It took time for the earth to dry out, but eventually, God told Noah to come out and bring every living thing with him. Perhaps it was the feel of earth beneath his feet, and the warmth of the sun on his skin which moved Noah to build an altar and offer sacrifices to the God who delivered them. To God, the soothing aroma of the sacrifice, caused Him to act. He made a covenant with the earth, changed a few things, and set a reminder in the clouds.
A Covenant with the Earth
God made a covenant with the earth. Previously He cursed the earth when Adam and Eve disobeyed. Here again in Noah’s day, the earth was cursed for the sin of mankind. God saw the imaginations of man’s heart were evil from youth, but never again would He curse the ground for man’s sake. Instead He set stability into the rhythms of the earth;
“Seedtime and harvest
Cold and heat
Winter and summer
Day and night.”
And God blessed Noah and his sons, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.”
Made Changes
But God made changes. For one, He set the dread and fear of man into the beasts of the earth, the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea. For another, God no longer restricted man to a vegetarian diet, but allowed them meat without blood. In addition, accountability was required from man and beast, for taking the life of man because man was made in God’s image. Finally, He established His covenant with man and the earth to never again send a flood to destroy it.
A Reminder in the Clouds
God then placed a reminder in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between Himself, man and every living creature. He set His rainbow in the clouds. When He sees His rainbow, He remembers His covenant, that the waters would never again flood the earth to destroy it. In response to Noah’s act of worship, God made a covenant with the earth, changed a few things, and set a reminder in the clouds.