Never Forgotten
I like how Genesis 8 begins: “But God remembered Noah...” The flood waters were raging and every living thing not on the ark (except for the fish) was utterly destroyed, but God did not forget Noah and all who/that was with him. I think that sometimes we go through difficult times in our lives when the metaphorical flood waters are raging and where all our certainties become uncertainties and when our life as we know it changes. And in those times, we may feel similar to David when he wrote, “Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1). Sometimes we may feel like we have been abandoned. I think this verse serves as a good reminder to us though. In the same way that God remembered Noah, He always remembers us. Even David recognized that in truth God was not hiding at all. He finishes that same psalm by saying, "16 The LORD is king forever and ever, the nations perish from his land. 17 O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear 18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more." (Psalm 10:16-18). Even though we may sometimes feel like God has abandoned us, he most certainly has not! Mary Stevenson penned a popular poem that states this question and then gives a beautifully poetic answer that we should all conclude to be true. The poem is called “Footprints in the Sand.” It goes as follows:
Footprints in the Sand
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?”
The Lord replied,
“The times when you have seen only one set of footprints,
is when I carried you.”
Testing the Waters while Waiting on God
God's plan and timing is perfect. And He doesn't often send us a calendar invite to know exactly what's going on and when. Don't misunderstand me, He will let us know all the details when we need to know them. But in the meantime, God expects us to test things out for ourselves. Truly, we spend a lot of time waiting on God for what's to come. And in the meantime we need to be certain that we are doing the best with what we know to do then. We should never sit around doing nothing while we're waiting. Notice in this passage that Noah tested the waters on his own while waiting for God to tell him what to do and when to do it. Let's look at the order of how things went. First, Noah sent a raven to see if the land had dried up yet (Genesis 8:7). After the raven returned, Noah sent a dove. The dove couldn't find a dry place so it too returned (8:8, 9). After seven days, Noah again sent the dove. This time, the dove came back with an olive leaf (8:10 , 11). After seven more days, Noah sent the dove out once more. This time the dove did not return (8:12 ). Noah then took the roof off the ark and saw that the earth was dry (8:13 ). Finally, after another month and 26 days, the earth had completely dried out and then God told Noah to leave the ark, taking everyone and everything out with him (8:14 -17). Noah once again did as he was told (8:18 , 19). Let me give an example: You may be wondering what ministry God might want you to be involved with. But if you haven't heard clearly from God, that doesn't mean you should just sit and wait. You should test the waters by asking more information about a certain ministry or trying one out. (It's often times not until after we test the handle that God shows us that the door is open.) And all this should be done in conjunction with prayer.
Sweet Aroma
After leaving the ark, Noah took some of every clean animal and every clean bird and offered them as a sacrifice to God (as we mentioned in the last post) (Genesis 8:20 ). What's amazing to read about, however, is not the sacrifice. The amazing thing to read about is God's response. Genesis 8:21, 22 says, “21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.’” Notice that what God says is not directed toward Noah or anyone else. It says that God said in His heart. That's such an amazing thought. Noah's offering so pleased God that it caused Him to say in His heart that He would never destroy every living creature again. We are nothing in comparison to God. Yet, He loves our offerings. I encourage us to keep this picture of God's satisfaction in mind next time we worship God with songs, dancing, offerings, etc.
Replenishing the Earth
God gave Noah and his sons an amazing task. They were responsible to replenish the earth. God did not choose to re-create man. God told them, “’Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." (Genesis 9:1b; this is restated in 9:7 as well). We see this fact confirmed in Genesis 9:18, 19 when it says, “18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan .) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.”
From Herbivore to Omnivore
Genesis 9:3, 4 offers the first time that we see God telling people to eat animals. Up until this point, it seems that they ate only plants. In Genesis 3:18b-19a God told Adam, “and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread…” When God was telling Noah what to bring on the ark, He told Noah in Genesis 6:21, “Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” This is by no means proof that they had never eaten animals, but if it wasn't, then why did God take the time to say it?
Taking the Rainbow Back
Certain groups (and one in particular) have claimed the rainbow as a symbol for their cause. The rainbow already has a more significant meaning though, so I'm here to take it back. Next time you see a rainbow, let it serve as a reminder of God's covenant to Noah that He would never destroy all the living creatures of the earth again, because that's what God is remembering when He sees it! (Genesis 9:13-17)
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