October 25, Genesis 8
But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. - Genesis 8:1
When we were young children, the year that passed between one Christmas and the next seemed impossibly long. Now the years between my birthdays seem to go by much more quickly than they did back then. Is that your experience, too?
I suspect the year Noah and his family spent on the ark seemed long. After the rain stopped, the water stood for a long time. Then the process of draining and drying the water off the land took a while, too. The command to leave the ark finally came one year and ten days after God told them to go aboard.
In what sense do you think "God remembered" the people and animals on the ark? I don't think it means that God ever forgot them. Instead it's more about God's benevolent gracious care for those he elected to survive the destruction the whole race deserved. There was a process at work that had to run its course according to God's perfect design. The destruction was finished. But God remembered Noah and the creatures onboard the ark. I like to think about this when someone I know and love has been in a difficult situation for a long time. God has a purpose and plan for our lives. He is in control of all things and uses them to work together for our good. From our time bound vantage point, it is easy to feel forgotten. But God promised to never leave us or forsake us. Let’s trust his promise more than we trust our feelings.
Then notice that "God made a wind blow over the earth." Here's a reminder that all Creation is his to do with and use as he pleases. All the elements, so untamable from our point of view, are under his control and subject to his direction. God used wind in the story of Jonah, and he used wind when the children of Israel were leaving Egypt in the Exodus for the same purpose as he used it here — to move lots of water quickly. Between the evaporating effect and the remarkable strength of wind to move water, the waters that had covered the earth receded quickly. You've probably seen video of how hurricane force winds drive high tides ashore in a storm surge. You've also probably seen how an earthquake can send a devastation tsunami to completely destroy everything in its path. The power of the elements that combined to destroy the world when the flood began are now channeled to restore more normal conditions with the water back in the ocean basins. This was all under the control and command of Almighty God. You and I need to see him as big as this when we're praying about some matter that is overwhelming us with fear or endangering us. He remembers you, and he can use the resources of heaven and earth to care for you.
Then don't miss that it was God who determined the day when Noah and his family were able to leave the ark: "Go out from the ark…” (Genesis 8:16). This verse is the end bracket answering to Genesis 7:1: "Go into the ark...." Noah's salvation was by God's grace and favor. He directed Noah to build the ark and enabled him to complete the enormous construction project and then gather the animals. When the time came, they left the ark at God's word to do so. We would do well to remember that our lives are under God's control, too. We are not self-directed, however much that idea appeals to us. Wind and water unhesitatingly obey God. Humans have inherited a rebellious streak from our first parents that makes us want to resist and rebel. But those who come to know and trust God learn to submit, to surrender self and do God's will instead of our own.
Finally note that Noah and his family sacrificed some of the animals they brought off the ark in a demonstration of gratitude for their deliverance. God accepted the offering. The figure of speech is that the aroma of the sacrifice pleased him. The idea of an aroma pleasing God is surely anthropomorphic, but it gets the point across. Here is a picture of all the offerings the patriarchs and later Israel would offer God in faith. But more — it is the picture of Christ being offered for us to please God and satisfy his wrath toward us. In New Testament times, saved by Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, that sweet savor of sacrifice comes from our own surrendered lives and and heartfelt praise.
The faithful God of Covenant vowed that he would not use another global flood to destroy the world. He's kept that promise and every other promise he's ever made. The days, nights and seasons will roll on until the day when God will keep another promise. I'm thinking of the one he's made to end this world, and usher "new heavens and a new earth" into existence for eternity. He will keep that promise, too. Let’s be ready when he does.
Copyright © 2021 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—October 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
Comments