4. Genesis 8:1-9:17 Covenant with Noah

Only Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives- eight people- now constitute the population of the world. Noah might have thought that the things provided in the covenant with Adam had now been changed. However,  God establishes a covenant with Noah and the rest of the human race, that not only includes all that is within the Adamic covenant, but now has a notable addition: that of the principle of human government, so that it will never again be necessary to destroy the earth with a flood. The responsibility to populate the earth remains, as well as the subjection of all animals to man. We see that man is now permitted to eat the flesh of animals, but not the blood. The sacredness of ALL human life is established. And a wonderful display of the promise to never again destroy the earth by flood is given with the incredible sign of the rainbow. Every time we see a rainbow, no matter what we may be facing in life, it should be a symbol to us that God is still God and verse 8:22 "while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night SHALL NOT CEASE. His promises to us are yes and amen and everlasting.