After the deluge which closed the scene of man's wickedness on the earth, and the first period of his history, the dispensational ways of God begin. The principle of government in the hand of man is now introduced. It does not appear that there was either law or government in the antediluvian world; man was left to himself, and this brought out his lawlessness. But God remembered mercy, and gave many testimonies to His grace in such individual cases as Abel, Enoch, and Noah, besides the wonderful type of deliverance through Christ in the ark which Noah was so long in preparing.
God now makes a covenant with the earth. When Noah went forth from the ark, he built an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt-offerings thereon. From this beautiful figure of the sacrifice of Christ, Jehovah smelled a sweet savor, and assures mankind that the earth would never again be visited with a universal deluge. " While the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease.... And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth."
These principles, now established on sacrifice, will be infallibly maintained throughout the different ages, until Jesus, after having glorified God in government for a thousand years, " shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father: when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power." 1 Cor. 15:2424Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. (1 Corinthians 15:24).
But, alas! scarcely had the sword of human government been entrusted to Noah, than it fell dishonored from his hand. His humiliating failure proved that he could not govern himself. This fresh trial of man only shows what is always true-that in all things man utterly fails, and comes short of the glory of God. The Noahic dispensation closes with a new form of evil-the worship of false gods; and the God of glory calls out one man into the place of separation, makes him the depositary of promise, and the root of the olive-tree.
In tracing the sad history of man so far, we have seen his trial and failure in the garden of Eden, with the revelation of divine mercy through Christ the woman's Seed. But man's perverse will, not corrected by conscience, not restrained by government, nor bowed in gratitude for the promised Deliverer, only sinned more and more, until, as we read, " the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” All flesh had corrupted his way, and the deluge destroyed the world of the ungodly. But grace again shines. The ark rests on Ararat, God's new ground after the execution of judgment. Hence we have in type the Holy Spirit and worship, founded on the sacrifice of Christ; the heart of God finds perfect rest, He sets His bow in the cloud, which embraces both the sea and the dry land, and millennial blessing is shadowed forth.
But, alas! the failure of Noah resulted in the boldest sin of man-idolatry. Corruption and violence characterized the first period, idolatry the second period, of the history of man. The aim of this sin is to dethrone the living God, set up a dumb idol, and then fall down and worship it.