Then the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land. - Jonah 2:10
On the 1st day of the 1st month of the year, when Noah was 601 years old, he removed the covering from the ark, looked out, and saw that the land was dry. The flood was over; God’s judgment was complete. After spending months on the ark taking care of all the animals aboard, they were finally able to disembark safely.
This morning’s message is titled “Noah Exits the Ark”. It is the 22nd sermon of the series. We will be reading from Genesis 8:14-22. Turn there in your Bibles and let’s begin.
I. GO OUT OF THE ARK (v14-19)
On the 27th day of the 2nd month the earth was dry and the LORD told Noah to “Go out of the ark.” He was to unload all of the animals he had brought with him, the various land animals and birds, so that they could begin repopulating the earth. So Noah and his wife, along with their 3 sons and daughter-in-laws, got off the boat. So also, all of the animals exited the ark, each according to its kind.
There were 56 days, almost 2 months, between the time Noah removed the covering of the ark and saw that the ground was dry and the time he and those on board with him actually exited the ark. You might ask yourself, why did Noah wait so long before getting off? I mean, the earth was already dry and the conditions were safe. Still, Noah waited on the ark until God gave him a specific command to exit (Psalm 27:14). He did not want to get ahead of God.
As we discussed last week, the Bible says that Noah and the animals went out from the ark, but never explicitly states that they exited through the door which God had shut. Noah removed the covering of the ark, perhaps meaning the upper deck of the ark, and may have used the wood to build ramps by which he and the animals could disembark from the top of the vessel. That said, they may have used the door. The bottom line is, whatever method they followed, he, his family, and all the animals got off.
Let me remind you… it is estimated that approximately 6,750 animals were on the ark. Just as it took a while to load them all, I am sure it took a while to unload them. Notice that they exited in an orderly manner, each according to their kind. It wasn’t a chaotic scramble to get off the ark, which might be expected after having been cooped up for 370 days. This detail is an example of the orderly nature of God (1 Corinthians 14:33). After exiting, the animals were free to go and begin multiplying on the earth.
II. NOAH MAKES AN OFFERING (v20-21a)
Noah built an altar to the LORD. He took of every clean animal and every clean bird and offered a burnt offering to God. The LORD smelled the soothing aroma that rose up from the offering.
Immediately after exiting the ark ark, Noah built an altar to the LORD. The Bible doesn’t say exactly what materials he used, whether it was wood from the vessel, unhewn stone, or something else. What it was, the altar was likely very simple and basic. What matters is that Noah wanted to make an offering to God, to worship Him and thank Him for His protection during the flood.
As we discussed earlier, Noah knew the difference between clean animals and unclean animals. He also knew how to make a proper burnt offering to the LORD. These things had likely been revealed by God to previous generations and were known and practiced by righteous believers prior to Noah (for example, Abel, Enoch, etc). We read earlier that, in anticipation of this burnt offering, Noah took 7 pairs of each clean animal and bird (rather than just 1 pair in the case of the unclean animals) so that he would have enough to make this sacrifice while still leaving others alive to perpetuate their kind.
Noah’s burnt offering was pleasing and acceptable to the LORD. This is depicted by its “soothing aroma”. The sweet smell of sacrifice is seen not only in burnt offerings, but also in the burning of incense that would later be continuously offered in the tabernacle and temple. This represented the prayers of the people rising up to God. Ultimately, the greatest example of this is found in Christ, who gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering to God (Ephesians 5:2).
III. GOD MAKES AN OATH (v21b-22)
God spoke to Himself and promised that, although man is evil, He would never again curse the ground as He had done. He further declared that He would never again destroy every living thing as He had done. He promised that as long as the earth remained, the regular sequence of days and nights and annual seasons would never again be disrupted.
Having accepted Noah’s burnt offering, God swore an oath… to Himself. Even though the LORD knew that the thoughts and behaviors of mankind would continue to be sinful and carnal for the most part even after the flood, God promised to never again flood the earth and kill every living creature. This pledge was unconditional, based solely upon God’s character and power, without respect to the actions of mankind. It revealed the sorrow and pain that the flood caused God to endure.
Beyond this, God further promised to not disrupt or suspend the normal passage of days and seasons ever again until the earth itself ceased to exist. The flood and its effects last for over a year, essentially wiping out the practical sequence of seasons. There was no planting or harvest that year, no real distinction between spring, summer, fall, and winter, and even no meaningful difference between day and night for those inside the ark. In essence, God looked at what He had done, and though it was justly deserved and wholly right, He swore to Himself that He would never do it in this way and to this extent again.
CONCLUSION
Let’s take a brief look back over today’s message and emphasize a few of its major points.
First, we as believers should wait upon the LORD. Noah could have exited the ark sooner than he did, and I am pretty sure he was ready to get off, but instead he waited for God's explicit command. We are wise to follow his example. It can be tempting to barrel ahead on our own, especially when everything appears fine, but we must learn to patiently and carefully wait for God’s direction.
Second, although the old sacrificial system has been completed and fulfilled in Christ, we as Christians still offer sacrifices to God today. We make these sacrifices through prayer, worship, service, and so forth. Like Noah, we need to prioritize the practice of exalting God and thanking Him for our salvation. May our offerings be a soothing aroma to Him as well.
Third, God is troubled and deeply grieved by mankind's sin. He takes no pleasure in punishing or condemning anyone. His desire is that all would be saved and aspire to live in holiness and righteousness. The Great Flood was painful for Him and He swore to never do it again. That said, God is just and will not allow sin to go unpunished (Exodus 34:7).
In our upcoming message, God will begin speaking to Noah. He will issue what theologians refer to as “The Noahic Covenant”. We will explore this covenant next Sunday. Until then, may your life this week be a pleasing and sweet sacrifice and to the LORD.
