As Noah steps out of the boat, Genesis 9 sounds like a repeat of the creation story of Genesis 1 & 2. Just as the Spirit hovered over the face of the deep, God’s wind blew away the waters that covered the entire face of the deep. Then, after several months, land begins to reappear. At God’s command, animals reappear on the earth and eventually mankind emerges from the ark. Then, repeating the same mandate he gave Adam and Eve (Genesis 2.28-29) God tells Noah and his family: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. God is recreating the world he destroyed. Essentially, he commands Noah to build God-glorifying culture again. But he does not give a command to enjoy fruit and live or avoid fruit and die. Instead, God establishes a new covenant with Noah. There is no blessing to be secured by obedience this time; there is only an invitation into a relationship. He does NOT announce what mankind needs to do; he declares they need to believe.