QT 8/5/2025 Gen 8:1-12, God's grace to mankind

Genesis 8:1–12 (ESV) —

1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 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 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7 and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. 9 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 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11 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. 12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.

 

NOTE: There is a fascinating chiastic formula in Genesis 6:9-8:22. One example of a chiastic outline looks as follows:

 

A Topic One

B Topic Two

C Topic Three

D Main point of section

C' Topic Three

B' Topic Two

A' Topic One

 

This is a particularly Jewish way of outlining or organizing thoughts. You move upwards to the main point and then back down. In Gen 6:9-8:22, you see it in the use of the numbers for the periods of time: 7, 7, 40, 150, 150, 40, 7, 7 or

 

7

7

40

150

Key point

150

40

7

7

 

Where does this pattern lead? It leads to the main point of the story,

 

Genesis 8:1–3a (ESV) — 1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 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, …

 

Why is this important? Because God in his grace does not destroy all mankind. He shows grace to Noah. He didn't have to. But in his mercy and kindness, he saves mankind through Noah. He started a new godly line.

 

God is ever full of grace. Jesus is the greatest example of God's grace in his dying to pay the penalty of sin so that we could have a relationship with God again, and eternal life. God cares for us. Noah was the next step in a line pointing to a savior.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I appreciated God's grace to me?
2. Do I recognize how undeserving I am of his grace and mercy?

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for grace. There is nothing in this life I deserve except judgment and death, and yet, you have showered me with grace and salvation. And you also give mercy because of my constant failures. I thank you so much. Words fail in every respect when it comes to how much grace and mercy mean to me.