The flood is one of the major events in biblical history, so it should not surprise us that the New Testament writers repeatedly return to it and the people involved.

One of the first passages that comes to mind is Matthew 24. Jesus is speaking about future events and says:

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”

He then compares His coming to the days of Noah:

“For just as the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.”

Jesus reminds us what life was like before the flood. People were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, carrying on with ordinary life until the day Noah entered the ark. The picture is important. While Noah was building the ark and warning of judgment, the world around him simply continued as normal. People were occupied with everyday concerns and paid no attention to what God was saying.

Jesus says it will be the same when the Son of Man comes. Life will not necessarily grind to a halt while the world waits for some dramatic announcement. People will be engaged in ordinary activities. Then suddenly God’s plan will unfold.

The passage goes on to say:

“They did not understand until the flood came and took them all away.”

That wording raises an interesting question. Who was taken away in the flood? It was not Noah and his family. The ones taken away were the people who remained outside the ark. The people who ignored God’s warning were swept away in judgment.

That observation affects how I understand the verses that follow:

“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.”

Many people immediately connect those verses with the rapture, and I understand why. We have all heard that picture presented many times. But I think there is another possibility worth considering.

Growing up in a dispensational church, I was taught that there is a distinction between the rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ. Christ came once as a baby in Bethlehem. In the future He will come for His church in the rapture, and after the tribulation He will return again to establish His kingdom.

The next event we are waiting for is the rapture. Paul describes that in 1 Thessalonians when he says the Lord will descend from heaven, the dead in Christ will rise first, and believers will be caught up together with Him.

But I do not think Matthew 24 is describing the rapture. I think it is describing the second coming of Christ. In the flood narrative, those who were taken away were the unbelieving world. Noah and his family remained. If Jesus is deliberately using that pattern, then the ones taken in Matthew 24 would be those removed in judgment, while those left would remain to enter the kingdom.

Whether you agree or disagree, it is worth thinking through the passage carefully.

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Matthew 13 provides another passage that helps me understand this picture.

Jesus tells the story of a man who sowed good seed in his field. An enemy came afterward and sowed tares among the wheat. When both began to grow, the servants asked whether they should pull out the tares immediately.

The answer was no. Both would remain together until the harvest.

When Jesus explains the parable, He identifies the field as the world. The good seed represents the sons of the kingdom, while the tares represent the sons of the evil one. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

Then Jesus says:

“Just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.”

Notice the order. The tares are gathered out first. The Son of Man sends His angels, and they gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks and those who commit lawlessness. These are cast into the fiery furnace.

Then the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of their Father.

The same pattern appears again. The wicked are removed, while the righteous remain.

That is why I connect Matthew 24 with Christ’s return to establish His kingdom rather than with the rapture of the church. During the tribulation there will be both believers and unbelievers on the earth. When Christ returns to establish His reign, the unbelieving are removed and the righteous enter the kingdom.

Other parables point in a similar direction. The parable of the dragnet separates good fish from bad fish. The sheep and goats are divided. Again and again there is a separation at the end.

The point is not to create controversy. It is simply to encourage careful reading of the text.

The Holy Spirit and the Future

That discussion naturally raises questions about the Holy Spirit during the tribulation.

There must be a continuing work of the Spirit because people will still be saved. Scripture speaks of a future turning of Israel to the Lord. Jewish people will recognize the fulfillment of their Scriptures and will bear witness to those around them. The Holy Spirit must still be active because no one can be born again apart from His work.

Jesus told Nicodemus that the Spirit is like the wind. The wind blows where it wishes and accomplishes its purpose. In that future day God will continue to work powerfully through His Spirit.

The gathering of the church is a unique ministry of the Spirit in this present age. When the church is raptured, that ministry reaches its completion. Yet God’s saving work will continue, because people cannot come to faith apart from the work of the Spirit.

Noah in Hebrews 11

Another important New Testament reference to Noah appears in Hebrews 11.

The chapter begins:

“By faith Noah…”

That statement immediately tells us something important. Noah believed God.

Faith, at its simplest, is taking God at His word. Noah was warned about things not yet seen. He was told a flood was coming, though he had never witnessed anything like it. He had never seen rain. God did not even give him a sample thunderstorm to demonstrate what was coming. Noah simply received God’s word and believed it.

Because he believed, he acted.

Hebrews says:

“In reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household.”

Noah’s obedience was based entirely on God’s promise.

Imagine explaining that construction project to your neighbors. A massive boat is being built where there is no sea. Rain has never fallen from the sky. Yet Noah spends years preparing because God said judgment was coming.

Would we have believed him?

Honestly, I think many of us would have struggled. Yet Noah believed God.

That is why Hebrews holds him up as an example of faith.

