†. Gen 9:1 . . God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: Be
fertile and increase, and fill the earth.
Divine blessings should never be construed as mandates, nor as laws, rules
and/or commands. They're typically expressions of good will and/or
empowerment. God included Noah in the blessing so that he and his wife
could have more children if they wanted; but there's no record of any
additional progeny.
The blessing God bestowed upon Noah's family is the very same blessing
bestowed upon the Adams in the very beginning. Here in chapter nine is the
beginning of a new generation. This new generation-- springing from Shem,
Ham, and Japheth --has continued for a good many years and won't end
until everything Christ predicted in Mtt 24:1-44 comes to pass.
The word for "fill" is from male' (maw-lay') and as-used in Gen 1:22, Gen
1:26-28, and Gen 6:11-13 doesn't strictly mean refill or replenish. It just
means to fill or to be full of; and can apply to a bucket that's never been
used as well as to a bucket that's just been emptied; or to a bucket that's
half empty (or half full, depending upon one's outlook).
Here in chapter nine, male' is indicative of a pioneering family that would
start afresh under different circumstances than those of the antediluvian
world. The Noahs were essentially a transition team, bringing human life
from the old world to the current one. The new conditions effecting Shem,
Ham, and Japheth's generation include a change in Man's diet, his alienation
from the animal world, and the introduction of criminal justice.
†. Gen 9:2a . .The fear and the dread of you shall be upon all the
beasts of the earth and upon all the birds of the sky-- everything
with which the earth is astir --and upon all the fish of the sea;
Most animals bite for just one reason: fear. They become frightened, and the
biting response usually isn't an act of aggression; but rather, an act of self
defense. Apparently, prior to the Flood, the animal world trusted human
beings; but not anymore. God instilled mistrust in the animal kingdom and it
was probably done for their own good rather than Man's. However, I sure
wish carpenter ants and termites had a little more respect for my feelings.
But the animal world isn't so terrified of man that it cannot overcome its
fears enough to co-exist with him; even to the point of utilizing him for
nourishment as Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard
discovered firsthand in 2003 when they were devoured by a Grizzly bear.
†. Gen 9:2b . . they are given into your hand.
On the surface, this doesn't appear to be a new turn of events since Man
was put fully in charge of the animal kingdom right from the gun (Gen 1:26
28). However; I believe the phrase "given into your hand" indicates that
nature would no longer be passive; but that Man would have to conquer
nature if he wished it to bring it under his control.
†. Gen 9:3 . . Every creature that lives shall be yours to eat; as with
the green grasses, I give you all these.
Man doesn't have to eat every living thing if he doesn't want to-- it's
optional; since Gen 9:1-3 is clearly a blessing rather than a commandment.
But that was a critical adjustment to man's diet. Some have suggested it's
because of the rigors of living in a post-Flood world; but in reality; by Noah's
time, homo sapiens was simply not doing well on a diet consisting primarily
of starch, sugar, and carbohydrates. Those elements may have been okay
for Adam; but not any more. Now man has to either include meat in his diet
or take supplements in order to avoid messing up his body's chemistry.
In particular, strict vegans need a source of vitamin B12 since animal
products are the only natural food sources of that vitamin. They must also
be sure to get enough vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and B6, as well as adequate
intakes of calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, and other minerals contained in
animal products.
The experts recommend that infants and children forced by their parents to
subsist solely on a vegetarian diet be provided supplements for iron,
calcium, vitamins B2, B12, and D, which are considered essential nutrients
for growing children. More and more states are prosecuting parents for
denying their children professional medical care for treatable conditions. I'd
like to see states begin to prosecute parents for denying their children
balanced meals too.
Animal fat, vilified for decades as a heart disease catalyst, is now beginning
to be realized far and away better for man's heart and vascular system than
vegetable substitutes. Oils derived from olives and coconuts seem the
exception, but all others-- palm, soybean, rapeseed (a.k.a. canola),
sunflower seed, peanut, cottonseed, and palm kernel --should be shunned
as if they're out to get you.
It is actually proven to be much easier to control body fat by including meat
in one's diet instead of relying heavily upon grains to do it; but how do
people typically start their day? With a bowl of cereal; which is, apart from
the milk, nothing in the world but a bowl of starch and carbohydrates; which
the body soon converts to sugar: the very thing weight watchers need to
limit. It's all in the way our bodies process fats and carbs. When the Lord
said that man cannot live by bread alone (Mtt 4:4) he was right in more
ways than one. Grains especially, which at one time were man's essential
foods, are now not all that good for him in large quantities.
Incidentally, the Hebrew words for "green grasses" includes tender young
shoots rather than only the adult plants. An excellent example of a shoot is
asparagus. We typically only harvest the spears because the adult plant is
not only a hideous bush, but it's not even tasty.
Note : Bible students are often curious about the disparity between what was
right and wrong for Noah and what was right and wrong for Moses since the
laws of God are supposedly absolutes in any era. But God-given diets are
what's known as "dispensational" which means they're in effect for only a
specific era, and oftentimes only for a specific people. For example: it's
wrong for Moses' people to eat vultures, pigs, and/or lobsters, octopus, and
clams; while for Christ's people, it makes no difference. Dispensations are an
important aspect of Man's association with God; and failure to discern them
can sometimes lead to unnecessary confusion in peoples' minds.
