Noah is given the same command given to the first humans,
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”
Reality, however, is changed, now fear and dread of mankind will be upon
all creatures, we are distanced from creation a bit further. They are given flesh to eat for the first
time. In this new covenant, it is clear
that there is a distinction between mankind and the other animals, the creation
in the image of God is upheld even though we are fallen, and there is a
distinction made between killing an animal and killing a man. The dignity of mankind, even fallen mankind,
is great in the eyes of God. God set his
“bow” in the clouds as the sign of the covenant that never again will such a
flood come on the earth. There is reason
to celebrate that reality every time we see what we call a “rainbow.” It should serve to remind us of this covenant
with Noah. It isn’t simply an
interesting and beautiful physical phenomenon.
Jesus came into the world not to condemn the world but that
through Him we might be saved. Knowing
what was in the hearts of men, knowing what the world would do to Him, He came
anyway in order to save us through His death at our hands. In that first lesson God announced the
dignity of mankind by saying, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his
blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” The true image of God, Jesus, was killed by
men and yet Jesus’ blood is our only hope of eternal life. It is a true paradox that the blood of Jesus
was shed for us and His blood is what makes us clean, sanctifies and cries out
for mercy on behalf of those who killed Him.
Those who participated in the crucifixion are representative of all
mankind, they simply happened to be the ones who were there. We all bear the guilt of sin and our
salvation is through belief that Jesus’ blood was shed for us. The cross is an unlikely symbol of a covenant
but it is the ultimate symbol for us of God hanging up His battle bow against
us. So far is He from being at war with
us that He came to die for us for love of us.
What does it mean that Jesus’ prayers were heard by the One
who was able to save Him from death? He
died on the cross, He prayed that the cup might pass from Him but it didn’t, He
endured suffering and death. The resurrection
is the supreme answer to Jesus’ prayers, the suffering was only for a moment
though it must have seemed to everyone to last forever. The glory is eternal and in light of eternity
those hours seem as nothing. We make
such choices all the time in our lives, no pain, no gain. The writer reaches out to a shadowy figure
from Genesis to compare Jesus’ priesthood, Melchizedek. This man appeared to Abraham and Abraham
offered a tithe to him, tantamount to submission to a greater authority, and
then he disappears from the scene. How
did he become a priest of God living among the Canaanites? We need not concern ourselves with the
earthly provenance of Jesus although this was to fulfill the prophetic word, we
need only concern ourselves with His true provenance and recognize His
priesthood as directly from God. In
this, we see the love of God and the grace of God for those whose image He took
on to save them.
There is welcome for
the sinner,
And more graces for the good;
There is mercy with the Savior;
There is healing in His blood.
And more graces for the good;
There is mercy with the Savior;
There is healing in His blood.
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