This is the third post in a series on God’s common grace covenant with Noah. You can read the first two posts here and here.

Remember, it’s called common grace to distinguish it from saving grace. This grace is common to all—believers and unbelievers alike.

Ultimately, it is God’s promise to uphold and sustain His fallen creation, especially human life. We have already seen two promises God made in this covenant: God has promised to promote life; God has promised to preserve life.

In this post, we will see the third common grace promise of God’s covenant with Noah: God has promised to protect life.

God protects life

God institutes two measures in the Covenant with Noah to protect human life. The first is a direct work of His upon creation. The second is by a Law that is meant to curb violence and judge those who take life.

And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand … Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.

Genesis‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬, ‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

So first, we see God promising an actual work He will perform on creation to protect human life: And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth. In essence, God will uphold humanity’s dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

In a fallen world, yes, wild beasts will sometimes attack, trample, maul, and even eat humans. But John Calvin, in his comments on this passage, bids us consider the following:

Savage beasts indeed prevail and rage against men in various ways, and no wonder; for since we perversely exalt ourselves against God, why should not the beasts rise up against us? Nevertheless, the providence of God is a secret bridle to restrain their violence … Whence is it that tigers, elephants, lions, bears, wolves, and other wild beasts without number, do not rend, tear, and devour everything human, except that they are withheld by this subjection, as by a barrier? Therefore, it ought to be referred to the special protection and guardianship of God, that we remain in safety … Moreover, the bridle with which the Lord restrains the cruelty of wild beasts, to prevent them falling upon men, is a certain fear and dread which God has implanted in them, to the end that they might reverence the presence of men.

Ultimately, it is this fear and dread of mankind that the Lord has placed upon the animals that makes it possible for us to domesticate them for our own use and benefit. It is the reason we are able to herd cattle and tame wild horses; to milk cows and shear sheep.

God also protects life by His Law, which He gave to Noah in the covenant He made with him; and through him, to all humanity: Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man. That whoever includes animals who rebel against the fear and dread of man God has placed in them, for it also says: Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. Again, Calvin’s comments here are quite illuminating:

In saying that he will exact punishment from animals for the violated life of men, he gives us this as an example. For if, on behalf of man, he is angry with brute creatures who are hurried by a blind impulse to feed upon him; what, do we suppose, will become of the man who, unjustly, cruelly, and contrary to the sense of nature, falls upon his brother?

When God declares: Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; He is setting up a civil government. For the sentence requires magistrate who will hear the case and carry out the sentence on behalf of God, by God’s authority. Thus it is written: He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death (Exodus‬ ‭21‬:‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬); and, Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death (Leviticus‬ ‭24‬:‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). And the man to carry it out is the lawful magistrate, for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil (Romans‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

This Law doesn’t just punish the murderer after the fact. It does play a role in protecting human life, because the fear of punishment often restrains evil men. Thus, when God commands the death penalty elsewhere, He gives the reason: so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear (Deuteronomy‬ ‭21‬:‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

In other words, it not only removes the guilty person directly to the Judgment Seat of God; it also serves to strike fear and dread into the hearts of those with wicked impulses—just as God has placed fear and dread upon the wild animals, to curb their violence.

God declares in the common grace covenant He made with Noah that wherever any creature, man or beast, slips off the bridle that restrains them from destroying human life; God not only authorizes, but demands that they pay with their own life. Notice that God says: Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. Even if justice is delayed or denied in the courts of man, God promises to repay in the court of His judgment: Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them (Deuteronomy‬ ‭32‬:‭35‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

This, of course, demands governments with judges and laws. The first and primary purpose of civil governments is to protect human life against the violent and the wicked: For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil … For he is God’s minister to you for good … [H]e is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil (Romans‬ ‭13‬:‭3‬, 4 NKJV‬‬).

Someone will object: But many rulers are tyrants, many laws are unjust, many innocent are condemned as guilty, while the guilty go free. This is true. We still live in a fallen world until Christ returns. That’s why it says we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬); because righteousness and justice do not dwell here now in any ultimate sense. Just as the wild beasts sometimes devour, brutal men sometimes do the same.

Yet, where there is some semblance of government and law, there is a modicum of order and stability. This is why St. Paul instructs that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence (1 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

In this way, although the Noahic Covenant doesn’t bring salvation, it does benefit the Church, and indeed, secures the conditions under which the Church may flourish. Indeed, behind the spoken promises and commandments of this common grace covenant, is the providential power of God the Son. For the Father has put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church (Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). In other words, for the sake of His Church, Christ is guiding all things—including the rise and fall of nations and their rulers—till He has put all enemies under His feet (1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

In short, just as the Lord restrains the wild beasts so that they are not always devouring us; He restrains the wicked—including wicked rulers—so that the world does not descend into anarchy and the human race devour itself. In the covenant of common grace God made with Noah, the Lord is preserving, promoting, and protecting human life for the sake of His Church. We know that He will redeem a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues (Revelation 7:9 NKJV). Therefore, He preserves and protects and provides for those nations, for the sake of His people in them.

This is the ultimate end of common grace. Not just that God blesses both the believer and unbeliever alike; but even this is finally in service to, and for the sake of, His Church.