Genesis 8

Genesis 8

8:1 Don't worry, God didn't forget Noah at any point. I think it is just saying here that it had been a while since Noah was in the ark and maybe he felt like it was about time.

8:4 The mountains of Ararat are often thought to be in Turkey, but I thought someone found evidence that it is in Iraq. Either way, it is in the middle east. It is my opinion that Eden was actually somewhere in central Africa, and there were rivers there called Tigris and Euphrates, and during the flood Noah traveled quite far. Once he got out, the whole face of the earth was changed and he (or the descendants) came across the two great rivers in Mesopotamia and named them Tigris and Euphrates, either after the original ones or because they were confused. There is scientific evidence that links mitochondrial DNA to Africa as the earliest known ancestors. This may be evolutionary nonsense, but I think it fits. The study that I read talking about this mentions that the line just seems to end with no reason, namely because the mitochondrial DNA is transferred in the X chromosome, which always comes from the female. Thus, Eve's DNA actually resides unchanged within you and me, and tracing it back as far as it has been so far, it gets all the way back to Africa and then just stops. I think this is really interesting.

8:11 The dove and the olive leaf is really a beautiful picture here. Remember that there were seven of each kind of bird (Genesis 7:3), so it's not like Noah sent off the one and only male or female dove.

8:20 Again, I wonder where Noah got the idea that animal sacrifice was the way to please God. He must have received it through some revelation or was taught it by others.

8:21 Imagine if God had not made this promise. What would it look like today? Would God find you faithful?

8:22 Unfortunately, this will lead to men saying that things continue from the beginning and what use is there in believing that there is more to it. As for me, praise God! I am sure I would have been destroyed long before now, but instead I was given the chance to repent and believe.