Genesis 9-12

January 3

Genesis 9-12

Once the ground dried up, Noah took some of the clean animals that had been with him in the ark and put them on the altar as a sacrifice to God. God smelled the smell of barbecue in the air and He was pleased with Noah. God made a promise to Noah and all his offspring that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood, though every tendency of the heart of humanity was evil.

The flood did not change the heart of humanity. Sin is deep in our hearts and cannot be washed away with water. Even though humanity is evil, God loves us. He created us for a relationship and He loves us and wants us to walk in obedience to him.

God put a rainbow in the sky to remind us that He loves us. The rainbow reminds us and God that He has made a promise. The rainbow is God’s signature on the covenant. God continues to offer us mercy and grace. He does not give us what we deserve, but He gives us what we do not deserve. We deserve to be wiped off the earth  just as happened during the days of Noah. But God sent a cleansing agent stronger than water. What the flood could not do, the blood of Jesus completed.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9, NIV)  The blood of Jesus makes it possible for us to confess our sins before God and He will wipe them away. He will purify us. That is Good News.