January 2, 2018: Day 8 – Genesis 8

God remembers Noah and the waters subside and the ark comes to rest on Mt. Ararat.  There have been numerous sightings of the ark, all of them, in my estimation, a waste of time trying to prove one thing or another.  The story of Noah ought to be able to stand alone.  It is a story of God never losing His faithfulness toward us.  It is a story of God taking care of His people and making sure that all of his creation would be able to start over again.  The way in which Genesis describes it is captivating, but it is not something that we ought to lose sleep over in order to prove its historicity.  I believe it, but even if it is merely an object lesson the point of the story would not be lost.  

Please notice that the first thing that Noah does when he descends from the ark is offer a sacrifice.  The first thing that Noah does when he stands on dry land is to worship God in the only way that he knew how.  God was pleased and God promised to himself that he would not destroy humanity again.  Now, he doesn’t make his covenant with Noah just yet, that comes in the next chapter, but we do find in the end of this chapter a love that God has for us which is reflected in the senses of smelling the offering, an emotion of gratitude for the offering and a response to the act of Noah which is one of grace upon more grace.  That is how our God works.