Sermon Introduction:
Good morning, everyone.
In our lives, trials and difficulties that we never expected can visit us.
It is like "Noah's Flood" where everything is swept away and we lose our way, and there are days when we feel God's silence, I believe.
However, the Bible speaks ──
"God remembered Noah" (Genesis 8:1), it says.
That single verse is a promise that God's gaze is fixed upon us even in silence. God has not forgotten you. Today, through Genesis Chapter 8, concerning God's compassion and faithfulness, and the hope prepared for us, let us look at it together.
1. God's Mercy and the Cessation of the Flood (Verses 1–14)
“8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. 2 Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. 3 The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, 4 and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible. 6 After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark 7 and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had gone down from the surface of the ground. 9 But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. 10 He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. 11 When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. 12 He waited yet another seven days and then sent the dove out again, and it did not return to him. 13 By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and looked out, and all he saw was dry ground. 14 By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry.” (NIV)
Verse 1: "God remembered Noah and all the animals and livestock in the ark with him"
"Remembered" (Hebrew (Yizzəḵōr) יִּזְכֹּר ) is not merely recalling, but means to take action based on a promise.
God did not forget Noah, but caused the flood to recede as an act faithful to the covenant.
Please see the footnote, where a similar usage is found in Genesis 19:29, "God remembered Abraham, and he saved Lot."
Verses 1–5: The Ebb of the Flood and the Ark's Resting
God caused a "wind (ruach) רוּחַ " to blow over the earth.
An expression that recalls the "Spirit (ruach) רוּחַ " of creation in Genesis 1:2.
The Flood was a "reverse creation" (returning to chaos), but here "re-creation" begins again.
Verse 4: "On the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat." Ararat is near the Armenian border in eastern Turkey today.
・Contextual Background
17th day of the 2nd month: The Flood begins (7:11)
150 days later: The water begins to recede (8:3)
17th day of the 7th month: The ark rests on Mount Ararat (8:4)
1st day of the 10th month: The tops of the mountains begin to appear (8:5)
That is, the day when the water of God's judgment began to recede, and the landing of salvation occurred.
It is recorded as "a new beginning" and "a turning point for salvation."
·Symbolic Meaning
In the Hebrew calendar, the “Seventh Month” is a very significant month.
| Month | Name (later Jewish Calendar) | Festival/Event | Meaning |
| Seventh Month | ティスレ（Tishri） | Festival of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) New Year, Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot) | Reconciliation with God·New Beginning |
In Exodus 12:2, God commanded Israel this:
“This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.” (NIV)
Counting from there,
Seventh Month (Genesis standard) = First Month of the Religious Calendar (Exodus standard)
That is, it corresponds to the “Month of Nisan.”
And the “seventeenth day of the Month of Nisan” becomes an astonishing day.
| Event | Date | Meaning |
| Resurrection of Jesus Christ | Around Nisan 17 | Victory over Death·Beginning of New Life |
| Landing of Noah’s Ark | 17th day of the Seventh Month (= corresponds to Nisan 17) | Victory over the Flood (Death)·Beginning of New Earth |
On the 17th day of the Month of Nisan (the 1st month of the Jewish religious calendar), Jesus Christ was resurrected.
Timeline
| Nisan 14th | Day the Passover Lamb is slaughtered | Jesus’ Crucifixion |
| Nisan 15th | First Day of the Feast of Passover | Jesus is in the Tomb |
| Nisan 16th | Sabbath | Jesus is in the Tomb |
| Nisan 17th | First Day of the Week | Jesus’ Resurrection |
Typological (Type) Connection
・Noah's Ark: 17th day of the 7th month (Genesis 8:4)
Ark rests on Mount Ararat → Waters of death begin to recede → Hope for new life begins
Resurrection of Jesus: 17th day of the 1st month (Nisan)
・Resurrection from death → Victory over sin and death → Beginning of a new creation
Conclusion:
The number 17 is connected with the themes of resurrection, new birth, and hope throughout the Bible. We can understand that this date in Noah's story typologically points to the later resurrection of Christ.
In other words, the ark's "resting (sabbath)" is a type (foreshadowing) of Christ's resurrection.
Verses 6–12: Sending out the Raven and the Dove
Noah observes, waits, and confirms.
Faith is the wisdom to discern reality while believing in God's promise.
The scene where the dove returns with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak (Verse 11) is
a sign that "life has budded again on the earth."
The dove later also became a symbol of the Holy Spirit, hinting at the beginning of a new life.
Verses 13–14: Noah Waiting until the Earth is Dry
Even though Noah removed the ark's "covering מִכְסֵה (Mikhseh) ← Hebrew" and confirmed it with his eyes, he did not leave until he had God's command. His carefulness and obedience show the maturity of his faith.
・2. Escape from the Ark (Verses 15–19)
“8:15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.” 18 So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. 19 All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, kind by kind.” (NIV)
When God commanded, "Come out," Noah immediately obeyed.
