Scripture to Read: Genesis 9:1-6
In Genesis 8:21-22 our Lord promised to never again curse the ground because of man’s sinfulness. God’s promise did NOT nullify the curse He gave in Genesis 3. The context of the Lord’s declaration in Genesis 8:21-22 was that He would NEVER flood the earth again. We will see God’s promise continue in Genesis 9 later on, in verses 7-17. In Genesis 9:1-4, for the first time in creation, God gave mankind the animals as food and not just every green plant for food as He had given in Genesis 1:29-30. We must remember that prior to the flood on the earth, everything was vegetarian. But here in Genesis 9:3 God says, “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.” Now, we must not miss what else God says here in Genesis 9:4. The fact that God said, “you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood,” shows that the blood is how God provides life to all living beings. Life comes through the blood! God speaks of the significance of the blood again in His Law in Leviticus 17:12-14 and in many other Scriptures. Then, in Genesis 9:5-6, God laid out a type of law since His Law had not yet been given. Anyone who took the life of another would be held accountable by God because God made man in His own image. God always establishes His boundaries; we are called to obey them.
Challenge & Application
1. What did God teach you today about His promises and covenants with Noah and us?
2. How important is it for us to walk in obedience to the boundaries God has set for us as believers? How are you doing in obeying?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!