Genesis Chapter 8: The New Beginning

In Genesis Chapter 8 Noah’s travels in the ark were soon to be over.  God’s word says in Genesis 8:2-3 that the “…fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained.”

I noticed the significance of the number seven (7) again here as on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the Ark finally rested on Mount Ararat. Noah also waited seven days both times he sent the dove from the Ark to check if the waters had subsided.  The first time, the dove brought back an olive branch, the second time the dove did not return.

Based on my reading of the scripture, it appears that Noah knew the water had receded.  Genesis 8:13 -14 “Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth.  Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up.”

Noah stayed in the ark for approximately another month before God spoke to Noah and told him to go out of the Ark with his family and all of the animals.  Noah seemed patient and obedient to wait on God even though his surroundings seemed ok, he still waited on God!

Once Noah went out of the Ark, he built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings of some of the clean animals and birds.  The supplemental reading explained that this is why Noah took seven (there is that number again) pairs of clean animals while only taking one pair of unclean animals.  (Genesis 7:2)

Another verse that stood out to me was Genesis 8:22

“While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night, Shall not cease”

This passage reminded me to worship, love my family, and work hard no matter what is going on around me.  In these times, many people get worried about what is going to happen with our nation, the planet, ect.  Instead of worry, we can trust God, fulfill our mission in life and enjoy our eternity with the King of Kings!