Answers for a study in the book of Genesis: Chapter Nine

“Answers for a study in the book of Genesis” is a weekly post in addition to the regular “apologetics” posts on the weekend where the original questions can be found at the bottom of the study, and then answers appear here mid-week. This gives you time to do your own research, and then check your answers. Keep in mind these will be basic answers with a little depth, but you can go much deeper for discussion if you’d like.

Read Genesis Chapter 9 with your group then, to the best of your ability, answer the following questions:

Note: As you discuss some of these questions, keep in mind that at this point in history there was no written “Law” as of yet.

2.  What did God say to Noah as He blessed them (9:1-2)? Discuss: What are some ways we observe the truth of what God said in verse 2, and why is that important?

“And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.” 

Genesis 9:1-2

• God said “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” He also said, “the fear and terror of you (humans) will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.”
• We can observe the “fear of humans” in other living things everyday – for example, squirrels and rabbits run away from us, not toward us in nature; insects, birds and fish do the same. The exception happens in an attack on humans by an animal, not because of the prowess, but because of their fear, and in some cases, protection of their young or habitat.

3.  What did God say about food and food restrictions (9:3-4)? Discuss: Why do you think it changed after the Flood?

“Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.” 

Genesis 9:3-4

• God said, after the flood, “every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”
• It is at this time in history that God allows the eating of meat. Prior to the flood, all living things were vegetarian.
• The restriction of not eating something alive, or with its blood still in it, is important for several reasons: 1) The blood is where the life is, as we know today from genetics the DNA that codes for individual features and traits is based there; 2) The blood of Jesus’ sacrifice is all important as it is the atoning mechanism for salvation and the subsequent resurrection from death to life; 3) Satan, the great deceiver, is worshipped by Satanists who use the consuming of blood as a part of their rituals which is in complete defiance and contrast of God’s command.

4.  What did God tell Noah concerning “shedding the blood of another man” (9:5-6)? Discuss: Why do you think God gave that command?

“Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed,
for in the image of God He made man.”

Genesis 9:5-6

• God said, “I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.”
• Prior to the flood evil was dominating humans, including the inclination for murdering growing in man (see Genesis 5:23-24). The penalty for murder will be further defined in the “Mosaic Law” God will give later on to Moses and the Nation of Israel, much of which we use in our legal systems today.
• Note: The importance lies in the fact that humans were made in the image of God, and murder is the elimination of that image. God wanted His image to be fruitful and multiply, but instead it was Satan’s evil image that had multiplied before the flood (and is again today).

5.  What Covenant did God establish and whom did He establish it with (9:8-11)? What was the sign of this Covenant, and why is it important (9:12-17)?

“Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.  It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.””

Genesis 9:8-17

• God established a Covenant (promise) “with Noah, his descendants and every living creature.” The Covenant stated that “all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
• The sign of the Covenant was a rainbow. God said, “I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.” God also said that He would look upon it and remember this promise, and it is between God and the whole earth (not just humans).
• This is important as the effects of the global flood can still be evidenced today. The curse of the flood affected not only all living things, but the earth itself. So, when we look at places like the Grand Canyon, we see not only the beauty of God’s creation, but also the destructive remnant of God’s curse through a worldwide, catastrophic flood.

6.  Who were the sons of Noah (9:18-19)? What else do we know about them from Scripture?

“Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan.  These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.”

Genesis 9:18-19

• The sons of Noah were Shem, Ham and Japheth (the Bible does not specifically tell us the order of their births, many think it was in this order, but some conclude that Ham was the youngest because of 9:24). When we look at chapter 10, we find that these three boys are the fathers of the nations that would arise and develop in several different areas after the “Flood” and the events at the “Tower of Babel.”
• We know that Japheth line eventually settles in Europe and Asia Minor; Ham’s line settles in the African continent and parts of the Middle East; and Shem’s in the Middle East.

7.  Describe what Noah’s Sons did when their father got drunk (9:20-23). Discuss: Why do you think Ham’s behavior was unacceptable?

“Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.”

Genesis 9:20-23

• Ham apparently “looked” at his father while he laid naked in his tent, and then told his brothers.
• In contrast, Noah’s other two sons respectfully covered their father’s nakedness by walking backward and covering him with a blanket.
• Ham’s behavior in this matter is thought to have been extremely disrespectful, and some scholars think that Ham was attempting to make his father look bad by reporting what he saw so that he could take over the headship of the clan.

8.  Going Deeper: What was the curse Noah gave, who was it upon (look closely), and how did Noah bless his other two sons (9:24-29)? How was the curse and blessings played out prophetically later in the Old Testament?

“When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. So he said, “cursed be Canaan; servant of servants he shall be to his brothers.” He also said, “blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. “May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.” Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

• Noah cursed Ham’s son Canaan by saying “A servant of servants he shall be to his brothers.” This will play out later in Israel’s history (Shem’s descendants) when the Canaanites are judged by God and many become servants/slaves to Israel.
• Noah said to Shem, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.”
• Noah said to Japheth, “May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.”
• Note: This was not a curse on Ham’s entire line as some would say, only the Canaanites, and for a specific reason, thus debunking any thought that Ham’s descendants were meant to be slaves.

Please continue to join us as we read and study the Bible as part of our Christian Apologetics’ class each week!