In verse 13 we are given the chronology of the flood. Noah entered the ark in his 600th year. This was now the 601st year. We read that it was the first day of the first month of that year. According to the timeline given, Noah had been in the ark for 370 days, using the Hebrew calendar of a 360 day year.
Noah removed the covering (the door) of the ark and he saw that the face of the ground was dry. Keep in mind that Noah was on the top of Mount Ararat at this time.
In verse 14 we read that he waited a little longer - the 27th day of the second month the earth was dried up. In verse 15 God spoke to Noah. Noah was not an impatient man. He could see the earth was dried where he was. However, he waited for God’s instructions before he left the ark. Noah did not know all the details of the situation after the flood, but God did. God knew when it was safe for Noah to leave the ark, and Noah was wise to wait for God’s timing.
In verse 16 God gave Noah the instructions needed to leave the ark. It was now safe for him and for the creatures on the ark to leave. Now it was time to empty the ark. The animals would do fine on their own and Noah would need to build himself some shelter elsewhere. Since the olive tree had leaves, it indicated that the grass was also growing and there would be food for the animals. As we read, it was time for the animals to go about their living and multiplying so that Noah and his family would have food to eat. The clean animals would also be needed for offerings to the Lord.
In verse 18 we see that Noah was ready to leave the ark. It had been a long time since he had set his feet on solid ground. He was not hesitant to step out of that ark and go down the mountain. God had watched over him during the time of the flood, and He would guide him now that he was leaving the ark.
In verse 19 we read that all the beasts and the creeping things and the birds also left the ark. It can be assumed that there would have been the noise of the birds singing and the animals bellowing as they do when they are let out of a pen after being in it for a time. It would have been an exciting time for all. It likely seemed strange for Noah and his family to look upon the scene that was before them. Things were much different from when he had entered that ark just over a year ago. Things would continue to change for some time yet after the flood, as things settled out.
The valleys and the hills that we see today would have been formed as a result of that flood. Things like the Grand Canyon would have been cut quickly as the flood waters receded and the log and mud jam broke and the waters behind it cut that canyon quickly. It was not millions of years of the meandering Colorado River that cut that canyon. The proof of that is in the fossils that are found in the sides of that canyon. Fossils are formed by being buried quickly without being able to decay as they would if left out in the elements. The pressure of the dirt above them and the right conditions would have caused those creatures to be fossilized for generations to look at and to be reminded of the judgment of God upon the wickedness of mankind.
Noah had not forgotten right priorities during his time in the ark. We read that Noah built an ark unto the LORD and he took of every clean beast and fowl and offered a burnt offering unto the LORD. It is obvious that Noah was familiar with the burnt offering prior to the flood. We do not know what Abel’s offering was that he made before the LORD.
In verse 21 we read of God’s response to this genuine act of Noah. Noah honoured God and God was pleased with his sacrifice. God had provided the animals needed for this sacrifice. Noah simply needed to honour God. God promised not to send another flood like this upon man. God knew that the flood could not change the heart of man. God had destroyed the wicked from off the earth, but He knew that even Noah and his family were still capable of sinning against Him. God knew that evil was bound in the child from his youth. We know that as well. Each one reading this has to admit that they have committed many acts of evil in their life.
In verse 22 we are reminded that seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night would continue as long as the earth remains. That includes our time. This is a refutation of the foolishness of those who are spreading lies about “climate change”. The climates have changed since the flood. There have been disasters due to adverse climates since the flood.
There was a news article of a species of catfish that originated in the States, but that has been found in Canadian waters. The article suggested that this ‘might be due to climate change’. Of course in the minds of the lost everything that is a little different and maybe not even different will be blamed on climate change.
Those who are saved know that things are changing and have been changing for years. Things are changing due to God’s intervention, not man’s. Man has been tampering with the weather for years. However, what he has done has caused disasters to take place. He can play around with God’s creation, but he is not wise enough to understand what his foolishness will cause. It is again God’s mercy that limits the effects of man’s rebellion.
Those who reject God may have the opportunity to witness much more drastic changes to the climates if the rapture takes place soon and they are left to enter the Tribulation. The Bible warns of drastic changes that will take place at that time.
Noah was wise before the flood came and the flood did not change his resolve to walk with God. He chose to honour God and offer a burnt offering to Him. God honoured Noah and blessed him and his family as they left that ark. God is still interested in blessing those who submit to Him and know His peace.
Pastor Bartel