"And God remembered Noah, and every living thing and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: 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 the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month upon the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: and he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent for the dove out of the ark: and the dove came in to him in the evening; and lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him anymore. 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. And in the second month on the seven and twentieth day of the month was the earth dried." (Genesis 8:1-14)
The words "in the seventh month" does not indicate that this was the seventh month of the flood; for the flood lasted only five months (150 days – remember that at that time months were 30 days only – months changed during the time of Joshua, as we will see when we arrive at that point in our study). Instead, "the seventh month" indicates to us the time of the year in which the ark found a resting place on a mountain top. The year itself was during the 601st year of Noah's life; he was in his six hundredth year when God closed him and his family up in the ark. But more important than the year or the month is the day.
The ark rested "on the seventeenth day of the month." What makes this immediately interesting is that it cannot be a coincidence, but divine orchestration for some divine purpose, that the flood began on the seventeenth day of a particular month (the second month in that instance - Genesis 7:11) and that it now ends on the seventeenth day of the month as well (the seventh month here). We cannot help but wonder what God's purpose was in that?
We will see as our study continues, that this date has prophetic value, and points to, as the entire Bible points to, Jesus Christ; who was resurrected (in the Hebrew calendar) on the 17th day of the month called Nissan (the day that is also known as the Feast of First Fruits.)
What is also interesting is that the ark, which we have already considered to be a "typology" of Christ; now comes to "rest." Jesus himself tells us "Come unto me" (enter the ark of preservation from judgment)…and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
There is no "coincidence" with the Almighty God.
The passage tells us that on the seventeenth day several things happened:
-the flood stopped: "the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;"
-the ark rested;
-and as soon as the flood stopped, the waters began immediately to decrease.
Two and a half months later the tops of the mountains are seen. Forty days later Noah ventures to open the window of the ark, and begins to test the dryness of the land. If there had been carrion available, (floating carcasses) the raven would not have returned; but it did return, resting apparently on the outside of the ark until the earth dried. But the dove, by virtue of its nature, finding no dry place to land, returned to its home and Noah drew it back inside to await another week (most likely timing it by Sabbaths). This happened twice more, and the Bible tells us that the earth was finally dry on the 27th day of the second month of that 601st year of Noah; which meant that by that time, Noah and his family had been in the ark for an incredible 53 weeks!
In tomorrow's passage, we will find them being released from the ark upon God's command.
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