John Calvin Commentary Genesis 8:1

"And God remembered Noah, and all the beasts, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;" — Genesis 8:1 (ASV)

And God remembered Noah. Moses now addresses more specifically the other part of the subject, which shows that Noah was not disappointed in his hope of the salvation divinely promised to him. The remembrance about which Moses speaks should be referred not only to the external appearance of things (so to speak) but also to the inner feeling of the holy man.

Indeed, it is certain that God, from the time He had once received Noah into His protection, was never unmindful of him. For truly, it was as great a miracle that he did not perish from suffocation in the ark as if he had lived without breath, submerged in the waters.

And Moses previously said that by God’s secret closing up of the ark, the waters were restrained from penetrating it. But as the ark was floating on the waters, even until the fifth month, the delay by which the Lord allowed His servant to be anxiously and miserably tormented might seem to imply a kind of forgetfulness.

Undoubtedly, his heart was agitated by various feelings when he found himself held in suspense for so long, for he might have inferred that his life had been prolonged so that he might be more miserable than any other person. For we know that we tend to imagine God is absent, except when we have some tangible experience of His presence.

And although Noah tenaciously held fast to the promise he had embraced, even to the end, it is still believable that he was severely assailed by various temptations; and God, without doubt, purposely exercised his faith and patience in this way.

For why was the world not destroyed in three days? And for what purpose did the waters, after they had covered the highest mountains, rise fifteen cubits higher, if not to accustom Noah and his family to meditate more profitably on the judgments of God and, when the danger was past, to acknowledge that they had been rescued from a thousand deaths?

Let us therefore learn from this example to rest on the providence of God, even while He seems to be most forgetful of us; for eventually, by providing us help, He will testify that He has been mindful of us.

Even if the flesh persuades us to distrust, yet let us not yield to its restlessness. As soon as the thought creeps in that God has abandoned all care for us, or is asleep, or far away, let us immediately meet it with this shield: ‘The Lord, who has promised His help to the miserable, will in due time be present with us, so that we may indeed perceive the care He takes of us.’

Nor is there less significance in the statement that God also remembered the animals. For if, on account of the salvation promised to man, His favor is extended to livestock and to wild beasts, what may we suppose His favor will be towards His own children, to whom He has so generously and so sacredly pledged His faithfulness?

And God made a wind to pass over the earth. Here it appears more clearly that Moses is speaking of the effect of God’s remembrance of Noah; namely, that indeed, and by a sure proof, Noah could know that God cared for his life. For although God, by His secret power, could have dried the earth, He made use of the wind, a method He also employed in drying the Red Sea.

And thus He would testify that just as He had the waters at His command, ready to execute His wrath, so now He held the winds in His hand to provide relief. And although a remarkable history is recorded here by Moses, we are still taught that the winds do not arise by chance but by the command of God, as it is said in Psalm 104:4 that they are the swift messengers of God; and again, that God rides upon their wings.

Finally, the variety, the contrary motions, and the mutual conflicts of the elements all work together to yield obedience to God. Moses also adds other lesser means by which the waters were diminished and made to return to their former position.

In sum, God, to restore the order He had previously established, recalled the waters to their prescribed boundaries. This was so that the celestial waters, as if frozen, might be suspended in the air; other waters might lie hidden in their depths; others might flow in separate channels; and the sea also might remain within its boundaries.