Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. (Genesis 8:1)
The Bible says that, after Noah had been in the ark for one-hundred-fifty days, "The Lord remembered Noah" (Genesis 8:1). Does this mean that God forgot Noah? It simply means that God focused His attention on Noah and on those in the ark. The Lord will remember those who obey His commandments.
The Bible tells us that when God "remembers" someone, something miraculous happens. Below are just a few examples of what happened to certain people when God "remembered" them.
God remembered Rachel and He opened up her womb – Genesis 30:22
God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and He delivered Israel from bondage - Exodus 2:24
He opened Hannah's womb – 1 Samuel 1: 19
Also, many Old Testament figures prayed that God would remember them, such as Samson (Judges 16:28), David (Psalm 25:7), and Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:3).
When God remembered Noah and began to speak on his behalf, the floodwaters began to abate. Also, the day on which Noah removed the cover of the ark and discovered that the surface of the ground was dry was "in the first month, the first day of the month" (Genesis 8: 13). This particular day would later be known as the Feast of Trumpets.
The Feast of Trumpets is also known as the "Day of Remembrance." It is believed that, on this day, the Book of Remembrance is opened so that God can deliver those who "fear His name.''
So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. (Genesis 8:6-9)
The Raven was one of a set of two, an unclean bird which is a scavenger. It is also considered to be a symbol of evil.
The Raven flew from place to place, apparently able to perch on any rotten, bloated bodies of men or animals which yet floated on the surface of the waters.
Noah also released a Dove, a clean bird, one from a set of seven pairs. (The reason there were seven pairs of “clean animals” to one pair of each unclean animal, was because of the need for sacrifice). The Dove will not light upon anything dead or rotten. Therefore not finding any place to rest, the Dove returned.
The Holy Spirit is also symbolically described as a dove. The dove rested on the lamb (Jesus). The lamb by nature is a gentle animal. This speaks of Habitation. God desires habitation and not just visitation.
How many days did Noah spend on the ark?
Nearly a year. Most people think Noah spent only 40 days and 40 nights on the ark. This is not true. Take a look at the following verse:
And Noah went forth, and his wife and his sons and their wives with him [after being in the ark one year and ten days]. (Genesis 8:18 Amplified)
Example of Family Altar
And Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean [four-footed] animal and of every clean fowl or bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. (Genesis 8:20)
Built an altar to the Lord
This was a family Altar - Noah and his entire family before the altar
And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. (Genesis 8:21)
Covenant Relationship: This moment sets the stage for the covenantal relationship between God and humanity, a theme central to the Bible. It's a commitment from God to sustain and nurture life despite human shortcomings.
Sacrificial Atonement: The pleasing odour represents the satisfaction found in sacrifice, prefiguring the concept of atonement in Christian theology, ultimately fulfilled in the sacrifice of Christ.
Also, there is a great need for a sanctified imagination
Law of Seed Time and Harvest Time
Life is nothing but a process of sowing seeds – good or bad – in good soil or bad, and then reaping accordingly in due season. All life begins with a seed. God has designed a harvest for every seed we sow – physical as well as spiritual.
"While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night shall not cease." (Genesis 8:22)
The law of “seedtime and harvest” is a natural universal law, and most of you would agree with me on this. No matter what caste, race, or ethnic background we are from, it works the same for all and at all places.
11 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11-12)
In these verses, we see God putting in motion the law of “Seedtime and harvest.”
The mention of seedtime and harvest implies a partnership between God's providence and human responsibility in stewardship of the earth, encouraging sustainable and respectful use of natural resources.
My friend, I want you to understand that there are many laws at work in our lives (like the law of gravitation, for example). These laws are not optional. We can either work with these laws and reap the due benefit or neglect and disobey only to suffer.
Chapters
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 17
- Chapter 18
- Chapter 19
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 21
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 23
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 25
- Chapter 26
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 28
- Chapter 29
- Chapter 30
- Chapter 31
- Chapter 32
- Chapter 33
- Chapter 34
- Chapter 35
- Chapter 36
- Chapter 37
- Chapter 38
- Chapter 39
- Chapter 40
- Chapter 41
- Chapter 42
- Chapter 43
- Chapter 44
- Chapter 45
- Chapter 46
- Chapter 47
- Chapter 48
- Chapter 49
- Chapter 50