Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 8:20-22

"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.