The topic now is the flood. This is not the first promise that God gave us but it is one that we often remember. The story of the flood is more that just a man and his family in a boat for months on end. It is a story about the gospel. Yes, the gospel is in the old testament. If you don't learn anything while reading this Genesis series I want you to learn that there is no real difference between God in the New or Old Testament. Our God is the same yesterday today and forever. So lets jump in. I really struggled about writing this post. Should I break this up into chapters, themes, or should I just do a character study. I decided to just take this massive chunk of scripture. There are two pieces of this story I want to focus on. It is Genesis chapter 6 and Genesis 9:4-6. In chapter 6 he starts to talk about the bloting out of man a whom he had created. So, God was so grieved that he was willing to sacrifice the thing that he created in his own image and likeness. But, as soon as that verse was over it says in Genesis 6:8, "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." This is the thing that puts us, you and I into the place that God has put us in. But, Jim found favor, but Alex found favor, but Leah found favor. This favor is not just because that particular person is special; this favor is grace. The grace of God fell on us but not on Jesus on the cross. God placed our sin on Jesus. We receive the favor/grace that did not fall on Jesus. The covenant that God makes with Noah is not just a covenant with him and for that time and place. It represents the new covenant that Jesus talks about at the Last Supper. The cleansing of the earth is not just killing all of the wicked people. It shows us how by the grace of God he will cleanse us of all iniquity and sin in our life.
We also see in chapter 9 starting at verse 4-6, God is talking to Noah about the covenant again that he promised to Noah. What we don't realize is that the reckoning God is calling for is what he will do on the cross by reckoning his son in our place for our sins. His life blood will cleanse us from our separation with God. The lifeblood that we will drink of is the new covenant. Walk in the new covenant that was paid for us on the cross by Jesus. Drink from his cup the cup of life, not death.
