The Ark and the Covenant — Judgment, Preservation, and Faithful Obedience
Genesis 6:13–22 places judgment and preservation side by side. Because the earth is filled with violence, God announces that a Flood will destroy life from the earth. Yet God also commands Noah to build the ark and promises, “with thee will I establish my covenant.” Noah, his household, and representatives of living creatures will be preserved through the coming judgment.
This is the Bible’s first explicit use of covenant language, but Genesis 6 announces the covenant before describing its terms in full. Genesis 9 returns after the Flood and explains the covenant with Noah, his descendants, and living creatures, with the rainbow as its sign. The correct canonical movement is therefore covenant promised in Genesis 6 → covenant elaborated and signed in Genesis 9.