At the beginning of spiritual day/age 3, the earth was covered with the waters of the flood.  In the safely of the ark, Noah, his family, and the animals waited for the waters to be gathered into one place to let the dry land appear (Gen 1:9).  When the earth was dry around the year 2,350 BC, Noah, his family, and all the animals came out of the ark.

Then God spoke to Noah, saying, “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.  Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”  Genesis 8:15-17  NASB

Noah, his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives are the second planting of humanity upon the earth.

These three were the sons of Noah; and from these the whole earth was populated.  Genesis 9:19  NASB

In the natural, this family fulfilled the command to be fruitful and multiply.

God Almighty blessed Noah after he left the ark.  This blessing is similar to God Almighty’s blessing of the man Adam, and the two blessings are parsed in the following table.

Both blessings have the admonition to be fruitful, to multiply, and to fill the earth.  A spiritual interpretation of “be fruitful” would mean that humanity produces the fruits (of the Spirit) which God Almighty desires.  Then God Almighty speaks to each of them about the relationship of humanity with the animals.  In Noah’s blessing, the animals were given a fear of humanity for self preservation because humanity will now be hunting them for food.  Recall that beasts are symbolic of governments (Daniel 7:17,23), so this new, adversarial relationship between humanity and the animals is prophetic of the relationship humanity will have with governments.  On the one hand, just as the animals provide food for humanity, so also governments will provide stability and protection for humanity.  But on the other hand, just as the animals inflict pain and death, so also governments will bring pain and death to humanity.

Both blessings end with a declaration of humanity’s food source.  The first couple and their offspring/seed/descendants were given a diet of vegetation and fruit.

Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;”  Genesis 1:29  NASB

Meat was added to the human diet when God Almighty blessed Noah after the flood.

“Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.”  Genesis 9:3  NASB

Introduction of meat into the diet of humanity is suggestive of the spiritual development of humanity beyond the babe stage.

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.  For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for his is a babe.  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.  Hebrews 5:12-14  JKV

Milk is for a babe, and strong meat is for those who are of full age and can discern both good and evil.  The addition of meat into the diet of humanity brings the expectation that humanity will be able to discern good from evil.  This expectation was implemented with the requirements of the Law of Moses, which contained many ordinances about right and wrong.

Thus, as given in God Almighty’s curses, we have a sequencing of what is to be eaten by humanity in the Old Testament.

1. The man Adam was sent to the ground as the thorns and thistles phase of humanity and was given plants and fruit trees to eat.
2. Noah and his descendants ushered in the plants of the field phase and were given meat from the animals to eat.
3. The Israelites, associated with the trees with fruit, were given bread from heaven–manna–to eat (Gen 16).

After the flood, God Almighty established a covenant with Noah, with all humanity, and with every living creature.

Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you;  …  And I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.  …  I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.”  Genesis 9:8-9,11,13  NASB

This covenant protects humanity and all living creatures from destruction, for a second time, by flood.  However, the next destruction of heaven and earth will by fire (2Peter 3:7).

The story of Noah contains an interesting event.  Just as the man Adam was found naked (Gen 3:7), so also Noah was found naked.

Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard.  And he drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent.  And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.  But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.  When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. So he said, “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers.”  Genesis 9:20-25  NASB

The response by Noah to Ham seeing the nakedness of his father seems harsh in relationship to the transgression and is dislocated because the curse is upon Ham’s son Canaan rather than upon Ham himself.  This curse had fulfillment centuries later when Canaan’s descendants were conquered by the Israelites and entered into servitude to them (Joshua 9:27, 17:12-13).

Then again, “uncover nakedness” is a euphemism for having sexual relations.

“None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness; I am the LORD.  You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, this is, the nakedness of your mother.  She is your mother; you are not to uncover her nakedness.  Leviticus 18:6-7  NASB

Because a husband and wife become one flesh (Gen 2:24), the nakedness of a man and the nakedness of his wife are the same.  The modesty of Shem and Japheth when they entered their father’s tent seems extreme if these sons where covering their father.  However, such modesty seems appropriate for covering their mother.  So, applying the equivalence of the nakedness of a man and his wife to this story introduces the possibility that what Ham saw or did inside Noah’s tent related to his father’s wife.  Indeed, a curse is upon one who lies with his father’s wife.

”Cursed is he who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s skirt.”  And all the people shall say, “Amen.”  Deuteronomy 27:20  NASB

Regardless of how this event is interpreted and understood, we know that this second planting of humanity upon the earth is in need of further spiritual growth.