The passage says that through this faith he became:“an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

That brings us to a central truth of the gospel. None of us possesses enough righteousness to stand before God. We need a righteousness that comes from God Himself.

Paul speaks of wanting to be found in Christ, not possessing a righteousness of his own, but a righteousness that comes from God.

That is what salvation is. God offers His righteousness as a gift. Noah believed God and received what God promised. The same principle remains true today.

When helping people who struggle with assurance, we should direct them back to God’s promise rather than to their feelings.

Someone may say, “I don’t feel saved.”

The question is not how they feel. The question is whether they have believed God’s promise.

God says:

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”

Have you believed Him?

Faith rests on what God has said.

Of course, genuine faith produces results. James tells us that faith without works is dead.

If Noah had said he believed God but never cut a tree, never shaped a board, and never built an ark, we would have serious reason to question whether he truly believed.

His work did not earn salvation. His actions demonstrated his faith.

The same principle operates throughout life. When we genuinely believe a warning, we respond to it. If a tornado is heading toward your house, you do something about it. Belief produces action.

Noah’s obedience flowed from his faith.

Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits in Prison

One of the more challenging passages connected to Noah appears in 1 Peter 3.

Peter writes:

“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God…”

He then says Christ was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, “in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison.”

Peter identifies these spirits as those who were disobedient during the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared.

Naturally, that raises a number of questions.

Who are these spirits?

When did Christ preach to them?

Why would He proclaim anything to them?

Was He offering them another opportunity?

Several explanations have been suggested.

One view is that Christ preached through Noah while Noah was alive. The Spirit of Christ was working through Noah as he proclaimed God’s message to the people of his generation. Those people are now in prison, but the preaching itself occurred during Noah’s lifetime.

Another view is that Christ did indeed proclaim something to those spirits after His death, but not as an offer of salvation. Instead, it was a declaration of victory. It was a proclamation that God reigns, that Christ has triumphed, and that His victory stands despite their rebellion.

Those are the two primary approaches that are often discussed.

The Conquering Character of Christ

Thinking about that second possibility highlights something I fear we do not emphasize enough. We sometimes fail to appreciate the conquering character of Christ. Many modern portrayals present Jesus as gentle and loving, which He certainly is. But they sometimes leave the impression that He is passive or weak.

The Jesus of Scripture is not weak.

The book of Revelation presents Him as a conquering King. He confronts evil. He judges rebellion. He rules with authority.

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He does not fail in the mission given to Him.

When Scripture speaks of Him leading captivity captive, breaking the bars of hell, and building His church against the gates of hell, it presents a victorious Savior.

Even our gathering as believers reflects that reality. When the church assembles, we are not simply participating in a social club. We are gathering as the people of Christ in a world where Satan is called the god of this age.

Every true conversion represents another soul rescued from darkness.

Every faithful church that proclaims the gospel stands as a testimony to Christ’s authority and victory.

That is why the growth of Christ’s kingdom matters. Every person brought to faith is another demonstration that the King continues His work.

Whether we understand 1 Peter 3 as Christ preaching through Noah or as Christ proclaiming victory to imprisoned spirits, the passage ultimately points us back to the triumph of God over unbelief and rebellion.

Noah preached. Very few responded. Yet God preserved His own.

Lot was rescued from Sodom. Few escaped with him. Yet God preserved His own.

The gospel continues to go out today. God continues to save people. For that we should be deeply thankful.

Before moving on, I want to review a few things we discussed previously, because they are important. We talked about the covenant God made with Noah. That covenant was unconditional. God promised that He would watch over Noah’s descendants and that there would never again be a flood that would destroy the earth. We also talked about the new covenant that God has made with His people. Jesus referred to it when He said, “This is the new covenant in my blood.” Every time we observe communion, we are reminded of that covenant.

When you stop and think about it, it is amazing that the God of the universe would make covenants with people at all. He made a covenant with Adam. Adam failed that covenant because it was conditional. God said, in effect, “I will do this if you do that.” God made a covenant with Noah. Later He made a covenant with Abraham. He made a covenant with David. And He promised the new covenant.

The primary passages describing the new covenant are Jeremiah 31:31–34 and Ezekiel 36:26–27. When we put those passages together, several promises stand out.

First, God promises a new heart. He removes the old stony heart and replaces it with a heart that is soft, pliable, and able to be faithful.

Second, He promises that He will cause His people to walk in His ways. That is a remarkable statement. To cause something means to make it happen. God causes the recipients of the new covenant to walk in His judgments and His ways.

Third, there is complete forgiveness of sins. In addition to those promises, God gives a new spirit. He also places His own Spirit within His people. We know Him as the Holy Spirit.

Finally, He promises to put His law in our minds and upon our hearts.

So the new covenant includes a new heart, a new spirit, the presence of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins, God causing His people to walk in His ways, and His law written on their hearts.

