Week One
November 29, 2022
The Hope of Repeated Promises
Genesis 9:1–17
“…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.” 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.” Genesis 9:16-17
Earlier chapters of Genesis share destruction, flooding, death, and traumatic events, and I can imagine fear taking hold within those present wondering, “What’s next?” Instead, in Genesis 9 there is a new hope given. It shares God’s blessings of prospering and re-filling the Earth, followed by instructions for taking care of creation, and finally a promise by God to never again destroy the Earth by flood. It’s that promise God shares first in verses 8 through 11, repeats in verse 12, and again repeats in verses 16 and 17, that delivers the calming effect.
When we want to make a point to a student, church member, or others, we repeat that concept or phrase; repetition matters. This covenant was so important to God that it is repeated to Noah and his family over and over. Not only that, a part of the promise includes a symbol of a “bow” set up in the clouds so that even when it rains, every living thing doesn’t need to fear but can trust in God’s repeated promise for Earth. Each time a rainbow is set in the cloud it’s a proof of a repeated promise.
Verse 16 establishes the covenant not just between God and Noah for that time but as an eternal covenant. We, the future generation of everything living, benefit without having to have done a single thing. This everlasting promise adds another layer of hope. God is asking nothing from Noah or us in return for this promise, we are just to receive it.
God established this covenant. God has kept and will keep the agreement, and each time we see this sign we take hope in all God’s promises.
Leslie LeSieur
Senior Director of the Center for Ministry and Lay Training
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