After The Flood Series

Genesis (Pt. 17) (After the Flood)

Text: Genesis 8:1-22

By: Ken McKinley

(Read Text)

Last week we looked at the flood and we saw the flood covering the whole earth; and we saw how Noah was a typology of Christ. Here in chapter 8 we’re at the end of the flood and we see how Noah responds to what’s just happened. And I think that as we read about these events we see that the message that they convey is for believers in every age of history.

The 1st thing I want you to see here is in verses 1 – 5. The rain has stopped and the flood waters begin to recede, and what we can take from those verses is that God never forgets about His people. The world has been destroyed by the flood, and Noah and his family have been on this huge boat for some time now, and God; in His divine wisdom has decided that it’s been long enough.

Now when it says, “God remembered Noah…” it’s not like God had forgotten all about him up until that point in time. What that phrase means is that God took care of Noah and his family throughout the entire flood – it’s not an act of memory, it’s an act of grace that we’re seeing here. It’s a sign of God’s faithfulness. And remember; Noah had faith, that’s how he got into the ark in the first place, but his faith is also important here because it’s been 150 days now that he’s been in the ark, and there’s still no sign of dry land.

Now verse 1 tells us that God sent a strong wind to dry up the waters. And this is interesting for a couple of reasons. First off, the Hebrew word translated as “Spirit” is the word “ruakh”, but about 40% of the time that word is used, it’s also translated as “wind.” Now in our text “ruakh” literally means “wind” but it should bring to mind at least 4 other passages of the bible. First of all in Genesis chapter one, when the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Secondly; in Exodus 14:21 when the Israelites were trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea, and God sent a strong wind to blow all night so that the Israelites could walk across on dry land. Thirdly; in John chapter 3, when Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus; let’s turn there and look at that… verses 6, 7, & 8 (Read). And then lastly; in Acts chapter 2:1-4 we read about how the disciples were all gathered in one place and in one accord and suddenly there came a sound like a “mighty rushing wind” and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. So I think that we are meant to see the Trinity’s involvement in Noah’s salvation from the flood here. But not just that, but in our salvation as well. In Noah’s case, we have God the Father, and if you remember, God is the one who initiated Noah’s salvation. It was God who gave Noah the warning, and then the invitation to come into the ark. In John 6:44 Jesus said, “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me, draws him…” Then we have the ark, and Noah was safe and secure inside of it; he was safe from the wrath of God that was being poured out on the world – just like every believer is safe in Christ, covered by His righteousness. And then we have this wind, blowing away the waters of the flood, taking away all the old, and making things new – that’s a picture of sanctification, of how we grow to be more like Christ, that’s the work of the Holy Spirit.

The OT is full of images like this, but it’s for our sake. It’s to show us how God works and how He IS working in our daily lives.

And so finally the ark makes landfall. Noah’s been preserved through this judgment, but now he has to wait. In verses 6-14, we see Noah start looking for a sign that the flood is over. Now I don’t know about you all, but I think I would be pretty tired of being in the ark after awhile. You know it had to smell awful, with all those animals. And I’m sure he loved his wife, and his sons, and his daughter-in-laws, but after awhile, you’re going to need a little space, a little breathing room. So verse 6 says, “Noah opened the window of the ark…” But apparently he couldn’t tell how much the waters had receded, so he sends out a raven and a dove. And this right here is kind of showing us how bad Noah was wanting to get out of the ark, but it’s also showing us his patience and trust in the Lord. And believe it or not, God often calls us to wait in patience and hope. He had told Noah that He was going to bring the flood, but He never told him how long it was going to last. Hebrews 6:12 tells us that we receive the promises of God through faith AND patience. And I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again. Patience isn’t waiting, it’s how you wait. We can wait impatiently just as easily as we can wait patiently.