Leaving the ark was not Noah's arbitrary decision, but by a clear command from God.
Noah's first action was "to build an altar and sacrifice burnt offerings" (Verse 20).
Let's note that the first act after the Flood was "worship."
It is an expression of gratitude and dedication to God, and the natural response of those who have been saved.
・3. God's Covenant and the Promise of the Gospel (Verses 20–22)
“8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21 The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. 22 “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”” (NIV)
Verse 20: Noah's Worship
"Altar" is a word that appears for the first time in the Bible.
"Altar": In Hebrew (mizbeaḥ מִזְבֵּחַ ), Noah offers a sacrifice of thanks.
Having known God's righteousness and experienced His mercy through the Flood, he stands as a "Worshiper."
Worship is an act of thanksgiving based on the assurance of salvation.
This act of "building an altar to the Lord" was passed down to his descendants: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses.
Tracing the Bible, Abraham (initially Abram) built four altars in the land of Canaan.
| 12:7 | Shechem (by the Oak of Moreh) | Northern Canaan (near present-day Nablus) |
| 12:8 | Between Bethel and Ai | Central Canaanite Mountains (near present-day Beit El, Ramallah area) |
| 13:18 | Hebron (by the Oaks of Mamre) | Located in Southern Canaan (present-day Hebron), The tombs of Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob (Cave of Machpelah) are also here. |
| 22:9 | Mount Moriah (Place of Isaac’s sacrifice) | = Temple Mount in Jerusalem, South-Central (Jerusalem) present-day capital of Israel |
The Bible records that the root of this was Noah.
Verse 21: "The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma"
The pleasing aroma = Rêaḥ hannîḥōaḥ ( רֵיחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ ) Hebrew expression.
Literal translation: "Aroma of rest," "Aroma of appeasement," "Pleasing aroma."
Ephesians 5:2: “And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (NIV)
Sacrifice of praise: “Hebrews 13:15: Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” (NIV)
・The covenant God made with man
Noah is the first (Noahic Covenant). The Lord, who smelled the pleasing aroma of the burnt offering Noah sacrificed on the altar, in His heart said this: "Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.” (8:21)
God accepted not the sacrifice itself, but the heart." (“Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” NIV)”
"The inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood,"God, knowing the sinfulness of man, nevertheless stops destroying again." That is to say, God's mercy is deeper than man's sin.
Verse 22: "As long as the earth endures... will never cease"
"Seedtime and harvest," "cold and heat, summer and winter," God's grace flows within daily human activities. This is the foundation of the Noahic Covenant, and a testimony that the world we live in is preserved within God's established order. The promise of the permanence of the created order. God reestablished the order.
・4. Summary of Genesis Chapter 8
Genesis Chapter 8 depicts the transition from God's judgment to restoration. God's remembrance, Noah's faith, and God's new promise are the central themes of this chapter. This story conveys a message of hope that after any difficulty, God prepares a new beginning.
The two lineages separated from Adam:
One, the "Lineage of Cain," tried to live without acknowledging God.
The other, the "Lineage of Seth," lived acknowledging God. He later played an important role in carrying out the priestly work.
The lineage continuing from Cain was cut off by the Flood.
In contrast, the lineage continuing from Seth was inherited by Noah's family, survived God's judgment, and began the new journey of humankind.
・[Invitation] Receiving the Olive Branch of Hope
Beloved brothers and sisters, and those who joined our church's YouTube for the first time today.
Through today's sermon, we have reaffirmed the deep and unwavering love and mercy that God "remembered" Noah, and "had in mind" all life in the ark.
No matter what difficulties we may be in,
no matter what depths of despair we may be standing in,
God will never abandon us.
God "remembers" each and every one of us, and
is the One who takes concrete action to lead us to salvation.
The dove Noah sent out returned with an olive leaf in its beak.
It was a small leaf, but it was a sign of great hope.
Life returned. There is a future. God keeps His promises.
If you feel you are currently in a "Great Flood" of life,
if you are about to be crushed by anxiety about the future or the burden of past sins,
please remember, that
"God remembers you."
Today, God is trying to give you too a sign of hope.
That is Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins, and was resurrected on the third day.
He became a "pleasing aroma" for us.
By Christ's sacrifice, we are able to have a new covenant with God.
That means the way from death to life, and from despair to hope has been opened.
No matter how dark the situation, there is hope in Christ.
No matter how difficult the trial, there is peace in Christ.
Now, is there anyone who desires to respond to this gracious invitation?
If in your heart, gratitude to God, repentance, and
the desire to walk a new life are budding,
let us take that step today.
Today, why not believe in Jesus Christ and make this eternal hope your own?
Please pray in your heart,
"Lord Jesus, I believe in you. You are my hope."
Let us pray.
"Heavenly Father God.
Today, through your word, we were able to know your love and your plan of salvation.
May each person here respond to your invitation, and
enter the Ark of Salvation, which is Christ.
May they choose a life of walking with you.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
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