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6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. 8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. 10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. ~ Genesis 8:6-12
Today, we return to our study of Genesis 8 where Noah and his family and all of the animals that God brought to them had been on the ark a total of 380 days. That is more than a year. I can only imagine what it was like to be cooped up in that boat for that long with so many animals.
In v.6-9 of today's passage we read, "6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. 8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself."
Forty days after the ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat, Noah opened the window. With the opening of the window, Noah released a raven which did not return to the ark. A raven is a scavenger bird and would have been perfectly content to land on any surface, even on a dead body to feast. The raven is a bird that represents the flesh. As this passage makes clear, the raven was no help to Noah whatsoever. According to Leviticus, a raven is a symbol of the unclean, like a person who lives apart from the grace of God, content to live in this world of death.
After the release of the raven, Noah released a dove providing for the reader a contrast of the unclean and the clean. God had defined them as such and so each of them provided a picture of man's response to God. The dove returned to the safety of the ark picturing a lost sinner who humbles himself enough to return to God. The reason we return to the Lord is represented by the dove throughout the Bible. At His baptism, the Spirit of God rested on the Lord Jesus and He rested on Him as a dove would come down and rest upon its perch. The dove represents the Holy Spirit throughout the Bible, and, it is His presence in the believer that enables him to persevere in the faith.
In addition, the raven and the dove picture for us the fact that the believer in Christ has two natures. This explains the civil war within the believer that the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 7. The Apostle describes these two within us as "the flesh" and "the Spirit." The whole struggle of the spiritual life arises out of the conflict of the flesh with the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. One is evil, unclean; the other is clean, and good. These are symbolized by these two birds. It is God's way of telling us that in the present age, like Noah, we must be wise to choose the way of the dove, always being defined by God.
In v.10-11 of today's passage we read, "10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth."
Seven days later, Noah sent out the dove once again. This time the dove returned with an olive leaf in its mouth. The raven represented death and the dove represented life. In the dove we have the symbol of the Holy Spirit descending upon us when we call on the name Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the Messenger of God telling us that all is well with our soul. Through the return of the dove, Noah knew the earth was drying out finally. But, the olive tree can yield leaves even under water. Throughout the Bible, the olive, and the oil it produces gives us symbolism of the work of Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. And, is a picture of the resurrection of Christ. Just as the olive can grow out from under water, so Christ came out of the grave as a victor over death.
In v.12 of today's passage we read, "So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore."
This verse highlights the utter necessity that is ours as we learn daily to walk with the Lord. God continually calls His people to wait on Him. The Israelites waited for over four hundred years to be released from the bondage of Egypt; God’s people waited thousands of years for Him to send the Messiah; and now, two thousand years later, we still wait on the return of the Lord Jesus. Waiting is part of God’s plan for the life of the believer, and I don’t think He wants us to miss the opportunities and growth found in the waiting. Waiting on God gives us the chance to get to know Him better. And the more we know Him, the more we will be defined and completed by Him.
The number 7 is the number that represents completeness or maturity in the Bible. In fact, it was on the seventh day of creation that God rested. The idea of resting and the number seven are intimately connected in the Bible. While on the cross of Calvary, the Lord Jesus uttered seven sayings, the final one being: "It is finished." When the Lord Jesus said those words He was saying the work of redemption is complete. This is why salvation is by faith through the grace of God. Even the faith that we exercise in the God of the Bible is a gift because it is conditioned upon our understanding of God's faithfulness.
