Read Genesis 8:21-9:1. What is the significance of God’s commitment to the preservation of life? How does God’s blessing fulfill that commitment?

 God’s commitment to preserve life was an act of grace; it was not a result of human merits. God decided to preserve life on earth in spite of human evil (Gen. 8:21). Genesis 8:22 reads, literally, “all the days of the earth” (DRA); that is, for as long as this present earth remains, the seasons will come and go and life will be sustained. In short, God has not given up on His creation.

 In fact, the following text, which talks about God’s blessing, takes us back to the original Creation, with its blessing (Gen. 1:22, 28; Gen. 2:3). The Lord, in a sense, was giving humanity a chance to start over, to start fresh.

 Read Genesis 9:8-17. What is the significance of the rainbow? How does this “sign of the covenant” (Gen. 9:13, NKJV) relate to the other sign of the covenant, the Sabbath?

 The phrase “establish ... covenant” is repeated three times (Gen. 9:9, 11, 17), marking the climax and fulfillment of God’s initial promise (Gen. 6:18). Following the preceding section, which parallels the sixth day of the Creation account, this section parallels the section covering the seventh day of the Creation account, the Sabbath. Inside the text the repetition, seven times, of the word “covenant” resonates with the Sabbath. Like the Sabbath, the rainbow is the sign of the covenant (Gen. 9:13, 14, 16; compare with Exod. 31:12-17). Also, like the Sabbath, the rainbow has a universal scope; it applies to the whole world. Just as the Sabbath, as a sign of Creation, is for everyone, everywhere, the promise that no other worldwide flood will come is for everyone, everywhere, as well.