A Fresh Start

Main Idea: As an act of grace, God offers people the opportunity for a fresh start based on a covenant relationship.

Genesis 8:15-19 (ESV):

Then God spoke to Noah, saying, ¹⁶ “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁷ Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” ¹⁸ So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. ¹⁹ Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.

At one time or another most people find themselves in a place where they long for a fresh start, a second chance, or a new beginning. Fresh starts have a way of invigorating us with a resolve to do better. Fresh starts remind us that while past failures may be devastating, they do not have to defeat or define us. When we mess up we can’t go back and undo what was done, but we can make a fresh start from where we are that will lead us to a better ending.

Fresh starts often mean going through an interim period-one of those times of life when we find ourselves between what was and what may be. These in-between days offer us the opportunity to consider or reconsider what the future can look like.

Noah and his family experienced more than a year’s worth of in-between days when they lived in the ark with the animals. These must have been days of reflecting on the catastrophic events that had wiped the earth clean of sinful humanity and considering what the future would look like. When the ark came to rest on dry ground, Noah and his family embraced the opportunity to make a fresh start. They left the security of the vessel that had carried them to safety and stepped across the threshold to a place of beginning again.

Genesis 8:1 records, “God remembered Noah.” This phrase does not mean God had previously forgotten him. The word “remembered” means to bring to mind. In the midst of His judgment, God never forgot about Noah and those with Noah in the ark. For God to remember Noah in this context meant He was ready to act to change Noah’s situation.

A New Start

Short, introductory statements often contain vital information. In verse 15, God spoke directly to Noah. Undoubtedly, Noah had been praying to God throughout the journey. Maintaining ongoing, communion with God is part of a healthy relationship with Him. Second, God cared about all the people on the ark, but He spoke directly to His chosen leader. God related directly to Noah and through him, directed the affairs of His family. Third, this phrase speaks of faithful obedience. God knew that Noah would demonstrate his faith by doing what He was instructed. Just as Noah had built the ark and entered it with his family and the pairs of creatures when told to do so, he likewise waited for a word from God before leaving the ark.

From the time they first gathered to board the ark until they marched down the ramp to disperse, the living creatures acted under God’s superintendence. Now God instructed Noah to “bring out all the living creatures” from the ark in verse 17. The phrase, “bring out” implies the creatures were still under Noah’s control. Noah guided the creatures off the ark.

          Repopulating the earth involved not only human reproduction but also the multiplication of the animals. God intended for the creatures to “spread over the earth” (“breed abundantly” KJV; “swarm” ESV). The people and creatures were not to remain in one place, but were to scatter to all regions of the planet. God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply” was not only a directive but also a promise. He had bestowed His creatures including humans, with the ability to reproduce.

In verse 18 we have one of the most magnificent occurrences of history: they came out. The tiny word so links this dramatic action with what had taken place immediately before. In other words, God gave Noah and his family a directive, and they obeyed.

Imagine the questions and thoughts that might have raced through their minds as they stepped down on dry ground for the first time in over a year. Did they know where they were? Did they know how to start over? Surely some practical thoughts of survival came to mind. They would have to build dwellings for shelter. They would need an ongoing food supply. Perhaps their minds were fixed on all the necessary tasks of rebuilding their lives. Yet they had a much larger matter to consider too. The vastness of God’s commission to replenish the earth was daunting. They had been directed to replenish the planet with human families. As daunting as these thoughts must have seemed, hearing God’s voice assured Noah that God would be with them and again would bless His creation.

Verse 19 emphasizes the words “all” and “every,” suggesting that no living creature on the ark died during their year long journey. Even creatures with short life spans survived. God watched over all the occupants of the ark, preserving their life through His divine care. Moreover, the phrase “by their groups” indicates that the orderliness of life on the ark extended even as the creatures exited. There was no stampede.

Perhaps you feel that you need a fresh start. Hey, we all do from time to time. Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV) tells us:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
²³ they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

Apply the Scriptures:

What, if anything, makes it hard to trust God and to patiently wait on His guidance?

Serving Christ, Loving Others, and Growing Together,

Dr. Bryan Cox