Day 820: Remembered - Genesis 8 vs 1 - 12

1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. 2-3 And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters receded from the earth continually. 4 At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

6-7 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8-9 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. 10-12 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him any more. Genesis 8:1-12 English Standard Version

The last chapter ended by saying that God blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. And the waters prevailed on the earth for 150 days. That means the waters totally covered the earth for 5 months! But what is the lovely way this chapter started in verse 1?

How wonderful it is to be remembered by the living God! Later in Genesis we’re told that “when God destroyed the cities of the valley, He remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.” (Genesis 19:29) So it’s no wonder the thief crucified alongside the Lord cried out: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)

Following the months of torrential rain it took another two months for the flood waters to recede enough for the ark to settle on the mountain region called Ararat. Even then, another two and a half months passed before the tops of lower mountains were visible from the ark. Another two months followed as Noah sent birds out to see what would become of them. The picture of the dove that came back in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf in her mouth has ever since been a lovely picture of peace. Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth and he, his family, and all the animals could make the fresh start God had brought about. And this was because God remembered Noah. I suggest He remembered also the promise He had made to Adam and Eve of a seed of woman would one day triumph over the deceiver of the world, the one who caused such destruction.

Centuries later, when descendants of Noah were in captivity in Egypt, the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. “Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” (Exodus 2:23-24)

Our only hope of salvation from sin, and freedom from it's bondage and consequences, is to be remembered by God. But the other side of this golden coin is that we must remember the Lord too. The Bible urges us to “remember our Creator in the days of our youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when we will say,'I find no pleasure in them.'” (Ecclesiastes 12:1) And if we are like some Christians at Ephesus whose love for the Lord had weakened, we must take Jesus' words to our own heart. He said: “Remember from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.” (Revelation 2:5)