Is that covenant conditional or unconditional? In one sense it is unconditional because God says, “This is what I am going to do.” Yet a person becomes a recipient of those blessings by believing God’s promise. Not everyone in the world is presently enjoying those covenant blessings. A person receives them as a gift. We trust Christ. We receive what we call salvation.

But Christianity is more than simply being convinced that certain facts are true. People can be argued into political positions or persuaded of various viewpoints. Christianity is different. A person trusts Christ. He believes Him. Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. In the same way, we believe what God has said. God says that if we believe on His Son, He will save us. We receive that promise and trust Him.

Some people say they are trying to believe. But trying to believe is not the same thing as believing. Believing means actually trusting that God’s promises are true and that He means what He says. When a person trusts Christ, God does what He promised. He replaces the old heart with a new heart. He gives a new spirit. He gives the Holy Spirit. He causes that person to grow and to walk in His ways through His Word and through a relationship with Him in prayer. He writes His law upon the heart.

That is transformation. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.” A Christian has a new heart. He has new motivations. He loves God. He loves God’s people. He loves the church. He loves prayer. He loves fellowship with God because his heart has been changed. That is what God promises in the New Covenant.

Noah’s Sons and the Spread of the Nations

Genesis 9:18 introduces us again to Noah’s sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. We are also told that Ham was the father of Canaan. The name Canaan immediately reminds us of the land that Israel later entered and of the Canaanites who became such a significant part of Israel’s history.

The text says that from Noah’s three sons the whole earth was populated and scattered abroad.

When you look at the map showing the descendants of Noah, it becomes easier to visualize what happened. Generally speaking, Ham’s descendants settled throughout much of Africa. Shem’s descendants occupied areas including the Arabian Peninsula, Israel, and Assyria. Japheth’s descendants spread into parts of Asia and eventually into Europe as well.

This also helps explain the word “Semite.” When people speak of antisemitism today, they are speaking about hostility toward Jewish people. The word comes from Shem. Over time the spelling shifted, and descendants of Shem became known as Semites.

The Jewish people are not the only Semites, however. There are many other peoples in the Middle East who also descend from Shem.

Most of us, judging from our European ancestry, are probably descendants of Japheth somewhere along the line, though after all these centuries there has certainly been much mixing among peoples.

 Noah’s Vineyard and the Curse on Canaan

After the flood, Noah became a man of the land and planted a vineyard. Eventually Noah made wine, became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent. One thing we often overlook is that this was not an event that happened immediately after leaving the ark. Grapevines take years to mature before they can produce grapes suitable for making wine. There is at least a span of several years between Noah planting the vineyard and the events that follow.

Ham saw his father’s nakedness and then told his brothers. Shem and Japheth responded differently. They took a garment, laid it on their shoulders, walked backward into the tent, and covered their father without looking at him.

Exactly what happened in the incident is not entirely clear. Noah later awoke and knew what his younger son had done to him. Beyond that statement, Scripture does not explain everything. We can speculate, but we really do not know.

What follows is even more surprising. Noah did not pronounce a curse upon Ham. Instead, he said, “Cursed be Canaan.” Canaan was Ham’s son.

That raises questions. Was Canaan present? Was he involved somehow? The text does not tell us. The story itself focuses on Noah, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Yet Noah’s words fall upon Canaan. The curse declared that Canaan would become a servant of servants to his brothers. Whether Noah was speaking only of Canaan personally or of his descendants as well is not entirely clear. My own impression is that Noah intended both Canaan and the family that would come from him.

Noah then pronounced blessing upon Shem. “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem.”

He also predicted that Japheth would dwell in the tents of Shem. That language seems to suggest some kind of hierarchy in which Shem occupies a position of prominence. Canaan, meanwhile, would serve both.

Afterward we are told that Noah lived 350 years after the flood and died at the age of 950. It is difficult to grasp a lifespan of that length. If Noah’s funeral were taking place this week, his birth would reach back nearly a thousand years before our own time. Thinking in those terms reminds us just how immense these lifespans were.

The Table of Nations

Genesis 10 records the generations of Noah’s sons and the nations that descended from them. Many of the names in this chapter later appear elsewhere in Scripture.

Among Japheth’s descendants we find Magog, Meshech, and Tubal. These names appear again in Ezekiel 38 and 39 and in Revelation 20 in connection with the final conflict often associated with Armageddon.

Some prophecy teachers have attempted to connect Magog with Russia and Meshech with Moscow. Historically, however, there does not seem to be a clear connection between Meshech and Moscow. Nevertheless, these names do reappear later in biblical prophecy.

As the genealogy continues, verse 5 mentions that the peoples were separated according to their lands, families, and tongues. That raises an interesting question.

The confusion of languages occurs in the next chapter at Babel. So how can chapter 10 already speak of different tongues?

