Comfort in the Aftermath

Comfort in the Aftermath

Genesis 8:20-9:17

God brings comfort through his mediator. (8:20-22)

The Earth receives God’s comfort. (8:21-22)

Mankind receives God’s comfort. (8:21b-9:7)

God brings comfort through his promises. (9:8-11)

God brings comfort through his own faithfulness. (9:12-17)

God himself brings us comfort. (9:12-16)

God remembers me! (9:15-16)

For the Next Lesson: Genesis 9:1-17

1. Read Genesis 8:20-22. When have you ever “felt” like worshiping God? Have you ever felt like worshiping God after a particularly hard season? Why or why not? Why do you think God is pleased with Noah’s worship? What is the purpose of God’s written intentions? Why is this promise a blessing for us? How does this promise affect humanity regarding their livelihoods? Has God kept this promise?
2. Read Genesis 9:1-7. What promise does God repeat? Why is that significant? What do verses 2-3 mean? Why is God offering his loving guidance on what his people eat? In verse 4, we learn a prohibition regarding food. What is it? We learn in verses 5 and 6 why. What is the reason? (Every life is beautiful and made in the image of God.) This biblical truth is the backbone for many Christian ethics currently. If every life is precious, how then should we view difficult or controversial issues? (Homelessness, drug use, abortion clinics, human cloning, the sex-trade, world hunger, etc.)
3. Read verses 8-11. What is a covenant? (ESV STUDY: “A covenant formally binds two parties together in a relationship, on the basis of mutual personal commitment, with consequences for keeping or breaking the commitment.”) How is the convenant different from a promise? What is the covenant that God is making? Who is it between? Do we have covenant relationships today? (Luke 22:20)
4. Read verses 12 -17. What is the purpose of the sign that God establishes? How should we respond when looking at this sign as Christians? Look at the repetition in these verses. Biblical authors used repetition to highlight important verses in the narrative. With this in mind, what is the author trying to highlight through repetition? Notice the verbs in this group of texts. Who is doing all the work in this covenant? Why is that significant? What do we learn about God in this text?