In the world before the flood, God allowed sin to work its way through the entire human race and self-destruct. The enemy’s purpose- to eliminate the human race and the material cosmos as a competitor to his own glory- was almost fulfilled. Yet his purpose being almost fulfilled is as good as its being unfulfilled when it comes to man. This is because mankind has what he lacks- the power of generation, such that God brings forth nations, peoples, tribes, and tongues from Noah’s body. With Noah’s inheritance, the world changes. Kingship has- truly- descended from Heaven. Before the flood, no human being had the authority to eliminate murderers (Genesis 4:15). Culture is contagious- the inability to remove Cain and his city of blood from the earth meant that the cry of the land went unanswered (Genesis 4:10) so that the earth was “filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11). The authority given to Noah after the flood is the answer to each of these problems. In Noah’s prophetic calling, he is shown the pattern of the ark (Genesis 6:14-17) and is elevated to a collaborative role in bringing about the redemption of the world. Hence, after the flood, Noah has secured the right of inheritance to the world. Having been given, by divine grace, the privilege of sharing in the world’s recreation, he has received the authority over life and death. Those who say that God has authority over life and death to the exclusion of any creature are simply wrong. God alone has authority over life and death in Himself. But He has given that authority to Man as His Image. Thus, as the blood of Abel had cried out from the ground- the very ground which opened up and swallowed mankind when it was unanswered (Genesis 4:10, 7:11), Noah is given the prerogative to remove blood from the land:
““Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” (Genesis 9:6, ESV)
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