One possibility is that the word refers to dialects rather than entirely different languages.

Another explanation, which I think makes the most sense, is that Moses is writing a genealogy that includes future history. Moses wrote long after these events occurred. Looking back, he describes where these family lines eventually ended up and how they were divided. The language is written from the perspective of later history even though the events had not yet happened at the point being described. In that sense, the genealogy tells us what became of these descendants.

Among Ham’s descendants we encounter Mizraim, which is the Hebrew name for Egypt. That tells us that Egypt traces its origins back to Ham’s family line.

We also read about Cush, whose son was Nimrod. Nimrod became famous as a mighty hunter before the Lord. Apparently his reputation became so well known that people used his name as a comparison for exceptional hunters.

More importantly, we learn that the beginning of his kingdom was Babel. That immediately connects him to the events of the next chapter.

His kingdom also included cities in Shinar, the region we would associate with Iraq today. From there he went into Assyria and built Nineveh. When we later read the book of Jonah and encounter Nineveh, we discover that the city’s founder was Nimrod, a grandson of Ham.

As the genealogy continues, many familiar names appear. We encounter Sidon, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and many others.

These are the peoples who later become intertwined with Israel’s history.

The Philistines are also mentioned. And we know the trouble that Israel had with them.

In  fact, many of the conflicts that later arise in Israel’s history can be traced back to these family lines descending from Noah’s sons.

The borders of the Canaanites are described as extending toward places such as Gaza, Sodom, and Gomorrah. Those names continue to appear throughout the biblical story.

 “In His Days the Earth Was Divided”

Among the descendants of Shem we eventually come to Eber and his son Peleg. The text says, “In his days the earth was divided.”

There are two common ways of understanding that statement.

One view is that it refers to a physical division of the earth, perhaps involving continents separating. Personally, that seems less likely to me. While I believe great geological changes accompanied the flood, it is difficult for me to see this verse referring to a continental breakup occurring this late in history.

The second possibility is that the division concerns people rather than the planet itself.

The Hebrew terminology can refer to the inhabited world, to people, rather than to the earth as a physical globe. In that sense, the verse could be describing the division of the peoples at Babel. The nations were separated as languages were confused and families spread throughout the earth. That interpretation fits well with God’s command after the flood. He told humanity to multiply and fill the earth.

Instead, people preferred to stay together. They wanted to remain in one place and make a name for themselves. God therefore divided their languages, forcing them to spread out across the world and accomplish the very thing He had commanded.

The Tower of Babel

Genesis 11 records the account of Babel.

The people sought to build a tower reaching upward toward heaven. Their goal was not merely construction. They wanted to make a name for themselves. Human pride has always had that tendency. People want recognition. They want to be admired. They want to be celebrated. Not simply appreciated for faithful service, but exalted. That was the spirit behind Babel.

God responded by confusing their languages and scattering them throughout the earth. The project came to an end, and the people dispersed into the various nations that would populate the world.

 The Story Turns Toward Abraham

The latter part of Genesis 11 contains another genealogy, particularly focusing on the descendants of Shem.

Eventually we arrive at Terah who became the father of Abram.

At that point the narrative begins turning toward Abraham and God’s call upon his life.

Before moving on to Abraham, it is worth noticing how often Noah and the flood continue to appear later in Scripture. Jesus spoke about Noah. Other New Testament writers referred to Noah and the flood as well. Those references remind us that these events remained important throughout the biblical story long after the flood itself had passed. We’ll be touching on some of those references in the next couple of weeks.

*Some articles on this publication or website are adapted from my recorded Bible teaching. I use transcription and editing tools (including AI-assisted editing) to convert spoken lectures into readable written form. The ideas, interpretations, and theological conclusions are my own and come directly from my teaching.

1 Peter 2:4-5

Today I would like you to join me as I continue working through this passage from 1 Peter 2:4-6:

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”  1 Peter 2:4-5

Last time we focused on the fact that when we come to Jesus for salvation, we are coming to Him as to a living stone. He is the foundation of our faith and the foundation of His church.

Verse 4 goes on to tell us that He was chosen by God and precious. It is important to remember that God exists as One God in three persons. Don’t ask me to explain that. It is just what the Bible says. Before time began there was love and communication between and among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Son took on flesh and came to live here among us as a man. It’s because of the close relationship of the persons in the trinity that Peter can say He is chosen and precious to God the Father.

Verse 4 also tells us, however, that He was rejected by men. John 1:11 says, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”

Isaiah prophesied, “He is despised and rejected by men” (Isaiah 53:3).

