God’s Creation is Bringing Us God’s Covenant Message of Life and Peace. Genesis 8:11

Genesis 8:6-22 New King James Version

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.

¹³ And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry. ¹⁴ And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried.

¹⁵ Then God spoke to Noah, saying, ¹⁶ “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁷ Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” ¹⁸ So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. ¹⁹ Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.

God’s Covenant with Creation

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹ And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination^[a] of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

²² “While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Genesis 8:11 New King James Version

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.

Maybe you have seen a picture or a logo showing a white dove with an olive branch in its beak.

That image draws from our devotional reading for today.

Over time, mankind has used the image of a dove bringing a part of an olive tree as a symbol for peace.

When we look a little closer at today’s passage, it becomes clear to us that Noah wasn’t just passively waiting for good, peaceful news.

He first sent out a raven, a large robust bird that flew “back and forth” but apparently did not come back into the ark—probably because it found plenty of carrion to eat.

Noah then sent out a gentle dove—a smaller more vulnerable bird—to go to and fro looking for visible evidence of new growth – and then he waited attentively.

The dove soon returned because it “could find nowhere to perch.”

So Noah brought it back into the ark for seven days.

Then, in the morning when Noah sent the dove out again, it returned in the evening with a single olive leaf in its mouth.

This meant the flood waters had receded to a safe level where the people and animals could flourish, thrive again, enjoying shalom (peace) in God’s world.

But, If the trees were destroyed by the floodwaters, where do we believe did the dove get the olive leaf?

Genesis 8:10-11 The Message

^10-11 He waited seven more days and sent out the dove again. It came back in the evening with a freshly picked olive leaf in its beak. Noah knew that the flood was about finished.

It comes to mind that the olive tree may have been one of the very few types of trees that were hearty enough to be able to survive the flood.

Olive trees are well known for their hardiness and ability to withstand difficult conditions, including drought, saltwater, and pests.

Alternatively, it’s possible that the olive tree was not completely destroyed by the flood and in a short time was able to regenerate after the waters receded.

Again, it bears repeating that the olive is a very strong and resistant tree, so it is possible it could have remained alive underwater for many months of the flood.

After the floodwaters had gone down, leaving the tree on the dry ground once more, by God’s creative power, it could then have put forth leaves once more.

Another alternative is that the dove was carrying the leaf of a very young sprout representing new life in God that came up after the floodwaters had gone down.

Being in the Dove’s Flight Path of God’s Timing

God did not tell Noah when he could get out of the ark. Noah and his family had been in the ark for 150 days, Noah had to (in a way) peacefully figure things out.

Here’s what happened after 150 days:

1. The ark came to rest (Genesis 8:4)
2. The mountain tops were visible (Genesis 8:5)
3. Noah opened a window (Genesis 8:6)
4. Noah sent out a raven (Genesis 8:7)
5. Noah sent out a dove (Genesis 8:8)
6. Noah waited before sending out the dove again (Genesis 8:10)
7. Noah knew that the water had receded when the dove brought an olive leaf (Genesis 8:11)

Maybe it is just me – but I get a sense that when we trust God, we can be ‘in the dove’s flight path – flying, seeking and searching’ with God without panicking.

What Noah did by simply remaining on the Ark was a picture of peaceful calm.

He did not fret because he did not know when they could leave the ark; in total, they were in the ark for a year – instead, he just watched the signs and waited.

As we reflect upon the calm of Noah waiting for the presence of God to manifest itself to us, signaling to us the moment when we should anticipate God acting,

As we reflect upon this single olive leaf, let’s consider ways in which we might singularly participate in bringing the message of God’s peace in God’s world.

Do we just say with our lips that we want peace, or are we intentionally working toward it, even in small, possibly vulnerable ways, are we also sharing the good news of our Savior Jesus, who brings peace and rest for people’s weary hearts?

My Hope in the Shalom of God because in God I trust

So it gives me hope.

That when we are undergoing change, even in a storm, God will come for us.

The instructions from God “to wait for the return of the dove” “look for the tiny olive leaf” may not be explicit but things will work out because God is watching.

This is an encouragement for me, and for you.

No matter what what we are waiting for, what we’re going through or trying to get done, we have hope that things will work out because our hope is in the God who watches over us and acts with perfect timing – His dove will bring us peace.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

And God remembered and thought kindly of Noah and every living thing and all the animals that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind blow over the land, and the waters receded. The dove came back to him in the evening, and there, in her beak, was a fresh olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water level had subsided from the earth. Genesis 8:1‭, ‬11 AMP

Lord God eternal I worship and glorify your name for being my God. Abba I thank you for the privilege to be alive and among the living this day. Holy one of Israel I worship you for your grace that is made available to me each day. Lord thank you for the forgiveness of sin and your precious life blood shed for my salvation. Father thank you for making a way for me even in places I have given up or almost given up hope. Lord thank you for taking me out of the flight path of unfortunate into the flight path of the peace bearing Dove, into the hopeful kingdom of the flourishing.

Lord thank you for making that which seem to be impossible very possible for me in Jesus name. Lord thank you for permanently silencing the noise of the enemy against my victory shout in Jesus name. Lord thank you for bringing me to the level of divine grace and favor beyond my imagination. Lord thank you for the life of the vessel used for this daily prayer and all impacted by it, for making way for us in all that seem like wilderness journey in Jesus name. Glorious God thank you for this glorious ministry of the immutable truths from Your Living Word that you use daily for today’s prayer.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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