창세기 Chapter 8

Translation: 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.

Key Message

God's remembering is salvific action grounded in covenant; even in times of silence, God remembers us and will surely act at the appointed time.

▸'But God remembered Noah' — this declaration opens chapter 8.

'But God remembered Noah' — this declaration opens chapter 8. The Hebrew word 'zakar' (to remember) is not mere recollection but an active, covenant-fulfilling remembrance. God's remembering is the beginning of salvation. During the one hundred and fifty days of silence, Noah may have felt as though God had forgotten him, yet God acts at precisely the appointed time. The wind (ruach) God causes to blow connects with the Spirit (ruach) of God hovering over the chaos in Genesis 1:2, hinting at the beginning of a new creation.

Related Verses

He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations.Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
4

and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

Key Message

As the waters of judgment recede, new land welcomes the ark; God prepares a place of new beginning after judgment.

▸The ark coming to rest on the mountains of Ararat signifies that new land is beginning to emerge.

6

At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made

Key Message

Faith includes not only passive waiting but also wise and active exploration of God's will.

▸Noah does not wait passively but actively investigates the situation.

8

Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground.

Key Message

God's restoration happens gradually; a person of faith needs eyes that can discern the small signs of the approaching new beginning.

▸Unlike the raven (v.

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.

Key Message

When the signs of restoration arrive after judgment passes, they are the beginning of the new life and peace God has promised.

▸The dove with the olive leaf in its beak has become the most universal symbol of peace and hope in world history.

15

Then God said to Noah,

Key Message

True obedience of faith is waiting for God's timing and word rather than acting on our own judgment.

▸Just as God commanded when entering the ark, there must also be a command from God to leave the ark.

20

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Key Message

New beginnings must start from worship offered to God; the burnt offering of all things to God is the first act of every new start.

▸Noah's first action upon leaving the ark is to build an altar and worship God.

21

And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, 'I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.'

Key Message

God's grace is given not because humanity has changed but because God has resolved to embrace and cover human weakness.

▸The decision God makes upon receiving the pleasing aroma is remarkable.

22

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.

Key Message

The regular order of nature is a continuous expression of God's faithfulness; in the cycle of seasons we see God's covenant faithfulness every day.

▸God promises the permanence of natural order.