The Rainbow Connection

Genesis 9: 1-17

This is an interesting passage to me. I'm not sure what to take from it in a practical sense, but there are some interesting tidbits.

Were men strictly vegetarians before the flood? It seems that God is saying from this point on, it's okay to eat meat- if so, why the change?

Then there's that whole don't eat the life blood stuff- what does this mean? Is God saying, keep away from a rare steak? Is he saying be sure the carcass is prepared a certain way. Are these things that in our day and time we should be concerned with? I certainly hope not.

Vs 6 supports capital punishment- this is the harsh, stern voice of God that seems to be so prevalent in the OT. Much different than the voice of Jesus who stressed mercy. How do you make sense of the two voices- and what does that mean for us?

Are the animals still more than animals here? I was struck by the oddity of the snake speaking in chapter 3- here God's rainbow convenant is also with the animals. Huh? Are they able to make sense of it? When do the animals become the creatures we know today?

The bottom line in this section for me is this- God promises and keeps it. Here's a sign that I won't flood you out- you can count on it, you can trust in it- you can trust in Me.