Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
‘But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.
‘Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.
As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.’
Genesis 9:1-7
The story so far has shown the deterioration of society, followed by the inevitable Godly judgement. He has saved Noah, his family and the animals, but now it's time to put a few new things in place. It's a new beginning and it's time to do things a little differently.
Meat is now on the menu, but there are rules that go alongside. No eating of meat that has not been drained of blood, no murder. As we see later, blood is symbolic - we know from our biology lessons that it carries that all important oxygen around our bodies - it gives life and was a vital part of sacrifices that had to be made to God. And why should God be anti-murder? Because man is still in his image, and the killing of a human not only shows contempt for God but his creation.
But yet again we're missing the point if we focus too narrowly. The writer makes sure we catch his drift when he repeats the blessing that God gave to Adam and Eve - he tells Noah to be fruitful and increase in number, just as he did back in 1:28, and he reminds him that he has provided the food he needs just as he did in 1:29-30.
It's a fresh start for God's creation, but this is no case of sloppy seconds. God's blessing is just as good, His provision just as mighty.
Too often it can be tempting for us to play ‘let’s compare’. We look around and assess our own progress in comparison with others’. And often we don’t come out of it feeling too good. Someone else has a bigger platform, a larger church, a better voice, a better band, an album, a better selling album, etc etc etc.
Let’s not compare. Let’s not imply that God doesn’t know what He’s doing and that He isn’t crazy in love with ever single one of the people He has created. Including you. Let’s live like we’re blessed, not second best.