When we come to Christ, we are coming to someone who most of the world has rejected. But, we are coming to someone who is highly treasured by God. You need to take a moment and think about that. Would you rather be with the One who is treasured by God, or somebody who is treasured by the world. Famous actors and rock stars are lifted up and idolized all over the world. It seems that everyone knows who they are, and somehow, has the money to attend their events. But remember, much of what the world holds up, God despises. And the One God treasures, the world despises.

Back to our passage: Given that introductory information, we should be startled to read that “you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, ….” You also! You also are like a living stone. Jesus is a living stone, and you also are like living stones that God is using to build something. We’ll think more next time about what we are being built into. But there is enough here to provide lots of opportunities for meditation and thanksgiving.

In our study of 1 Peter, I’ve been thinking about 1 Peter 2:4-8. Last time I paraphrased part of this to help us all see more clearly what the passage is saying. I’m not going to tackle the whole thing today, but I want us to get started on it. Let’s start with this:

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Peter is saying that when we come to Christ, we are coming to Him as a living stone. Why would he call Jesus a living stone? In thinking about this, I remember that Jesus called Peter a rock. Remember? In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

Both the Matthew passage and the verses we are looking at here in First Peter view the rocks and stones as part of the building process. Specifically, they form the secure foundation for the structure.

When we came to Christ, we came to the right place because Jesus Christ is our rock and our firm foundation. In fact, we learn that Jesus Christ is the main cornerstone of building we call The Church. Not the building where you go to worship, but the body of believers that make up “The Church.” And Jesus is the “living stone” because He is alive! He is not a dead object like a rock. He is the living Savior. Look at what Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians: “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:19-20).

If you have come to Christ by faith and trusted in His saving work on the Cross, you have come to the surest foundation of all, Jesus, the chief cornerstone. In addition, you yourself have become part of the structure of the Church itself!

We are studying First Peter together. I’m not just writing a devotional for you to read each week. I am letting you see what I see as I think about this passage in my personal study and meditation (See Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:1-3).

One of the habits the Bible encourages is meditation, which is basically mulling over and pondering God’s Word. I have been doing that with the last part of First Peter chapter 1 and through chapter 2:1-5. What I thought I would do today is to let you see the flow of this section the way I actually grasped it for the first time this week. I’d like to paraphrase the passage and just focus on the main progression of Peter’s thought. I would like you to read the passage as well as what I’ve written below and see if it makes sense to you in the same way. I would also like you to use your imagination to visualize the word pictures: put off, put on, milk, growing up, tasting, living stones, construction of a spiritual house, you as a priest offering sacrifices.

1 Peter 1:25 – 2:5 Paraphrased and summarized:

Since you have been born again through the eternal gospel of God, put away all malice and every other evil way, and, as we learned last week, put on the new self which is created in the likeness of God. You should desire the pure spiritual milk of the Word like a newborn desires physical milk. You need to do this so that you will grow up into salvation like a human baby grows up into adulthood. This should be a natural desire for you since you have already tasted that the Lord is good.

As you come to Jesus, who is a living stone, you yourselves are like living stones that are being built up into a spiritual house which is actually a holy priesthood to God. The purpose is that as holy priests you will offer spiritual sacrifices to God. These sacrifices are always acceptable to Him because they are offered through Jesus Christ.

We talked last time about the covenant God made with Noah in Genesis 9. The promise was simple: there would never again be a universal flood to destroy the earth. That covenant was not just with Noah personally, but with all flesh—with Noah’s descendants and every living creature on the earth.

The sign of that covenant was the bow in the clouds. We call it a rainbow, but the text simply calls it a bow.

There is an interesting detail in that passage that is easy to miss. When the bow appears in the clouds, who is reminded of the covenant? We naturally think of ourselves remembering God’s promise when we see a rainbow. But Genesis 9 says something striking:

“And I will remember my covenant.”

God says that He Himself looks upon the bow and remembers the everlasting covenant between Himself and every living creature on the earth.

The next time you see a rainbow standing on the edge of a thunderstorm, with sunlight breaking through one side of the sky, remember that while you are looking at the bow and remembering God’s promise, God is looking at it too. He says so Himself.

From there we started thinking about covenants in general because the Bible is filled with them. There is the covenant with Abraham, the covenant with David, the covenant connected with Moses and the giving of the law, and then there is a question raised in Hosea 6:7.

Many translations read:

“But like Adam they have transgressed the covenant.”

That raises the question: was there a covenant with Adam?

Genesis never directly uses the word covenant there, but clearly God placed Adam under conditions. Adam was placed in the garden, given responsibility to tend and keep it, and commanded not to eat from the tree in the midst of the garden. It was conditional. Adam broke that covenant arrangement and brought the curse upon the earth.

So even if Genesis does not explicitly use the word covenant, Hosea seems to point us in that direction.

But there is another covenant that is especially important for us, and it is one Christians hear about regularly, often without stopping to think about it deeply. During communion, Jesus spoke of “the new covenant in my blood.”

