By Bryan D. Gill, D.Min.
Director of the Office of Faith, Learning and Vocation, Samford University
GOD’S PROMISE OF PRESERVATION
Genesis 9:1–13
In higher education, the one thing everyone is talking about is the looming enrollment cliff that will sweep the nation in the years 2025–2027.
Projections indicate that there will be fewer high school graduates in that time frame because of the Great Recession that occurred 2007–2009. Birthrates plummeted during the recession because people were fearful.
There was a lack of job security and food security, and bringing a new child into this world was overwhelming for a lot of people. Fast forward 18 years from the recession, and that is why there will be a drop in high school graduates projected for 2025–2027. People tend to have babies when they feel secure about bringing a new life into the world in which they live.
God reaffirmed His covenant with Adam. (1–3)
Why is an enrollment cliff significant to our lesson today? Just like during the recession — though on a much smaller scale — people were afraid of their future.
Having babies was out of the question when they didn’t know if they would ever make it off the ark. Can you imagine the fear of the unknown that Noah and his family felt as they boarded the ark and lived adrift for months?
When God told Noah and his family to be fruitful and multiply, He was reassuring them that their future was safe and in His hands. His words comforted them, and they were given a sense of hope that the terrifying days of living on a floating zoo were over.
Brighter days were ahead! God’s promise for a hopeful future is the same for us today as it was for Adam and Eve and Noah and his family.
God affirms the value of human life. (4–7)
God addressed a second fear — the fear of life being taken away. God reassured Noah that human life is valuable, and anyone who takes the life of another will answer to Him. God was reminding Noah of His authority over all creation.
This was the second time God told Noah to be fruitful and multiply in Chapter 9. God knew their fears and addressed them with His authority. How many times do we need reminders that God is still in control?
When we begin to doubt our future or when the world seems to be crumbling and bad news is all around, we don’t need a bigger ark to escape from our troubles; we need to be reassured of God’s authority.
God promises to preserve humanity and His creation. (8–13)
Can you imagine the fear that Noah might have felt the next time a dark cloud rolled in and rain began to fall? The fear and confusion might have been overwhelming had God not promised to never destroy the earth again with water.
But even as great as the fear of the dark clouds might’ve been, how much more joy would he have felt when he saw the beautiful rainbow hanging in the sky as a symbol of God’s promise to provide for His creation?
He invites us to participate in that promise in how we steward the earth. God always makes a way even when it seems like all is lost. God values life and provided a wooden ark to sustain life during the flood, and He provided His only son, Jesus, to hang on a wooden cross to give us life everlasting.
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