The Raven and the Dove (Gen. 8:6-14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 03/31/2006

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  The Raven and the Dove

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 8:6-14

            Message of the verses:  “6 Then it came about at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made; 7 and he sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the water was abated from the face of the land; 9 but the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark, for the water was on the surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took her, and brought her into the ark to himself.  10 So he waited yet another seven days; and again he sent out the dove from the ark.  11 The dove came to him toward evening, and behold, in her beak was a freshly picked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water was abated from the earth.  12 Then he waited yet another seven days, and sent out the dove; but she did not return to him again.  13 Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up.  14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.”

These nine verses describe the last portion of time that Noah and his family, along with the animals spent on the ark.  Forty days after Noah could see the tops of the mountains he sent out a raven from the ark.  A raven is a bird that is a scavenger and could survive on anything that had died and many pastors have used this bird to illustrate the flesh, or the old nature.  Next Noah sent out a dove, but the dove could not survive on the things that the raven could survive on so the dove came back to Noah.  Noah sends out the dove again in seven days and the dove came back with the leaves of an olive branch in its mouth.  After another seven days Noah sends out the dove again and she never returns to the ark, for God had replenished the earth and so the dove could survive.  The dove is a clean bird which represents the new nature of a believer, and it also is mentioned at the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit came down on Him like the form of a dove. 

Verses 13 and 14 describe the age of Noah when the waters dried up along with the date in which the earth was dried up.

            God had renewed the earth so that man could live on it again and so it was time for Noah and all of the animals to come out of the ark and begin to live on the earth again.

            I realize that we don’t get the following information  from Noah, but I have to wonder what Noah thought as he left the ark as we can be sure that the earth was greatly different than it was when he and his family and the animals got into the ark a year before this time when they got off.

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  In all of the situation that Noah and his family, along with the animals went through God provided for their needs, and God has also promised to provide for my needs even though I am going through a tough time because of the loss of our investments to this point. 

The Word of God has been both refreshing and challenging to my heart this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  To look at the way God provided for Noah and his family while in the ark when the waters came down on them so hard and they went through a terrible storm for forty days, and trust the Lord to take me through the storms of live that He sends me into, for God did indeed send Noah and his family into the storm.  I trust the Lord to direct my path this day and to continue to teach me contentment.