Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” – Genesis 9:8-11
Here is the place where God makes His covenant again with Noah (Gen 6:18). It is possible that this is in fact a new covenant. But I believe the typology of the Scriptures shows that the same covenant is often “made” twice: once with the head and again with the heirs.
It is important in this section that yet again the Lord delivers a promise to the seed (Gen 3:15; 12:7; 17:7; etc.). This change in the recipients is not unintentional and helps to explain the seemingly duel nature of God’s covenant with Abraham found later in the book of Genesis.
It is worth noting that this covenant includes the fullness of creation. Though God’s covenant with Adam seemingly subjected creation to mankind, God’s covenant here promises a restoration and refusal to bring cosmic judgment upon it again. In fact the term “cut off” is intentionally used in God’s covenant with Abraham to mark those outside the covenant (Gen 17:14). All cutting off is an exclusion from the covenant and a lack of the promises contained in the covenant.