Cont.
/
fertile and increase, and fill the earth.
Divine blessings should never be construed as mandates, nor as laws, rules
and/or commands. They're typically expressions of good will and/or
empowerment. God included Noah in the blessing so that he and his wife
could have more children if they wanted; but there's no record of any
additional progeny.
The blessing God bestowed upon Noah's family is the very same blessing
bestowed upon the Adams in the very beginning. Here in chapter nine is the
beginning of a new generation. This new generation-- springing from Shem,
Ham, and Japheth --has continued for a good many years and won't end
until everything Christ predicted in Mtt 24:1-44 comes to pass.
The word for "fill" is from male' (maw-lay') and as-used in Gen 1:22, Gen
1:26-28, and Gen 6:11-13 doesn't strictly mean refill or replenish. It just
means to fill or to be full of; and can apply to a bucket that's never been
used as well as to a bucket that's just been emptied; or to a bucket that's
half empty (or half full, depending upon one's outlook).
Here in chapter nine, male' is indicative of a pioneering family that would
start afresh under different circumstances than those of the antediluvian
world. The Noahs were essentially a transition team, bringing human life
from the old world to the current one. The new conditions effecting Shem,
Ham, and Japheth's generation include a change in Man's diet, his alienation
from the animal world, and the introduction of criminal justice.
†. Gen 9:2a . .The fear and the dread of you shall be upon all the
beasts of the earth and upon all the birds of the sky-- everything
with which the earth is astir --and upon all the fish of the sea;
Most animals bite for just one reason: fear. They become frightened, and the
biting response usually isn't an act of aggression; but rather, an act of self
defense. Apparently, prior to the Flood, the animal world trusted human
beings; but not anymore. God instilled mistrust in the animal kingdom and it
was probably done for their own good rather than Man's. However, I sure
wish carpenter ants and termites had a little more respect for my feelings.
But the animal world isn't so terrified of man that it cannot overcome its
fears enough to co-exist with him; even to the point of utilizing him for
nourishment as Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard
discovered firsthand in 2003 when they were devoured by a Grizzly bear.
†. Gen 9:2b . . they are given into your hand.
On the surface, this doesn't appear to be a new turn of events since Man
was put fully in charge of the animal kingdom right from the gun (Gen 1:26
28). However; I believe the phrase "given into your hand" indicates that
nature would no longer be passive; but that Man would have to conquer
nature if he wished it to bring it under his control.
†. Gen 9:3 . . Every creature that lives shall be yours to eat; as with
the green grasses, I give you all these.
Man doesn't have to eat every living thing if he doesn't want to-- it's
optional; since Gen 9:1-3 is clearly a blessing rather than a commandment.
But that was a critical adjustment to man's diet. Some have suggested it's
because of the rigors of living in a post-Flood world; but in reality; by Noah's
time, homo sapiens was simply not doing well on a diet consisting primarily
of starch, sugar, and carbohydrates. Those elements may have been okay
for Adam; but not any more. Now man has to either include meat in his diet
or take supplements in order to avoid messing up his body's chemistry.
In particular, strict vegans need a source of vitamin B12 since animal
products are the only natural food sources of that vitamin. They must also
be sure to get enough vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and B6, as well as adequate
intakes of calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, and other minerals contained in
animal products.
The experts recommend that infants and children forced by their parents to
subsist solely on a vegetarian diet be provided supplements for iron,
calcium, vitamins B2, B12, and D, which are considered essential nutrients
for growing children. More and more states are prosecuting parents for
denying their children professional medical care for treatable conditions. I'd
like to see states begin to prosecute parents for denying their children
balanced meals too.
Animal fat, vilified for decades as a heart disease catalyst, is now beginning
to be realized far and away better for man's heart and vascular system than
vegetable substitutes. Oils derived from olives and coconuts seem the
exception, but all others-- palm, soybean, rapeseed (a.k.a. canola),
sunflower seed, peanut, cottonseed, and palm kernel --should be shunned
as if they're out to get you.
It is actually proven to be much easier to control body fat by including meat
in one's diet instead of relying heavily upon grains to do it; but how do
people typically start their day? With a bowl of cereal; which is, apart from
the milk, nothing in the world but a bowl of starch and carbohydrates; which
the body soon converts to sugar: the very thing weight watchers need to
limit. It's all in the way our bodies process fats and carbs. When the Lord
said that man cannot live by bread alone (Mtt 4:4) he was right in more
ways than one. Grains especially, which at one time were man's essential
foods, are now not all that good for him in large quantities.
Incidentally, the Hebrew words for "green grasses" includes tender young
shoots rather than only the adult plants. An excellent example of a shoot is
asparagus. We typically only harvest the spears because the adult plant is
not only a hideous bush, but it's not even tasty.
Note : Bible students are often curious about the disparity between what was
right and wrong for Noah and what was right and wrong for Moses since the
laws of God are supposedly absolutes in any era. But God-given diets are
what's known as "dispensational" which means they're in effect for only a
specific era, and oftentimes only for a specific people. For example: it's
wrong for Moses' people to eat vultures, pigs, and/or lobsters, octopus, and
clams; while for Christ's people, it makes no difference. Dispensations are an
important aspect of Man's association with God; and failure to discern them
can sometimes lead to unnecessary confusion in peoples' minds.
Cont.
/
