It’s good to occasionally take short portions of Scripture and dig deeply into their meaning. If we read Genesis like we read a novel, we will possibly overlook helpful insights.
Here are some thoughts that have come to mind as I have read and studied this passage.
- Noah and his family built a very large ocean-going vessel. Decades of effort went into the construction of the ark.
- Noah didn’t have to trap animals and bring them to the ark. God sent the animals to the ark.
- Noah’s family lived in the ark and cared for the animals for one year.
- After the ark settled on Mount Ararat, they remained inside for almost 2 1/2 months before disembarking.
God Remembered
Genesis 8 opens with the words, “God remembered.” No less than 73 times in the Old Testament is “remember” used with God as the subject.
But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and all the domestic animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided (Genesis 8:1).
God doesn’t forget or overlook human suffering and need. When God remembers, it means that God extends mercy to someone by saving that person.
While God is fully aware of our sins and transgressions, we ask Him to have mercy on us and remember us.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! (Psalm 25:7)
God has mercy on us because He knows how frail and needy we are.
For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:14)
Wind and Spirit
In Hebrew, the same word is used for “wind” and “spirit.” The wind blowing over the earth to dry the ground is a picture of what took place at the beginning of creation.
When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind (Spirit) from God swept over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:1-2).
Some of my friends, who are deeply devoted followers of Jesus, have gang, addiction, and criminal pasts. There are several factors related to their new life in Christ, but one stands out to me.
The Holy Spirit swept over the darkness and chaos of their lives and made them new creations.
Paul had a similar experience and wrote, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The Rest of the Story
On the third day of creation, God separated dry land from the waters.
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.
God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas (Genesis 1:9-10).
Following the flood, God once again separated the waters from the Earth.
The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters gradually receded from the earth.
At the end of one hundred fifty days the waters had abated, and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
The waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared (Genesis 8:2-5).
Reflections
A slow reading of this passage reminds me of some truths I don’t want to forget.
(1) God remembers that we are dust, frail, sinful, and in need of mercy.
(2) Following God is a long road of obedience over time. At times, the blessings of discipleship come after long periods of faithfulness.
(3) The wind of God’s Spirit is still recreating lives. May we never overlook the miracles of God’s grace in human lives through the power of the Gospel and the work of His Spirit.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 