Those who are familiar with Scripture will know that it is hard to get away from the Gospel despite where they read. Reading the Bible with an eye toward Christ and God’s redemptive plan is surely one of the most beneficial ways to read God’s Word. One of the most amazing ways in which the Gospel can be seen is through the wrath of God when it is coupled by the mercy of God.
Man has made a mess of things. Ever since the fall of man in the Garden, God would have been absolutely just in wiping man off the earth for the sins he has committed against God. An ungrateful heart is surely born out of a belief that one deserves more than what he has. But what does the Bible say? The Bible tells us that what man deserves for his sin is death.
Sin brings death, and sin brings wrath. If the story stopped there, God would be absolutely justified. His righteousness would be upheld, as would His holiness. God is absolutely perfect, and there is no sin that is found within Him. He is spotless. Man must never forget this fact.
One of the major problems is that man is often man-centered in his thinking rather than God-centered. This means, simply put, that man thinks that he is at the center of it all. However, this is not true. God is at the center, and life is all about Him. We were made to worship the Lord with an undivided heart. But we don’t. We were made to glorify God with our entire being. But we don’t. We were made to serve the Lord with gladness. But we don’t. The list goes on.
The problem does not stop there. Man seeks to reverse the roles. Man believes that he was created to be glorified by God, worshipped by God, and served by God. Herein lies the problem as we approach much of the Bible and the thoughts of man. Man is not at the center; God is. Nevertheless, God is truly an amazing God, and His pursuit of fallen man is deserving of much praise. Let’s take a look at Genesis 8:1-5.
God remembers His promise
As we approach Genesis 8:1-5, we are stepping into a period of time when Noah was upon the ark and the floods had covered the whole face of the earth. Thus, God’s wrath was being poured out upon His creation for the sins of humanity. Then the Scripture says, “And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark…” (KJV, Gen. 8:1) . What an amazing choice of words. God remembered Noah.
God must judge sin. There is no way around this fact. People have a tendency to get uptight when God’s wrath and judgment for sin are discussed. However, it will do no good to avoid the topic but will only bring much false assurance and an indifferent approach to life. God’s character demands that justice be served. God is a just judge Who sees the sins of man. There has never been, nor will there ever be, any sin that goes unpunished. Either man will be punished for his own sin, or Christ will have been punished for the sins of those who trust in Him. Either way, justice will be served.
But Noah was a man who found favor in the eyes of God (just as the Christian today is also one who finds favor in the eyes of God). What this meant for Noah is that God looked forward to the death of Christ and applied the merits of Christ to Noah’s life. In Noah’s state of divine favor, he also received a promise of God that he and his family would be spared from the wrath of God. In Genesis 8:1-5, God remembered His promise.
God withholds His wrath
In the midst of God’s remembering His promise, we can see that God took action. Scripture says, “… and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; 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 150 days the waters were abated” (Gen. 8:1-3) . It is said that God made a wind to pass over, He stopped the windows of the heavens, He restrained the rain from heaven, and He caused the waters to return from off the earth.
God delights in forgiveness. God delights in withholding His wrath. The Bible makes it clear that God does not delight in the death of the wicked. God is not sitting in heaven looking for opportunities to execute judgment. This is not the God of the Bible. Prior to the flood, it was obvious that the people of the land were corrupt in their hearts and their practices. Do you remember what God did at this point? If you fast forwarded to God’s judgment, you missed it. God told Noah that He would give mankind 120 years to change their ways. Wow, that’s a long time! God was patient with them. He desired that they would come to repentance and that the flood would not need to take place. Even today, God withholds His wrath and provides a solution so man can be forgiven.
God brings about rest
Not only does God withhold His wrath, but God also brings about rest. Scripture says, “And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat” . Instead of God pouring out His wrath on Noah, He brought Noah to a place of rest. God has provided rest for the Christian, and His name is Jesus Christ.
Are you weak today? Jesus says “Come and find rest.” Are you weary today? Jesus says, “Come and find rest.” Are you heavy laden? Jesus says, “Come and find rest.” Jesus says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30) . Jesus is the Christian’s Sabbath rest. He is the way in which the Christian will find rest from his toil. Turn to Jesus today and find rest.
God gives hope
In the midst of great calamity, God gives hope. In the midst of judgment, God gives hope. As the ark began to find its place of rest on the mountains high above the flood waters, something else took place. Scripture says, “… on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen” (Gen. 8:5) . What hope this must have brought to Noah’s heart.
For many days, all Noah would have seen was the rain, the water, and the flood. He would have heard the waves crashing against the boat; he would have felt the winds of God’s wrath. However, God kept Noah in the midst of it all. Did Noah ever get discouraged in that ark? We cannot know for sure. Did Noah ever despair? The Bible does not say; it is silent on this matter. Nevertheless, despite what Noah’s reaction to the longevity of the flood would have been, we can be assured that the normal response to seeing the peaks of the mountain, which was likely shared by Noah, would have been relief. Noah would have likely been hoping for some time that he would see land yet again. The Bible tells us that when hope is deferred, it makes the heart sick. But God satisfied the hope of Noah much like He satisfies the hope of the Christian today.
Noah saw the peaks of the mountains. So the Christian can see the Rock today. We can see Christ, and He is our hope. Look to Jesus today; He is the Hope of eternal life.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for Jesus. What a blessing it is to know Christ. Thank You for eternal life. Thank You for the forgiveness of sin. I pray that You would open my eyes afresh this day to behold my Savior. In Jesus’ name, Amen.