The flood episode occasions two distinct covenants. In the face of rising wickedness, God determines to blot out the entire race, saving only Noah and his kin. Here we see God's faithfulness to his promise of Genesis 3:15, for precisely when the serpent's seed threatens to wipe out all hope of promise (only one faithful family remained!), God saves his people through judgment. The first use of the term "covenant" in the Scriptures (Gen. 6:18) refers to a special arrangement God establishes with Noah, for the express purpose of saving him in the midst of this crisis. Though Noah was already saved by grace, this typological arrangement serves a limited purpose (deliverance from waters of judgment) and furthermore points forward to Christ. At this typological level, the works principle is operating. This is clear in that the covenant is conditioned on Noah's obedience to the terms-he must build an ark and get on board (6:14-18). Noah, like Christ, was faithful in doing all that was commanded of him (6:22), and thus delivered his people. (1)
The second covenant is a covenant of common grace, established between God and all living creatures (9:12). The flood interrupts common grace, God's judgment intruding into history in anticipation of the last day (2 Pet. 3:1-7). As a result, God must reestablish his promise to maintain the order of creation and delay judgment, implicit in Genesis 3. While this covenant is universal in its scope, it is not eternal in its duration. In promising explicitly temporal blessings only for the duration of the earth (8:22), this common grace covenant contrasts with the unending blessings promised in redemption. (2)
2 [ Back ] The rainbow is here also given as a "sign" of the covenant, an important ingredient in the maintenance of covenant relations. The "bow" is represented here as hanging horizontally in a gesture of peace, as opposed to being bent at the ready in a sign of warlike judgment (Ps. 7:12). This is a tangible ratification of God's promised forbearance, a visible assurance that the Lord will follow through on his promise. Sacraments likewise confirm us in the covenant of grace.
