God had Not Forgotten Noah
A Devotional Series from Genesis
Online Bible Audio/Readings Links (ESV)
6/25 Reading Portions: Deuteronomy 30; Psalm 119:73-96; Isaiah 57; Matthew 5
Genesis 8:1
But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.
REMEMBER
This expression of God remembering is not unfamiliar in the Scriptures. Here in Genesis 8, we read it for the first time. Here are some other examples. God remembered Abraham (Gen 19:29). God remembered Rachel (Gen 30:22). God remembered His covenant (Ex 2:24). YHVH remembered Hannah, the wife of Elkanah (1 Sam 1:19). It is the Hebrew word זָכַר (za-KHAR). In English, we often use the word for recalling something we may have forgotten. Our all-knowing God, however, didn’t forget Noah, or any of the others Scripture mentioned above. Actually, in English, we use this expression in the same way it is used here. Someone whom I haven’t seen in a while might ask, “Did you forget about me?” I might reply, “No, I remember you.” This is the case here. It is used in the past tense because Moses is writing the account after it had already happened.
Though Noah and his family were safe in the ark of salvation from God’s judgment, they were frail descendants of Adam, just like you and me. After 150 days in the ark (Gen 7:24), the faith of Noah and his family may have faltered a bit, wondering if God had forgotten about them. God most certainly did not forget about them; but you and I, though we are saved by God’s grace in Christ, have faced situations when we may have wondered about whether God was busy elsewhere. I’m currently going through something myself right now, praying with no resolution to the situation. I know God hasn’t forgotten, but the weakness of my flesh will tempt my soul to doubt, to falter in faith. At times like this, I have to stay grounded in the Scriptures, trust the Lord Jesus, and continue praying, because I know that if we’re praying in Christ, He will always answer the saints’ prayers—either yes, no, or wait. God is always good, faithful, and remembers, despite our impatience. Hallelujah! What a Savior!