Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth. I will establish my covenant with you: All flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood. There will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.””
(Genesis 9:8-11)

God is speaking audibly with Noah and his sons here. All four of them heard Him. All FOUR of them were told the deal. No excuses of ignorance were possible.

God had prophesied this covenant in Genesis 6:18 and this is the fulfillment of that. This was not a human-exclusive covenant, but a covenant with every living creature on the Earth. It was a covenant given to these four men, but it was never revoked. We, as the seed of Noah, are ALSO part of this covenant. we can remember it and its terms and apply it to our lives. This covenant is such a firm one, that God refers to it when He describes to Isaiah the future covenant Jesus will make with the Father that we are invited into (the New Covenant – Isaiah 54:9).

We have God’s WORD that there will not be another world-wide flood of water. I believe this is the reason so many people disbelieve that were was a global flood in the first place. They are so FIRM about the impossibility of one. But that firmness of impossibility is founded on God’s own words. The fact that we believe a global flood is impossible speaks to the TRUTH that God said it will NEVER happen again. I believe the conditions of the Earth CHANGED so that the flood of waters from above and below could NOT repeat. Ever.

The sage Radak writes: ‘ואת כל הנפש אשר אתכם, the ones which had been in the ark with you; this is spelled out shortly by the words מכל יוצאי התבה, “I will make a covenant with all the species of creatures that came out of the ark. None of these species will again become subject to extinction.” G’d said further: לכל חית הארץ, in order to make the meaning of what had been written before perfectly clear. In Bereshit Rabbah it is pointed out that these words include all the subsequent generations of these animals, just as the subsequent generations of Noach’s sons and their wives were included in the blessing as we know from the words ואת זרעכם אחריכם, “and your offspring after you.’

The sage Ibn Ezra writes: ‘[NEITHER SHALL ALL FLESH BE CUT OFF.] Flesh refers to the body. The body is so designated because flesh senses and the bones do not. The covenant is a promise that all bodies will never again be destroyed by a flood. God included in His covenant a pledge not to bring a comparable deluge ever again because the first part of His promise, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, may be taken to imply that there will be other floods but that God will save humanity. It is concerning this covenant that the prophet says, For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah Should no more go over the earth (Is. 54:9).’

The sage Chizkuni writes: ‘והקימותי את בריתי, “I shall maintain My covenant as applicable, etc.” The reason why G-d’s promise not to bring on another deluge is repeated in the same verse, is to underline that even if the human race would again be guilty of similar conduct to that which had brought about the deluge, this covenant would not be considered by G-d as null and void.’