The Noahic Covenant, Part Five
A Devotional Series from Genesis
Online Bible Audio/Readings Links (ESV)
7/12 Reading Portions: Joshua 16-17; Psalm 148; Jeremiah 8; Matthew 22
Genesis 9:7
“And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”
LIFE
The command from YHVH God, given in the first verse of this chapter, is given again. This time, a little more emphatically—“increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.” As mentioned on July 7th from the devotional thought concerning Genesis 9:1, by God telling Noah again, and telling us again in Scripture, that procreation between a man and woman to bring children forth must happen, so that the Messiah would eventually come from one of the millions upon millions of people that would fill the planet. This is the first and most important reason for this commandment.
Second, children provide us with an opportunity for stewardship. We become a gospel witness to our family and to others when Father’s, like our heavenly Father, “do not provoke [their] children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Eph 6:4).
Third, life begets life. As capital punishment is now a responsibility of man in the Noahic covenant, presenting the value of life created in the image and after the likeness of God (Gen 9:5-6), it is further reinforced by not only prohibiting the murder of persons and the shedding of their blood, but to actively pursue fruitful multiplication for more image-bearers of God to come forth.
Forth, the command to be fruitful and multiply is a gospel command. Just as the Lord Jesus used earthly terms to describe heavenly truth to Nicodemus, telling the Sanhedrin member that he “must be born again” (John 3:7), illustrating the grace of God in redemption and salvation; likewise, this command from YHVH God illustrates the necessity of fruitful multiplication of souls as a responsibility and stewardship of born-again believers. While we understand that the conception of a child in the womb is a sovereign act of God (Gen 29:31; 1 Sam 2:21; Ruth 4:13; Psa 127:3), the man and his wife must do their part, physically speaking, for this to take place. This is how God designed it to present to us another gospel illustration in salvation. While the regeneration of a soul for that soul’s salvation is by God alone, Jesus command us to make disciples (Matt 28:19), to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8), and to be faithful in this stewardship (1 Cor 4:2). Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the heavenly Father allows us to participate in His work of saving souls. Hallelujah! What a Savior!