Year 2 Day 206

Year 2 Day 206


Pray (ACts)


Read - Genesis 8


Message - Scott Woodburn
As chapter eight begins we are told that God remembered Noah (v1a). This isn’t to say that the Lord had somehow forgotten Noah but instead when we read about God’s “remembering” it means that he acts on behalf of the one he remembers and is faithful to all that He has promised. I remember happy moments in the past and do nothing. God remembered Noah and moved on his behalf, and caused the flood waters to subside (v1b). This language is anthropomorphic - it describes God using the language of man and it helps us to understand who He is. At the same time we remember that the Lord is Spirit. He doesn’t actually have body parts nor does He need to remember like us nor does He need to repent.


Eventually the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat (v4) and Noah sent out a raven to survey the land. The raven went back and forward but didn’t provide Noah with the good news he was waiting for. Later Noah sent out a dove but she wasn’t able to find any place to set her foot. The dove was sent again one week later and this time she returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf. Finally the waters were lowering! One more week passed before Noah sent out the dove once more and this time she didn’t return (v12). Soon Noah saw with his own eyes the ground was dry (v14) with the Lord telling him that it was time to leave the ark.


Scripture indicates that Noah had been on board the ark for 371 days. Can you imagine? We struggle during long car journeys and all of us complain about international flights. Noah puts us all to shame with over a year spent floating upon the flooded earth. As he leaves the ark he doesn’t look for a hot towel to wipe away the grime of travel, instead Noah’s response to God’s grace was worship.


Noah built the first altar in the Bible and offered burnt offerings to the Lord, the pleasing aroma of which delighted the Lord (v21). God then declared that He would never again flood the earth and that as long as the earth remained then so too would seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night (v22). Here we see a wonderful picture of God’s grace. Genesis quickly shows us that Noah wasn’t a perfect man yet still the Lord would not revoke His promise. The Lord will not destroy the earth again with water.


Noah left the ark and put the worship of the Lord first. Today we would do well to heed his example. We have much that Noah didn’t have. Today we require no altar for instead we look to Jesus. He is the ark for God’s people. He is the truly righteous man. He is the great high priest. His altar was the cross and He Himself was the sacrifice. Today what Christ has done is like a sweet aroma to Almighty God (Ephesians 5v2) and for as long as the earth remains, Jesus is at the right hand of the Father interceding for His own. Worship Him!


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q86 What is faith in Jesus Christ? Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.
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