Noah and his family have left the ark. They are embarking on a new life blessed by God, as the human race starts over from a cataclysmic flood that had destroyed everyone and everything on earth. But, shortly after Noah's departure, he involves himself in some serious moral decisions that render his compromised, which then opens the door for one of his sons, Ham, to act immorally. After Noah finds out what his son did to him, a curse is announced against Ham's progeny, which will turn out to be a further moral problem for the nation of Israel later on. Noah ends up living until he is 950 years old, but the infamy of his decision neutralizes any further word about his success as a man of God, for nothing is heard about him during his final 350 years of life.

The earth and all its inhabitants have been destroy with the exception of Noah and his family. God has re-positioned mankind whereby the extreme corruption and violence has been judged and it can now start-over. That said, God also has determined that because of the inherent wickedness in man due to sin, "the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen 8:21). Yet, God will not destroy the man and the earth with a flood again. So, he establishes a covenant with Noah, communicating His intent (Gen 9:11). Evidence that God will remember his covenant with Noah will be seen in the sky when it rains. There will be a rainbow. Not only will the rainbow be beautiful for its physical appearance, it will be beautiful for its promise that God, who is rich in grace, mercy, and long suffering, will not immediately, nor totally, punish man's sin with another worldwide, cataclysmic flood. It is not to say that God's wrath will not be exhibited on the earth, or that man will not suffer from God's wrath, but simply that it will not be as all-encompassing as it was before. That will be reserved for later, as the Apostle Paul predicted in 2 Peter 3, when judgment comes by fire.

In Genesis 7, God warned Noah of an impending flood that would destroy all of humanity, as well as every breathing thing on the face of the earth. He gave Noah 120 years to build an ark, and only those within the ark would be spared the wrath of God's judgment. Noah builds the ark and then came the flooding deluge. In Genesis 8, Noah and his family ride out the tribulational waters, but eventually, after several months, the waters recede. Noah keeps checking to see when the ground was dry enough to exit the ark. Finally, after over a year on the ark, God instructs Noah, his family, and all the animals to leave. They were commanded, as Adam and Eve were, to "be fruitful and multiply on the earth." It was a re-creational moment. A new beginning for humanity. Noah's first act, though, was to worship God, which led God to covenant with Noah that He would never destroy the earth again with a flood. Why? Because God knew that "the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth," which is an indictment in itself, given the infection and influence that sin would still have over the human race. In the meantime, as long as the earth remains, "seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease" (Gen. 8:22).