Christ Jesus Goes Before Us
A Devotional Series from Genesis
Online Bible Audio/Readings Links (ESV)
2 Reading Portions: Joshua 4; Psalms 129-131; Isaiah 64; Matthew 12
Genesis 8:12-13
And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
GOSPEL
With the third time the dove is sent out, we see another wonderful picture of the gospel. This time, however, the dove is a type of Christ, going before Noah and his family, a depiction of the faithful in Christ. The ground is dry, but Noah will not go forth until YHVH God tells him to go forth (Gen 8:15-16). After Christ’s crucifixion, suffering God’s holy judgment for our sakes, He sent the Holy Spirit to live with us forever. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is with us always, to the end of the age (Matt 28:20), never to leave us or forsake us (Heb 13:5).
Jesus goes before us as our great High Priest, our forerunner, as it is written,
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19-20
So, the dove gives us two pictures of Christ, as many types often do. As the dove flies out from the ark into the post-flood world, this depicts Christ Jesus going before us, as it is written,
“The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,” Deuteronomy 1:30
And again,
For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Isaiah 52:12
The other picture we see with the dove is that Noah does not see that particular bird again, for it did not return to him anymore. Just as Jesus ascended into heaven out of our sight (Acts 1:9), we love Him though we do not see Him (1 Pet 1:8). Yet He has promised to one day return (Acts 1:10-11). Hallelujah! What a Savior!