That new covenant was not invented in the New Testament. It was promised beforehand in the Old Testament.

The Promise of the New Covenant

The two major Old Testament passages describing the new covenant are Jeremiah 31:31–34 and Ezekiel 36:26–27.

Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 helps us understand why these passages matter so much. Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again, and Nicodemus did not understand what He meant. Jesus responded almost with surprise:

“You are the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?”

That statement implies Nicodemus should have understood. But from where? Where in the Old Testament would he have learned about this inward spiritual transformation?

I think the answer is found in these New Covenant passages.

Jeremiah 31 and the Law Written on the Heart

Jeremiah says:

“Behold, days are coming, declares Yahweh, when I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.”

At first glance, we might think this has nothing to do with us because it explicitly mentions Israel and Judah. But Jesus applied it to His people when He said during communion:

“This is the blood of the new covenant.”

If Jesus had never said that, we would probably never think to apply Jeremiah’s promise to ourselves. But He did say it, and so we understand that somehow we are participants in it.

Jeremiah then contrasts this new covenant with the covenant made when Israel came out of Egypt. That earlier covenant was connected with the law given at Sinai. God told Israel what He required, and Israel agreed to it.

The problem, of course, was that the law demanded perfect obedience.

If you break one point of the law, you are guilty of the whole thing.

That is why the law condemns all of us. We fail continually. We fail in impatience. We fail in trusting God fully. We fail daily, probably hourly. That is why we need a Savior.

But then Jeremiah describes what God will do differently in the new covenant:

“I will put my law within them and on their heart I will write it.”

Under the old covenant, the law was external. It was written on tablets of stone and preserved in written commands. Under the new covenant, God places His law within His people.

That is why Jesus expected Nicodemus to understand the necessity of a new birth. The prophets had already spoken about God doing an inward work.

As believers, we are participants in that covenant. God’s law is not merely outside us commanding us; it is within us.

Jeremiah continues:

“I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

That means something profoundly personal. God is our God, and we belong to Him.

Then Jeremiah says:

“For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

There is forgiveness in the new covenant. Sin remembered no more.

The passage also says:

“And they will not teach again each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know me.”

I do not pretend to fully understand every detail of that statement, but it seems to point ahead to a future great work of God when people come to know the Lord broadly and powerfully through the work of His Spirit.

The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Adulthood

This connects closely with Paul’s teaching in Galatians.

Paul describes the law as a schoolmaster leading us to Christ. Think about how children need external rules. We tell children not to run into traffic, not to stick things into electrical outlets, not to touch a hot stove. Those rules are external because children lack maturity and understanding.

But when maturity comes, those rules become internalized.

Paul applies that idea spiritually. Before Christ came, the people of God were under the law in a kind of spiritual childhood. But when Christ came, something changed fundamentally.

The Holy Spirit now dwells within believers.

David did not experience the permanent indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the same way believers do now. Under the new covenant, the Spirit writes God’s law within us.

That is the great difference between the covenants.

Ezekiel 36 and the New Heart

Ezekiel expands this even further.

“I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean.”

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.”

“I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

That is what God has done for His people in the new covenant. He removes the hard, stony heart and replaces it with a living heart responsive to Him.

Then He says:

“I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes.”

That is an astonishing promise. God does not merely command obedience externally; He works within His people to carry out the obedience that He requires.

That does not mean Christians become sinless. Romans 7 makes that very clear. Paul says that when he wants to do good, evil is present with him. He desires to obey God, yet he still finds sin at work within himself.

But that inward struggle itself is evidence of spiritual life.

A Christian wants to obey God. A Christian grieves over sin. A Christian desires the things of God. Those desires are evidence that the Spirit is at work.

Sin is still present, but believers are called to put it to death—to smother it, stifle it, and let it atrophy rather than feed it.

The presence of that battle is not proof God has abandoned His people. It is evidence of the very work the new covenant promised.

Faith Has Always Been the Issue

All of this ties back to Abraham and Noah.

Abraham believed God, and God counted it to him as righteousness.

Noah also found grace in the eyes of the Lord because he believed what God said. When God told him to build the ark, Noah obeyed.

God’s desire has always been that His people trust Him.

Not merely trust Him for salvation, but trust all of His promises.

That brought us finally to Romans 8:28:

“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called.”

That verse is easy to quote and hard to believe.

“All things” includes sickness, hardship, broken relationships, poor decisions, suffering, financial mistakes, disappointment, and pain.

Even our foolish choices fall under “all things.”

God takes all of it and works it together for good.

That is difficult to believe sometimes. But that has always been the call of God to His people—from Noah to Abraham to us:

Trust God. Believe His promises. And live.

*Some articles on this publication or website are adapted from my recorded Bible teaching. I use transcription and editing tools (including AI-assisted editing) to convert spoken lectures into readable written form. The ideas, interpretations, and theological conclusions are my own and come directly from my teaching.

