Noah Pulled The Dove Into The Ark To Himself

Noah Pulled The Dove Into The Ark To Himself

PPT 1 Placeholder

PPT 2 timer

PPT 3 Message title

PPT 4-5 scripture

Genesis 8:6 Then it came about at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made;

Genesis 8:7 and he sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth.

Genesis 8:8 Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the water was abated from the face of the land;

Genesis 8:9 but the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark; for the water was on the surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took her, and brought her into the ark to himself.

There are several different ways in which we are going to look at this text this morning.

First we are going to look at in context and see a man of God sending out a trial balloon asking God is thing over yet?

Secondly we will see Noah also asking God for a sign of good days ahead.

Third we will see it as a word of comfort for the sick and grieving

Fourth we will see it as emblematic of the rapture of the church

Fifth we will see it as symbolic of God's comfort in the time of storm

And finally we will look at it as an example of a prodigal child returning to the father.

PPT 6

The first way I want to look at it, is the very specific way in which it is intended.

Reading the passage, we could say Noah was sending up a trial balloon to find out if his long night of trouble had ended. A Trial balloon is a figure of speech first used in France and it meant to send up a balloon to gauge the wind to see if it was safe to send someone up in a hot air balloon. By sending out a dove that is in essence what Noah was doing. After he had been in the Ark for 9 months he sent the dove out to see if things had returned to normal and it was safe to go outside. I am sure he was probably a little stir crazy. We have been locked down for just a few days here in Michigan and I don't know about you, but I am stir crazy.

I think a lot of us are asking God, "what's going on?" How long is this going to last? Will it be over by Easter? Is this the beginning of greater trials, all those horrible things that are in the book of Revelation? Because even though in many ways this disease is like other pandemics that have happened before, it has nonetheless impacted our world in ways we have never seen. Which is exactly what Noah faced in his day.

So he sent out the dove and it came back a short time later. Telling Noah the trial wasn't over, it would continue for an unknown season. That was probably a little heart breaking for Noah, as it is for any of us when we are looking for a trial to end but all signs point to it continuing.

Whenever we send up a trial balloon of prayer to God, we sometimes don't get the answer we want. The good news is we know how this story ends. A week later he sent out the dove again and it came back with an olive leaf in its beak. That olive leaf was a sign to Noah things were growing and the earth was almost ready for human settlement again. I am not sure how long this Covid19 trial is going to last but I believe in my heart God has already marked it with an expiration date, and we are seeing encouraging signs in some of the other countries of the world. Hold on my child joy cometh in the morning.

PPT 7

The second way we can look at the text, is that Noah was asking for a sign that better days were ahead. Psalms 86 is a prayer of King David's and verse 17 begins this way: "Show me a sign for good..." When you are in a trial that God doesn't tell you when the expiration date will be, it still comforting to know that He can and will give us tokens for good days ahead. The olive tree is said by ancient commentators to be able to grow some leaves even while under water. In our culture to extend an olive branch means to offer peace and reconciliation with one you are struggling with. It has it roots in this passage in Genesis. God had judged the world with a flood, Noah seeks a token of good, and God sends 2 strong symbols of comfort. 1 is the extended olive branch the other is that it came in the mouth of the dove. The dove in the bible is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. So God communicated His message of peace and token of good will to Noah through the Holy Spirit. God may not end your trial today, but if you ask He will give you tokens for good.