On the 1st day of the 1st month of the year, when Noah was 601 years old, he removed the covering from the ark, looked out, and saw that the land was dry. The flood was over; God’s judgment was complete. After spending months on the ark taking care of all the animals aboard, they were finally able to disembark safely.
This morning’s message is titled “Noah Exits the Ark”. It is the 22nd sermon of the series. We will be reading from Genesis 8:14-22. Turn there in your Bibles and let’s begin.
I. GO OUT OF THE ARK (v14-19)
On the 27th day of the 2nd month the earth was dry and the LORD told Noah to “Go out of the ark.” He was to unload all of the animals he had brought with him, the various land animals and birds, so that they could begin repopulating the earth. So Noah and his wife, along with their 3 sons and daughter-in-laws, got off the boat. So also, all of the animals exited the ark, each according to its kind.
There were 56 days, almost 2 months, between the time Noah removed the covering of the ark and saw that the ground was dry and the time he and those on board with him actually exited the ark. You might ask yourself, why did Noah wait so long before getting off? I mean, the earth was already dry and the conditions were safe. Still, Noah waited on the ark until God gave him a specific command to exit (Psalm 27:14). He did not want to get ahead of God.
As we discussed last week, the Bible says that Noah and the animals went out from the ark, but never explicitly states that they exited through the door which God had shut. Noah removed the covering of the ark, perhaps meaning the upper deck of the ark, and may have used the wood to build ramps by which he and the animals could disembark from the top of the vessel. That said, they may have used the door. The bottom line is, whatever method they followed, he, his family, and all the animals got off.
Let me remind you… it is estimated that approximately 6,750 animals were on the ark. Just as it took a while to load them all, I am sure it took a while to unload them. Notice that they exited in an orderly manner, each according to their kind. It wasn’t a chaotic scramble to get off the ark, which might be expected after having been cooped up for 370 days. This detail is an example of the orderly nature of God (1 Corinthians 14:33). After exiting, the animals were free to go and begin multiplying on the earth.
II. NOAH MAKES AN OFFERING (v20-21a)
Noah built an altar to the LORD. He took of every clean animal and every clean bird and offered a burnt offering to God. The LORD smelled the soothing aroma that rose up from the offering.
Immediately after exiting the ark ark, Noah built an altar to the LORD. The Bible doesn’t say exactly what materials he used, whether it was wood from the vessel, unhewn stone, or something else. What it was, the altar was likely very simple and basic. What matters is that Noah wanted to make an offering to God, to worship Him and thank Him for His protection during the flood.
As we discussed earlier, Noah knew the difference between clean animals and unclean animals. He also knew how to make a proper burnt offering to the LORD. These things had likely been revealed by God to previous generations and were known and practiced by righteous believers prior to Noah (for example, Abel, Enoch, etc). We read earlier that, in anticipation of this burnt offering, Noah took 7 pairs of each clean animal and bird (rather than just 1 pair in the case of the unclean animals) so that he would have enough to make this sacrifice while still leaving others alive to perpetuate their kind.
Noah’s burnt offering was pleasing and acceptable to the LORD. This is depicted by its “soothing aroma”. The sweet smell of sacrifice is seen not only in burnt offerings, but also in the burning of incense that would later be continuously offered in the tabernacle and temple. This represented the prayers of the people rising up to God. Ultimately, the greatest example of this is found in Christ, who gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering to God (Ephesians 5:2).
III. GOD MAKES AN OATH (v21b-22)
God spoke to Himself and promised that, although man is evil, He would never again curse the ground as He had done. He further declared that He would never again destroy every living thing as He had done. He promised that as long as the earth remained, the regular sequence of days and nights and annual seasons would never again be disrupted.
Having accepted Noah’s burnt offering, God swore an oath… to Himself. Even though the LORD knew that the thoughts and behaviors of mankind would continue to be sinful and carnal for the most part even after the flood, God promised to never again flood the earth and kill every living creature. This pledge was unconditional, based solely upon God’s character and power, without respect to the actions of mankind. It revealed the sorrow and pain that the flood caused God to endure.
Beyond this, God further promised to not disrupt or suspend the normal passage of days and seasons ever again until the earth itself ceased to exist. The flood and its effects last for over a year, essentially wiping out the practical sequence of seasons. There was no planting or harvest that year, no real distinction between spring, summer, fall, and winter, and even no meaningful difference between day and night for those inside the ark. In essence, God looked at what He had done, and though it was justly deserved and wholly right, He swore to Himself that He would never do it in this way and to this extent again.
CONCLUSION
Let’s take a brief look back over today’s message and emphasize a few of its major points.
First, we as believers should wait upon the LORD. Noah could have exited the ark sooner than he did, and I am pretty sure he was ready to get off, but instead he waited for God's explicit command. We are wise to follow his example. It can be tempting to barrel ahead on our own, especially when everything appears fine, but we must learn to patiently and carefully wait for God’s direction.
Second, although the old sacrificial system has been completed and fulfilled in Christ, we as Christians still offer sacrifices to God today. We make these sacrifices through prayer, worship, service, and so forth. Like Noah, we need to prioritize the practice of exalting God and thanking Him for our salvation. May our offerings be a soothing aroma to Him as well.
Third, God is troubled and deeply grieved by mankind's sin. He takes no pleasure in punishing or condemning anyone. His desire is that all would be saved and aspire to live in holiness and righteousness. The Great Flood was painful for Him and He swore to never do it again. That said, God is just and will not allow sin to go unpunished (Exodus 34:7).
In our upcoming message, God will begin speaking to Noah. He will issue what theologians refer to as “The Noahic Covenant”. We will explore this covenant next Sunday. Until then, may your life this week be a pleasing and sweet sacrifice and to the LORD.