Genesis 8:6-12

2006.Oct.12 21:06

Send out the birds

Read Genesis 8:6-12 | Full Chapter

[Noah] sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the water was abated from the face of the land; but the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot.
(Genesis 8:7-9a, NASB)

Okay, so the folks on the boat have done a nice job of being patient so far, but let’s face it, Noah and family are probably ready to disembark. To get a measure of things, Noah decides to send out a bird, and see if it comes back.

He first sends out a raven. The raven, possibly sick of the ark, just flies around for a while. So, the raven was not a good idea. Next he sends out a dove three times, once a week. The first week the dove comes back. The second the dove also returns, this time with a leaf from an olive tree. So things are looking up. Finally, the next week, the dove does not return.

What I want to say about this all has to do with wisdom and patience. Sending out birds seems to me the best course of action. After all, they can fly above the water, and you get an idea of how the water is receding based on when the bird returns. Which is to say, it’s not what I naturally would have done. Yes, I would have opened the door and maybe fashioned a pole to see if I could find the bottom. And then, as soon as I knew there was an olive tree out there, I’d be trying to land the boat. And so what if a few rats jump overboard in the meanwhile?

It can be a huge pain to, well, wait. To make sure my course of action is wise instead of just jumping into action (that’s not to say I should never act unless I’m certain of the results, but just to not act rashly). Jehovah is the source of wisdom, and when I am stressed I can try to act on that stress or I can turn to him (or probably, some third option). Guess which one I usually do.