Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 8
Matthew Henry Commentary
Genesis 8
Matthew Henry Commentary
Genesis 8
"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; the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; and the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased." — Genesis 8:1-3 (ASV)
The whole race of mankind, except Noah and his family, were now dead. Therefore, God's remembering Noah was the return of his mercy to mankind, of whom he would not make a complete end. The demands of Divine justice had been answered by the ruin of sinners.
God sent his wind to dry the earth and seal up his waters. The same hand that brings the desolation must bring the deliverance; to that hand, therefore, we must always look.
When afflictions have done the work for which they are sent, whether killing work or curing work, they will be taken away. As the earth was not drowned in a day, so it was not dried in a day. God usually works deliverance for his people gradually, so that the day of small things may not be despised, nor the day of great things be despaired of.
"And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 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. And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: and he sent forth a raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark; for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: and he put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; and the dove came in to him at eventide; and, lo, in her mouth an olive-leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she returned not again unto him any more." — Genesis 8:4-12 (ASV)
The ark rested upon a mountain, where it was directed by the wise and gracious providence of God, so that it might rest sooner. God has times and places of rest for his people after their tossing; and many times he provides for their timely and comfortable settlement, without their own planning and far beyond their own foresight. God had told Noah when the flood would come, yet he did not give him an account by revelation at what times and by what steps it should go away.
The knowledge of the former was necessary for his preparing the ark; but the knowledge of the latter would serve only to gratify curiosity; and concealing it from him would exercise his faith and patience. Noah sent out a raven from the ark, which went flying about, and feeding on the carcasses that floated. Noah then sent out a dove, which returned the first time without good news; but the second time, she brought an olive leaf in her bill, plucked off, plainly showing that trees, fruit trees, began to appear above water.
Noah sent out the dove the second time, seven days after the first, and the third time was also seven days later, probably on the Sabbath day.
Having kept the Sabbath with his small church, he expected special blessings from Heaven and inquired about them.
The dove is an emblem of a gracious soul that, finding no solid peace or satisfaction in this deluged, defiling world, returns to Christ as its ark, as its Noah, its rest.
The carnal heart, like the raven, takes up with the world, and feeds on the carrion it finds there; but return thou to my rest, O my soul; to thy Noah, as the word is (Psalms 116:7).
And as Noah put forth his hand, took the dove, and pulled her to him into the ark, so Christ will save, and help, and welcome those who flee to him for rest (Genesis 8:13–19).
"And it came to pass in the six hundred 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 dried. And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry. And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons` wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both birds, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons` wives with him: every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatsoever moveth upon the earth, after their families, went forth out of the ark." — Genesis 8:13-19 (ASV)
God considers our benefit rather than our desires; He knows what is good for us better than we know for ourselves, and how long it is fitting for our restraints to continue and for desired mercies to be delayed. We would go out of the ark before the ground is dried; and perhaps, if the door is shut, we are ready to thrust off the covering and climb up some other way. But God's time for showing mercy is the best time.
As Noah had a command to go into the ark, so, however tedious his confinement there was, he would wait for a command to go out of it again. We must acknowledge God in all our ways and set Him before us in all our endeavors. Only those who follow God's direction and submit to Him go under God's protection.
"And Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. And Jehovah smelled the sweet savor; and Jehovah said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man`s sake, for that the imagination of man`s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." — Genesis 8:20-22 (ASV)
Noah had now gone out into a desolate world, where, one might have thought, his first care would have been to build a house for himself, but he begins with an altar for God. He begins well, who begins with God. Though Noah's stock of cattle was small, and it had been saved with great care and pains, yet he did not grudge to serve God from it. Serving God with our little is the way to make it more; we must never think that anything with which God is honored is wasted.
The first thing done in the new world was an act of worship. We are now to express our thankfulness, not by burnt offerings, but by praise, pious devotions, and godly living. God was well pleased with what was done. But the burning flesh could no more please God than the blood of bulls and goats, except as symbolic of the sacrifice of Christ and as an expression of Noah's humble faith and devotedness to God. The flood washed away the race of wicked men, but it did not remove sin from human nature; for humanity, being conceived and born in sin, thinks, devises, and loves wickedness, even from youth, and this was as much the case after the flood as before.
But God graciously declared he would never again drown the world. While the earth remains, and humanity upon it, there will be summer and winter. It is clear that this earth will not remain forever. It, and all the works in it, must soon be burned up; and we look for new heavens and a new earth, when all these things will be dissolved. But as long as it does remain, God's providence will cause the course of times and seasons to continue and will ensure that each keeps to its place.
And we depend on this word, that it will be so. We see God's promises to His creatures fulfilled, and may infer that His promises to all believers will be fulfilled as well.
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