1And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;
“Remember” does not necessarily refer to bringing something to mind that had been forgotten. It can also apply to something that has been kept in mind, for example a birthday card that states, “remembering you on your special day”. The Hebrew word zakar can have similar connotations. This verse isn’t telling us that God forgot about Noah, his family, and the animals. Genesis 8:1 teaches an important truth in the Flood account: God’s attention was focused on Noah and those with him on the Ark.
The Bible frequently speaks of God remembering His people. God remembered Abraham (Genesis 19:29), Rachel (Genesis 30:22), and Hannah (1 Samuel 1:19). Before freeing the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt, the Lord “remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob” (Exodus 2:24). 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).
Great comfort can be drawn from these truths. The Lord focused His attention on Noah during the Flood. Similarly, Jesus Christ promised His followers that He would always be with them (Matthew 28:20). He will never leave or forsake His people (Hebrews 13:5).
Also, the Hebrew word used for ‘wind’ is the same word used in Genesis 1:2 when God said “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters”. That same Spirit that moved upon the waters in the beginning, is the same Spirit that moved upon the waters to help the water to subside.
2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. (cf. Genesis 7:24)
The whole race of mankind, except Noah and his family, have perished. The wickedness of the world had been judged. The earth was ‘de-created’ to a likeness of in the beginning when “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).
God commanded the wind to dry the land, and gather the waters. The same hand that brought judgment, brought deliverance. The many could have been saved, but they rejected the salvation message. The message of the coming judgment was preached for 120 years. All but eight were skeptics, by the 120th year it was easy for them to think the message was foolishness. God honored their choice to decline salvation.
Since Christ ascension, men and women have been preaching about the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ (Matthew 24:14) and masses reject the message. There are some that even twist that simple but yet profound message. Likewise, many will reject the mercy extended to them.
God kept his prophetic word spoken of in Genesis 3, and a remnant was preserved for the ‘Seed’ was purposed to come. Noah and his family were to ‘be fruitful and multiply and replenished the earth’ (Genesis 9:1). In order for Noah and his family to accomplish this, God was preparing the earth to be inhabited on again. The earth would be drastically different from its original appearance.
4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.
10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.
12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
Noah and his family rode the tossing sea for five months (150 days) before the ark rested upon Mount Ararat. It was directed by the wise and gracious hand of God. In the tossing and turmoil of life, we can find rest in Him (Matthew 11:28-30). Noah placed his trust in God to guide him to a safe place that was beyond his own foresight. We ought to have the same trust in Him and place our life in his hands.
After 114 days resting on the top of Mount Ararat, Noah sent forth a raven from the ark, which went flying about, and did not return. Many commentators have written that the raven fed on the carcasses that floated in the water. Seven days later, Noah sent forth a dove, which returned the first time without good news. Another seven days later, Noah sent the dove out for the second time, the dove brought back an olive leaf, plainly showing that trees began to appear. Another seven days passed and Noah sent forth the dove again, and the dove did not return.
It is interest that a dove is a symbol for peace, love, devotion, navigation, messages, grace, gentleness, purity, the Holy Spirit, and hope. The dove kept returning because there was no solid peace of satisfaction in this deluged.
The carnal heart, like the raven, takes up with the world, and feeds on the carrion it finds there. We don’t have to be like the raven; but ‘return thou to my rest, O my soul” Psalm 116:7. We can return to Christ, our ark, and find peace and rest. And as Noah put forth his hand, and took the dove, and pulled her to him, into the ark, so Christ will save, and help, and welcome those that flee to him for rest.
13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.
15 And God spake unto Noah, saying,
16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him:
19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.
Noah removed the cover of the Ark on the first day of the first month. The surface of the earth was dried up, and Noah could verify this to the extent of what he could see. This was 29 days in duration. Then, 56 days later they left the ark. The total days from went they entered the ark to their departure from the ark was 371; if counting the first day and last day as full days. In that time, they counted 30 days in a month so they were on the ark for one year and eleven days.
It was a tedious confinement on the ark, but Noah remained faithful and acknowledged God as loving and trustworthy. God brought Noah and his family safely through the judgment. Only if others would have done the same.
This story closely parallels to us. Judgment is coming. Just like in the days of Noah, a decision must be made. There are only two choices, trust God and enter the ‘ark’ which is Jesus and follow him wherever he goes OR not. The message of His return has been preached for a very long time and just as probation ended in the days of Noah; it will also end again. This time it is final, the saved will be taken from this earth and those that rejected his mercy will be judged, condemned. Who will you submit to?
20 And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Noah has now departed from the ark, and the first thing that he does is build an alter for God. The first thing done in the very different world was an act of worship. This is the real issue, who do we worship? God and God alone? There is a great controversy going on, and there are just two options. We either believe in and trust God Almighty OR we believe in and trust something else. This is a live and death issue.
God was well pleased with Noah’s sacrifice. The blood of bulls and such could never save, but the sacrifice pointed to Christ…the one to come as prophesied in Genesis (3:15).
The flood washed away the race of wicked men, but it did not remove the nature of sin from man (Jeremiah 17:9-10). But God graciously declared he never would flood the world again. While the earth remains, and man upon it, there shall be summer and winter. It is plain that this earth is not to remain always. It, and all the works in it, must shortly be burned up; and we look for new heavens and a new earth, when all these things shall be dissolved. There is a day coming when this earth along with; sin, suffering, sickness, death, and the grave will end. Or we may say it this way: there is a day coming when those that accept His mercy will be given an incorruptible body, immortality, a new heaven and earth, and life in paradise with Jesus. Amen and Amen.
Special note: Once the ark came to rest on Mount Ararat, it was a total of 220 days later before the land was dry enough for Noah and his family to leave the ark. In a short 220 days, the vast waters receded into the bodies of water we have today. One must think of how that reshaped the earth’s surface, quickly depositing layers of mud, and sorted and buried animal, human, and plant remains. There is an abundance of evidence in the geologic column to support this biblical narrative. Many scholarly individuals have brought forth sound biblical interpretation to this end, who are identified in our blogs and website pages. Please check them out for yourselves.