Questions Day 9 I Saw A Sign: Digging Deeper
Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
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The Questions
1) Why did God have mercy on His creation and spare Noah?
2) How is a covenant significant?
3) Why does God make a covenant to include “all the living creatures on earth” (verse 16)?
Genesis 9:12-17
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: 13 I have placed my bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature. 16 The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the permanent covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and every creature on earth.”
Original Intent
1) Why did God have mercy on His creation and spare Noah?
We see from the beginning of Genesis, God the Father, God the Son, Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit present at Creation Genesis 1. Their detailed care for the creation of the physical realm including galaxies and planets, every animal from elephant to slug, and the intricate, unique design for human beings is evidenced in the progression of Creation. God loved His world and longed to have a relationship with those made in His likeness Genesis 1:26-27. Noah pleaded on behalf of humanity, and God, in His Holy Love, conceded and left the few faithful to begin again. Because of God’s great love, He had mercy and spared Noah’s family.
2) How is a covenant significant?
A Biblical covenant included a promise along with a physical representation of the agreement between the two parties. God made the first covenant with Adam and Eve in the Garden. (Genesis 3:20-24) God made a promise that the offspring of Eve would one day strike the head of the serpent, Satan. The physical representation of this covenant was shown to both Adam and Eve for all mankind; women would have painful labors, men would toil in labor to grow food. (Genesis 3:14-16)
Because of the Israelites’ continuous choice to give in to the desires of the flesh, God continued this covenant with Noah in this passage. The same pattern continued with Abraham (Genesis 17), Israel through Moses (Exodus 19), David (2 Samuel 7:12-17), and finally culminating in the New Testament with Jesus (Luke 22:14-23). The overarching theme of these covenants make up the backbone of the Bible. They show God’s faithfulness to very specifically keep promises and fulfill them in ways only He could.
3) Why does God make a covenant to include “all the living creatures on earth” (verse 16)?
We see in verse 10, this phrase did include both humans and animals that came out of the ark. It’s interesting to me that God would include animals in His covenant as they cannot have relationship with Him. However, since He is holy, He does not have malice available in His heart to forget about the non-human parts of His Creation. Throughout Scripture, we see our ultimate goal on earth is to glorify our King. His covenant protects all living things for His glory on display in the world among us!
Everyday Application
1) Why did God have mercy on His creation and spare Noah?
Praise the Lord for His consistency! Just as He was merciful to Noah, his family and the animals, God will be merciful to those who call on His name. Because of the finished work of Christ accomplished through His sacrifice at the cross, our past sins have been forgiven from all consequences of sin, both past and present. For the one who believes in Jesus, putting their full weight of trust in Him, the debt required to pay for sin is removed because of Jesus! We take Paul’s words to heart when he writes, “Should we continue in sin so that grace can multiply? Absolutely not!” Hop over to Romans 6 to read more on how to live in our current reality!
2) How is a covenant significant?
The physical representation of these promises serve as a reminder for us to recall God’s faithfulness. We take His example of a covenant and we apply it to life within the Body, as it applies. Maybe a community group decides to make a covenant agreement to study and care for each other on a weekly basis this semester. A group text with a reminder bell might serve as the physical representation of that commitment. It helps us remember His faithfulness and our desire to emulate that character trait. Or a man and women during their wedding ceremony might enter into a covenant agreement in marriage with a ring as a symbol of their decision. It helps us remember His faithfulness and our desire to emulate that character trait. Maybe you decide to covenant with the Lord to meet with Him daily in prayer. What physical reminder could you use to remind you of His faithfulness to always meet with you and your desire to meet with Him? Remember His faithfulness and your desire to emulate that character trait!
3) Why does God make a covenant to include “all the living creatures on earth” (verse 16)?
If the God of the Universe has included all living things under His protection, it’s our responsibility to care for this world too. Accountable, loving followers of Jesus ought to care for the sick, the marginalized, or the impoverished among their community. We also should be mindful of how we are using the limited resources this earth has; stewarding them with care and awareness of our environmental impact. Plug into your local Body (church) this week and see what needs are available that you could fill. Commit to one small practice, like bringing your own bags when shopping, to make a longer-term impact on the environment. Let us know in the comments below what you’ve pledged to; we’d love to cheer you on!
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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