Genesis Part 018
As a token of the promise God made Noah, He set the rainbow in the sky.
After the flood, God made the rainbow. The UCG Bible reading program states the following:
"God also established a special covenant with man, promising never to send a universal deluge again. As a token (or sign) of the promise, God 'set' the rainbow in the sky (Genesis 9:13). The Hebrew word translated 'set' is Nathan, meaning give. This has led some to suggest that the rainbow had never been seen before. If this suggestion is true, it would mean that God either modified the laws of physics governing optics, for a rainbow is just the product of the refraction of light through the medium of airborne water droplets, or that He altered the atmosphere of the earth, perhaps by removing some kind of upper vapor canopy that formerly altered the character of the light reaching the earth’s surface. Such a vapor canopy may help to explain the rain of 40 days and 40 nights when the 'windows of heaven were opened' (Genesis 7:11-12). And this may have constituted the 'waters which were above the firmament' in Genesis 1:7."
At the end of this chapter we see, even here early in the Noah family tree, one son and family line already go off the path and begin a series of choices that will eventually develop into several empires that go against God. We’ll discuss this more tomorrow in Daily Dose 19. Here's another excerpt from the UCG reading program:
"Some decades after the Flood (time enough for Noah’s sons to father their own sons and for these grandchildren to grow up), Noah became a husbandman, growing grapes and making wine. When he drank the wine, he became intoxicated and fell asleep in his tent. The Bible then records that his nakedness was uncovered. This expression is used throughout Leviticus 18 to denote sexual relations. When Noah’s son Ham discovered him, he told his brothers, who then covered their father. When Noah awoke, he learned of what happened and called forth a curse upon Ham’s youngest son, Canaan. Why? Why should Canaan be cursed?
"Verse 24 states that Noah 'knew what his younger son had done to him.' This is often interpreted to mean that Noah “knew what his [Noah’s] younger son [Ham] had done to him.” Yet if Ham himself were guilty of whatever wrong had been committed, we might assume that Noah would have cursed him personally or, if his offspring were to be cursed, that it would apply to all his offspring or perhaps the eldest and his family rather than just Ham’s youngest son Canaan and those who would spring from him. The most likely scenario is that Canaan himself had committed the wrong—apparently some sexual sin against Noah while Noah was intoxicated—which Ham discovered. Thus verse 24 would be understood to read that Noah, 'knew what his [Ham’s] younger son [Canaan] had done to him'—particularly if we consider verse 23 as parenthetical.”
UYA Team | uya@ucg.org
United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.
