The Noahic Covenant (1st Sunday of Lent)

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In the aftermath of the Flood story in Genesis, God establishes a covenant with Noah. This covenant is one of the first of several covenants that God “cuts” with humans in the Biblical story (after the one with Adam and Eve). A covenant can basically be defined as “a kinship bond between two parties, with conditions or obligations, established by an oath or its equivalent.”¹ It differs from a contract in that, “unlike most contracts, covenants are not merely civil but sacred bonds, in which an oath is employed to call on God... to enforce the covenant obligations.”²

In this case, since Noah is the progenitor of all the people who would come after him, the covenant with him may be said to be a universal covenant that applies to all humanity. Various allowances, such as the eating of meat, and the use of capital punishment against murder, are given herein. The latter is particularly noteworthy, since it reflects the gravity with which God regards the taking of human life, and sees it as an assault on the image in which He created human beings.

Later Jewish tradition would expand upon this covenant and posit seven “Noahide Laws” that all humans, whether Jew or Gentile, are bound to obey. While such traditions probably do not go back to Noah, they do reflect the importance of Noah as a representative of all humanity, just as Adam was before him.

Most significantly, God sets his bow down as a reminder that He would never again flood the world. Although commonly understood to be a rainbow, the word for bow (qeshet) denotes a warbow. This signifies that God is laying down His arms, as it were, in making His promise. Although the rainbow is often misused as a symbol in our day, its significance as a reminder of God’s promise to never flood the world again remains valid, and we as Christians must never forget that vital truth. As St. Peter reminds us, God is delaying His judgment to allow us more time to repent, for God does not wish any to perish, but that all may repent. (2 Peter 3:9)

J. Luis Dizon

Notes