But God remembered

February 16, 2025
Pastor Jack

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Genesis 8

And God remembered Noah and all the wild animals, and all the domesticated animals that were with him in the ark. And God caused a wind to blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. And the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, and the rain from the heavens was restrained. And the waters receded from the earth gradually, and the waters abated at the end of one hundred and fifty days. And the ark came to rest in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters continued to recede to the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared. And it happened that at the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made. And he sent out a raven; it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from upon the earth. And he sent out a dove to see whether the waters had subsided from upon the face of the ground. But the dove did not find a resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned to him into the ark, for the waters were still on the face of all the earth. And he stretched out his hand and took her, and brought her to himself into the ark. And he waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark. And the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly-picked olive tree leaf was in her mouth. And Noah knew that the waters had subsided from upon the earth. And he waited seven more days, and he sent out the dove. But it did not return again to him. And it happened that, in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters dried up from upon the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked. And behold, the face of the ground was dried up. And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. And God spoke to Noah, saying: “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you all the living things which are with you, from all the living creatures—birds, and animals, and everything that creeps on the earth, and let them swarm on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” So Noah went out, with his sons and his wife, and the wives of his sons with him. Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, and everything that moves upon the earth, according to its families, went out from the ark. And Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and he took from all the clean animals and from all the clean birds, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And Yahweh smelled the soothing fragrance, and Yahweh said to himself, “Never again will I curse the ground for the sake of humankind, because the inclination of the heart of humankind is evil from his youth. Nor will I ever again destroy all life as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seed and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not cease.

Genesis 8:

A New Beginning: God’s Faithfulness After the Flood

Introduction: Life often brings seasons of waiting—times when we wonder if God sees us or remembers our struggles. In Genesis 8, after months on the ark, Noah experiences a turning point: ‘But God remembered Noah.’ This phrase isn’t about God recalling something He forgot—it’s about His faithfulness in action. As we study this chapter, we’ll see how God’s remembrance leads to renewal, and how His timing is always perfect. Just as He brought Noah into a new beginning, He is faithful to lead us into His promises today.

Genesis 8:1–5

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.

  • Had God forgotten about Noah?

  • Do you ever feel like God might have forgotten about you?

  • There is no embellishment of Noah’s character here. Remember Genesis 7:1 “…I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.” Do you think there is any significance in that?

  • The Hebrew word for wind (rûaḥ) can also mean spirit or breath. Look back at Genesis 1:2 “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” What observations, comparisons, or conclusions can you make here? (Hints: Spirit, creation, renewal, chaos)

    The phrase in Genesis 8:1 is more than just a weather report—it’s a theological statement about God’s power to bring new beginnings. Just as He brought order from chaos in Genesis 1, He now restores the earth after judgment, pointing forward to the ultimate new creation in Christ (Revelation 21:1-5).

  • Notice the passive statements in this passage. Where is the focus? Who is doing the actions here? What can we take from this?

Genesis 8:6–12

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.

  • What is going on here?

Genesis 8:13–14

In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out.

  • What’s happening now?

Genesis 8:15–19

Then God said to Noah, 16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

  • Notice that Noah stayed in the ark until God said “Go”.
    • How often do we wait for God to say “Go”?
    • Are we as dependent on God as Noah was?

Genesis 8:20–22

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

  • What is Noah’s very first action?
  • Do you recall the first time an altar is mentioned in the bible?
  • What do you think was the pleasing aroma that God smelled?
  • Thinking about pleasing worship and the intentions of man’s heart, why do you think God accepts worship from people who are still sinful? How does this point us to Jesus and the grace we receive through Him?

Wrap it

Church, do we have thankful hearts?

  • Do we wait on God?
  • Do we worship Him?
  • Do we praise Him?
  • He remembers us; do we remember Him?

Takeaways from Genesis 8

  • God Never Forgets His People – “But God remembered Noah” (Genesis 8:1) reminds us that even in seasons of waiting, God is always working.
  • Waiting on God’s Timing Leads to Renewal – Just as Noah waited for the waters to recede, we must trust in God’s perfect timing.
  • God’s Remembrance Leads to Action – Whether in Noah’s story, the Exodus, or Jesus’ coming, when God “remembers”, He moves to fulfill His promises.
  • Our Response to God’s Faithfulness Should Be Worship – Noah’s first action after the flood was to build an altar and worship (Genesis 8:20).
  • Jesus is the Ultimate Ark of Salvation – Just as Noah was saved through the ark, we are saved through Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21).

More thoughtful questions

  1. God’s Faithfulness in Remembering
    • Genesis 8:1 says, “But God remembered Noah.” What does this reveal about God’s character?
    • Have you ever experienced a time when you felt forgotten, but later saw that God was at work in your life? How did He “remember” you?
    • How does the idea that “God remembers” give us hope in difficult seasons?
  2. Waiting on God’s Timing
    • Noah and his family had to wait for the floodwaters to recede before leaving the ark (Genesis 8:6-14). What does this teach us about waiting on God’s timing?
    • Are there areas in your life where you are waiting on God? How can Noah’s patience encourage you?
  3. Jesus as the Ultimate Act of God’s Remembrance
    • Luke 1:72-73 says God remembered His holy covenant by sending Jesus. How is Jesus the fulfillment of God’s faithfulness?
    • The thief on the cross said to Jesus, “Remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). What does Jesus’ response teach us about God’s mercy?
  4. A Response to God’s Remembrance
    • After leaving the ark, Noah’s first action was to worship God (Genesis 8:20). How can we respond to God’s faithfulness in our lives?
    • Noah’s obedience preserved humanity’s future. How does our obedience to God impact those around us? Application Challenge
    • This week, how can you remind yourself and others that God has not forgotten you?
    • Is there someone in your life who needs to hear the message of God’s faithfulness? How can you share it with them?
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