“Then God remembered Noah… and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.”

That word wind is an interesting one. In Hebrew, it’s ruach. It’s the same word used back at creation, where the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. All the way through Scripture—Old Testament and New—the words for wind and spirit are closely connected.

Even in English, you can still see traces of it. To inspire is to take in breath. To expire is to breathe out your last. There’s something about breath, wind, and spirit that ties together.

I think about what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3. Nicodemus asks how the new birth works, and Jesus says, “The wind blows where it wishes… you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going.” It almost sounds like, “Does that clear it up?” But that’s the point—that’s how the Spirit works. People are saved here and there. Sometimes in one church, sometimes another, sometimes through a radio broadcast. The Spirit moves, and we aren’t able to control or predict Him.

So here in Genesis 8, you have that same idea again. God sends the wind over the waters, and things begin to settle. It’s like a new beginning, echoing creation itself.

The First Altar and the Soothing Aroma

Noah builds an altar. That’s the first time Scripture explicitly mentions an altar being built. Abel offered a sacrifice earlier, but we’re not told the details about an altar there. Then Noah offers burnt offerings from the clean animals, and the text says:

“And Yahweh smelled the soothing aroma.”

Older translations call it a “sweet savor.” But what does that really mean?

When I think of a smell being soothing, I don’t just think of something pleasant. I think of something that calms, settles, even appeases. If you soothe a wound, you’re trying to bring rest to it.

That word carries the idea of appeasement—of something being settled down.

Think about the context. God has just judged the world. The flood has wiped out humanity except for Noah and his family. There is judgment, wrath, and destruction. And then Noah offers this sacrifice.

The smoke rises. The offering is completely consumed—it’s gone from the earth, given entirely to God. And in response, God speaks to Himself:

“I will never again curse the ground because of man…”

The sacrifice doesn’t just smell good—it represents obedience, faithfulness, total giving. And in that, there is a settling. God’s anger is, in a sense, appeased. There is a calming, a resting.

The Reality of the Human Heart

Right in that same statement, God says something striking:

“For the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”

That hasn’t changed. The flood didn’t fix humanity. The problem is still there. This is the condition we live with until Christ returns. And yet, alongside that reality, God gives a promise:

“While all the days of the earth remain… seedtime and harvest… shall not cease.”

The cycles of the world will continue. Seasons will come and go. There will be planting and harvest, summer and winter, day and night. Whatever disruptions happen here and there, the overall order of creation is sustained by God’s promise.

A Restart: Be Fruitful and Multiply

When we move into Genesis 9, God blesses Noah and his sons and says:

“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.”

That should sound familiar. It’s the same command given to Adam and Eve. This is a kind of restart. Humanity begins again through Noah’s family.

God also says that the fear of man will be upon the animals. And we see that, don’t we? Most animals don’t calmly let us approach them. They scatter. There’s a built-in awareness, a fear.

At the same time, God says, “Into your hand they are given.” That’s dominion again. Humanity is placed over creation, not to abuse it, but to manage it under God.

A Change in Diet

Then comes something new:

“Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you.”

Earlier, humans were given plants. Now, animals are included as food. There are no restrictions here—anything living may be eaten. Later, under the covenant with Israel, distinctions between clean and unclean animals will be introduced. But at this point, there are no such limitations. However, there is one clear command:

“You shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”

Blood represents life and it must not be consumed. That principle carries forward and becomes very significant later, especially in connection with atonement.

The Seriousness of Life and Blood

God continues:

“Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed.”

Here we see the establishment of capital punishment. Human life is sacred because man is made in the image of God.

Even animals are included in this principle. If an animal kills a human, its life is required. That idea shows up later in the law as well.

This is one of the first clear prohibitions given to humanity. Before this, the only direct command had been given to Adam—not to eat from the tree. After that, there were instructions like “be fruitful and multiply,” but not many prohibitions.

And that raises an important theological point.

Sin, Death, and Representation

Between Adam and Moses, people died. But there was very little law given during that time.

Paul explains this in Romans 5. Sin was in the world, but “sin is not imputed when there is no law.” That means sin isn’t counted in the same way when there’s no specific command being broken. And yet people still died.

Why? Because Adam acted as our representative. He made a decision on behalf of the human race. When he sinned, that affected all of us. We are born into that condition.

But here’s the other side of that truth. When someone is in Christ, Christ becomes their representative. And what did Christ do? He obeyed perfectly.

So even though we are not perfect in our daily actions, our representative is. That changes everything about how we are viewed before God.

The Covenant with Noah

God then establishes a covenant:

“I establish my covenant with you… and with every living creature… all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood.”

