Genesis 8:17

Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.

1. The Lord also commanded Noah to bring all the animals out of the ark and let them begin breeding, which they obviously did.

Genesis 8:16

Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee.

1. The Lord told Noah to leave the ark with his family.
2. The Lord may give us direction at key milestones in our lives (hopefully, we are listening).
3. The Lord's direction to a family will likely come through the parent.
4. The Lord's direction to a group of people will come through one of His prophets - that is, someone with a long history of faith, obedience and successful communication with God.

Genesis 8:15

And God spake unto Noah, saying,

1. God spoke to Noah once again (I don't recall any mention of Him speaking since His command to board the ark).
2. Sometimes, during challenging periods of our lives, it seems like the Lord is silent. Perhaps, He actually leaves us on our own for a while or, perhaps, His communications just become very subtle. In my experience it is usually the latter.

Genesis 8:14

And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.

1. Although the previous verse states the face of the earth was dry on the first day of the month, it appears it took another 27 days for the water table to drop to a sufficient depth so that everyone, including the heavy animals, could get out and walk around safely.
2. Could the Lord have caused the earth to dry up faster? I'm guessing yes. If so, why didn't He? Possibly, to ensure every creature was dead. Possibly, to try the patience of Noah and his family. Perhaps they developed a closer relationship with the Lord. Perhaps they developed greater humility, realizing how much we depend upon the Lord and are at His mercy. Perhaps they developed a greater feeling of gratitude for the benefits of living on dry land. Perhaps they developed a more in-depth understanding of the various animals. Perhaps it developed in one of the sons a love of the sea and a desire afterwards to become a shipbuilder and sailor.

Genesis 8:13

And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.

1. About ten and a half months after the flood began - that is, on the first day of the new year, the earth was dry again.
2. The ark apparently had a cover, not just a window, that could be removed. Whether or not it could have been reinstalled once removed is another, unanswered question.

Genesis 8:12

And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.

1. Noah kept the dove another seven days and then released her again. She did not return.
2. So, why did the author include these details about Noah using birds to figure out when the earth was dry? Perhaps, to show once again that God doesn't do everything for us. We are often left to use our own intelligence and skills to figure things out. Eventually (see verse 16) the Lord would tell them it was time to disembark, but God was apparently not in the business of giving Noah reports on the status of the flood waters, even though He undoubtedly understood their anxiety to know when they would be able to get out of that smelly ark.

Genesis 8:11

And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

1. The dove returned that same evening with an olive leaf in her mouth.
2. Noah deduced that the floodwaters were essentially gone. (Since the dove had apparently plucked the leaf off a tree, and since mature olive trees grow 25 to 45 feet high, I wonder why Noah thought the waters were gone - even though olive trees grow in coastal areas.)

Genesis 8:10

And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;

1. After the dove returned Noah waited seven days and then released her again.
2. Noah and his family were probably very anxious to get out of the ark.
3. It can take a long time for life to return to normal following a disaster. A great deal of patience may be required.

Genesis 8:9

But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.

1. The Dove returned to Noah's hand and he brought her back into the ark.
2. Doves like a solid suface. They don't live in trees or on the water.
3. The dove's action told Noah that the earth was still covered with water.
4. Noah understood doves.
5. Knowledge is important. You never know when some fact will be helpful.

Genesis 8:8

Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;

1. Noah released a dove to see if the flood waters were gone.

Genesis 8:7

And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.

1. Noah released a raven, which, rather than returning to the ark, apparently flew about, probably from tree to tree, until the waters were dried up.
2. Ravens may not enjoy being couped up on a boat, so think twice about taking one on a voyage.
3. Ravens are not ground-dwelling birds, but are content living in tree tops.

Genesis 8:6

And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:

1. Forty days after the tops of the mountains were sighted Noah opened the ark's window again. (Actually, I can't imagine he didn't open it every day. I think he just did something different on this day.)

Genesis 8:5

And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.

1. The flood waters continued to drop.
2. On the first day of the tenth month (7 1/2 month after the flood began) the tops of the mountains came into view.
3. When the ark first settled on the Ararat mountains the tops of the mountains were still under water. It took another 2 1/2 months for the water level to drop so Noah and his family could see the ground upon which they were resting (and perhaps some lower mountain tops as well).
4. Life's trials may test and help increase our patience.

Genesis 8:4

And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

1. The ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat exactly 5 months after the flood began (see Genesis 7:11).

Genesis 8:3

And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.

1. So, the waters begin to recede, and by the end of 150 days they were considerably lower.
2. Even the worst trials eventually come to an end, at least in the eternal view of things.

Genesis 8:2

The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;

1. Water stopped coming out from under the earth, and it stopped raining.
2. There is a huge amount of water beneath the surface of the earth.

Genesis 8:1

And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;

1. God remembers His promises.
2. God is aware of and cares about the needs of mankind and of all living creatures.
3. God can cause air circulation over the surface of the earth, another evidence that He can exercise control over the weather.
4. God apparently used the wind to cause the floodwaters to subside (I assume, due to evaporation).
5. I can't help but wonder why the author keeps mentioning cattle specifically.

Genesis 7:24

And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

1. The water covered the earth for 150 days before beginning to recede.
2. Anyone who may have managed to get into their own boat or hold onto debris to avoid drowning would have died of other causes by the end of 150 days.

Genesis 7:23

And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

1. Really, all living things upon the face of the earth - human beings, cattle, creeping things, birds - they were all killed. Only those in the ark survived.
2. This was not a local event. Only Noah and those in the ark survived it.

Genesis 7:22

All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.

1. All living, breathing creatures that lived on the dry land died in the flood. (I think the person that wrote this wanted the reader to know that all living things except for the creatures that lived in the water died in the flood.)

Genesis 7:21

And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:

1. As a result of the flood all flesh - that is, all birds, cattle, beasts, creeping things and man, except those in the ark, died.
2. Any species of land animal or bird that Noah didn't have in the ark, if there were any, were now extinct.