whole Earth is to call God a liar. As a believer, do not be fooled by scientific “evidence” or arguments from scholars that a world wide flood never occurred. Just ask the scientists and scholars, “How do you know? Were you there?”
Verses 12-17 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow 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; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
The Hebrew word translated as “token” is “owth” and it also means sign or miracle. Back in the day, it was the custom of people when granting a covenant to each other to give something to the person as a reminder or remembrance of the covenant. This is another “first” recorded in the book of Genesis in which a token is given because of a covenant. God’s sign to all flesh that a world wide flood would never happen again was the rainbow. Science can explain away the rainbow as light refracting through molecules of water, etc., but God says He has given the rainbow as a reminder to both the inhabitants of the Earth and to Himself that this covenant is in place. God says that, “. . .the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant . . .” The rainbow is a reminder and a message straight from Almighty God.
Application: What does the rainbow represent to man today? Perhaps the most current representation is that of the colors of the gay movement. It is displayed on billboards, signs, flags, books, advertising, in school classrooms and just about any other place that can be imagined. The believer needs to remember that the rainbow is from God and that it is a holy representation of His covenant with each and every person and critter on the Earth. Should it not be treated with some reverence and respect? You decide.
Verses 18-19 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. 19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
Application: As stated previously, all people living today are genetically descended from the three sons of Noah and of course, their wives. And Noah and his family were descended from Adam and Eve. No mention of the wives’ names is made in Scripture, but through these three couples, all of the different races and skin colors and physical features we see today originated. So there should be no racism as no race of people is superior to any other as they all came from Noah and, ultimately from his sons. God thought highly enough about Noah and his family to use them to restart the human race, and people today should do likewise. All races are related and special.
Why is there special mention of Ham as being the father of Canaan? The Canaanites eventually inhabited the land west of the Jordan river which the Israelites conquered as recorded in the book of Joshua. In other words, they lived in what was to become the promised land given to Abraham and his descendants. The word means “lowland”. The seacoast of Palestine was also occupied by Canaanites and these people were a constant source of strife for the Israelites.
Verses 20-21 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
Noah’s occupation before he became a carpenter and construction worker with the ark project is not known. After the flood he began to work the land and to grow grapes. Unfortunately, he became intoxicated and was lounging in his tent in a state of undress. Since there was no God given laws governing alcohol usage, as far as is known, the LORD was not angry at Noah. This is the first recorded incidence of drunkenness.
Application: Debated in the Church is whether it is acceptable to drink wine or alcoholic beverages. What the Scripture says about drinking wine can be found throughout the Bible, but in Ephesians 5:18 Paul commands believers, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” So based on this verse it appears that it is acceptable to drink wine but not acceptable to do so in excess so that a person becomes drunk and not in control of his/her body and mind. Wine is mentioned throughout the Bible and it would take too much time to study it here. Do the research yourself because the decision to drink alcohol or not drink alcohol is between the believer and the LORD.
Verses 22-23 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.
Society today is promiscuous compared to how it used to be years ago. Nudity is on public display and there appears to be no shame associated with it. But from God’s perspective, shame should be associated with exposing the human body that He created. On the first read of the above scripture, it appears that Ham was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, the question of why was he in his father’s tent and what was he doing in his father’s tent needs to be asked. His two brothers were concerned enough when they heard about the situation that they took the time and effort to cover their naked father with clothing and to not look at him while they did so.
Verses 24-25 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
These verses give more of the story. If Noah had just been in a drunken stupor and then woke up, he would not have known that Ham had been in his tent. So for Noah to be upset and to curse his own son, the assumption could be made that Ham had to have done something to his father that his father recognized when no longer drunk, and that Noah regarded as being pretty horrible since he became so upset. This is believed (but not verified) to be the first recorded incident of homosexual rape. Although Scripture does not spell out the exact facts concerning this event, it makes reasonable sense that Ham had behaved inappropriately and deliberately as he had gone purposefully into his father’s tent and then told about it to both of his brothers.
Noah’s curse regarding servant-hood for the descendants of Ham came to pass as will be seen when studying the children of Israel and their conquests.
Verses 26-27 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
Noah is more specific regarding the curse of Ham in that he names Shem as being the recipient of the results of Ham’s servant-hood. Ham would not serve Japheth directly, but would serve him indirectly when Japheth’s descendants were living with Shem’s descendants. This event and the cursing of Ham is in the Bible for a reason. Hopefully, you the reader will find the significance of it all as you study Scripture.
Verse 28-29 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.
Application: The book of Genesis is a historical book, and as such, it does not gloss over the sin and failures of mankind, but shows all aspects of human behavior and then shows the character of a merciful, forgiving God. God judges when necessary, but He loves the people and things He has created and has and always will save a remnant people for His great name and for His pleasure. 1 Samuel 12:22 sums it up nicely. “For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.”