This covenant is remarkable because it’s universal. It includes Noah, his descendants, and every living creature. It’s also unconditional. There is nothing required from humanity to maintain it. God simply declares what He will do.

He will never again destroy the earth with a flood.

The Sign of the Bow

God gives a sign of the covenant:

“I set my bow in the cloud.”

We call it a rainbow, but the word used is bow. That raises an interesting thought. A bow can be a decorative bow—or it can be a bow used with arrows. And the shape of a rainbow resembles a bow used for shooting.

Some Jewish teachers reflected on this and noted that the bow is positioned upward. If you picture it that way, the arrow would not be aimed at the earth. The idea is that God has set His weapon aside. The bow is hung up, not aimed at humanity.

Some even suggested that if there were an arrow, it would be aimed upward—meaning that if the covenant were broken, the consequence would fall on God Himself. That’s not stated directly in the text, but it reflects on the certainty and seriousness of God’s promise.

God does not break His promises.

The Certainty of God’s Promises

That same kind of certainty shows up elsewhere. When believers are given the Holy Spirit, it’s described as a down payment—an earnest.

A down payment is a guarantee. If the one making the promise fails to follow through, the deposit is forfeited. There is no way God’s promise will fail because He basically promised to leave the Holy Spirit with us if He doesn’t fulfill His promise. That’s what a down payment means. God gives His Spirit as that guarantee. Not because He might fail, but to show how certain His promise is.

In the same way, the bow in the sky is a visible reminder: God has committed Himself. There will not be another flood to destroy the earth.

And that’s not religious language. That’s reality. God is faithful. He keeps His word.

*Some articles on this publication or website are adapted from my recorded Bible teaching. I use transcription and editing tools (including AI-assisted editing) to convert spoken lectures into readable written form. The ideas, interpretations, and theological conclusions are my own and come directly from my teaching.

We’re still mulling over this passage from First Peter:

“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Peter 2:1-3).

Let’s talk today about the opposite of laying aside. What would that be? We are to lay aside certain things, and we are to put on or take on other things. Getting rid of old thought-patterns and habits without putting something in their place puts us at risk. The Bible usually explains both in the same passage. This concept, too, is worth meditating on in order to help your spiritual growth as a Christian man, no matter your physical age.

Here are a few of those passages for your meditation this week. I’ve summarized them. You should look up the passages and read them in context.

Ephesians 4:22–24 – Put off the old self, corrupted by deceitful desires; be renewed in the spirit of your mind; put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness. This one reminds me of the fact that if we are in Christ, we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17.

Colossians 3:5–14 – Paul first tells them to “put to death” what belongs to the earthly nature (sexual immorality, greed, anger, etc.), then to “put off” anger, malice, slander (v. 8), and explicitly: “You have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self” (v. 9–10). He then lists the virtues to put on — compassion, kindness, humility, patience, love (v. 12–14).

Romans 13:12–14 – “Let us put cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” 

May I encourage each of you, whether you are a new Christian or have been saved for decades, take time to meditate on these things. They will help strengthen your walk of faith.

Last time we talked about what it means to lay aside certain sinful activities and characteristics.

This came up because of the following passage from 1 Peter 2:

“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Peter 2:1-3).

We reviewed several passages from Scripture that say the same thing about setting aside or putting off. At the conclusion of last week’s email, I mentioned that it is not only necessary to lay things aside, but also to put things on.

All of this is a very important topic for us guys because we often develop thought-patterns and habits that are not God-honoring, but rather, are sinful and/or harmful to our living as a disciple of Christ.

Today I would like us to focus on the phrase “laying aside.” Perhaps next week we can talk about the putting on.

In the winter, when you go to someone’s house, the host may take your coat and hat or may show you where to put them. You hang them up or lay them aside. It’s actually a pretty simple concept. But, if you are like me, it is not always an easy thing to do. So many sinful habits and practices get pretty entrenched and seem resistant to “laying aside,” and can cause us trouble for years.

Let me share a couple of key principles with you. There’s more that could be said, but I think these three concepts are the most important, at least for me.

1. For the person who has truly trusted Christ for salvation and committed his life as a follower of Jesus the Messiah, there is no condemnation! A complete and full pardon has been granted (Romans 8:1).

2. Even though we are forgiven and have become new creations in Christ, there is a sin principle at work in us that will not go away until we receive our glorified body (Read Romans 7:7-25. Note especially verses 18-25).

3. This third point is the key, especially related to this topic today. Romans 8:14 says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you.” The Bible teaches us that sin’s authority to reign in us has been taken away! This is not a command. It is a truth to be believed! Sin seems powerful, and it is, but it does not have the authority to bully you into submission. You are no longer its slave, even though it may feel like it at times. Read and meditate on Romans 6; … a lot!

There is much, much more that could be written on this subject, but this is not the venue for that.