by Rev. Julie G. Hutson
A Reflection on Genesis 9: 1-17
Promises, promises…..is the phrase we often hear, and that is exactly what this portion of Genesis is all about. It is about the covenant God made between God and humanity and every living creature, for all future generations. And of course, the promise is that “never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
God also gave to human-kind a clear instruction “And you, be fruitful and multiply, abound on the earth and multiply in it.”
The idea of abounding on the earth is one that implies living well with the earth. It suggests that the very One who created the earth is inviting us to live in ways that bring fullness to human-kind, to all that dwells on earth, and to the earth itself.
Human beings have always fallen short of what God has asked of us. Clearly, we have not abounded on the earth. Rather, we have been about domination. Instead of dwelling in the hope that is ours in Christ, we have instead reacted from a place of scarcity. What God has created – this earth and all that is in it, is enough to sustain all creatures and people. What is required of us is that we share what we have and care well for what we have been given.
In this season of hope, we await that day when we will live fully into the covenant given to us in the bow in the sky.