November 2nd

Genesis 9. I notice an interesting thing in this chapter that I all too easily forget: that when God establishes the coveneant with Noah, it is with Noah and all that came with him out of the ark, animals included, and that the 'every living thing on earth' phrase is used not just once in passing but several times, as if to emphasize the point in Noah's mind so that he, and we, will remember it. This, it seems to me, is a very timely word for us all--that God's covenant relationship is not just with the human creation; the birds, animals, fish, and even the glistening sea monsters we read about earlier in the first chapter are also addressed by God and given responsibilities to fulfil. When we fail to remember the other living things that are a part of God's covenant with us, we ourselves become fragmented and forgetful of who we are. By and large, I would say that the animals have kept up their end of the covenant bargain! RS