“I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.”

Genesis 9:13 (KJV)

The story

The narrative opens with a sobering assessment of humanity: God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The earth was corrupt before God and filled with violence. It repented the LORD that he had made man, and it grieved him at his heart, and he purposed to bring an end to all flesh. Genesis 6:5-13

Against that dark backdrop, Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. He was a just man, perfect in his generations, who walked with God, and he had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. God revealed his plan and gave precise instructions: an ark of gopher wood, three hundred cubits long, fifty broad, and thirty high, pitched within and without, with a window, a door in its side, and lower, second, and third stories. Genesis 6:8-16

God promised to establish his covenant with Noah and to preserve him, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. Two of every living thing were to enter, male and female, and of clean beasts and fowls by sevens (Genesis 7:2), that seed might be kept alive upon the earth. Noah did according to all that God commanded him, and the LORD shut him in when the eight souls had entered. Genesis 6:18-7:16

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life the fountains of the great deep were broken up and the windows of heaven were opened, and the rain fell forty days and forty nights. The waters prevailed a hundred and fifty days, bearing the ark upon the face of the waters. Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. Then God remembered Noah and every living thing with him, and made a wind pass over the earth so the waters assuaged. Genesis 7:11-8:3

The ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. Noah sent forth a raven, then a dove three times; the dove returned with an olive leaf, and at last did not return, showing the ground was dry. When Noah and his household went forth, he built an altar and offered burnt offerings, and the LORD smelled a sweet savour and resolved never again to curse the ground or smite every living thing as he had done. Genesis 8:4-21

God blessed Noah and his sons, told them to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and established his covenant that never again would all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood. As the token of that everlasting covenant, God set his bow in the cloud, declaring that when he saw it he would remember his promise to every living creature of all flesh upon the earth. Genesis 9:1-17

Quiz

1. In Genesis 6:3, how many years did the LORD set for man's days?

   • Seventy years
   • One hundred years
   • An hundred and twenty years
   • Nine hundred years

2. According to Genesis 6:11, with what was the earth filled?

   • Violence
   • Idols
   • Famine
   • Sickness

3. What reason did God give Noah in chapter 7 for calling him into the ark?

   • Noah was the eldest
   • Noah had built the ark alone
   • God had seen him righteous in that generation
   • Noah had the most sons

4. How old was Noah when the flood of waters was upon the earth?

   • Five hundred years old
   • Six hundred years old
   • Seven hundred years old
   • Nine hundred and fifty years old

5. According to Genesis 7:23, who remained alive after the waters covered the earth?

   • Noah only, and they that were with him in the ark
   • Noah and the men of his city
   • Noah and his father
   • The clean beasts only

6. What phrase does Genesis 8:1 use to mark the turning point of the flood?

   • The LORD relented
   • God remembered Noah
   • The heavens closed
   • The deep was silent

7. When Noah first sent the dove, why did she return to him?

   • She was frightened by the raven
   • She found no rest for the sole of her foot
   • Noah called her back
   • A storm arose

8. After the flood, what did the LORD say he would not again do?

   • Speak to man
   • Send the seasons
   • Curse the ground any more for man's sake
   • Set his bow in the cloud

9. In Genesis 8:22, which pairs did God promise would not cease while the earth remains?

   • Sun and moon
   • Land and sea
   • Seedtime and harvest, cold and heat
   • Wind and rain

10. What did God tell Noah and his sons to do in Genesis 9:1?

    • Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth
    • Build a city
    • Gather the nations
    • Rest for seven years

11. In the flood covenant, what did God say his bow would be a token of?

    • His power over the sea
    • A covenant between him and the earth
    • His anger against sin
    • The coming of a king

12. How many years did Noah live after the flood?

    • One hundred and twenty years
    • Two hundred years
    • Three hundred and fifty years
    • Nine hundred and fifty years

Reflection

1. Genesis says Noah 'walked with God' and 'found grace' in an age when every imagination of man's heart was only evil (6:5, 6:8-9). How does grace, rather than mere moral effort, sustain a life of faithfulness in a corrupt culture?
2. Noah obeyed 'according to all that God commanded him,' constructing the ark over years before the rain came (6:22). What does his obedience-in-advance teach you about trusting God's word before you see the outcome?
3. The rainbow is God's chosen sign that he remembers his covenant and will not again flood the earth (9:14-16). How does resting in God's promises change the way you carry fear about the future?

Cross references

Hebrews 11:7

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

1 Peter 3:20

Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.