Today we would be looking at another lockdown that occurred thousands of years ago in Genesis 8.
In this study, the tools we would use for this study are
- Who, What, When, Where, and How tool
- What does it mean?
- How does it apply to me today?
So let’s dig in and turn the bible to Genesis 8
Who, What, When, Where, and How tool
A timeline of what happened after the 40 days of the flood water that wiped away all living things on the earth except for Noah’s ark.
- The water receded steadily from the earth. After 150 days the water had gone down The 17th day of the 7th month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
- The waters continued to recede until the 10th month
- On the 1st day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.
- After 40 days, Noah opened the windows and sent out a raven everyday until the earth was dry.
- Then Noah sent a dove weekly to check if the earth was dried. The dove came back and didn’t have a place to land, Noah waited 7 days again, sent the dove out, and came back with a freshly plucked olive leaf. Noah waited 7 days again then sent the dove out ,but this time the dove didn’t come back this time.
- Noah wait another 7 days
- Noah was 601 years old when the water dried up from the earth.
on the 27th day of the 2nd month the earth was completely dry.
God spoke to Noah to come out of the Ark, with his wife and family and bring out all the living creatures in the ark, that they may multiply and fill the earth.
Noah built an altar to the Lord. Which pleased God.
God made 2 promises to Noah, they are
- Never to curse the ground because of humans
- Never again to destroy all living creatures,with flood waters.
What does it mean?
When the water receded and the earth was dry, Noah did not come out of the ark until the Lord told him to. He was patient to let God lead him. The receding of the water would have been a source of hope and a looking forward to when the earth would be dried again for them to inhabit. Though he could see the earth was dry, he did not venture out of the ark until he was instructed by God. Although being in the ark with all the animals and his family for over 10 months.
Such that when he could see the dry ground he didn’t rush out saying yes I know that is what God will instruct me to do. He was enduring enough to wait until he received the next instruction.
Their hope and faith mingled with actions. As it says in James 2:26
Faith without works is dead
Then God spoke to Noah to come out of the Ark, with his wife and family and bring out all the living creatures in the ark, that they may multiply and fill the earth.
The lockdown was finally over but life as Noah and his family knew it had changed. They no longer had neighbors and other people around them.
It was then Noah came out of the ark, though he knew the earth was dried but he didn’t come out of the ark until the Lord instructed him to.
It was time to exit the ark.
How does it apply to me today?
The restrain of waiting on God before moving, even when it feels we know the direction of the motion needed. When God spoke to Noah to come out of the Ark, with his wife and family and bring out all the living creatures in the ark, that they may multiply and fill the earth.
It was then and only then Noah came out of the ark, though he knew the earth was dried but he didn’t come out of the ark until the Lord instructed him to.
Noah did not rush out on assumption, He waited. Father Lord! Please teach me to wait on you.
And while waiting, Noah did what was within his influence of checking how the water was receding from the earth, he didn’t venture out of the ark until he was instructed by God. Being in the confinement of the ark as we can relate to as many countries all over the world have experienced some type of lockdown over the past year it can be easy for anyone to want to come out of the lockdown for whatever excuses. Noah didn’t run ahead of God but rather waited for His instructions.
What are you doing while you are waiting on God? Noah gained as much knowledge as he could (the earth was dried, and there was vegetation) but didn’t get out of the ark until God told him to.
The first thing Noah did was to build an altar to the Lord. He had the limited resources he had with him in the ark, but the first thing he did was to build an altar and make sacrifice.
In what we have, little or abundance it should not keep us from giving to God.
The Sacrifice of praise
Thank you.