Bible ReadingGenesis 8:15-9:17 Then God said to Noah, “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.” So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, one kind after another. Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being. Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind. As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.” Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 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 generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”
[32:46]2 Peter 3:3-9 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
[58:13]Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
[01:06:09]Observation questions- What are the first things Noah does after coming out of the ark, and what does God say in response to Noah’s offering? [39:29]
- In Genesis 9, what instructions does God repeat to Noah that sound like the command first given in Genesis 1:28? [44:45]
- What reasons are given in Genesis 9 for treating human life as sacred and for taking murder so seriously? [45:26]
- In 2 Peter 3, what are scoffers saying, what truth are they forgetting about the flood, and what future judgment does Peter say is still coming? [59:18]
Interpretation questions- Noah offers some of the only clean animals left on earth to the Lord. What does that action show about faith, worship, and what it means to give God the first and best? [40:51]
- God says the human heart is still inclined toward evil, and yet he establishes covenant anyway. What does that reveal about the difference between a covenant and a contract? [35:58]
- God repeats, “Be fruitful and multiply,” after the flood. How should that shape the way believers think about both family life and spiritual multiplication? [46:37]
- The rainbow is given as a sign of mercy after judgment, and Peter connects the flood to a future judgment by fire. How do mercy and warning belong together in these passages? [58:09]
Application questions- Noah’s first act after salvation was worship. What usually gets the first response in life after God provides for you—gratitude, self-protection, distraction, or something else? What might it look like this week to give God the first and best instead of the leftovers? [41:16]
- God’s covenant rests on his character, not on human perfection. Where is there a tendency to relate to God as if everything depends on personal performance? How would life look different if there were deeper trust in God’s faithfulness? [36:17]
- Every person bears the image of God. Is there anyone being treated too casually, too harshly, or too dismissively in thought, speech, or action? How might remembering God’s image in them change that? [45:26]
- God still wants the earth filled with image bearers, and the kingdom filled with restored image bearers. Who is one person far from Jesus that keeps coming to mind right now? What would be a simple next step to begin praying for them and moving toward them? [47:58]
- The rainbow is meant to help people remember mercy after judgment. What reminders are helping keep God’s mercy and coming judgment in view right now, and what reminders might need to be added so those truths are not forgotten? [50:25]
- God’s patience is not delay but mercy, giving room for repentance. Is there any area of life where God’s patience has been mistaken for permission to stay casual, compromised, or unrepentant? What would repentance look like there? [59:56]
- Christ is the true ark of refuge, and the Lord’s Supper points to the new covenant in his blood. When thinking about judgment, safety, and hope, is confidence resting in church familiarity and outward religion, or in Jesus himself? What helps make that answer honest? [01:00:33]